Finding the right wine to go with a dish, we all know how it is. But did you know that you can also do this with tea? With a tea pairing you combine tea with your dinner. Tea is the perfect addition to your courses, but also for drinking in between courses. The right tea with the right dish actually intensifies the flavors. As an added bonus, tea does not contain alcohol, which allows you to remain clearheaded and fresh – even the next day. By nature, tea complements food better than other beverages, whereas wine has a rather dominant taste. Tea elevates the flavors of the food to create a better eating experience.

Appetizer
We recommend a healthy green salad as an appetizer. Chinese green tea goes very well with green salads. This tea type also goes very well with chicken.

Cleansing your taste buds
To cleanse your taste buds in between meals we recommend drinking white tea. White tea neutralizes the flavors, allowing you to experience the next dish more fully.

Meat or fish?
Are you having a delicious steak for as your main course? Go with black tea. The full and rich flavor goes very well with a creamy, grilled steak. Black tea flavors are comparable with red wine and the lighter tea flavors can be compared with white wine. Did you choose a fish course? Then go with white tea. A light oolong tea compliments the flavor of a fish course nicely. Japanese or Chinese Sencha tea are also good options. If you go for a rice table this can be combined very well with green tea, because the flavors feel and taste like a natural combination. Do you like spicy foods better? Try it in combination with Jasmine tea.

Say cheese
You can serve tea with warm and cold desserts as well. A desert with a predominant citrus flavour combines well with Earl Grey. The Earl Grey flavor comes perfectly into its own. Do you like chocolate desserts? Then you can choose to go with a mint or fruit flavored tea. For a cheese platter we would recommend green or white tea. This combination works particularly well because the tea warms up your mouth temperature, causing the cheese to slightly melt in your mouth. This brings our the cheeses’ natural aroma and intensifies the flavor.

You can combine a flavorful tea with any dish. Everyone has their own taste of course, so a tea pairing is mainly trying different flavors and tastes. Which combination are you going to try?

Take a look at our other blogs for more tea inspiration!