Last month, I found myself on a spontaneous, self-guided tea tour of Soho, NYC. The final destination and grand finale of the steeped journey was a tea & cheese pairing class at In Pursuit of Tea's Crosby Store. As my taste buds anticipated the edible evening, I looked forward to finally meeting Melanie Franks (a tea loving chef instructor at the French Culinary Institute) who had used her culinary expertise and passion for tea to help select the pairings.
A cheese monger and tea enthusiast, I was delighted to learn how to pair 6 teas from In Pursuit of Tea with local cheeses from Saxelby Cheese. We were instructed to take small bites of the cheese and sips of the tea to allow the flavors to truly blossom on our palate. The harmonious pairs awakened a new love for my culinary exploration with tea.
Three of my favorites:
Sencha Green Tea (Uji, Japan) with Ardith Mae Chevre (Ardith Mae Farm-Pasteurized Goat's Milk, Hallstead, PA) The rich, creamy bite of the Goat Cheese highlighted the sweetness of the Sencha.
Dong Ding Oolong (Nantou, Taiwan) with Cabot Clothbound Cheddar (Jasper Hill Farm-Pasteurized Cow's Milk, Greensboro, VT)
Assam (Assam, India) with Humble Pie (Woodock Farm-pasteurized cow's milk, Weston, VT) Instead of adding sugar and cream to your black tea, you can mimic the same milky sensation by pairing the rich black tea with this cheese.
Take a peek at this teaser video from In Pursuit of Tea, and check their site soon for the next class.
photo from In Pursuit of Tea
Our paths crossed!
Read about the tea-cheese tasting at my blog: http://notesontea.blogspot.com/2011/01/notes-from-tea-and-cheese-tasting.html
Posted by: notesontea | January 12, 2011 at 07:08 PM
It would have been a pleasure to meet you at the tea and cheese tasting. Where were you sitting?
Posted by: alexis | January 12, 2011 at 09:04 PM