TEA PAIRING

 

 

Tea is a gourmet beverage that pairs successfully with numerous types of foods, but you always need to let your palate be your guide.  Use all your senses and evaluate your observations.  A good way to start is pairing tea with food from the region where it is grown.  One caution: be careful not to pair strong teas with delicate foods or vice versa, so they don’t overpower but rather complement each other.  Here are some combinations to get you started:

FOODS:      

Beef: Ceylon, Yunnan, Oolong, Keemun
Fish/Seafood: Darjeeling, Green Teas, Oolong, Smoked Teas
Pork: Darjeeling, Ceylon, Oolong, Green
Poultry: Darjeeling, Oolong, Ceylon, Yunnan
Eggs: Ceylon, Darjeeling, Keemun, White
Cheese: White, Green, Darjeeling, Oolong, Ceylon
Vegetables: Ceylon, Sencha, Oolong
Fruit: Darjeeling, Oolong, White
Chocolate: Pu-erh, Darjeeling, Oolong, Yunnan, Sencha

TEAS:

WHITE TEA—Quiche, Asiago cheese, fresh fruit, coconut

GREEN TEA—Fish, seafood and shellfish, Brie & goat cheese, Asian sweets & light pastries

• Sencha – salads, vegetables, Camembert cheese, milk chocolate, cheese desserts
• Genmaicha – nut desserts, goat cheese
• Moroccan Mint – beef, spicy dishes

OOLONG TEA—Beef, pork & poultry, scallops, lobster, and other sweet, rich seafood plus sushi, rice dishes, vegetables, Brie, Edam & Munster cheese, fruits, white chocolate, semi-sweet baked goods, tarts and cakes.

BLACK TEA—Scones, chocolate, caramel, shortbread, fruit desserts

• Ceylon – beef, pork, poultry, vegetables, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, Gorgonzola cheese, Provolone cheese, chocolate & caramel
• Masala Chai - various pastries and fruits, chocolate
• Darjeeling – fish/seafood, poultry, eggs, Camembert, Gouda & Stilton cheese, cream cheese, crème brulée, caramel, fruit desserts, vanilla, chocolate
• Earl Grey – crème brulée, fruit tarts, semi-sweet chocolate, ham, Leicester cheese
• Keemun – beef, eggs, spicy dishes, fruit-based sweets, vanilla, dark chocolate
• Lapsang Souchong – smoked salmon, chicken, stilton cheese, spicy foods
• Golden Yunnan – beef, poultry, pumpkin, dark & milk chocolate

PU’ERH TEA—Good after a multiple-course feast or similar heavy meal, rich, heavy or  cream-based sweets, pumpkin, dark chocolate

ROOIBOS (RED TEA) - Both savory and sweet dishes

 

TEA TIME TRIVIA

Tea experts recommend having Lapsang Souchong,

or other robust black teas, with most aperitifs or liqueurs,

as they are a better accompaniment than most fine coffees.

 

 

"So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,

 do it all for the glory of God"
I Corinthians 10:31