Esmeralda Rio Verde and Purnamukhiya

Dates and @amard_tea tea from Iran. Great afternoon treat! 7 grams of tea, 500 ml 85 centigrade water and a 2 minute steep

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.

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

Chocolates and tea; great to play with all the possible combinations!

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.

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.

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!

Beautiful breakfast at the beach. Many different elements so a versatile tea comes in handy. I choose for a Malawi Satemwa Smallholders OP1. It did a great job! 7 grams of tea on 500 ml 95 centigrade water. 2 minutes steeping. Serve in a big mug or glass.

Spring rolls and an India Meghalaya La Kyrsiew SFTGFOP. Sweetness in the tea balances the spicy Hoi Sin sauce and enhances the sweetness. Delicious! 7 grams of tea, 500 ml, 75 centigrade water and a two minute steep.