Shrimps and Ceylon Nuwara Eliya Lovers Leap Estate

A great salad and a Sri Lanka Uva. 8 grams of tea, 2 minutes and 500 ml of 95 centigrade water.

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.

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

More tea and more chocolates

No Vino Santo to dip in the Cantuccini alle mandorle but a very sweet China Fujian Golden Monkey. 10 grams on 400 ml of 75 centigrade water for just one minute. Multiple infusions needed.

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

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!

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

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.