How to pair tea with chocolate and cheese
Summary
The tannins, antioxidants, and polyphenols allow for interesting pairings
Last month I reached out to Dona Aideau who hosts tea and chocolate pairings, not something one hears about often. It turned out that we were practically neighbours in Puducherry and so, I walked over one Saturday afternoon for tea. Her architect husband, Dorian, had made chocolate mousse and Aideau brewed an Assam that her tea planter father had made, a tippy high-grade black tea that made a golden red cup, as only an Assam can. The hot tea effortlessly accentuated the richness and smoothness of the chocolate.
Aideau’s roots are in Assam and tea, a way of life. A few years ago she started looking at tea pairings systematically. Spending time in France allowed her to explore the world of cheese, seeking parallels from its more traditional pairing with wine. Calling tea a versatile partner for food pairings, she says, “Tea, unlike alcohol, offers the advantage of tannins, antioxidants, and polyphenols, allowing us to enjoy its complexities without intoxication." In these last few years, Aideau has championed tea by hosting tea and chocolate/ cheese pairing workshops—she was also at the annual Indian Cacao and Craft Chocolate Festival, held in Bengaluru, last year and this year. With Christmas around the corner, I asked her for recommendations on putting together a chocolate board with tea at home.
Also read: Get to know the indigenous teas of Assam
For the tea, she recommends a high-grade (SFTGFOP1) Assam black tea. This is a tippy grade with a generous sprinkling of golden tips and very flavourful. It can also be re-steeped. Aideau’s Assam of choice is the one we had, a sweet, fruity, and full bodied tea, that she pairs with the Käse Blue cheese and Savorworks Sir Connor 72% chocolate.
Artisanal chocolate options come recommended for their unusual flavour options that are not seen in the usual supermarket fare. Ditto with cheese. The black tea with blue cheese seems to be a combination to try. To prepare a chocolate board for this tea, Aideau recommends the Indian Origin No.8 100% Dark (Manam), Piedmont Hazelnuts, Almonds, Raisins, Cranberries Fine Milk Chocolate (Paul & Mike), salted peanut chocolate (Bar), a “fruity" Milk Chocolate with Pineapple and
Paprika (Darkins) and the Cranberry Chilli (Bon Fiction). If you want to include a green tea, the Pineapple and Paprika will work wonderfully with it. And if you are having chai, try a 90% plus single-origin dark chocolate with deep, bitter notes or a smoked cheddar that cuts through the richness of tea.
If you are sufficiently intrigued to try your own pairing of tea with chocolate or cheese, one piece of advice is to taste them separately. Start with the tea of your choice, enjoy its aroma, before you taste and savour the chocolate or cheese. “The key is smelling and tasting without looking at labels," says Aideau. “This practice helps manage and refine the ability to identify those hidden, often elusive, aromas and flavours."
TEA TAKES: Assam orthodox SFTGFOP1 is a tricky one to find. Ask your tea seller for it or try from these options, SFTGFOP1 (@Mojateaindia on Instagram), Mangalam Golden Tips Limited Edition (Jayshree Tea), Harmutty Orthodox Assam Whole Leaf Black (Goodricke Tea), and Tippy Reserve (Rujani Tea).
Tea Nanny is a fortnightly series on the world of tea. Aravinda Anantharaman is a Bengaluru-based tea blogger and writer who reports on the tea industry. She posts @AravindaAnanth1 on Twitter.
