A cup of tea often refreshes and re-energizes the mind and body. With, however, the scorching summer beating down on us, regular tea is hardly a popular choice of refreshment. For those who swear by it, Good Food Cafe’s summertime tea menu is a good bet. The Salt Lake Sector V hangout has launched a new menu of summertime tea, curated by tea consultant and artist Susmita Das Gupta. ‘Tea with Susmita’ saw her introduce a unique variety of five summertime teas. Created as unique and exciting blends with fruity, floral and dessert notes, the summer special varieties are Hibiscus Tea, Tiramisu Dessert Tea, Whiskey Tea, Darjeeling Oolong and Green Tea mocktail. To make your summertime sip interesting, Good Food Cafe paired the summer special tea with munchies.
“My journey with tea started around 2014-15 when I was doing brand consultation for a Londonbased tea company entering the Indian market. I started my company Tea with Susmita in
Tips to pair food with tea: “For a lightbodied tea, the food should also be light. Otherwise, food flavours will kill the tea flavour. They should not only balance each other but bring out the best flavours and aroma in each other,” said Susmita. (From Top) Chocolate platter, tart platter and Chili Cheese Crisps and Tomato and Olive Bruschetta.
(l-r) Hibiscus tea, Whiskey Tea
Hibiscus Tea- The tangy cold brew Hibiscus Tea can be paired with a sweet dish to enhance the tanginess or a savoury dish to lower the tanginess, like Chili Cheese Crisps or Tomato and Olive Bruschetta.
Whiskey Tea- Whiskey pairs well with lemon, so we have paired the Whiskey-Flavoured Tea with lemon tarts.
(l-r) Tiramisu Dessert Tea, Darjeeling Muscatel
Tiramisu Dessert Tea- The sweet tea with distinct flavours of the tiramisu is balanced with savoury dishes like homemade nimki straws.
Darjeeling Muscatel-The muscatel black tea is paired with dark chocolate which balances the sweet, spicy and floral notes of the tea.
Green Tea mocktail- Made like a mocktail with sugar syrup and cranberry juice, this tea is paired with savoury dishes to balance the taste, like Mini Veg and Bell pepper puffs
TIPS TO BREW TEA:
- Tea should not be brewed at 100-degree Celsius. Black tea at 95 degrees and white tea at 70-75 degrees, is ideal.
- Before making the tea we must wait for the bubbles to settle.
- Steeping time is very essential. For stronger flavours, one needs to steep the tea longer.
- Never put tea leaves in hot water. Rather put hot water on tea leaves, otherwise the tea leaves break and the aroma is lost.