Not-So-Good Tea Pairings

I have read many books and blogs about pairing tea with other things to make a great combo – tea and chocolate, tea and almonds, tea and oatmeal, etc. However, what about things that should be avoided while drinking tea? Here is my mental list of not-so-good tea pairings that I have added to over the years (side note – in all combinations the teas were unflavored and consumed while hot):

Black Tea with Cheetos Puffs – While at work one day, I wrestled the vending machine for some cheesy poofs as a mid-morning snack. I tried washing it down with the black tea that I had brought with me to work that morning which resulted in a smoked fake-cheese aftertaste. I was dumb enough to try the same thing with green tea at a different point in time to discover that was even worse. I like cheesy poofs, okay?

Green Tea with Grapefruit – After eating a grapefruit I felt like I wanted to keep this “health food” trend going so I brewed up some green tea only to find the combination was an unpleasant grassy, acidic, bitter taste. However, black tea with grapefruit isn’t bad.

Green Tea with Original Flavor Pringles – I love them both separately, but together the salty/grassy mixture is just… weird.

Green Tea and Peanut Butter – I thought this combination was going to be okay since tea and nutty flavors go well together (I love Dragon Well!). I didn’t find the combo all too pleasant when I tried pairing green tea with peanut butter on toast. Black tea might not be so bad, but I haven’t tried it yet.

Green Tea and Nachos – Yeah… um… no. Just… no.

White Tea and Chicken Alfredo Pasta – I don’t know what I was thinking. I had finished making a cup of white tea at the same time the fiancée had finished dinner, so I brought the cup with me to the table - bad idea. I thought it would be fine considering sometimes pasta Alfredo contains broccoli (which is similar to the vegetal flavor of some white teas). Nope. The combination of white tea and Alfredo sauce doesn’t work for me.

That is all that I can think of at the moment. I am sure I will be adding to this list again soon. I think it is safe to say that I do not like the combo of tea and cheese flavors. However, I am infatuated with both separately.

Do you have any not-so-good pairings that you would like to warn about?

Oolongs and Pu Erhs will probably never make this list because I usually save those to drink only when I have time to dedicate to Gong Fu Cha. Thus, I concentrate on the tea alone and do not pair it with anything else.

Image Reference Links: Cheetos Puffs, Nachos