Egg cake, strawberry’s and China Keemun Hong Cha Hao Ya

Chana matar (chickpeas and green peas) and a spectacular black tea of Tinjure. Member of CTCF. No idea how they made the dish or the tea but the sweetness of te tea brings it all together.

And why not. An other chocolate with the same 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!

Kroket sandwich (Ragout Sandwich) and a huge glass of Sri Lanka Uva black tea. Perfect combination for a day at the beach

Chocolate mint Brownie, a delicious combination with China Hong Cha Bi Luo. 6 grams On 110 ml, 70 centigrade water and steeping for 20-25-40-60 seconds.

Fresh cinnamon roll and a absolute perfect made sweet and fruity Golden tea!
6 grams of tea, 500 ml of 85 degrees, 2 minutes steeping time.

Iranian fruits, nuts, sweets, etc and a really great strong brewed Iranian @nobartea.ir black tea to balance all the sweetness. The tea becomes even more fruity and complex!

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.

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.