Being a wine guy, I have always thought a meal without a wine was not worth having. But recently I was happily proven wrong by the mysterious artisan blends of Gryphon Tea Company. Their range of brews includes several full flavored green, herbal, black and white teas, of which the following are ideal for pairing with food, while not foregoing a sensual dining experience.
Invigorating and silky brews can have intense aromatic compounds like wine!
Gryphon Tea Company selects high grade tea leafs from Bangladesh, Japan, China, Ceylon and India and blends them with flowers and herbs. Of the 6 types tasted, I thought these 3 were noteworthy and not too overpowering. I drank them with a crab sandwich, however if you want to find know the exact food recommendations please visit check them out on Gryphon’s website.
Osmanthus Sencha An aromatic green tea, loaded with notes of vanilla and caramel. Inviting and refreshing, the liquid feels textural and finishes slightly tannic.
Hanami Another aromatic green tea, but this one has soft and sweet floral notes combined with spice or baking aromas such as licorice and marzipan.
Lemon Ginger Mint A herbal tea enveloping you with refreshing and fragrant peppermint, ginger, lemon and cool spearmint.
And here is how you can make the perfect non-alcoholic beverage.
Gryphon Tea recommends using only cold mineral water, however if you are in a rush, mixing 50%-50% hot water at 90°C with cold water will reduce the recommended maceration time by 5 hours. Using hot water only will increase bitter notes in the brew.
Here is how:
- Use 400ml cold water for 1 sachet (2 grams)
- Seep the tea bag for 10 minutes
- Pour liquid into carafe or container and keep in cold fridge for 6 hours
- Serve iced tea in a large wine glass
By adding a small dash of syrup or honey will help smoothen the tea for drinking with food, however it does change the aroma profile slightly.
