Tea & Food Pairing

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.

Brie de Meaux, Blue d’Auvergne, Port Salut and a Gyokuro, Jin Jun Mei and Tie Guan Yin. Interesting combinations.

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.

What when they serve you a sweetened black tea? Just pair it with some sour fruits 😁. The acidity balances the sweetness of the tea.

I have to admit, I’m not the biggest fan of bubble tea. Too sweet and there is often no tea in it at all. This is different. A black tea from the south of Yunnan province gives a natural sweetness. Cold tea and cold food can be a very good combination!

Beautiful cooked Nepali corn and a very sweet, fruity and flowery Nepali rolled black tea. Marriage made in heaven!

Cottage cheese and a tomato tapenade on a baguette. Nepal Shangri La Second Flush FTGFOP1 7 grams on 500 ml 95 centigrade water. 2 minutes infusion. Tomato and cheese really come together!

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

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.