There is nothing like scrumptious cheese, paired with a favorite beverage. Often people consider a wine or beer pairing. Tea can be a great alternative to an alcoholic pairing. For a festive tea party, consider how tea and crumpets or an oatcake can be expanded with some of your favorite brie or cheddar, or perhaps a bergamot-infused orange pekoe.
At Cape Breton Tea Company, we take the black tea tradition very seriously. With a trip to Brook Village Grocery to chat owner Karen Allen and her very knowledgeable and cheese-loving staff, we were able to pair up our King George and our Queen Mary teas with some delightful tea and cheese pairings.
King George is an organic Ceylon tea from the Haputale Mountain Range in the region of Uva in Sri Lanka. Coming from the highest peaks there, the tea is picked in August during its seasonal best to create this world-renowned blend. Cape Bretoners love their Orange Pekoe tea with a dash of milk added before the tea is put into the cup. For cheese pairing, we recommend that you sip the tea without milk or sugar to gain its true flavour and richness to contrast with the cheese. We have chosen the Charlevois 1608 Reserve which is made from the Vache Canadienne cow. The flavour experienced through this cheese creates a combination of nut and fruit with a little zip on the end. A handful of grapes following the tea and cheese can expand the experience.
Queen Mary is an organic creamed Earl Grey. Savouring the flavour of bergamot, a sweet citrus explosion, with the rolled leaves of high grown black tea and Osmanthus petals (which are considered the power of true love and faithfulness), this blend is combined and nurtured in the drying process with cream to create layers of richness for each cup. We have combined it today with Brebbia Truffle with delicate lines of truffle with this soft cheese blend. A perfect pairing with richness bursting from each sip and bite. Queen Mary does not require additional cream or sugar for the full rich flavour to come through.