Tea is not just a ‘stand alone’ beverage that you sip between the meals. It is also a very versatile natural drink that goes perfectly well with food. Unlike coffee, tea naturally complements food by rounding off its flavors. Without smothering your appetite tea fills those flavor gaps in a dish that if left unfulfilled leave you craving for more food. This sating property of tea, by itself makes it a healthier food accompaniment then water or wine. But then tea is known to have other health benefits.

Tea has evolved for thousands of years along with regional cuisine to be the drink that goes along with meals. It is no surprise that it goes well with food. Like any small mid-course or a palate cleanser, tea is in one sense a great flavor bridge from one course to the next. It refreshes and readies the palate for flavor sensuality of the next course in your meal. More importantly it can also be paired with a specific dish - to help complete the flavor journey of that dish.

Pairing tea with food is an adventure in flavors. It is also a good way to get to know the variety in the world of tea. Tea provides an extensive range of tastes, similar to that of wine but without the associated alcohol.  In fact tea accompanies food so much better than wine does. Wine has the tendency to over power the flavor of the food and you cannot drink much without feeling tipsy by the end of your meal. In contrast teas flavor can delicately pair with the food without over powering it and allows you to drink as much as you want without needing a designated driver.Pairing tea with food need not be a tiresome experience of researching volumes of ‘tea connoisseurs’ manual’. A simple thumb rule is to follow the basics of ‘Wine & Food pairing’. Things to consider include body, flavor, acidity and texture. The tea and food can have similar characteristics, or complementary ones to make a good pairing.  

Foods such as seafood, salads and fruit that are normally paired with white wines go perfectly well with green teas. A pleasant surprise here is that the green teas are also great with deep fried food because these teas ‘cut thru’ the fat and lessens your chance of indigestion. Japanese teas like Sencha or Genmaicha go perfectly with seafood and rice dishes. Chinese greens like Dragon well and Jasmines are a little stronger in flavor and have a stronger aroma which pairs well with Salads and Chicken dishes.

Black teas pair well with foods that are normally paired with red wines like meat, curries, and desserts. Black teas are rich and full bodied teas with pronounced tannins which hold up well with richly flavored foods. Black teas pair especially well with chocolates and desserts with chocolate.

Oolongs come somewhere in between Black and Green teas. Like Green teas, very lightly oxidized Oolongs (Wu-long or green Oolongs) go well with foods that are normally paired with white wine. While like black teas, Oolongs that are medium to dark oxidized are a perfect pairing for Chinese, Thai and grilled foods that go well with red wine. This is so because darker Oolongs have a pronounced toastiness and are very full flavored. 

Petit Tea has extensively researched Tea and food pairing to give you a complete insight to the wonderful world of tea. Just click on the links on the left menu above to find our teas that best match your favorite foods.