Mallory Knee
Just like certain types of wine and beer taste incredible when paired with the right dish, so do certain types of tea. Black tea will make a better pairing with a steak than green tea will, but even at that, only certain types of black tea will pair well with that steak. To explain this even further, we’ve put together a quick guide to the best tea and food pairings.
Black Tea
The word you’ll see used to describe black tea a lot of the time is “robust,” and it lives up to this moniker. Black tea is typically a very strong-flavored tea, and that makes it an excellent pairing for rich, flavorful foods like beef, pasta, and many dishes with a high amount of spice or seasoning. However, different types of black tea pair better with certain foods.
For instance, if you’re going with an earthy or smoky type of black tea, then it’ll pair better with darker meats and very spicy foods. The stronger the flavor, the more likely it is that you should go with a smoky black tea over an earthy one. However, if you have a fruity black tea, that will pair better with a dessert dish.
Green Tea
Green tea is typically much lighter than black tea, both in color and flavor. It provides consumers with a natural flavor that makes a great pairing with lighter foods like seafood, chicken, and in some cases, even fruits and salads. That being said, similar to black tea, there are different tiers of green tea that work with a select category of foods. If you’re drinking a vegetal tea, you’ll want to pair it with some excellent seafood thanks to its earthy flavor.
If you’re choosing a smoky green tea instead of a vegetal one, it’s going to pair better with greasier foods like fried chicken and pizza. It’ll match great with a side of potatoes as well. When it comes to fruity green teas, they’re going to make a better pairing with fruit salads, whole wheat bread, chicken, turkey, and unsweetened pastries.
White Tea
Unlike green or black tea, you don’t have to worry about pairing a fruity white tea with the right dessert. Instead, it’s all about matching the subtle, delicate flavor of white tea with a lighter dish that won’t overshadow it. When pairing white tea with a meal, make sure it’s a plain salad or very lightly seasoned seafood. The reason for this is that if you match the light flavor of white tea with a dish that is too heavy, such as a steak or even some fruit, it will almost entirely cancel out the tea’s flavor.
Now that you have a quick guide to the best tea and food pairings, your next meal can indeed be something to remember. However, the pairings don’t stop there. If you want to personalize your tea and food pairings, you can do so easily. For example, if you’re going to maintain a low-cholesterol diet, you can mix some healthy foods with one of the many types of tea for cholesterol available on the market. When it comes to tea, there are so many ways to fit your drink of choice into your lifestyle.
Read more:
