Chocolate cheesecake and China Yunnan Hong Cha Bi Luo

Vondel speculaas (spiced biscuit) I picked up at Simon Lèvelt and their Assam Goudblad zomerpluk (very tippy Assam second flush) is one of the first tea and food pairings I discovered. The spices and sweetness of the biscuit are balanced so beautiful by the Assam tea. It’s almost as if it becomes a masala chai! 7 grams of tea on 500 ml 95 degrees Celsius water and a infusion time of three minutes. It really needs hot water and a relatively long steep in order to do it’s job 😁.

Nepal meets The Netherlands. @ctcfnepal Golden Tips meets Venco Apothekers drop (sweet liquorice) @theehoffje brought with her. Beautiful soft mouthfeel with typical liquorice aroma’s and fruity aroma’s of the tea!

Spicy paneer and a Golden Nepal black tea to reduce the spicy mouthfeel. Such a wonderful combination. 8 grams of tea, 500 ml, 80 degrees water. Steeping time of 1-1.5-2.0-2.0 minutes.

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.

@travel_sutra_ came up with a great idea. Earl Grey based on an Assam and Raffaello. I’m not a big fan of Earl Grey and I don’t have a sweet tooth. But I have to admit, this is a great combination. Sweetness disappeared partly, nutty flavour was more noticeable, Earl Grey gave it a fresh aroma.

Figs, goats cheese and honey. A great pairing in itself. Nepal Golden tea brings it all together. You need to drink the tea pretty hot and then the magic happens! 8 grams of tea, 500 ml of 90 degrees water, 1.5-2.0-2.5 infusion time.

Bengali style Nepali snacks and a beautiful Nepal Golden Tea. One leaf and a bud. 6 grams of tea, 96 degrees Celsius soft water, first infusion minutes, second infusion 2 minutes. May seem strange but believe me. Learned it from my teacher @susmabastola

Stronger tea or just more of it to complement this pastry? This time I chose a huge mug. A Zealong New Zealand black tea, 7 grams and 500 ml 80 centigrade for two minutes did the best job! More savoury notes in the pastry and more fruity notes in the tea!

Samosa’s and a CTC black tea of a CTCF cooperative. The sweet full flavour of the tea balances the fatty mouthfeel of the samosa and the vegetable flavours combined with the honey like tea really bring everything together! 3 grams of tea on 250 ml 90 degrees Celsius soft water.