Tea, either as a dry leaf, a liquor, ground, or even contained within a teabag, is an incredible flavor enhancer and by adding tea to a recipe you can cook with many exotic herbs and spices you might never have used otherwise. 

When using the edible leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, treat them as you would any other dried herb/spice.  Teas have different characteristic (e.g. is it malty, smoky, floral, fruity) that will help determine their best culinary uses.  When choosing tea to use in a recipe, first consider what type of tea will best enhance your dish, keeping in mind that tea adds aroma as well as flavor. 

Remember to infuse your tea so that it is strong enough to allow the flavors to reveal themselves in the dish, but not so powerful that it becomes bitter or masks other components.  Tea can be incorporated into dishes requiring braising, infusing or boiling, rubbing or smoking. 

Have Fun & Be Creative!

To learn more about using tea as an ingredient, visit our "Tea & More" Cooking Class Spring 2017 Schedule on our website event page.