What To Eat With Tea: Tea & Dessert Pairing Ideas

Key Takeaways

• Robust black tea pairs well with chocolate cake.
• Green tea goes well with fruit muffins and scones. 
• Delicate white tea pairs well with lighter flavors best, such as scones, vanilla, and sponge cakes.
• Versatile herbal teas go well with vanilla or spiced baked goods, depending on the boldness of the herbal tea.

The perfect pastry or cup of tea is an experience in itself. But when thoughtfully and purposely paired, they create a symphony on the palate. 

Not just any pastry will do! You must create a harmonious flavor balance between the qualities of the tea and dessert, making each even more enjoyable. 

Whether you’re hosting teatime or just want to elevate your morning cup, these tea and dessert pairings from The Bold Bakery will indulge your senses!

How To Match The Flavor Profiles of Tea and Pastries

There aren’t any tea pairing “rules.” However, much like food and wine pairings, discovering what to eat with tea lies in the balance and harmony of flavor profiles.

Use these tips as your guiding principles:

Your Tea’s Flavor Should Complement Your Baked Goods

Tea sommelier Gi Na suggests that the flavor of your tea should complement your dish. A basic starting point is that light teas (green and white) pair with delicate desserts, and robust teas (black) are best with bold flavors.

Complement or Contrast Your Textures

You can either complement or contrast textures in your tea and dessert pairings. You could pair a delicate white or green tea with a similarly delicate and buttery dessert. But you could also pair that smooth and delicate tea with crunchy cookies.

Meet Our Favorite Tea Pairings at The Bold Bakery

Finding your perfect pairings is an art. Once you’ve mastered it, your thoughtful pairings can turn even the simplest dessert or tea into a sensory experience by balancing flavors and texture. 

Here are a few of our favorites at The Bold Bakery!

Black Tea Balances Chocolate Cake

Black tea is an anomaly when it comes to tea and pastry pairings. This is because it pairs well with many fresh baked goods! 

A chocolate dessert and black tea is the most classic pairing. The robust flavors of black tea perfectly complement chocolate baked goods, like decadent, gourmet cake. The tannins in the tea cut through its richness to create a lovely balance of flavors. 

Examples of what to eat with black tea can be further broken down by specific varieties:

Try Earl Grey or Assam and Chocolate Chip Cookies

The bold and malt flavors of Assam provide a strong counterbalance to the sweetness of fresh baked cookies. 

Smooth yet bitter, Earl Grey provides a sophisticated contrast to the simple and comforting flavors of chocolate chip cookies.

Savor Darjeeling and Citrus Pastries

Darjeeling’s delicate floral and fruit notes go well with the tang of citrus baked goods. 

Indulge in English Breakfast and Buttery Scones

Not a chocolate enthusiast? The full-bodied nature of black tea also pairs well with buttery scones and shortbread. They provide a great base to appreciate the complexities of black teas, such as English Breakfast.

Green Tea and Fruit Pastries Make the Perfect Pairing

Green tea is light in flavor, with a mild sweetness and grassy notes. It’s delicate, and it’s easily overpowered. 

Here’s what to eat with green tea without overwhelming it:

• Fruit Muffins: Green tea’s subtle flavors enhance the natural sweetness of desserts with fruit, such as fresh baked muffins or fruit scones.

• Chocolate Treats: Stronger Japanese green teas make rich dark chocolate flavors pop.

• Nutty Scones: Scones and pastries with almonds or other nuts pair well with green teas that have nutty notes.

White Tea is Perfect With Scones

White tea is very delicate, even more so than green tea! When choosing what to eat with white tea, you’ll want to consider lighter profiles, so as to not overpower its subtle flavors. 

Gourmet scones are among the best companions for white tea. It’s a classic example of pairing the intensity of your tea and the intensity of your dessert because they complement one another without overwhelming one another.

Pair your favorite white tea with a buttery scone, or with a fruit scone for something unique! Lightly sweet and tart fruits are a refreshing complement to white teas, like White Peony and Silver Needle.

Lighter cakes, like vanilla cakes or sponge cakes, are also lovely with white tea. 

Sip Your Herbal Tea With Everything From Cookies to Scones

Your perfect herbal tea and dessert pairing depends on the variety. Here’s what to eat with various herbal teas:

Pair Chamomile and Vanilla Baked Goods

Chamomile’s delicate floral notes are a perfect match for vanilla cakes. It creates a nice balance without being too heavy. 

You’ll also enjoy chamomile paired with desserts that contain lemon or almond, like the dark chocolate almond cookies and lemon scones from our artisan bakery.

Delight in Mint Tea and Chocolate Cake

Is there a more perfect pairing than peppermint and chocolate? Refreshing mint cuts through the rich chocolate and provides a nice contrast to its subtle bitterness. 

Mint teas also act as palate cleansers to reset your taste buds after each bite of chocolate cake!

Enjoy Rooibos and Spiced Treats

Wondering what to eat with rooibos tea? It depends, because rooibos’ flavor profiles can vary greatly. Some are nutty. Some are earthy. Some are even floral.

These blends typically serve as a versatile base for many pairings, and they harmonize especially well with spices like cinnamon and clove. 

Try your rooibos with carrot cake or another spiced treat to see what you think.

Savor Your Favorite Tea and Dessert Pairings With The Bold Bakery

What you choose to eat with your tea is entirely up to you! While there are recommended flavor pairings, everyone’s tastes are different. You can experiment with different pairings to find your perfect pair.

Pick up your favorite treats from The Bold Bakery, turn on the kettle, and enjoy!