The art of pairing tea and cheese according to Carine Baudry

A piece of cheese and a cup of tea... That's the idea being explored by tea expert Carine Baudry, who has put her extensive knowledge at the service of the pairings she proposes to chefs and sommeliers such as Sébastien Vauxion at Sarkara de Courvevel and Thierry Marx at Onor. She has also just done so for the Royal Évian hotel, which now offers a Cheese & Tea tea-time.

Inspiring pairings that can easily be reproduced at home by following her advice.

What drew you to these pairings?

Carine Baudry: Years ago, I started doing tea, wine and cheese workshops, inviting wine because it might have been too daring to do it with cheese alone. I love wine, I love cheese, but I'm never totally thrilled by a wine and cheese pairing.My training has given me a sensory approach, and my first thought was: tea is lukewarm, and this heat invites the cheese in, melts the fat and thus explodes its aromas. Tea is like a sofa in which cheese can curl up!

So which pairings work best?

C.B.: I've approached these pairings by following the trail of scents and aromas. It's interesting, for example, to pair a young Comté with teas that also have floral and vegetal notes, which will enhance the cheese's milky, buttery, nutty side. And conversely, the fatty, milky side of the cheese will often also enhance the hyperfloral side of the tea. A spring Darjeeling, for example, or a crisp white tea from Nepal... the tea, rounded out by the fat, becomes much more flowery and less raspy. On the other hand, if you want to go for a mature comté, with a slightly grittier texture, a more pronounced saltiness, and hints of dried fruits that are almost roasted, you can even stay in the same category.We can even stay in the same Darjeeling family, but with summer or autumn harvests that promote oxidation. For goats' teas, it's good to have sweet notes, slightly unctuous textures and not too full-bodied, so green teas like Oolongs that aren't too oxidized. But you can also use contrasting roasted Oolongs with slightly praline and toasted notes, which will add a touch of cheese.

©GGardette

What about Camembert-type cheeses... or even strong cheeses?

C.B. : With camembert, I love to use slightly roasted teas. Like hojicha, a roasted green tea from Japan. It's really nice because it takes away the animal side of the camembert and enhances its nuttiness. Blue-veined pasta is more complicated. Roquefort in particular, because of its acidity. With blue cheeses, I play on the creaminess and caramelized milk of the white by pairing them with a fairly mild black tea, a little malty, vanilla-flavored but not flavored. Raclette and tea are great too! With a Nepalese black tea, but also a white tea. An important point: cheese with tea is much easier to digest.

Once these pairings have been established, tested and approved, how do you promote them to professionals and the general public alike?

C.B.: I give workshops and take part in events. I proposed a tea-cheese pairing to the 500 guests at the Tablée des Chefs charity dinner. I'm currently working on a book with photographer Corinne Jamet Moreno Ruiz, and we're looking for a publisher.

I'm also working on a project for a bottled tea served in a wine glass.

It's quite amazing, because at the table in a restaurant, you're socially guided by the rhythm and code of the wine. And when you don't drink alcohol, you can feel left out, as you're not served with the same glass and the same ritual.

©GGardette