5 Perfect pairing
Tea sommeliers have become permanent fixtures in many of the region’s hotels and tea rooms, helping customers find the perfect tea pairing for each meal.
“A tea sommelier is a very specialised role, and knowledgeable sommeliers can assist and educate guests on various flavours, nuances and pairings according to their needs and requests,” explains Fairmont’s Mutisya.
La Marquise International marketing manager Darya Yurkina highlights the surge in popularity of sommeliers: “Tea culture is rapidly growing in the region. We have witnessed the significant growth in tea consumption in the GCC for the past few years with more and more franchises of tea bars and cafés taking the market by storm, forcing hotels to step up their game and turn to professional tea sommeliers for assistance in order to remain competitive.”
Advertisement |
Top tips on pairing tea with food according to Geralt’s El Bahr: light teas (Darjeeling and Ceylon) are best with light meals such as fruit and mild cheese, while stronger teas such as Assam or English Breakfast should be served with more robustly flavoured dishes such as meat and fish.
Article continues on next page ...