Food and tea pairing - A win-win? (Part 1 of 2)

Undeniably food and tea pairing is a very broad topic. I have always wanted to draw more conclusions than my limited experience would allow for. Consequently, I normally enjoy a cup of tea on its own. However,  there are some combinations that I have a soft spot for.

Here is one of few occasions I have some success in pairing food with tea. What I find complementary is to munch on some Arab or Iranian dates alongside a cup of strong red tea. The sweetness in the dates becomes more balanced and one can smell more of the natural aromas released from these dates when consumed with red teas or similar.

An obvious yet crucial point is to create a win-win situation when playing the matchmaking game between food and tea. Most foods come with additives like MSG, yeast extract, etc. In his book on Chinese teas, Teaparker advises his readers to be more selective in their food choices for the purpose of pairing with teas.

Blogeintrag auf Deutsch: Kombinieren von Speisen und Tee – Win-win?

Ein seltener Tee - Wu Yi Shui Xian

Selbstverständlich ist es nicht meine Absicht, hier ausführlich gefälschten Tee zu erörtern. Allerdings möchte ich den Leser darauf aufmerksam machen, daß die große Nachfrage und das geringe Angebot dazu geführt haben, daß unglaublich viel Wu Yi Tee zweifelhafter Qualität und Herkunft im Umlauf ist.

Bei einem authentischen Wu Yi Tee spürt man ein sehr ausgeprägtes Aroma, einen felsigen Geschmack und Düfte fleischiger Früchte. Er erzeugt einen durchdringenden, warmen Umlauf, den Sie vor allem in den Handflächen, den Fingern und dem Magen spüren. Des weiteren hat er einen faszinierenden und lang anhaltenden Nachgeschmack, der sich Schicht für Schicht entfaltet, wie eine rote Rose, die einen in die Welt der Liebe zum Tee sowie in das rote Felsgestein des Wu Yi Gebirge befördert.

Da dies ein eher seltener und teurer Tee ist, habe ich nur eine kleine Menge verwendet, zumal man nie weiß, ob und wann es Nachschub gibt. Neben diesem Cha Xi, habe ich heute meine antiken Tassen benutzt, die so groß sind wie eine Walnuß. Die geringen Abmessungen dieser Tassen belegen wohl auch, daß der Tee so kostbar ist, daß er nur in kleinen Mengen getrunken wird. Guter Tee soll gustiert werden!

Angeblicher Wu Yi Tee überschwemmt die Märkte. Es gibt viele Marken und Formen, von Teebeuteln bis hin zu losen Teeblättern. Meine Erfahrung mit diesem Tee ist beschränkt, da ich mich oft nicht traue, einen zweifelhaften Tee zu kaufen. Es gibt halt mehr Fälschungen als man hinnehmen kann. Mit ein wenig Glück bekommt einen halbwegs trinkbaren Tee. Andernfalls landet der teure, angebrannte Tee im Mülleimer. 

Article in English: A hard to come by tea - Wu Yi Shui Xian

What tea is not..

German humour: Beer shaped this beautiful body.

Next week I will be visiting TeaWorld rendezvous in Brussels, capital of beer paradise Belgium.

Watch this space for event updates.  

Something besides high mountain oolong

Tea packages in Asia do not come very well labeled. Yes, it can say Dongding tea on the front but level of roasting and the extent of fermentation remain as elements of surprise. I had asked for a highly roasted Dongding tea, which is how this type of tea was originally made, but ended up with the lightly roasted version. In its own unique way, this tea has won me over.

The dried leaves come in tightly rolled balls and carry a light but distinctive fragrance. The brew bears a transparent light green hue and the first infusion smells are likened to a mix between Gyokuro tea and high mountain oolong. This being a rather green and light Oolong tea surprised me by its smooth, mildly sweet and refreshing taste. There is not a hint of discomfort caused by astringent elements and this makes the tea an easy drinking one.

Looking more closely at the open leaves, there is a close resemblance to the colours of shaded Gyokuro leaves which could possibly explain their similarities in taste and the distinct seaweed flavour. The leaves are like those of a Taiwanese Oolong tea, two leaves and one bud. They are big as you can see yet very soft as they break off easily from the stems. This phenomenon I believe is a sign of quality leaves that contributes to the tea's overall performance in terms of levels of clarity, astringency, sweetness, fragrance and aftertaste.

Built to last

I couldn't resist helping myself to another pot of Wu Yi Shui Xian yesterday. This time, I doubled the amount and crushed the tea leaves slightly to intensify the aromas and flavours released from this tea. This little trick I picked up by watching one of my seniors gently squeezing the leaves in her palm during tea class. The brew was definitely much stronger and absolutely flavoursome with a dark caramelised appearance. Smelling good!

I would usually dedicate at least 2 hours sipping this tea but had to cut short the session and resumed today. I left the tea leaves to soak overnight, something one could attempt with high quality leaves. To warm the tea a bit, I diluted the overnight contents with half portion hot water. This explains the lighter colour you see in the picture that follows. Not very conventional techniques described here, but certainly worth trying.

The open leaves very much look like baozhong tea leaves except with a higher level of oxidation. One can feel the rough surfaces of the soaked leaves which surprisingly tear very smoothly. Tough on the outside, delicate on the inside.

A hard to come by tea - Wu Yi Shui Xian

Of course my intention is not to discuss fake teas at length, but to warn readers beforehand that this indeed is a situation of high demand and low supplies that has resulted in an unbelievable array of dubious Wu Yi tea offerings out in the market.

With a genuine Wu Yi tea, you will notice a very distinct aroma in the dried leaves that smells rocky and carries with it scents of fleshy fruits, a highly penetrating warm circulation that you can experience most obviously in your palms, fingers and stomach and a mesmerising and enduring aftertaste that unfolds layer after layer like a red rose that transports one to the world of tea love and beautiful red rocks of the Wu Yi mountains.

This being a rather rare and pricey tea, I had to cut back on how much I use especially when there is no knowing if the next batch of tea becomes available. To complement this cha xi, I used my walnut-sized antique cups for today's brewing session. The small dimensions of these cups could also hint at tea being such a highly priced commodity that it is only consumed in small volumes. Good teas must be cherished!

Supposed Wu Yi teas flood the markets and often come in different brands and forms, from tea bags to loose tea leaves. My experience with this tea has been limited because of my hesitation in buying. In practice, you will come across more imitations than you would have hoped for. If you are lucky, you can get away with a halfway drinkable tea. Otherwise, you end up binning burnt teas that carry a high price tag.

Blogeintrag auf Deutsch: Ein seltener Tee - Wu Yi Shui Xian

With elegant curves

Often, we find nature inspired designs in many of the day to day items we use. Tea cups are no exception as they are shaped like beautiful flowers used to complement our tea setting.

This pair of green and white flower-shaped tea cups aptly shows the idea of conceptualising product designs from nature's blueprint.

Weighing in at merely 20 g with a filling capacity of 22 ml, the rim is shaped for a comfortable grip, the cup feels very light on our lips and adds a soft touch to any tea drinking experience.