The Importance of Pairing Tea with Food
It’s just as important to pair the right tea with your food as to pick the right wine with your dinner. Choosing the optimal tea can transform a simple meal into a memorable dining experience. Although there are several types and flavors to choose from in the world of tea, there are guidelines you can follow.
At Finest English Tea, we specialize in a variety of high quality teas, from earl grey tea and rooibos tea to green tea and herbal tea. We put together a simple guide to pairing an array of teas with food so that you can enhance the taste of your tea and meal, as well as have a unique dining experience.
What’s the Purpose of Pairing Tea with Food?
The importance of pairing tea with food is to strengthen the flavor of both the food and the beverage. A correct combination enables you to choose recipes that complement and accentuate each other by the taste of the tea and vice versa. Fortunately, tea can be paired with a diversity of foods, from spicy Asian dishes to rich chocolate desserts. Below we cover four essential types of tea and which meals compliment them best.
What are the Types of Teas to Pair with Food?
- Pairing English Tea
Many types of english teas have strong and heavy flavors so they pair nicely with flavorful dishes, including spicy foods, meats and seasoned chicken. Sweet pastries also pair well with a cup of black tea on the side.
If you’re drinking smoky black teas, then they should be paired with blackened fishes, dark meats, and dark chocolate. However, sometimes strongly sweetened desserts don’t pair well with black tea. On the other hand, earthy black teas, are great beverages to have with potatoes, tangy chicken, or gravy recipes.
- Pairing White Tea
Because white tea has a very soft and silky taste, the beverage pairs nicely with subtle foods, such as plain vegetables or salad with light dressing. White tea is one of the most subtle and delicate flavors, so it should be paired with lightly seasoned meals.
If you pair white tea with strong foods or heavily seasoned dishes, then you’ll miss the light aroma and flavor of the beverage. If you’d like to enhance the sweet flavor of the white tea, then add a spoonful of honey, such as Finest English Tea’s raw and natural honey.
- Pairing Green Tea
Green tea has a natural grassy flavor, thus it pairs perfectly with mildly seasoned foods, such as chicken, salads, fish or seafood. You can also pair green tea with some fruits, such as melon. Fruity green teas pair very well with chicken, sandwiches, or unsweetened pastries, as well as make a refreshing iced tea. In contrast, smoky green teas are stronger in taste and pair smoothly with pan-fried chicken, stir fry, or even vegetable pizza.
- Pairing Herbal Tea
Herbal teas come in a variety of flavors, from earthy and sweet to minty and bitter. Because of their digestive health benefits, herbal tea goes perfectly after a big meal, such as peppermint or minty tea flavors. Herbal teas are great for neutralizing oily dishes, such as stir-fry or meat recipes. In addition, the light flavor of herbal tea can pair well with greasy foods, such as popcorn, oily chicken or noodles.
Whether you choose green tea with chicken or english tea with dark meats, it’s always best to find an ideal complement of aroma and taste. Start browsing your favorite teas and plan your next recipe with Finest English Tea!
Please visit www.finestenglishtea.com to browse our tea and honey selections or call 408.444-1013 to learn more.
