Tea Pairing Fails: Combos to Avoid for Perfect Tea
Dairy Products
Mixing tea with dairy products like milk, cheese, or yogurt reduces tea's antioxidants such as catechins, diminishing its health benefits and negatively altering its delicate flavors.
Strongly Flavored Meats
Avoid pairing tea with strong-flavored meats like lamb as their intense flavors and fat content clash with tea's subtle taste, detracting from its refreshing experience.
Garlic & Onions
Avoid pairing tea with garlic and onions as their strong, lingering flavors can overpower tea's delicate aromas, disrupting the balanced taste and enjoyment of subsequent sips.
Citrus Fruits
While adding lemon to tea is common, pairing tea with citrus fruits like oranges or limes can turn it bitter due to their acidity, potentially upsetting stomach pH and causing discomfort.
Spicy Foods
Avoid pairing tea with spicy foods such as hot peppers, as they can overpower tea's subtle flavors and may cause digestive discomfort due to the interaction of tannins and spices.
Chocolate
Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, overwhelms tea's delicate flavors. Shared caffeine and tannins can create astringency, potentially causing jitteriness and masking tea nuances.
Alcohol
Avoid mixing tea with alcohol, as it masks tea's flavors, negates its calming effects, dehydrates due to shared diuretic properties, and can create a harsh, bitter taste experience.