Student Name: Sangram Singh Sandhu

Shashwat Tandon
Shreyash Dwivedi
Shriharsh Bendale

Section:C
Subject Name: FOOD AND BEVERAGE
Assignment Title: Systematic Review of Methods Used for Food
Pairing with Tea
Word Count: 1300

Due Date: 24th September, 2022

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction
2. What is Tea
3. Tea Pairing
4. Latest Trend on tea Pairing
5. What is Tea Pairing
6. Tea Pairing by Food
7. Conclusion
8. References
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INTRODUCTION
Food pairing is a well-used concept, yet it is not precisely defined. Food
pairing can occur when two foods or a food and a beverage are
consumed together, making the sensory experience better than when
each is consumed alone
Tea is the most loved and second most consumed beverage around the
world. There might be hardly any house that does not have it on the
kitchen shelf. Also we cannot imagine any occasions, meetings and
parties without tea.
It is the only beverage that starts our morning, Energises our evening
enhances the flavour of dishes paired with it.
Pairing food tea are a perfect match that can enhance the savour of
both and make your meals enjoyable.
The food and tea pairing concept evolved in Western countries.

Many of us are still just beginning to learn of the concept of pairing tea
with our food proper, substantial meals that is. And yet, in the East
they have drunk tea with their main dishes for millennia.
The art of tea pairing is still very much evolving in the West but just
as good food augments a good wine, and wine brings out the
flavours of your dish, so too with teas.

What is TEA
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It is defined as a universally drunk beverage made by infusing the

leaves of an evergreen Asiatic shrub “Camellia Sinesis”. There are two
main types of tea plants. 1. Indian. 2. Chinese. With numerous
varieties and hybrids.

Best teas are cultivated at an altitude of 2,000mts. The tea producing

areas are located between 40degrees north and 41degrees south. The
regions where good tea is cultivated generally have a hot and humid
climate and a winter, which is neither very cold nor very dry.

It is a general belief that tea cultivation first originated in China at

around 3000 B.C. then it came to Japan somewhere around 780 A.D.
The tea plant was not grown in India till 1840. The first tea estate was
planted in Sri Lanka in 1877. Tea was brought to Europe by the Dutch
in the 16th century. It reached England in 1644 and the U.S.A in the
beginning of the 18th century.

Today the main tea producing countries in order of their volume of

output are India (700 million), China (35 million), Sri Lanka, Kenya,
Indonesia, Turkey, Russia, Japan, Iran and Bangladesh.

Get the Right Pairing

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Just as with wines, the lines are now being a little blurred – and the
overwhelming array of teas can at first seem a little intimidating. So
we’re here to help you really impress your guests at dinner parties
by pairing up your food with tea!
The general and orthodox rules for tea pairing are fairly
straightforward.

 Black teas  with their robust flavours pair well with hearty, rich
foods such as roast meats like beef, lamb and venison or heavy
pasta dishes like lasagna.

 Green teas  with their earthy, vegetative palettes combine well

with vegetarian dishes, salads, mild green curries and light
chicken dishes.

 White teas  tend to be very gentle, and if served with too rich a
food will seem totally tasteless. Yet it would be a shame to miss
their oh-so-subtle aromas. So these are best paired with very
light foods such as white fish like sea bass or mild cheeses and
desserts.

 Oolong teas  tend to vary but are in general quite smoky and
complex and therefore pair perfectly with herby dishes, fruity
desserts and smoked cheeses and meats.
 Fruit and scented teas  are perfect for complex desserts, cakes
and dark chocolate! Some even blend wonderfully with spicy
meats – like Earl Grey for instance.

 While full bodied Chai teas  match exotic Turkish sweet meats

and Indian pastries.
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TEA Pairing:

 White tea: cucumber salad, mild cheese (e.g. Camembert),

pannacotta

 Green tea: sushi, fish and steamed greens, plant-based salads,

chicken, rice

 Light oolong: scallops, lobster, prawns, fruit salad

 Dark oolong: duck, smoked/cured meat, roasted vegetables,

granola/muesli, pancakes with maple syrup

 Black tea: red meat, chocolate, pastries, rich deserts

 Dark/fermented: rare meat, cheese (or after food as a digestif)

Latest Trends on TEA PAIRING

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Food pairing with tea is evolving rapidly – so much so that there are
now tea-sommeliers in the West! To become one, rather like a wine
sommelier, involves intense training and a vast amount of
knowledge of the different blends and flavours.
Not only pairing tea with food, but including it as an ingredient in
curries, desserts and even cocktails is becoming increasingly
popular. 

Leading restaurants all over France, the UK and the USA have
started employing tea sommeliers in the way they do wine experts.
Just as you discuss your preferred tastes with a wine expert, so too
with a tea sommelier. Because it is so new, people often approach
tea and food pairing with some scepticism. But if done well, the right
tea with the right food can really unlock not only their own flavours
to their full potential – but even release a third flavour. For instance
a second flush Darjeeling combined with a rich pate such as foie gras
creates a heavenly melt in the mouth dream!
Who knew tea could be so multi-dimensional? Forget about turning
lead into gold, tea food pairing is becoming the new alchemy!

How to Pair Tea with Food

There is a perfect tea pair for whichever food you want to eat, The best
way to learn how to pair your tea is to learn how to brew it properly
and understand its flavors.
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To pair tea with food, you should know a few basic rules. Not all teas
will go well with all dishes. Try to think which tea flavors match or may
complement the flavors of your dishes. For example, fresher green
dishes will go well with fresh green teas. Strong and malty teas will go
well with stronger flavors.  Then think of the flavor intensity. Delicate
white tea will never taste good paired with roasted pork, but they may
taste wonderful with lighter vanilla cream desserts.

The Art of Tea pairing

Like wine, teas possess their own distinctive scents which are key to

our experience or perception of their flavors. By analyzing the unique
aromatic properties of various teas, our research has determined that
certain ingredients are more compatible than others.

What is Tea pairing?

The art of tea pairing, much like wine pairing, is a sensory experience
that explores the dynamic between the aromas and flavors we find in
teas and food. The right tea will balance and even accentuate the
flavors in your food.

There are five different tea types that come from the Camellia Sinensis
plant – white, oolong, green, pu-erh and black tea. Apart from these,
there are also herbal infusions called tisanes which are free from
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caffeine which can also make great food pairings, an example of this is
the Rooibus tea which has a nutty, sweet taste.

Not every tea can pair well with every food because teas have a diverse
taste: some are delicate, whereas others are strong. So there should be
a perfect match of tea and food. 

Three Tea Pairing Guidelines To Keep in Mind

First, tea can easily be overpowered by food, so it’s important to match

the level of your tea to your meal. Simply put, lighter teas go with
lighter foods, and weightier teas can handle a richer dish. We’ll get to
more on that later.

Second, consider the tea’s flavor profile when picking food to go with it.
For instance, a congruent pairing matches the flavors of the food and
tea, creating an additive, enhancing effect, whereas a complementary
pairing places together food and a tea with different flavors to create a
balanced result.

Third, the temperature of your water matters. If the water is too hot
when you go to steep or infuse your tea, the tea leaves will burn,
causing a bitter, astringent flavor that won’t go well with anything.

Tea Pairing by Food:

 Blue cheeses
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Jasmine green, white tea, Chinese blacks

 Fish
Chinese greens, white tea, Lapsang Souchong

 Fresh cheeses
Chinese greens, jasmine pearls, flower scented teas

 Fresh fruits
Chinese greens, oolong, Indian blacks

 Pasta and bread

Indian blacks, Sri Lanka blacks, oolong, green

 Pastries
Indian blacks, yellow tea

 Red meat
Smoked tea (Lapsang Souchong, Russian Caravan), Chinese blacks,
Indian blacks
 Smoked flavours
Indian blacks, oolong

 Spicy food
Chinese greens, jasmine greens, oolong

 Vegetables
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Oolong, Chinese greens

 White meat
Chinese greens, white tea, yellow tea, Indian blacks

CONCLUSION

The art of pairing tea with food mastered for millennia in the East,
slowly evolving in the West. And for good reason pairing tea with food
opens a world on its own. For centuries, sommeliers and chefs have
been pairing food with wine and most of us are only just beginning to
learn the concept of pairing tea with food. With real dishes that is. But
it is simply spectacular!
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Tea pairing is an experience of the senses. It explores the possibilities

and dynamic between the flavors and aromas of the tea and food you
use. Get it right, and tea will not only balance but even lift the flavors
in your food. Pretty much like wine. But often in a slightly, sometimes
radically, different way.

REFERENCES

 https://herblend.in/2021/12/the-best-pairing-of-tea-and-food/
https://agris.fao.org/agrissearch/search.do?
recordID=DJ2021009116
 https://simplelooseleaf.com/blog/tea-culture/food-and-tea-pairing
 https://theteacurator.co.nz/blogs/news/a-beginner-s-guide-to-
food-and-tea-pairing
 https://twinings.co.uk/blogs/news/food-pairing-with-
tea#:~:text=Rules%20for%20Tea%20Pairing&text=Black
%20teas%20with%20their%20robust,curries%20and%20light
%20chicken%20dishes.
