A successful tea and food pairing is when the tea enhances the dish, and the dish brings out the best in the tea. To achieve this harmony, it's important to carefully analyze the texture, aromas, and flavors of the dish beforehand. Alternatively, you can start with a tea you're familiar with and find a complementary and delightful food pairing. There are three main ways to create a good tea and food pairing:
Matching: The goal is to pair a dish with a tea that shares similar characteristics. For example, if you're preparing a honey cake, you can pair it with a tea that has buttery and honeyed notes, such as an Organic Fu Lian Oolong.
Contrast: The idea is to pair a tea and a dish with distinct but complementary characteristics. Sticking with the honey cake example, you could pair it with a robust tea featuring intense coffee and cereal notes, like an Itoigawa Batabatacha.
Fusion: The principle here is to combine two distinct flavors to create a new and delightful experience. For instance, pairing honey cake with an Earl Grey tea (with bergamot) can reveal a subtle citrus note, reminiscent of orange zest.
