Camellia Sinensis , This is the name of the shrub whose leaves are harvested for making tea. These leaves are then dried, and sometimes even oxidized (for black tea for example). The teas are known for their region of origin, the name of their mixture and is also characterized by their taste varying according to the treatment they have undergone (simple desiccation as for green tea) or oxidation (for black tea or tea). blue). A bit like wine , finding the right food and tea pairing is not easy. Here are the main lines, to refine according to the tastes of each one.

Black tea: perfect mix with a meat

This dried and then oxidized tea offers woody notes, vanilla, fruit compote, a little animal even that agree more with the meat.

Black tea goes with:
- foie gras (top with a Yunnan),
- duck breasts,
- the lamb,
- the can (a Yunnan gives him character),
- chicken (excellent with a Darjeeling),
- veal (ideal with black tea from Sri Lanka),
- pork,
- the cheese (we try Darjeeling county marriage),
- Some black tea flavored as Earl Gray with notes of Bergamot essence, goes well with a lemon dessert because Bergamot is also a citrus fruit.

To know : the hotter the tea, the better it is, to avoid temperature ruptures. And when it accompanies a cold dish, like foie gras, its heat melts fats and releases the aromas .

Green tea: the agreement with the fish

It is not only dry white wine with the small plate of seafood .... Chinese green tea (not Japanese) is quite mineral, its notes are reminiscent of nuts, it has quite fresh and marine side.

Green tea goes with :
- a fish (fresh, smoked, cooked in foil ...),
- vegetables (turnip, asparagus, green vegetables, chickpea, lentils if seasoning remains discreet.

Green tea can also be used with cheeses such as goats .

Blue tea: to try on cheese

Under the name of blue tea, we find in fact oolong . A tea that sometimes approaches green tea, sometimes black tea . Nothing to do with chance: it is its degree of oxidation that places the cursor.

Blue tea goes with :
- the fresh goat cheese, Roquefort , (its notes are a little milky, buttered),
- the quarters or the financiers,
- the white fish,
- a white meat if it is a more oxidized oolong tea.
- a quiche

Red tea: it matches with chocolate

The red tea is actually Rooibos, a native of South Africa, which is not really a tea (they are leaves harvested on Aspalathus Linearis): it has no tannins and is therefore very smooth in the mouth . Be careful not to choke on the plate.

Red tea agrees with :

- chocolate desserts

White tea: to taste in solo

It is a rather precious tea: it has long been reserved for the emperors of China.

White tea does not support food agreements well : it could be smothered by other flavors.

Thanks to Carine Baudry, founder of the tea school https://www.ecoleduthe.com/fr/ and consultant for the TO by Lipton machine.