Banana pancakes and Nepal black tea

Sometimes you accidentally come across a very special product. We visited a farmers shop called the Kastanjeboom, located just outside the small town of Bunschoten-Spakenburg. They sell a lot of beautiful local products but they also make their own clotted cream. The best I ever tasted. Read their story. Scones, Blueberry Jam and their great cream. Paired with a China Fujian Golden Monkey. 7 grams of tea on 500 ml, 75 degrees Celsius water. A true delight!

Iranian cookies and @amard_tea tea are a perfect combination! Sweet, fruity tea and nicely baked cookies 🎉.

It’s Sunday! Chocolate cake and fruit. Great with a Taiwan Sun Moon Lake black tea. 9 grams of tea on 110 ml of 85 centigrade water. 20-20-25-30-40 seconds brew time. Delicious!

Couldn’t resist picking up some beautiful chocolates at my local Simon Lèvelt store. The shop owner suggested their Yunnan Gold to drink with these beauties. She was right! Brewed it real strong in order to taste both tea and chocolates. 9 grams of tea on 500 ml of 90 degrees Celsius water and a steeping time of 3 minutes. Normally I would use 80 degrees Celsius water and a 1-2 minute steep but the tea really needs more extraction in order not to taste like hot water. The slight astringency balances the sweetness of the chocolates and brings out the chocolaty flavour much more.

@dorsetteauk and fresh crumpets. Why Dorset tea? The way they put it: there is only one T in Dorset 😁 2 bags in a huge mug, 4 minutes and a dash of milk. Simply perfect!

Dumplings, an unidentifiable great and very spicy soup. Chya of a complex tea does the job. Milk in a great tea? When it comes to pairing it with a spice dish: absolutely! Milk balances the spicy notes of the dish, the complex character of the tea becomes more dominant. A real surprise to me.

Beautiful warm weather, a fresh tomato and mozzarella pasta salad. Paired with a cold brew China Fujian Golden Monkey. 8 grams of tea, in the fridge for 8 hours. Nice and light. Life is almost perfect.

A great Nepalli meal needs a great tea. A Nepal Jun Chiyabari Himalaya Imperial Black of @junchiyabari did a great job! 19 grams of tea on one litre 80 centigrade soft water and a steeping time of 2 minutes

Turkish pide and @turkiyenincayi strong black tea. The tea can handle the fats in the pide and acidity in the salad beautifully.