Kick in the cuppa, the expert way

It wasn’t a case of a missing ingredient but that of adding one that spoilt the taste of Aarthi Barsur’s morning tea. Milk, otherwise a prominent part of the tea-making process, was actually the culprit as it went into the wrong tea.

“I used to add milk to Darjeeling tea, which shouldn’t be done. Milk is better in Assam tea which is stronger,” said Barsur whose family of avid tea drinkers had come to the Tea and Food Pairing workshop to find out why despite the best of tea bags they did not experience the heavenly feel they so desired.

The workshop was held at the Westside by tea sommelier Snigdha Manchanda. Apart from informing which tea to pair with what food, people were also explained the nature of each tea and some myths that have wrongly guided people in understanding tea.

“Most people think that green and black teas are from different bushes. That’s wrong. They belong to the same camellia sinesis bush; only the level of processing defers,” said Manchanda. She said Darjeeling tea is aromatic and hence, should be tried with eatables that don’t have a heavy texture.

“Cheddar cheese is one such combination. Assam tea leads to burst of flavours and can be had with chocolate chips, samosas or chutney sandwiches that too have strong flavours,” she said.
Nilgiri tea, the favoured option while preparing iced teas, was considered to be without much flavour. “It has body of a good tea and hence is used to prepare iced teas. Green tea is for those who are health conscious. It can be tried with a combinations of herbs or lemon and is best served with apple pie or green salads.”