Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Oolong Tea
Analysing hundreds of thousands of recipes uncovers oolong tea's optimal flavour pairings.
Oolong tea is defined by the unmistakable flavours of tea and blossom, but beneath its sweetness lies a complex symphony of subtle flavour notes, such as honey, caramel, and hay, that give it remarkable depth. The key to finding the perfect pairing for oolong tea is understanding how these notes harmonise.
To map these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, breaking each one down across 150 flavour dimensions, identifying which notes complement and contrast. Our analysis reveals, for example, how allspice's eugenolic tones ground oolong tea, and how vanilla sugar's vanillic notes create a surprising synergy with its woody aroma.
Flavour Profile Of Oolong Tea Across 150 Dimensions Of Flavour
An ingredient's flavour profile is determined by its core characteristics (e.g. floral, maillard, and nectarous) enhanced by layers of subtle aroma notes (outer bars). When pairing ingredients, aim for a mix of core traits to build balance, and select complementary aroma notes to create harmony.
The Secret Language of Flavour
To understand exactly which flavours harmonise, we compiled a database of over 50,000 ingredient pairings commonly used in cooking. We then analysed these pairings, identifying the specific flavour notes that frequently appear together.
Our analysis shows that the flavour of tea is strongly associated with the flavour of vanilla. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a vanillic flavour, such as vanilla sugar, when pairing with the tea-like aroma accents of oolong tea.
The recipe below provides inspiration for pairing oolong tea with vanilla sugar.
Harmonious Flavours Of Oolong Tea
Just as our analysis revealed that tea and pencil-lead flavours are harmonious, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour accents present in oolong tea. For instance, the blossom accents of oolong tea are strongly associated with clove-like and cinnamonic notes.
The notes associated with the various aroma accents of oolong tea can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.
Flavour Profile Of Oolong Tea And Its Complementary Flavour Notes
Matching Flavour Profiles
The flavour profile of allspice offers many of the aroma notes complementary to oolong tea, including clove and cinnamon accents. Because the flavour profile of allspice has many of the of the features that are complementary to oolong tea, they are likely to pair very well together.
Prominent Flavour Notes Of Allspice Are Represented By Longer Bars
The chart above shows the unique profile of allspice across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with oolong tea.
Recipes That Pair Oolong Tea With Allspice
Linked Flavour Notes
Looking at the accents that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of oolong tea, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.
The Flavour Notes That Harmonise With Oolong Tea And The Ingredients That Share Some Of These Notes
Oolong Tea's Strongest Flavours
Complementary Flavours
Ingredients with Complementary Flavours
Flavour groups:
Nectarous
Acidic
Floral
Herbal
Vegetal
Maillard
Earthy
Woody
Carnal
The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of oolong tea, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the notes complementary to oolong tea.
What To Drink With Oolong Tea
The graphite notes in priorat make it a perfect pairing with oolong tea. Likewise, the graphite flavours in pomerol create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of oolong tea below.
The content on our analysis blog is semi-automated. All of the words were manually written by a human, but the content is updated dynamically based on the data.