Hey Teaheads.
This is Don from Mei Leaf.
In THIS video : Pairing Tea and Cheese.
In this video we're going to do a REALLY informal video tasting different cheeses and seeing
how they PAIR with different teas.
This video is going to go under the "Drinking With Friends" AND the "Tea Masterclasses"
playlists.
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I'm here with my sister.
My sister [is] visiting me.
Say "Hi." to the people out there.
Liselle : Hello!
Don : She's living in Australia, so it's a RARE opportunity that [we] get to hang out.
We have, I would say, basically ONE conversation, which is FOOD, isn't it?
Liselle : Yes.
Don : We talk food NON-STOP, even to the point where we kind of ALIENATE people [laughter].
People end up getting involved and then disappearing after about an hour-and-a-half, because we
can LITERALLY talk about food OBSESSIVELY.
So what I thought I would do is ROPE her in to do a video, and we would do a PAIRING,
a TEA and CHEESE pairing.
What we're going to do today is we've got a few different cheeses, and I've kind of
done a little THEORETICAL pairing, in my mind, of WHAT teas might work with them.
We're going to sit down, we're going to TASTE them, and we're going to see if any of them
work.
But BEFORE we do that I just want to go through a LITTLE bit about the BASICS of pairing.
So there's this thing that's which is happening now in the tea industry.
There [are] these Tea Sommelier" classes.
A lot of people are getting involved in tea sommelier, which is GREAT.
It’s wonderful, and I'm sure there are REALLY good courses out there.
The problem is is that it's still really in it's INFANCY.
The concept of pairing tea and food - you would have THOUGHT - would have been more
advanced than it is now.
Liselle: And they usually bring it out at the end, [don't they], with dessert?
Don : Exactly.
You're USED to tea being the kind of END maybe with a...
Liselle: Not something to have with a main meal.
Don : Yeah, [usually] with a biscuit, or chocolates, or something.
But NOW it's starting, and it's something which is quite COMPLEX, because tea is quite
DELICATE.
So you've GOT to get it right, otherwise you can EASILY just end up feeling like you're
tasting hot water., right?
Liselle: MmmHmm.
Don : It's GOT to be right.
It's REALLY in it's infancy, and the REASON why it's in its infancy is because it's quite
COMPLICATED.
The concept of PAIRING is quite complicated.
The tasting experience is NOT just TASTE, obviously.
It's taste and it's aroma.
VISUALS play a part.
There's a lot of science that shows that you taste with your eyes AS WELL as with your
ears.
So if things SOUND crunchier, they FEEL crunchier.
You've got the TEXTURE of the food, and drink, as well.
Also, crucially, there's TEMPERATURE, and temperature is something that is REALLY interesting,
because temperature actually MODULATES flavor.
So, for example, if you have COLD things then that modulates so that you don't taste SWEET
so much.
Liselle: Oh!
That's interesting.
Don : Which is why if you have ice cream and you let it melt - so it goes to room temperature
- it tastes a REALLY sickly sweet, but when it's ice cream it tastes like a GOOD sweetness.
[That's] because WHEN something is cold it MODULATES and STOPS you from tasting sweetness,
so you need to ADD more sugar to ice cream to make it TASTE proper.
ALSO, you have different FLAVOR molecules that bind with different temperature RECEPTORS
on your tongue, and we're going to be doing a MUCH more detailed master class on this
at some point.
But for example, CHILI is a clear one.
Chili attaches itself to the HOT receptors in your tongue, and so you feel HEAT.
Similarly, things like MINT are really COOLING.
Okay?
Liselle: Yeah.
Don : So it's not just the actual PHYSICAL temperature.
It's [actually that] MOLECULES bind to different temperature RECEPTORS on your tongue, and
therefore brings out different flavors.
Liselle: So how does that affect pairing then?
Don : It affects pairing in a REALLY big way, because for example, if you are STIMULATING
the hot receptors on your tongue then you're NOT going to be tasting those COOLER receptors,
so it's very HARD to bring out the mintiness, or the lemons, or those very COOLING NOTES,
and vice versa.
There are LOTS of classic examples of that, but you can basically MODULATE and SUPPRESS
different receptors according to what FLAVORS you're tasting.
A classic example is if your tea is BITTER, if you put a little bit of SALT on your tongue
beforehand it CUTS OUT the bitter receptors, and you can drink REALLY bitter tea and it
tastes fine.
They've used this a lot in wine pairings, which is why really TANNIC red wines go really
well with salty dishes, because it kind of modulates and suppresses those bitter notes.
So pairing is really, really complicated, and really complex, and it involves TEXTURE
as well as AROMA, and ALL of those different things.
What you REALLY want to try and ACHIEVE when you're pairing -- well, the LEAST you want
to achieve - is that they don't CLASH, right?
Liselle: Yeah.
Don : You don't want them to clash.
Or EVEN WORSE, with tea, you end up just not tasting the tea.
Liselle: But you want [it] ultimately to ENHANCE what you're eating?
Don : Right.
You want it to ENHANCE what you're eating...
Liselle: And vice versa.
You want the CHEESE to enhance the TEA.
Don : Yeah, exactly.
You want there AT LEAST to be COMPATIBILITY, but it's quite nice if there's CONTRAST.
So there's MATCHED pairings and CONTRAST pairings.
Matched pairings means that you're actually kind of MELDING flavors that are very SIMILAR
to each other.
For example, something that's very WARMING with something like NUTS.
Liselle: Do they do this with WINE?
Is it the SAME kind of CONCEPT?
Don : It's EXACTLY the same with wine.
Liselle: So they'll contrast FOOD and WINE?
Don : Well, the classic example is the very RICH foods with ACIDIC wines right?
Liselle: Yeah.
Don : You kind of WANT that contrast.
It gives you that JOURNEY in your mouth, which basically becomes COMPLEXITY.
Don : That is the JOURNEY in the mouth.
You do it with WINE pairings, but you ALSO do it with FOOD, with COOKING, and that's
just NATURAL.
You know that CHOCOLATES and NUTS work really well together, right?
Liselle: Yeah.
Don : Because they're BOTH kind of COMPATIBLE in that their BOTH stimulating the warmer
receptors on your tongue.
So you WANT that compatibility, but you ALSO want some CONTRAST.
The BEST pairings are the ones that give you a bit of BOTH.
It gives you a LITTLE BIT of contrast in SOME areas, but gives you some of the compatibility
with OTHERS.
Really, what you're trying to achieve is what pairers call "the third flavor", [which] in
other words [is] a flavor that you could NOT get by just eating the cheese or drinking
the tea, but you need to COMBINE them [which then] makes a THIRD flavor, which is obviously
DESIRABLE.
So there's LOTS to discover, and there's LOTS to learn, and we're doing a lot at Mei Leaf
to UNDERSTAND the SCIENCE of flavour and taste, in order to make sure that pairings are really
working.
But we've done enough talking, [so] let's get to tasting.
We've got FOUR different cheeses.
What I've done is selected THREE different teas which I think SHOULD work - but this
is just a guess.
We're going to come back with the first cheese and the first three teas.
We're back.
The FIRST cheese is a GOAT'S cheese.
This is a Lancashire goat's cheese.
It's got kind of a RIND on it.
You don't mind me holding it, right?
Liselle: Right.
Don : I might just do this so [everyone] can take a look at it.
[It's] kind of one of those CRUMBLY goat's cheeses, [and] NOT [one of] those CREAMY ones.
It's kind of got that RAW MILK taste to it, you know?
Liselle: Mmm.
[It's] usually not a goat's cheese I would go for.
Don : NO.
Liselle: I like them to be quite MATURE and STRONG in flavor.
Don : And a bit SOUR.
Liselle: And a bit more sour.
Don : Yeah.
Liselle: Or FRESH.
This is like IN BETWEEN.
Don : All right.
You cut some more.
Right.
Don : The FIRST tea that we're to try is White Peony.
[This is] a white tea.
The kind of GENERAL rule of thumb is [that] white teas - because they're more DELICATE
- pair better with more delicate foods.
But white tea is ALSO slightly OXIDIZED, so it's got a little bit of the SWEETNESS that
you don’t get with the GREEN tea.
So I'm HOPING that this is going to bring out a kind of SWEETNESS in the cheese.
Liselle: It's quite GRASSY.
Don : MmmHmm.
White Peony [has] got [some] grassiness but it's a...
Liselle: Oh!
It's very SMOOTH, isn't it?
Don : Yeah.
It's got MORE of a SWEETNESS and a SMOOTHNESS and almost a slight like GREEN ACORNS, [and]
a slight WOODINESS to it as well.
So it's going to be interesting to see if those DARKER, WOODIER notes are going to MATCH...
Liselle: Mmm.
That's DELICIOUS.
Don : ...With this cheese.
What we do with pairing is we SANDWICH it.
So TEA first, then cheese - to see how the cheese interacts with the tea - and then tea
AFTERWARDS to wash it down.
Liselle: What are we LOOKING for?
Like does it taste good together?
Don : Yeah, you just want to see -- I think it's a combination of: Does it taste good
together?
And: Does it bring out flavors -- Oh, you've got something in your tea - does it ACCENTUATE
good flavors or BAD flavors in the cheese or the tea?
Does it bring anything out for you?
Liselle: No.
Don : Okay.
I think, for me, it brings out SLIGHTLY more of the CREAMINESS of the cheese, but it's
not a MAJOR...
Liselle: I wouldn't be thinking [that] I need to eat THAT cheese with THIS tea.
Don : Okay.
So White Peony, which would be a CLASSIC combination for a light cheese, DOESN'T clash, but it's
nothing SPECIAL, right?
Liselle: I actually have a feeling [that] I'm not sure if Goat's cheese goes with tea.
Don : Well let's find out.
I have HIGH HOPES for the LAST one.
I've saved the best one for last.
See what you think of this tea.
This is Amber GABA.
Liselle: Mmm.
Don : This is a VERY DIFFERENT tea.
[It's] got a LITTLE MORE of a ROASTED note to it.
Liselle: That's DELICIOUS!
Don : But it's got more of the HONEY notes to it.
Liselle: Honey.
I can taste honey in that.
Don : Right.
I was hoping - you know how goat's cheese and honey works very well together - that
this MIGHT bring out a little bit of that COMBINATION - a little bit of the SWEETNESS.
Liselle: This feels like the PERFECT TEMPERATURE right now.
Don : Mmm.
Yeah, because it's been SITTING for a while.
Liselle: It's nice.
It's NICER than the first one.
Don : It kind of, for me, brings all of the spectrum to the WARM notes.
You don't get any of the FRESHNESS of this goat's cheese.
It just tastes kind of QUITE creamy, rounded, slightly multi-warm, [and] okay.
Liselle: I think [that] because this goat's cheese is SO MILD you really need a tea that's
going to be STRONGER.
Don : Really?
That's interesting.
Don's sister : I think [to strongly] contrast it.
Don : A lot of people would say that you want the OPPOSITE, [that] you want to kind of MATCH
it in terms of its weight.
This is Anji Bai Cha - or Jade Sword - and this is very VEGETAL, so you get those kind
of SPINACHY notes, but you also get the GRASSINESS.
Liselle: Mmm.
[It's] very GRASSY.
Don : I'm hoping that this is going to bring out the MEADOWS that the goats were eating
this grass [in].
[DON SMELLS TEA IN GAI WAN] I'm hoping that it's going bring out some of that - HOPEFULLY.
Let's see.
MUCH fresher, but also [with] the SAVORY UMAMI notes to it.
I'm MORE HOPEFUL about this [one] than any other.
Just notice to see if it brings out more of the freshness than the one before.
Liselle: Oh, yeah.
Don : Immediately.
It somehow tastes MORE FRESH than just the cheese by itself.
Liselle: That's actually quite SURPRISING.
I actually want to have ANOTHER piece of cheese, and drink this tea with it.
Don : Which is always a GOOD SIGN.
Liselle: The fact is it was not a very good goat's cheese, and this tea has ENHANCED it.
Don : Yeah.
Liselle: So that's pretty significant.
Imagine a REALLY GOOD goat's cheese.
Don : It's actually brought out MORE FLAVOR in the cheese, basically.
Liselle: Yeah.
It's given it what it's been LACKING.
Don : It's given it the GRASSINESS that you wanted from a fresher goat's cheese, so it's
REALLY HELPED.
Cool.
Well there was ONE successful one.
I think the others were a bit, eh!
Nothing special.
But definitely, Anji Bai Cha and goat's cheese [is] one to try.
All right, [the] next cheese [is] coming up.