Tuna cream blini and India Meghalaya La Kyrsiew

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.

Iranian cookies and @amard_tea tea are a perfect combination! Sweet, fruity tea and nicely baked cookies 🎉.

And why not. An other chocolate with the same tea 😁.

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.

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 😁.

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!

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.

Sel roti and Chiya. Perfect Nepalli combination!

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.