By Lindsey Goodwin

Some foodies say tea and cheese is the new wine and cheese. While that’s debatable, it seems clear that a desire to be healthy has converged with a craving for indulgent foods to create a new American food trend, and pairing tea with cheese is one result.

The Concept

The recent tea and cheese trend began in 2006 when Mim Enck, president and blender at East Indies Tea Company, introduced the concept at the SCAA Expo. Other experts have picked up the topic. Cynthia Gold (tea sommelier at The Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers) spoke about it at World Tea East, and David Barenholtz (founder and CEO of Le Palais Gourmet, recently renamed American Tea Room) held his first tea and cheese pairing at his Beverly Hills shop this month.

Regardless of application, tea and cheese pairings are informed by the same principles:

• Americans are increasingly interested in unique, quality edibles.
• Specific origins and skillful processing transform simple materials (tea leaves, grapes and milk) into artisanal consumables (tea, wine and cheese) worthy of focused tastings.
• Like wine, tea can be paired with cheese to great effect.

The Requirements

According to sources, the first step to creating a tea and cheese pairing for your tea business is finding the cheese.

Gold recommended looking for knowledgeable vendors who carry top-notch products.  She added, “The more they respect their cheeses and their customers, the more they will want to embrace opportunities to present their cheeses in new and exciting ways.”

If your tea and cheese pairing is for an event (rather than a regular menu offering), decide if you will rely on a cheese expert or chef to lead it. Gold said hiring an outside expert is not necessary, but it adds to event excitement and can generate publicity. Instead of hiring a cheese expert, Barenholtz opted to partner with the “cheese equivalent” of his store (as he called it), in terms of quality, price point, service and clientele.

Sources said successful tea and cheese pairings also require staff training. Gold recommended holding a staff tasting that covers why each pairing was selected and what to look for while tasting. Barenholtz said his staff training for most events includes preparation totaling about 20 hours per staff member.

“You have to be prepared with an extreme amount of knowledge so when people have questions you have answers,” he added.

The Costs

At his tea and cheese event, Barenholtz is pairing teas that cost up to $100 per 100 grams with cheeses that cost up to $140 per pound.

Beyond consumables costs, there are staff wages and decorations. Le Palais Gourmet events typically draw one employee per three event attendees, Barenholtz said, so staffing costs alone absorb any earnings from the $40-per-person attendance fee.

Lavish events like his may be too costly for smaller tea businesses in less affluent areas, but scaled-down versions can be adapted to suit local demographics. Attendance fees should be calculated to help cover costs and ensure attendees are, as Barenholtz said, “serious people” who are there for the education rather than freebies.

Event costs aside, Gold pointed out that most cheeses require very little prep work to serve and have “reasonable” shelf lives, which “pretty much guarantees a good profit margin” on an appropriately priced regular menu.

The Payoffs

Barenholtz said he regularly loses money on events, but still holds them to get foodies into his shop for education and shopping. For him, cheese pairings are an “exciting gastronomic adventure” that increase branding. He said properly merchandising and promoting events dramatically boosts sales of related products over time.

Gold said tea and cheese is an easy up-sell, adding, “It not only identifies you as cutting edge in your offerings, but it reinforces the parallels between fine wines and fine teas.”

Enck pointed out that cheese pairings add a new dimension and sophistication to afternoon tea offerings while appealing to male patrons and others who may not want traditional foods. She added that, unlike wine, tea pairings are appropriate for under-21 audiences, other non-drinkers and all hours of the day.

Retailers can also increase their bottom line by offering samples of well-paired teas and cheeses, Gold noted.

The Pairings

Here are sources’ guidelines for pairings, with examples:

• Pair opposing flavors – the salty, fruity flavor of Taleggio with the peppery, chocolaty notes of Risheehat First Flush Darjeeling (Barenholtz), or sweet Lychee Black or Pouchong and with salty Gorgonzola or Shropshire Blue (Gold).
• Play on similarities – the grassy-sweetness of Nevat with grassy-sweet Japanese greens, or the herbaceous Vento d’Estate with the honey-hay notes of Golden Needle Yunnan (Barenholtz).
• Consider texture – the fat of a rich Brie with a brisk, palette-cleansing Darjeeling First Flush (Gold).
• Bring out sub-tones and sub-textures – well-aged Comte emphasizes the cleanliness and chestnut tones of Dragonwell (Gold).
• Follow the seasons – seasonally available Irish whiskey cheddar with cold-weather teas like Lapsang Souchong (Enck).