When someone sets out a beautiful cheese board, the next question is usually, "What wine should I serve?" But wine isn't the only drink that pairs beautifully with cheese. In fact, I think tea may be one of the most overlooked options.

We don't make elaborate cheese boards all the time around here. They're more of a treat when we're feeling a little fancy, have guests coming over, or need something to take to a gathering or holiday. But that's part of what I like about them. A tea and cheese board can look special without actually being difficult to put together.

I originally wrote about pairing tea and cheese for a Culture cheese magazine years ago, and the way I put a board together hasn't changed much since. I don't start with a strict pairing chart or go shopping for the "perfect" cheese. I usually look at what we already have, add whatever inspires me, and build from there.

Give me some good cheese, fresh figs if I can get them, sourdough, homemade jam, fermented pickles, local honey, and a pot or two of tea, and we're well on our way.

And unlike a wine and cheese tasting, a tea and cheese board can include just about everyone around the table. Children, grandparents, friends who don't drink alcohol, or anyone simply looking for a non-alcoholic option can all taste right along with everyone else.

Tea and cheese pair surprisingly well because tea offers many of the same flavor contrasts we look for in other food pairings: bold, smoky, floral, fruity, grassy, sweet, and spiced. Pair bold teas with stronger cheeses, delicate teas with mild creamy cheeses, and fruity herbal teas with fresh or younger cheeses. Then add bread, fruit, preserves, pickles, nuts, and honey to turn those pairings into an easy tea and cheese board.

Jump to:

Why Pair Tea and Cheese?      How to Pair Tea with Cheese      Black Tea & Cheese Pairings       Green Tea & Cheese Pairings       Chai & Cheese Pairings     Rooibos & Cheese Pairings   

Herbal Tea & Cheese Pairings      Non-Alcoholic Cheese Pairings      How to Build a Tea & Cheese Board      How to Serve Tea with a Cheese Board       Tea & Cheese Pairing FAQs

Why Pair Tea and Cheese?

Loose leaf tea comes in an enormous range of flavors. Some teas are bold and smoky; others are floral, fruity, grassy, citrusy, or naturally sweet. Add herbs, berries, and spices to the mix, and there are even more possibilities.

Cheese has just as much variety.

A creamy cheese can soften the boldness and astringency of a black tea. A fruity herbal blend can bring out flavors in an aged Gouda that you may not have noticed before. Smoky teas naturally lend themselves to smoked cheeses, while a lighter green tea can sit comfortably alongside a mild, creamy cheese without overpowering it.

Temperature adds another interesting element. A sip of warm tea followed by a bite of cheese can change how you notice both the flavor and texture of the cheese.

That's why I wouldn't get too hung up on finding the one "correct" pairing. Half the fun is putting a few things on the table and finding out what you like.

How to Pair Tea with Cheese

If you've never paired tea with cheese before, don't overthink it. There aren't many hard rules.

A few simple guidelines will get you started:

• Bold teas pair well with bold cheeses.
• Delicate teas pair best with mild, creamy cheeses.
• Fruity herbal teas work well with fresh fruit and younger cheeses.
• Smoky teas are a natural fit for smoked cheeses.
• Spiced teas can stand up to richer and more flavorful cheeses.

From there, experiment.

Take a sip of tea first. Then take a bite of cheese, followed by another sip of tea. Pay attention to what changes. Sometimes you'll notice a flavor in the cheese that wasn't obvious before. Other times the cheese will soften something in the tea or make a particular fruit, spice, or floral note stand out.

You don't have to know the proper tasting vocabulary to decide something tastes good together.

Black Tea & Cheese Pairings: Rich & Bold

Black tea is one of the easiest places to begin because its fuller flavor can stand up to richer cheeses.

Creamy Brie or Camembert can soften the natural astringency of a breakfast tea, while blue cheeses pair nicely with robust teas such as Assam or English Breakfast.

Smoked cheeses are wonderful alongside smoky teas such as Lapsang Souchong. And don't overlook Earl Grey. The citrusy bergamot notes can be surprisingly good with a mild blue cheese.

If you want to experiment, start with a straightforward loose leaf black tea, or try one of our Earl Grey blends alongside a creamy or slightly stronger cheese.

Green Tea & Cheese Pairings: Fresh & Delicate

Green teas are generally lighter than black teas, making them a good place to start with softer cheeses.

Fresh chèvre, Fontina, Muenster, and triple-cream cheeses can all complement the grassy, fresh flavors found in many green teas.

If you're putting together a fall lunch or afternoon gathering, add sliced apples, toasted walnuts, and a little local honey alongside the cheese. Those extra bites let everyone play with the pairing rather than simply tasting tea followed by cheese.

This is also where I think a cheese board becomes much more interesting than a formal "tasting." Put everything out and let people find their own combinations.

Chai & Cheese Pairings: Warm & Spiced

Chai deserves its own spot on the list, especially once the weather cools.

If you're serving a spiced chai, try a semi-hard cheese such as cheddar or Gruyère. Their creamy texture lets the cinnamon, cardamom, and other warm spices come through without competing for attention.

Our Sweet Maple Chai is one I'd put on a fall board with a good cheddar, Gruyère, sliced apples or pears, walnuts, and perhaps a little maple or apple butter.

Chai also gives you an easy way to make the whole board feel seasonal without changing everything else. The same cheese, crackers, fruit and nuts can feel completely different when there's a steaming pot of spiced tea beside them.

Rooibos & Cheese Pairings: Naturally Sweet

Although rooibos is often called red tea, it doesn't come from the tea plant. It comes from a shrub native to South Africa and is naturally caffeine-free.

Red rooibos has warm, naturally sweet, honey-like and slightly nutty notes that work nicely with aged cheddar, Gouda and Camembert. Green rooibos has a brighter, earthier flavor that can work with milder cheeses such as Muenster or young Gouda.

Rooibos is also an easy addition when you're serving tea later in the day or want a naturally caffeine-free choice on the table. You can browse our rooibos teas here.

Herbal Tea & Cheese Pairings: Endless Possibilities

Herbal teas may be the most fun to pair because they can be made from herbs, flowers, berries, fruits, roots, and spices rather than traditional tea leaves.

Instead of thinking about tannins first, start by matching flavors.

A tart cranberry or hibiscus blend can pair well with young Gouda or creamy Havarti. Chamomile and lavender can complement fresh chèvre or mascarpone. Mint teas are refreshing alongside cream cheese, mozzarella or a mild goat cheese.

Look at what's actually in your herbal blend and go from there.

• Does it contain berries? Put fresh or dried fruit on the board.
• Does it have warming spices? Try an aged or semi-hard cheese.
• Is it floral and delicate? Start with something creamy and mild.

You don't need a special tea marketed for cheese pairing. Open the tea cupboard and see what sounds good.

Looking for a Non-Alcoholic Pairing for Cheese? Try Tea

One of my favorite things about serving tea with a cheese board is that nobody has to sit out the tasting experience.

A cheese board so often brings wine to mind that it's easy to forget there are other drinks capable of bringing out interesting flavors in cheese. Tea gives you boldness, astringency, fruit, smoke, citrus, flowers, and spices to work with, depending on what you brew.

And when the gathering includes children, grandparents, someone who doesn't drink alcohol, or simply people who would rather have something warm and cozy in their cup, tea makes it easy for everyone to participate.

You don't have to recreate wine with a non-alcoholic substitute. Make the tea part of the experience in its own right. Put two different pots on the table, and suddenly everyone is comparing combinations. Does the cheddar taste better with chai or black tea? What happens to the Brie after a sip of Earl Grey? Does the cranberry tea work better with Havarti or Gouda?

That's a lot more interesting than handing the non-drinker a glass of water while everyone else does the pairing.

 ^{Photo By Kayla Joy Creative}

How to Build a Tea & Cheese Board

This is where I'm decidedly not fancy.

I've styled some rather pretty boards over the years, including the boards photographed for the original magazine version of this article, but I don't start with a rigid formula when we're actually eating one at home.

I start with what we have.

Choose a few cheeses, brew a couple pots of tea, and then fill in around them with whatever is good and in season.

Start with the Tea

You don't need six different pots. Two contrasting teas are plenty for a small gathering.

For example:

• English Breakfast or another bold black tea
• Earl Grey
• Green tea
• Chai
• Rooibos
• A fruity or floral herbal blend

If you're new to loose leaf tea and want to try several flavors without committing to full bags, our loose leaf tea collection gives you plenty of different directions to go.

Add Two or Three Cheeses

I don't have one favorite cheese for a board. I tend to use whatever we have or whatever looks good when I'm shopping, although I do especially enjoy those richer, higher-fat cheeses.

For a well-rounded board, you might choose:

• A soft cheese such as Brie, Camembert or chèvre
• An aged or semi-hard cheese such as cheddar, Gouda or Gruyère
• An optional stronger cheese, such as blue or smoked Gouda

But don't feel like you have to buy three cheeses just because a board-building rule says so. If you have a good cheddar and a wedge of Brie in the refrigerator, start there.

Add Something Fresh

Figs are one of my favorites when they're available. Apples, pears, and grapes are easy additions too. Cucumbers or other fresh vegetables can add something crisp and refreshing between richer bites of cheese.

Add Something Crunchy

Crackers are the obvious choice, but sliced or toasted sourdough is even better if you have a loaf around.

Walnuts, pecans or other nuts add another texture without requiring any preparation. And if you're looking for something homemade to tuck onto the board, these Rosemary Gruyère Savory Scones were practically made for tea and cheese.

Add Something Sweet

This doesn't need to mean dessert. Local honey, homemade jam, fig preserves, apple butter or dried fruit all work beautifully with cheese and give you even more flavors to try with the tea. A little honey over Brie with a sip of black tea is a completely different bite from Brie with fig jam and Earl Grey.

Add Something Savory

Olives, fermented pickles, cured meats if you eat them, and fresh herbs from the garden can fill out the board.

I particularly like this category because it's a chance to use what you've already made and put away. That jar of fermented pickles, homemade preserves, dried apples or sourdough sitting in the kitchen doesn't need to be something separate. Put it on the board.

That's really how I still make these. I add new things when I find them and otherwise use what I have on hand.

How to Serve Tea with a Cheese Board

For a small gathering, I'd choose two teas with noticeably different flavor profiles rather than trying to make a separate tea for every cheese.

A black tea plus an herbal or rooibos gives people very different combinations to try. For a fall gathering, black tea and chai would be an easy pairing. Earl Grey and rooibos could work nicely for an afternoon board. Brew the tea shortly before you're ready to eat so it can be served warm, and bring the cheese out with enough time to lose some of its refrigerator chill. Then let people taste at their own pace.

You can even make a little game of it. Sip the tea first, taste the cheese, then sip again. Ask what changed. There doesn't have to be a right answer.

Can You Serve Iced Tea with a Cheese Board?

Absolutely. A tea and cheese pairing doesn't have to be hot. If your gathering is during warmer weather, brew iced tea instead. A crisp green tea, fruity herbal tea or strong black iced tea can all work with a board. If you're serving a crowd, my 3 Easy Ways to Brew Loose Leaf Iced Tea includes a quick method that makes about a gallon and works well when you're taking tea to a party or gathering.

Tea & Cheese Pairing FAQs

 

 ^{Photo By Kayla Joy Creative}

Around the Farmhouse Table

By the time fall arrives, many of the season's biggest jobs are behind us. The herbs have been harvested, the garden is beginning to slow down, and the pantry shelves are a little fuller than they were just a few months ago. It's a good time to actually enjoy some of that work by inviting family or friends around the table. And a tea and cheese board doesn't have to be fancy to feel like a treat.

Next time you make one, change something. Try a different tea. Add whatever fruit is in season. Put out a cheese you've never tasted before. Or simply build the whole thing from what happens to be in the refrigerator and pantry that day. Sometimes those end up being the combinations everyone remembers.

And if you want a little more inspiration before your next gathering, grab our FREE Charcuterie Board Tutorial & Recipes E-Book. It includes a step-by-step board tutorial along with more than 50 pages of recipes to help you build your own spread.

More Ideas for Tea Time & Gatherings

• Rosemary Gruyère Savory Scone Recipe
• Tuna Tea Sandwiches Farmhouse Style
• 3 Easy Ways to Brew Loose Leaf Iced Tea
• Kombucha Cocktails & Mocktails for Fall Gatherings
• Spiced Cranberry Orange Wassail
• Christmas Shortbread Cookies with Earl Grey, Matcha & Lavender