The folks over at Best Cheese (a cheese importer as well as a domestic cheesemaker) wanted to hold a fun, free event for tea and cheese lovers to come together and think outside the box when it comes to entertaining this holiday season. So last month they brought along some choice offerings from New York’s Coach Farm and Holland’s Uniekaas to Harney & Sons Fine Teas in New York City to create five unforgettable tea and cheese pairings. Brew yourself a cup, slice yourself a wedge, and enjoy!
1. Coach Farm Hudson Valley Truffle + Harney & Sons Fruits d’Alsace
This hand-turned anniversary treat from Coach Farm is aged to perfection for 4 weeks to create its creamy interior and intense earthy aroma. The Italian black truffles marry perfectly this fruity, caffeinated black tea. Its cherry and plum profile gives this pairing its irresistible sweet/savory appeal.
2. Coach Farm Triple Cream + Harney & Sons Fenghuang Shuixian
Being one of the very few 100% goat’s milk triple-cream wheels on the market makes this cheese extremely special. Its smooth, creamy interior and rich, almost buttery flavor profile pair nicely with this medium-bodied oolong. The fresh peach nectar flavor of the tea adds just the right sweetness with this aged cheese.
3. Coach Farm Fresh Goat Cheese filled with Fig Jam + Harney & Sons Capri
This pairing is quite refreshing! The fresh tanginess from the goat cheese balances well with the sweetness from the fig jam. The lemony finish lends well to this black caffeinated tea, since it has bits of lemon peel intermingled with the dry tea leaves and possesses a fruity fig flavor profile.
4. Uniekaas Vintage Grand Ewe + Harney & Sons Lapsang Souchong
This 100% sheep’s milk cheese is aged for one year before its slightly buttery, nutty taste begins to shine through. When paired with this smoky caffeinated black tea, your senses immediately take off on a culinary adventure. Notes of pine smoke, bacon, and dark stone fruit from the tea only enhance the salty profile of the cheese.
5. Parrano + Harney & Sons Pumpkin Spice
The unforgettable Parrano cheese is a cross between a smooth creamy gouda and a nutty parmesan, so it only made sense to pair it alongside a mellow pumpkin tea full of spices reminiscent of the fall season. The nuttiness in the cheese is complemented by the earthy spices of cinnamon and clove—a perfect match!
Best Cheese Corporation
Best Cheese Corporation is the exclusive importer of Parrano®, Uniekaas line of Dutch cheese products, and the owners and operators of Coach Farm, a farmstead goat dairy farm in New York’s Hudson Valley. Best Cheese brands are available nationally in supermarkets and specialty markets such as Kroger, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Zabar’s.
