Hosting with Japanese Green Tea – try these 5 Teas and Food Pairings
Entertaining with tea is a fun way to explore different flavor profiles and introduce friends and family to the art and beauty of Japanese green tea.
With so many subtle nuances and rich complex flavors from sweet to umami, enjoying Japanese green tea styles deliver an exquisite sensory experience.
Of course, these teas are sublime on their own. But pairing them with dinner or a sweet treat only expands how you can discover and appreciate distinct tastes and aromas. Whether you want to celebrate with a special dinner and showcase gyokuro, or have a full tea tasting and food pairing experience, sharing Japanese green tea with your guests opens the doors to creative ways to connect and explore together.
But what pairs well with matcha? And which tea is best for brunch? What tea flavors pair well with certain ingredients? We’ll answer these questions and more in this article to help you learn ways to entertain with tea and incorporate Japanese tea into your everyday life with family and friends.
Sencha
Sencha is one of the most popular teas in Japan, making up over 70% of tea consumption. Perfect for daily drinking, it delivers a harmonious balance of umami, astringency, sweetness, and bitterness. At Mizuba, we celebrate sencha by featuring three single cultivar styles: Yabukita, Saemidori, and Okumidori. Each cultivar gives you the chance to explore unique nuances and flavors. Sencha is the perfect pairing for lunch or brunch at your next party.
Our three sencha styles have unique, exquisite flavor profiles:
- Organic Sencha Yabukita boasts a divine aroma, balanced sweetness and umami, and a delightful astringency. Enjoy subtle nuances of green apple and guava.
- Organic Sencha Saemidori delivers a rich texture with sweet, elegant aromatics and hints of tropical fruit.
- Organic Sencha Okumidori reveals a mellow, rosy aroma, and the brew is an incredibly refreshing tea with hints of mulberry, toasted grain, and a floral finish.
Trying all Mizuba sencha teas!
The well-balanced and refreshing flavor of sencha makes it a perfect choice to enjoy with a wide array of foods. Seafood and umami-rich foods like shiitake mushrooms, oysters, tuna, and seaweed make a lovely pair with our Sencha Yabukita and Saemidori. Enjoy our Sencha Okumidori with indulgent desserts like chocolate cake.
Daily Matcha
The vibrant, earthy-yet-smooth flavor of matcha can easily make it the star of the show any time of day. Another perfect option for daily drinking, matcha is often enjoyed as a morning or afternoon pick-me-up. You might often go out for matcha lattes at a café with friends, but if you host at home, there are so many versatile ways to appreciate matcha. You can easily make your own matcha lattes, or get creative with cocktails, pancakes, or shortbread cookies. Make your next gathering matcha-themed and explore the creative ways to enjoy this special tea.
MFlavor Profile
Our Daily Matcha has a pleasant, refreshing astringency and light aromatics of toasted vanilla. The creamy mouthfeel with full, milky notes makes it an excellent choice to enjoy as a dessert or with one. Enjoy it hot, cold, sweetened, with coconut milk, or simply water.
If you’d like to make matcha desserts or dishes, we highly recommend the full flavor profile of our Organic Culinary Matcha. Our culinary matcha is excellent and is specifically designed to be paired with other quality ingredients so you don’t lose the profound and delightful matcha flavor.
Pairs Well With
The rich, complex flavor may leave you wondering what pairs well with matcha. Traditionally, in Japanese tea ceremonies (chado), matcha is served with Japanese desserts called wagashi. Matcha’s subtle bitterness nicely complements anything sweet. Mochi, chocolate, or black sesame all pair wonderfully with matcha. Find our full list of flavor pairings here!
Gyokuro
Gyokuro is a treasure in any tea collector’s assortment. It makes up less than .3% of Japanese green tea production, making it a notable prize for any tea connoisseur. Highly revered for its deep umami flavor, this is the perfect tea for a dinner party or special occasion. Because gyokuro can be brewed in intentional, traditional ways using special tea ware, it’s always a great tea to share with guests and showcase the beauty of tea brewing.
Just-steeped Gyokuro showcased in a traditional shiboridashi
Flavor Profile
Our Organic Gyokuro has a delicate, sweet pear and light citrus aroma. The well-rounded layers of sweet pea and baked peach highlight its unrivaled umami flavor. You can bring out different distinct flavors and nuances just by adjusting your brewing technique.
Like sencha, gyokuro pairs beautifully with seafood, particularly umami-rich sushi. Other excellent choices include parmesan cheese and vegetables like tomatoes, peas, garlic, corn, and spinach. Of course, like most Japanese teas – chocolate is wonderful too!
Kyô-bancha
Kyô-bancha is a roasted tea originating from the Kyoto region of Japan. Known for its rustic style, Kyô-bancha is roasted using different techniques to extract distinct flavor characteristics. Its low-caffeine content makes it a superb wind-down tea to enjoy with guests after a satisfying dinner.
Flavor Profile
Indulge in the exquisite chocolatey aroma. Kyô-bancha delivers a light-bodied mouthfeel, illustrating a warm, delightful earthy flavor. Smoky hints of cacao nib, roasted chicory, and caramel shine through in this delicious brew.
Pairs Well With
Kyô-bancha is essential for after dinner due to its low caffeine content, but also pairs well with various tastes, especially foods with fruity, earthy, or nutty flavor profiles. Kyô-bancha plus brunch is a match made in heaven. Think sweet brunch staples like crepes, scones, and waffles. Kyô-bancha makes a wonderful addition to anything chocolatey as well.
Genmaicha
Once enjoyed in rural areas, this unique blend of toasted brown rice and loose leaf tea has become one of the most popular and familiar Japanese green teas. Our genmaicha is made with roasted white mochi rice, giving a sweeter taste. Another perfect low-caffeine tea for a dinner Japanese green tea party, genmaicha compliments many different flavors.
Flavor Profile
The pleasantly sweet, nutty flavor of toasted mochi rice balanced with the light, refreshing taste of bancha is a symbiotic pair. Our genmaicha delivers notes of heirloom popcorn and nori with a buttery, medium-bodied liquor. The peppery yet sweet flavor produces mellow tones of melon and chamomile.
Mizuba organic genmaichaPairs Well With
Genmaicha is best enjoyed with lighter meals, sushi, or sashimi. With a flavor profile ideal for fatty fish, it's actually one of the most popular teas served at sushi restaurants. Mild desserts like shortbread and butter cookies also pair well with genmaicha.
Experience all the flavors of Japanese Tea
With so many ways to pair food with tea, the options are endless. Japanese green tea can easily complement a delicious meal. Introduce your guests to the complex flavors and aromatics of Japanese green tea with a tea tasting party. Or have a DIY at-home sushi night and brew cups of gyokuro, sencha, or genmaicha to complement your creations.
However you decide to host with tea, our high-quality teas deliver a deep dive into all the flavors Japanese green tea has to showcase. We highly recommend exploring and experimenting with your own food pairings! If you find something delicious, don’t hesitate to let us know :)
By Mariah Bourne
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