This year, the plan is to hone my tea and food pairing skills. Chocolate and cheese are two of the most popular pairing choices, so I thought I’d start from them. Popular doesn’t mean easy, pairings need to be taste-tested. How do you know if a tea and food pairing works? Both the tea of choice and the food paired with it enhance each other without overpowering each other. You can still taste both and their flavor notes keep developing and the result is pleasant. In other words, you want more. Often, flavor and aromatic notes are not the only elements that need careful consideration. Temperature and texture are also extremely important. And let’s not forget the tasting method. Sip, taste, sip. A sip of tea, a bite of food, another sip of tea. 

For this tea tasting flight, I’m using three teas by Silk Road Teas, you can have a look at my post if you missed it. The connection between these three teas is the same Camellia Sinensis varietal, the Mei Zhan, which grows at high altitude and is a slow growing varietal.

Tea Name: Big White
Origin: Fujian province, China
Ingredients: white tea
Harvest: 2016
Water Temperature: 190-195 F / 87-90 C
Steep Time: 1-2 minutes
Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan
Leaves/Water Ratio: 4 grams, 5 oz / 150 ml filtered water (Brita)
EYE
dry leaves: downy buds and leaves, bright green, dark grey and brown, two leaves and one bud
wet leaves: green with brownish hues
liquor: yellow with pinkish/orange hues
NOSE
dry leaves: sweet hay, floral, dried herbs
wet leaves: sweet, honey
liquor: fruity and floral
PALATE
liquor: sweet, floral and fruity, notes of lavender and wildflowers

MOUTHFEEL: pleasant herbal aftertaste lingers

FOOD PAIRING: burrata cheese. Burrata is an Italian cheese which is very similar to mozzarella but has a creamier softer core. Here, the sweetness and creaminess of the cheese enhance the tea's floral notes, drawing out its herbal qualities.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: it looks like a Bai Mu Dan but when you taste it, it has more body and the fruity notes are a little more pronounced. You can get 3-4 steeps.

Tea Name: Green Monkey
Origin: Fujian province, China
Ingredients: green tea
Harvest: 2016
Water Temperature: 195 F / 90 C
Steep Time: 1-2 minutes
Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan
Leaves/Water Ratio: 4 grams, 5 oz / 150 ml filtered water (Brita)
EYE
dry leaves: dark green, curly, wiry, long, rolled lengthwise
wet leaves: dark forest green with light green hues. After a few infusions, leaves turn moss green, unfurl to medium and large leaves and buds
liquor: yellow with bright green hues
NOSE
dry leaves: sweet hay
wet leaves: pronounced umami notes at first, then developing into sweet notes of maple syrup, raisins, dates and quince into nutty and vegetal
liquor: mildly aromatic
PALATE
liquor: savory, vegetal, asparagus notes, slightly toasty

MOUTHFEEL: smooth, velvety, it has a roundness to it. Slight pleasantly astringent aftertaste

FOOD PAIRING: whole milk ricotta cheese with a touch of sea salt on top

OVERALL IMPRESSION: the creaminess of the cheese and the touch of salt complement perfectly the savory notes of the tea without making them flat. Yum!

Tea Name: Black Fragrance rare
Origin: Fujian province, China
Ingredients: black tea
Harvest: 2016
Water Temperature: 195 F / 90 C
Steep Time: 1-2 minutes
Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan
Leaves/Water Ratio: 4 grams, 5 oz / 150 ml filtered water (Brita)
EYE
dry leaves: black, dark grey with a few golden rusty hues, wiry, rolled lengthwise
wet leaves: brown with reddish rusty hues, a lot of buds
liquor: bright orange with rusty hues
NOSE
dry leaves: sweet, floral, sweet hay
wet leaves: chocolate, slightly toasty notes developing into aniseed and licorice
liquor: chocolate, honey, floral
PALATE
liquor: sweet, chocolate notes

MOUTHFEEL: silky, long aromatic finish, very complex and elegant

FOOD PAIRING: Dick Taylor Madagascar Sambirano single estate 72% dark chocolate

OVERALL IMPRESSION: the chocolate has its own tasting notes of molasses, orange, raisin and toast. It's incredible how they were enhanced by the tea. This is what I call a meditation pairing, one that you will want to savor with all your senses. You can easily get 5 steeps from this tea.

What tea and cheese or tea and chocolate pairings have you tried? I am looking forward to reading all your comments!

Disclaimer: tea samples kindly provided by Silk Road Teas. I was not asked nor paid to mention or review products, services or businesses that appear in this blog post.