What Goes With Pu'er? Pairing Tea With Snacks and Meals

In Hong Kong teahouses, dim sum and pu'er are practically a set. Siu mai, char siu bao, and turnip cake with a steaming pot of pu'er is a familiar scene for many people. Pu'er really does go well with food, and a cup after a meal also aids digestion.

Pairing Principles

Rich With Rich, Light With Light

• Rich foods with full-bodied teas: The thick texture of ripe (shou) pu'er and aged raw (sheng) pu'er can stand up to oily, strongly flavored dishes.
• Light foods with refreshing teas: Young raw pu'er has a bright, lifted aroma that suits light snacks and fruit.

Using Tea to "Cleanse the Palate"

Pu'er washes away the greasy feeling in your mouth so the next bite tastes clearer. After a rich dish, a sip of ripe pu'er leaves your mouth feeling fresh.

Great Partners for Ripe Pu'er

Ripe pu'er is mellow, full, and low in bitterness and astringency, so it pairs well with:

• Cantonese dim sum: Siu mai, har gow (shrimp dumplings), char siu bao, rice noodle rolls, turnip cake.
• Meat dishes: Soy-braised pork, Dongpo pork, roast duck, steak.
• Chinese pastries: Mooncakes, pineapple cakes, mung bean cakes.
• Nuts: Walnuts, cashews, almonds.
• Chocolate: Dark chocolate goes beautifully with the aged notes of ripe pu'er.

Great Partners for Raw Pu'er

Raw pu'er is refreshing with a sweet aftertaste, so it pairs well with:

• Light snacks: Steamed cakes, mochi, Japanese wagashi.
• Fruit: Grapes, apples, pears, watermelon.
• Preserved and dried fruit: Smoked plums, dried figs, dried mango.
• Seafood: Steamed fish, poached shrimp.
• Cheese: Light, fresh cheeses.

Pairing Aged Raw Pu'er

Aged raw pu'er has woody and camphor notes and a mellow, full body. It pairs well with:

• Strongly flavored braised and smoked foods.
• Nuts and dried fruit.
• It's also lovely on its own, letting the tea itself take center stage.

Pu'er at the Dinner Table

• Hot pot: Ripe pu'er with hot pot cuts the richness and cleanses the palate.
• Barbecue: Cold-brewed raw or ripe pu'er is wonderfully refreshing with grilled food.
• A cup after the meal: After a big meal, slowly sip a pot of ripe pu'er; it aids digestion and lets you linger a little longer at the table.

Afternoon Tea Time

Around three or four in the afternoon, a pot of raw pu'er with a small plate of fruit or snacks makes a great break. Pyramid tea bags let you do this at the office too. Guyuntang Tea's Pu'er Pyramid Tea Bag Gift Box is perfect to keep on your desk for an afternoon cup.

A Few Reminders

• On an empty stomach, brew the tea a bit lighter, or enjoy it with a small snack; it feels more comfortable.
• When pairing with desserts, don't brew the tea too strong, or the bitterness will overpower the sweetness.

A Sample Dim Sum Spread

Say you're having Cantonese dim sum at home on the weekend. You could arrange it like this:

• To start: Har gow and siu mai with ripe pu'er; its full body stands up to the savory flavor and richness of the dim sum.
• Middle: Turnip cake and char siu bao. Stay with ripe pu'er, or switch to a pot of raw pu'er to freshen your palate.
• Dessert: Ma lai go (steamed sponge cake) and egg tarts. Brew the tea a bit lighter so the sweetness and the tea's aroma stay in balance.
• To finish: One last pot of lightly brewed ripe pu'er, sipped slowly, so the meal ends in the fragrance of tea.

Everyday Taiwanese Pairings

• Lu wei (soy-braised snacks), Taiwanese popcorn chicken: Ripe pu'er or cold-brewed raw pu'er cleanses the palate after rich food.
• Pineapple cakes, suncakes: The aged notes of ripe pu'er go well with flaky pastries.
• A plate of cut fruit: The clean sweetness of raw pu'er and the sweet-tart fruit bring out the best in each other.
• Mochi, red bean soup: Mellow ripe pu'er is a natural match for the sweetness of red beans.

Pairing by Season

For drinking through the seasons, read Pu'er Through the Four Seasons.

Xiao Qing Gan and Desserts

The fresh citrus aroma of the peel and the full body of ripe pu'er pair beautifully with rich desserts like butter and chocolate: a brownie with a cup of xiao qing gan (ripe pu'er in a small green tangerine) is a great match. The citrus aroma freshens your palate, while the depth of the ripe pu'er holds its own against the richness of the chocolate. Further reading: Xiao Qing Gan: Ripe Pu'er Inside a Tangerine Peel.

An Old Partner of Cantonese Yum Cha

In Cantonese teahouses in Hong Kong and Taiwan, pu'er is practically the standard pairing for dim sum, and "guk po," pu'er with a little chrysanthemum added, is also very common. Rich, savory dim sum like har gow, siu mai, char siu bao, and turnip cake with a pot of hot ripe pu'er cleanses the palate after rich food; it's a taste many people have known since childhood.

Three Simple Pairing Principles

1. Oily with ripe: Dishes and snacks rich in fat go most smoothly with ripe pu'er.
2. Fresh with raw: Light, fresh, delicately sweet foods and young raw tea bring out the best in each other.
3. Sweet with aged: Pastries and desserts go with aged raw tea or ripe pu'er; sweetness and aged aroma complement each other.

These aren't rules, just an easy-to-remember starting point. After a few tries, you'll develop your own sense of it.

Hosting a Small Tea Party at Home

Moving from light to rich and from fresh to aged keeps your palate from tiring, so every tea shows its character.

Portion Sizes for Pairing

When pairing, less food is better than more: just a bite or two, so the tea and the snack take turns in your mouth without the flavors overwhelming each other. A sip of plain water between tea and snack also makes the next sip of tea clearer.

From the Dinner Table to the Tea Table

For the first cup after a meal, ripe pu'er goes down most easily; it cleanses the palate after rich food and aids digestion. A little later, switch to a young raw tea or aged raw tea and savor it slowly, and you have a complete after-dinner ritual.

FAQ

Can I add sugar or milk to pu'er? Yes. Ripe pu'er with milk becomes pu'er milk tea, and some people like it with a little brown sugar or honey. For good loose-leaf tea, we suggest tasting it plain first to experience it as it is.

What should I keep in mind when pairing tea with desserts? The sweeter the dessert, the lighter the tea should be. A noticeably bitter tea with a very sweet dessert amplifies both flavors.

What is guk po? Chrysanthemum brewed together with pu'er. It's very common in Cantonese teahouses, and the clean fragrance of chrysanthemum makes ripe pu'er taste more refreshing.