Cottage cheese and tomato tapenade baguette and Nepal Shangri La Second Flush

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 😁.

My favourite breakfast. Dosa. Perfect with a malty Assam tea! 7 grams on 500 ml, 95 degrees water, 3 minutes.

Lovely lunch. Sandwiches and a big mug of Japan Asatsuyu black tea. 7 grams on 500 ml 80 centigrade water. 1-1.5-2 minute infusions.

Sel roti and Chiya. Perfect Nepalli combination!

Crisps and a China Fujian Golden Monkey. 7 grams of tea, 500 ml 75 centigrade water and 1.5-2.0 minute steeps. Nice afternoon snack.

Blueberry muffin and a China Fujian Golden Monkey black tea. You’ll need a lot of tea to join this huge muffin.

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

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.

Chocolate cheesecake and a China Yunnan Hong Cha Bi Luo. 7 grams on 500 ml 80 centigrade water. 1-1.5-2 minute brews. Brings out the chocolate notes in the cheesecake in a wonderful way!