Green tea

About

Green tea is evaluated mainly on bitterness, astringency and flavor, with caffeine and catechins driving much of the first two, especially in leaves picked later in the season. Flavor depends on variety, growing region and processing method, such as steaming or roasting. Matcha, a finely ground Japanese green tea, comes in ceremony, premium and culinary grades of increasing bitterness and decreasing delicacy; other green teas covered include gunpowder, gyokuro, sencha, genmaicha and hojicha.

Pairs well with green tea

• SuEggGreen teas are broadly grouped as smoky (typically Chinese), fruity (Indian or Sri Lankan) or vegetal (typically Japanese); the vegetal…
• RoChocolateChocolate combined with matcha works across a range of tea concentrations, though very high proportions start to spoil the chocolate's…
• CrCoconutCoconut can pair with green tea because some green teas carry hints of mango, pineapple or lychee, tropical notes that complement…
• BeMintA classic combination, most familiar as Moroccan mint tea, made by sweetening Chinese gunpowder green tea with fresh spearmint.
• ChCheeseGood matcha has a nutty flavor softened by a chlorophyll-like sweetness that suits lighter cheeses well; sencha green tea pairs…
• FfVanillaWhite chocolate is often overly sweet and heavy on vanilla; matcha's bitterness and grassy, herbaceous quality can balance that sweetness,…
• FfHoneyGreen tea's slightly grassy, ferric flavor is well suited to sweetening with honey; a light variety like acacia works best, since it won't…
• GrAvocadoGreen tea's mild marine flavor suits avocado, including on avocado toast.
• CiLimeThe two flavors open Heston Blumenthal's tasting menu at the Fat Duck, in a nitro-poached mousse designed to cleanse the palate before the…
• RoSesameGyokuro, a premium Japanese green tea made by shading the leaves for about twenty days before harvest, has a rich, low-astringency flavor…
• CrPruneA classic pairing used to soak prunes for compotes and before pickling.
• GrBuckwheatBuckwheat flour carries slightly sour, vegetal notes of green wood, oak, grass and green tea, an affinity reflected in Japanese cha soba…
• WoSweet potatoIn the Japanese tea ceremony, sweet confections called wagashi, sometimes made with sweet potato, are traditionally served to offset…
• BeGooseberryChef Anna Hansen pairs green tea scones with a gooseberry and vanilla compote, noting that tea's grassy, savory aroma suits scones well.
• FrPomegranateA common combination in commercial teas and cold drinks: pomegranate's tannic dryness helps mask the tea's own tannins, and its mild berry…
• EaTofuRoom-temperature tofu cubes pair well with green tea: the tea's heat and tannins bring out tofu's mild, cooked-cereal quality, echoing the…