Tea & Food by Tomislav Podreka

I would like to tell you that pairing food with tea is a science, but in reality, pairing relies greatly on an individual’s “informed” opinions. The ability to understand and relay these opinions is the crux of why pairing of any sort is important. Pairing illustrates that you have explored the natural interplay between food and tea. It is a marvelous way to heighten a dining experience and expand the universe of profiles that define tea. To be able to enhance the presence of food or emphasize the flavors of a given tea is a truly rewarding challenge.

When I discuss the importance of pairing tea and food in foodservice environments, I always stress that the best that can be offered is a guideline—a helping hand to achieve a nicely balanced list of tea that complements the food offered by your establishment. Whether your menu consists of foie gras or bagels and cream cheese, I don’t believe the process has to be any more complex. Rather, pairing tea with food should be an enjoyable step in designing your overall menu.

Before you begin, you must realize that tasting doesn’t require an extremely sophisticated knowledge of food or tea. If you already enjoy food on any level, then you probably have a tasting vocabulary, however expansive or limited it may be. Never be afraid to express what comes to mind when you are tasting tea, because no impression is too slight, and all observations lead to Rome, so to speak.

To illustrate my point, let’s take a complex but marvelous example—oolong. When tasting a lightly oxidized Tung Ting, you will notice many different characteristics. Initially, you will probably take in the aroma, the single most influential element of tea. The range of bouquet should immediately lead you to a floral impression. Soon your senses will target a more specific fragrance, perhaps white flowers of some sort. Finally, you might pinpoint that wonderful aroma as that of a gardenia.

After you smell the tea, you’ll experience its texture and taste. The texture of this Tung Ting Oolong will probably impart a buttery feel—a coating sensation. Beyond texture lies taste. With this tea you should notice fruity notes—perhaps flavors of coconut, pineapple and peach—and then there will be earthy notes, predominately of fresh cut wood and nuts. Bring the taste of the fruit, specifically peach, together with the wood and nut notes, and imagine sucking on the pit of a peach after you have eaten the flesh of the fruit. Now you have a peach-pit flavor. This is the ideal flavor profile of an oolong, especially a Tung Ting.

So what does it all mean? Well, now that you have broken down the complex profile of a single tea you should understand how important it is to match that profile with complementary smells, textures and flavors of food. For example, the floral bouquet of the aforementioned oolong would make it the perfect counterpart to a spicy dish. At the same time, its buttery texture would combine well with baked goods and chocolates, and its fruity notes would work with various types of fish and meat. This may seem like quite a lot for a single tea to handle, but tea is deliciously versatile. You’ll know when you’ve discovered the perfect marriage of flavors; simply let your palate be a guide.

Sometimes a laundry list can best illustrate the art of pairing tea with food. On the following pages is a suggested pairing table. If what you are looking for is not listed, look for a similar item and ponder the possibilities.

I would recommend sweeter greens and lighter black teas, such as a First-Flush Darjeeling or a lightly oxidized oolong. Late autumnal oolongs are also pleasant with fruit.

A surprising array of tea presents itself with chocolate, depending on the strength of chocolate. With dark chocolate, try Pu-erh, Assam, Darjeeling, Oolong (any), or Gyokuro. With milk chocolate, try Yunnan, Dragonwell, Sencha, Darjeeling, or Oolong (any).

Tea and Food Pairings Guide

Dessert Pairings
Baclava	Darjeeling, Pouchong, Oolong (any), Ceylon Black and Green
Carrot Cake	Sencha, Dragonwell, Darjeeling, Ceylon, Assam
Cheesecake	Sencha, Dragonwell, Vietnamese Green, Ceylon Green and Black, Darjeeling, Keemun
Crème Brûlée/Caramel	Darjeeling, Ti Kuan Yin, Tung Ting Oolong, Dragonwell, Assam, Ceylon Green and Black
Crêpes	Darjeeling, Oolong (any)
Dessert with Apples	Darjeeling, Dragonwell, Ti Kuan Yin
Dessert with Apricots	Oolong (any), Darjeeling
Dessert with Bananas	Ti Kuan Yin, Tung Ting Oolong, Pouchong, Ceylon
Dessert with Black Currants	Dragonwell, Darjeeling, Oolong (any)
Dessert with Coffee	Yunnan, Assam, Pu-erh, Formosa, Oriental Beauty and Buddha’s Finger Oolong
Dessert with Raspberries	Darjeeling, Vietnamese Green, Ceylon Green and Black
Dessert with Strawberries	Darjeeling, Dragonwell, Ti Kuan Yin
Fruit Compote	Ceylon, Darjeeling, Yunnan, Dragonwell, Ti Kuan Yin
Pecan Pie	Oolong (any), Darjeeling, Assam, Ceylon
Pumpkin Pie	Dragonwell, Ceylon Green and Black, Darjeeling
Vanilla	Keemun, Ceylon, Darjeeling, Nilgiri
Herb & Spice Pairings
Basil	Oolong, Darjeeling, Dragonwell, Gunpowder, Qui Ding Cha
Capers	Qui Ding Cha, Vietnamese Green, Gunpowder, Ceylon UVA
Chilies	Assam, Yunnan, Keemun, Formosa White Tip Oolong
Cinnamon	Yunnan, Assam, Autumnal Darjeeling, Formosa White Tip Oolong, Pu-erh
Garlic	Sencha, Gunpowder, Gen Mai Cha, Dooars
Ginger	Tung Ting Oolong, Jasmine Pouchong, Darjeeling
Mint	Darjeeling, Tung Ting Oolong, Pouchong, Gunpowder
Mustard	Gunpowder, Chun Mee, Nepalese and African Varieties
Nutmeg	Assam, Darjeeling, Yunnan, Ceylon
Vanilla	Keemun, Tung Ting Oolong, Pouchong, Vietnamese Black, Kenyan
Mushroom Pairings
Chanterelles	Assam, Nilgiri, Ceylon, Pu-erh
Common	Assam, Ceylon, Nilgiri, Dooars
Morels	Assam, Tung Ting Oolong, Autumnal or Second-Flush Darjeeling, Pu-erh
Porcini	Assam, Ceylon, Nilgiri, Dooars, Pu-erh
Cheese Pairings
Asiago	Keemun, Pai Mu Dan
Brie	Dragonwell, Ha Giang, Darjeeling, Tung Ting Oolong
Camembert	Dragonwell, Chun Mee, Gunpowder, Ha Giang, First-Flush Darjeeling, Sikkim
Cheddar	Tung Ting Oolong, Darjeeling
Cream Cheese	Ceylon, Darjeeling, Cameroon
Edam	Ceylon, Autumnal Darjeeling, Buddha’s Finger Oolong
Gorgonzola	Chun Mee, Ha Giang, Ceylon, Pouchong
Muenster	Tung Ting Oolong, Pouchong
Provolone	Ceylon, Nilgiri
Chicken Pairings
Curry	Darjeeling, Pouchong, Dragonwell, Jasmine Green
Fried	Assam, Ceylon, Nilgiri, Kenya
Lemon	Tung Ting Oolong, Darjeeling, Ceylon, Gunpowder
Roast	Ceylon, Gunpowder, Assam
Fish Pairings
Fried	Dragonwell, Chun Mee, Gunpowder
Grilled	Dragonwell, Chun Mee, Gunpowder, First-Flush Darjeeling
Smoked	Oolong (any), Darjeeling, Ceylon, Dragonwell
Ham Pairings
Baked	Ceylon, Assam, Kenya
Smoked	Oolong (any), Darjeeling, Dragonwell
Miscellaneous Food Pairings
Anchovy	Ha Giang, Ceylon Green, First-Flush Darjeeling, Gunpowder, Chun Mee, Pouchong
Antipasto	Dragonwell, Pouchong, Ceylon, Dooars, Nilgiri
Avocado	Tung Ting Oolong, Pouchong, Darjeeling, Sencha
Bacon	Assam, Gunpowder, Ceylon
Baked Beans	Ceylon, Assam, Kenya, Yunnan
BBQ Fish	Gunpowder, Hojicha, Chun Mee
BBQ Meat	Ceylon, Yunnan, Gunpowder
Beef	Ceylon, Yunnan, Formosa Oolong, Kenya, Nilgiri, Gunpowder
Blinis with Salmon	Tung Ting Oolong, Darjeeling
Buffalo Wings	Ceylon, Darjeeling
Carpaccio	Tung Ting Oolong, Darjeeling, Ceylon
Clam Chowder	Dragonwell, Chun Mee, Ceylon Green
Corn	Sencha, Hojicha, Chun Mee
Corn Bread	Ceylon, Assam, Kenya, Yunnan
Couscous	Ceylon, Assam, Nilgiri, Yunnan, Gunpowder
Curry	Darjeeling, Jasmine Black or Green
Eggplant	Ceylon, Darjeeling
Eggs	Darjeeling, Oolong (any), Keemun, Assam, Ceylon, Kenya
Hamburgers	Ceylon, Darjeeling, Assam, Nilgiri, Kenya
Lamb	Ceylon, Darjeeling, Yunnan
Lasagna	Assam, Ceylon, Nilgiri
Macaroni and Cheese	Sencha, Ceylon
Meat Loaf	Yunnan, Keemun, Nilgiri, Kenya
Mexican	Assam, Ceylon
Pizza	Ceylon, Yunnan, Keemun
Polenta	Darjeeling
Pork	Darjeeling, Ceylon, Oolong (any), Hojicha, Lapsang Souchong, Dragonwell, Gunpowder, Chun Mee
Potato Salad	Oolong, Pouchong, Darjeeling, Dooars, Nilgiri, Ceylon
Prawns	Dragonwell, Ti Kuan Yin, Dragonwell, Ha Giang, Ceylon Green
Quiche	Darjeeling, Ceylon, Sencha, Dragonwell, Chun Mee
Salami	Ceylon, Nilgiri
Salsa	Vietnamese Green, Ceylon Green
Turkey	Oolong (any), Darjeeling, Ceylon,Yunnan
Vegetables (raw)	Ceylon, Nilgiri, Chun Mee, Sencha