The term “pair” is derived from the Latin “maritare” and means “to marry or join in matrimony, to unite or to link”, hence this word is used to refer to the perfect union of a drink and a food.

In the gourmet world (and in the not so gourmet world too!), there is talk of which foods pair with which wines, there are even pairings of spirits and beers. As we have already discussed, the only drinks that educate the palate are wine and tea, so it is logical that we can also pair food with tea. It is very common to accompany a dessert with tea, but in our culture we are not used to drinking tea with salty foods.

First of all, it should be clarified that teas taken with salty foods are almost exclusively pure teas, that is, simply camellia sinensis processed in various ways (such as white, green, ulong, black or pu erh tea) in different countries or gardens, resulting in us finding notes (olfactory and gustatory) as diverse as vegetables, algae, flowers, roasted seeds, spices, dairy products or even meat!

As with wine, there are no perfect formulas to say which tea goes with which food, however there are guides prepared by expert “tea sommeliers” who have tried different teas thousands of times and who, in their opinion, combine them with a type or class of food.

It is very important to note that these guidelines are just a basis for us to try that Tea with the suggested foods and form our own opinion of the “union” we form: do we like it? Do we feel that the attributes of the Tea in question are enhanced?

Do some of the notes in the food stand out, or are they overpowered by the flavour of the tea? Or, on the contrary, is the food diminished by the flavour of the tea?

What we are looking for is that both parts (tea and food) complement each other, accompany each other, that neither of them stands out as one, but neither of them gets lost. Tea can enhance some flavor or aroma of the food or vice versa.

Once you have tried what the guide suggests, I recommend that you make your own combinations, experiment based on your experience, ask yourself: What flavours do I find in this tea and what would I like to combine them with? And next time try your idea and see how it turns out.

Ideally, you should do these tests around the same time, so that your body has a similar chemical state, and take notes. Don't just memorize what you perceive and feel. Leave a line on the technical sheet for each tea for your pairing ideas, and try your ideas out at the next tasting and write down your results.

The following guide was prepared by Tomislav Podreka RIP (Founder of Serendipitea), I have added some Mexican foods ( in blue ) that I suppose he didn't know and that we have found pair perfectly with these teas, so I invite you to try tea with food and if you have any comments or discoveries, send them to me at teamaster @eurote.com.mx . I promise I will try it and I may even add it to the pairing suggestions!

 

TEA PAIRING GUIDE

TEA WITH HERBS AND SPICES

BASIL	DARJEELING, ULONG, LONG JING, TEMPLE OF HEAVEN.
GARLIC	SENCHA, TEMPLE OF HEAVEN, GEN MAI CHA.
CINNAMON	ASSAM, PU ERH, DARJEELING (AUTUMN).
CHILIES	ASSAM, YUNNAN, FORMOSA ULONG.
GINGER	JASMINE, DARJEELING.
MINT	DARJEELING, TEMPLE OF HEAVEN.
MUSTARD	TEMPLE OF HEAVEN, AFRICAN TEA
NUTMEG	ASSAM, DARJEELING, YUNNAN, CEYLAN.

 

MUSHROOM TEA

 

CANTAREL	ASSAM, NILGIRI, CEYLAN, PU ERH.
MUSHROOM	ASSAM, NILGIRI, CEYLON.
MORELS	ASSAM, PU ERH, DARJEELING (AUTUMN).
PORCINI	ASSAM, NILGIRI, CEYLAN, PU ERH.

TEA WITH CHEESE

 

ASIAGO	PAI MU TAN, KEEMUN.
BRIE	LONG JING, DARJEELING, TIE KUAN YIN.
CAMEMBERT	LONG JING, TEMPLE OF HEAVEN, BI LO CHUN.
CHEDDAR	DARJEELING.
Q. CREAM	CEYLON, DARJEELING, CAMEROON.
EDAM	CEYLON, DARJEELING (AUTUMN).
GORGONZOLA	CEYLON, TIE KUAN YIN.
MUENSTER	TUNG TING, POUCHONG.
PROVOLONE	CEYLAN, NILGIRI, LAPSANG SOUCHONG.

 

TEA WITH STEWS

 

WITH LEMON	DARJEELING, CEYLAN, TEMPLE OF HEAVEN.
ROASTS	CEYLAN, TEMPLE OF HEAVEN, ASSAM.
OF CORN	LONG JING.
RED MOLE (TAMALE)	ASSAM.
WITH CHILE POBLANO	TI KUAN YIN.
DRESSING	FROM HONG PAO.
PIGSY ...	FORMOSA ULONG.
CURRY	JASMINE, LONG JING, TEMPLE OF HEAVEN.
CHICKEN	BI LO CHUN, TIE KUAN YIN.
CLEAR FISH	SENCHA, LONG JING, BI LO CHUN, GYOKURO.
DARK FISH	FORMOSA ULONG.
SMOKED FISH	LAPSANG SOUCHONG, FORMOSA ULONG, CEYLAN.
PIG	CEYLAN, TEMPLE OF HEAVEN, LONG JING.
LAMB	CEYLON, YUNNAN.
BEEF	YUNNAN, ASSAM, NILGIRI.

 

TEA WITH DESSERTS

FRESH FRUIT	DARJEELING, SWEET GREEN TEA ( GYOKURO, PI LO CHUN), CHINESE ULONG.
LIGHT CHOCOLATE	DARJEELING, YUNNAN, LONG JING, SENCHA,
DARK CHOCOLATE	DARJEELING, PU ERH, ASSAM, ULONG
OF CHEESE	DARJEELING, SENCHA, LONG JING, CEYLON.
WITH APPLE	DARJEELING, LONG JING, TIE KUAN YIN.
WITH PEACHES	DARJEELING, ULONG.
WITH BANANA	TIE KUAN YIN, CEYLON.
WITH RASPBERRIES	DARJEELING, CEYLON.
WITH STRAWBERRIES	DARJEELING, LONG JING, TIE KUAN YIN.
WITH NUTS	DARJEELING, ULONG, ASSAM, CEYLAN, GENMAICHA, DA HONG PAO.
WITH VANILLA	DARJEELING, CEYLON, NILGIRI.
WITH COFFEE	ASSAM, PU ERH, FORMOSA ULONG.
WITH CARAMEL	DARJEELING, TIE KUAN YIN, LONG JING, ASSAM, CEYLAN.

I also invite you to take the EURO TE Quiz, “Find your ideal Tea”, in which you will find which Teas pair with a long list of foods and other characteristics that make a certain Tea ideal for you (at a certain time or mood).

I invite you to experience Tea! You will discover that it is much more than a drink, it is a way of life!

Olivia Medina
Tea Master, EURO TEA