Tea and coffee in fine dining? Chef shares beverage pairing rules, Indian dishes to go with, and brew types

Find out if tea and coffee give tough competition to classic wine, and most importantly, know the ground rules of beverage-meal pairing.

Swirling wine at a posh dining table alongside an equally fine gourmet meal has long been the vision of fine dining. Enter tea and coffee, your everyday beverages that have now stepped into the fine dining scene. Whether they will wobble wine’s long-standing reign over high-end dining remains to be seen. But even beyond fine dining, tea and coffee bring a familiar touch to the table and your palate, even for everyday meals.

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Chef Sagar Sarkar, Corporate Head Chef, Bellona Hospitality, shared how tea and coffee are rising as beverage options for fine dining.

Talking about the rapid surge in popularity, he elaborated, “On the contemporary fine dining platform, tea and coffee are fast becoming modern pairing alternatives that wine once enjoyed. From New York to New Delhi, iconic chefs and sommeliers are crafting non-alcoholic pairing menus featuring these scented beverages back to health-aware consumers, cultural traditions, and increased emphasis on responsible use.”

But before we head on to explore the nitty-gritty of tea and coffee pairing, let's address the elephant in the room with this popularity- whether tea or coffee might replace the most popular beverage, wine, in fine dining pairings.

For long popular drinks like wine and champagne ruled over fine dining. (Shutterstock)

The chef, however, assured that wine is here to stay and clarified, addressing the cultural nuances. Sagar said, "Though not substituting for wine, tea and coffee have become suitable pairing partners at fine dining. They bring flavour interest, temperature contrast, and cultural interest, particularly in cultures where alcohol would not be served with the meal. Their addition demonstrates an intention to move towards inclusive meals that every palate can enjoy. But the tea and coffee combination is more than a craze, it's a new culinary experience. Whether at a high-end restaurant or at home with your own dinner party, these modest beverages are revealing new flavour bases for experience."

Chef Sagar Sarkar shared a detailed guide, covering all the essentials, from the rules of beverage pairing and Indian foods to pair with, to the ideal brew types for each pairing:

The principles of beverage pairing

Similar to wine, tea and coffee pairings are based on a number of fundamental principles:

1. Body and weight:

• Delicate-bodied teas such as green or white tea are suitable for light foods such as steamed vegetables or fish.
• Heavier-bodied beverages such as pu-erh or dark-roast coffee are suitable for heavy, rich foods such as red meat or butter dishes.

2. Acidity and tannins:

• Oily or fried food is cut by acidic coffee or tea, and releases flavours. Black tea or espresso, tannic beverages, add depth to protein-rich or spicy foods.

3. Aroma and taste:

Balance flavour to reach harmony (delicate desserts with floral jasmine tea), or contrast to reach sophistication (sweet pastries with bitter coffee).

Pairing tea/coffee with Indian meals

Aloo paratha and chai combination is warm and comforting. (Shutterstock)

No sommelier is necessary to perform this at home. Begin by determining your dish's prevailing flavours, then pair with the coffee or tea that complements or counterbalances them. Here are a few hot Indian pairings:

• Masala Chai with Aloo Paratha: Chai's spices go well with the stuffing's warmth, while the milk base balances ghee-rich parathas.
• Filter Coffee with Idli-Sambhar: The slight acidity and bitterness of coffee cut into sambhar's tang and counteract the softness of idli.
• Green Tea with Paneer Tikka: Charred spices have their match in astringent green tea, which cleanses the palate between mouthfuls.
• Darjeeling Tea with Rajma-Chawal: A second flush Darjeeling rich in muscatel adds sophistication to this comfort food, boosting warming spices.

Brew type for beverage pairing

The brew type also depends when it comes to aceing the beverage pairing. (Shutterstock)

Tea + cuisine pairs

• Wine-crimson and transparent Darjeeling goes well with light Bengali cuisine like shorshe ilish or North Indian dishes like rajma-chawal.
• Oolong's toasted aroma goes well with grilled dishes and fusion cuisines, such as pan-Asian stir-fries or Tibetan-style smoked meats.
• Savoury Sencha pairs nicely with steamed Kerala appams or avial, two South Indian vegetable dishes.
• Bold North Eastern dishes like fermented fish chutneys from Manipur or smoked pork with bamboo shoots from Nagaland go well with earthy pu-erh.

Coffee + cuisine pairs

• South Indian filter coffee with masala dosa, Ethiopian light roast with citrus-glazed seafood. Colombian coffee with fermented rice cakes or smoked pork from North East India, medium roast with chocolate barfi, caramel custard, or desserts in the Western style.
• Ethiopian or Colombian light to medium roasts offer a burst of acidity and depth that enhances food from savoury to sweet.