Tea Pairing 101: A Guide to Matching Tea and Food

When you think about pairing drinks with particular foods, the first thing that probably comes to mind is wine. Perhaps you can picture some well-dressed person swirling the wine around in their glass and giving it a good sniff before they drink it. Like many people, you might be wondering what that’s all about. 

These strange rituals can make pairing food and drink seem intimidating, and that’s not right. It’s meant to be fun and to help you better appreciate both your meal and your beverage. A great way to experience pairing for yourself without spending lots of money on vintage wines is to use tea instead. This is better for your health as well as your wallet.

This quick guide offers some basic pairings for six types of tea that you can try at home.

1. White tea

The flavour of tea is weaker than that of wine, so to avoid having it overpowered by your meal you should pair stronger teas with richer foods and weaker teas with lighter foods. White tea is the most delicately flavoured tea, with only a very subtle taste and aroma. This is because it has spent the least time exposed to air of all the tea types. As such, it pairs best with light foods and mild flavours. Examples include light fish, mild cheeses, and fruit.

2. Black tea 

Black tea, by virtue of having been exposed to air the longest, is the darkest of the main tea types and has a strong flavour. One popular option is to balance this out by pairing it with something rich and sweet, like a dessert. It also pairs nicely with steak, lamb, and other heavy dishes, as well as various breakfast foods. 

3. Green tea

Known for its healthy antioxidants and health benefits, green tea falls somewhere between white and black tea in terms of flavour strength. Generally, the best pairings for it are still lighter foods like seafood, salads, and vegetables. It also comes in a stronger form called matcha, and like black tea you might want to balance out the strong bitter flavour with a sweet dessert or some chocolate.

4.  Yellow tea

You don’t hear much about yellow tea and it’s not always easy to buy, but it does exist and as you can probably guess it falls between white and green tea on the strength scale. This means you should look for lighter pairings such as mushrooms, pasta, or perhaps some chicken. Yellow tea is also said to pair well with raw seafood such as oysters. 

5. Oolong tea

This has a flavour somewhere between green and black teas, and is probably the most versatile type. It pairs nicely with almost everything, but popular choices include citrus fruits, soft cheeses, and rich seafoods like lobster. 

6. Pu-erh

The most unusual type of tea, this is actually fermented and has a distinctive flavour often described as “earthy.” Asparagus, mushrooms, and mature cheeses all share similar notes and make a nice accompaniment.

Conclusion

Tea is a cheap and unfussy way to get into food pairing. Try to pay attention to how the flavour notes balance or enhance each other, but have fun with it and don’t be afraid to try new things.