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Home » Recipes » Beverages » How to Pair Honey with Different Kinds of Tea

How to Pair Honey with Different Kinds of Tea

February 12, 2016 By Katie Moseman 18 Comments

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Tea with honey is a wonderful combination. Learn how to make the perfect tea and honey pairing.

Tea with Honey: How to Choose the Perfect Pairing

I’ve always loved tea.  These days, it isn’t unusual for me to start my day with tea, have a midafternoon tea break, and then end the day with one final cup.

That first cup of tea in the morning is truly energizing- even when it’s caffeine free!  Our taste buds are at their most alert upon waking, which means that morning is an excellent time to experience the range of flavors in tea.

I like my tea a little bit sweetened, and I’ve been using honey for that purpose for many years.  Over time, I’ve learned that honey (like tea) has as many different flavors as wine.  Tea with honey can make for a fantastically complex and flavorful pairing.

Tea with honey can make a complex and flavorful pairing. Learn how!

To show you some of my favorite pairings, I’ve picked up several varieties of Lipton tea.  Lipton’s newly improved green teas plus their new black and herbal teas give you a wide range of refreshing bold and stimulating tea flavors to choose from.  From light and fresh-tasting green tea, to the bold aromas of black tea, there’s a Lipton tea to awaken your senses.

Tea with honey is a great pairing! Learn to match complementary flavors.

Tea and Honey Pairing Basics

You can think of both tea and honey like fine wine.  Each variety has characteristic aromas (what you smell) and flavor notes (what you taste).

Choosing which tea to pair with which honey is not unlike making a pairing between a wine and a food.  The flavors of each should complement without overwhelming.  Just as you might pair a hearty red wine with a savory steak, so might you pair a robust black tea with a malty, rich honey.

Black Tea with Honey

Black teas can range from delicate to roasty.  For chai, which has warm, spicy flavors, I choose gallberry honey for its aromas of cinnamon.  For an Earl Grey blend (made with bergamot oil and tasting of citrus), I always choose an orange blossom honey to complement the citrus flavors.  When a black tea is highly floral, it’s appropriate to choose a very floral honey such as a lavender honey.

Some of my other favorite honeys for pairing with a rich black tea are:

  • Sage
  • Black mangrove
  • Sourwood

Tea with honey pairings are fun to explore! Learn how to pair aromas and flavors for a rich sensory experience.

Green Tea with Honey

Most green teas are very delicate in flavor, tending toward a fresh, grassy taste and a mildly floral aroma.  For this type of tea, I reach for mild honeys or floral honeys:

  • Clover honey
  • Tupelo honey
  • Lavender honey
  • Alfalfa honey
  • Fireweed honey

Or, to double down on the vegetal notes, try a tiny bit of avocado honey.

Herbal or Flavored Teas with Honey

With strongly flavored teas, you really can go wild.  Coordinate your honey choice with the dominant flavor family of your tea.  For example, if you have a very berry tea, choose a blackberry honey for even more fruity taste!

Use these suggestions as a springboard to sweeten and flavor your herbal tea:

  • Blackberry, blueberry, or cranberry honey
  • Orange blossom honey
  • Meadowfoam honey (has a unique flavor somewhere between vanilla and marshmallows)

Tea with honey is a wonderful pairing. Try the many varieties of Lipton teas to see what you like best.

Try honey pairings with all the Lipton teas and let me know what you think, and don’t miss out on this fabulous honey granola recipe.

 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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Comments

  1. JENN

    February 12, 2016 at 4:32 pm

    Very cool!! I thought that any tea could be paired with honey! I didn’t realize your tastebuds were so active in the am! This is great post! My fav tea is chai or herbal!

    Reply
    • Katie

      February 12, 2016 at 9:08 pm

      Isn’t the tastebud thing amazing? Since I learned about it, whenever I get a new food or drink that I really want to concentrate on tasting, I try it first thing in the morning.

      Reply
  2. Sara-Jayne

    February 13, 2016 at 4:22 am

    As a tea-loving English woman I have a whole arsenal of tea and honey in my pantry! I love drinking mine with milk personally, and no sugar – but honey is such treat at afternoon tea times!

    Reply
    • Katie

      February 16, 2016 at 4:19 pm

      Here’s to a tea arsenal! I’m American born and raised, but I am a total Anglophile- and my tea cabinet reflects it! 🙂 Cheers!

      Reply
  3. Miles L.

    February 13, 2016 at 8:49 am

    I love adding honey to my tea but I really haven’t thought of pairing them. Now that you mentioned this, I am rethinking how I combine tea and honey. I would surely try your tips and suggested combinations.

    Reply
    • Katie

      February 16, 2016 at 4:18 pm

      I hope you do! 🙂 Experimentation leads to finding the perfect combination for you.

      Reply
  4. Lea Bullen

    February 13, 2016 at 11:46 am

    Great info. I didn’t think to try different honeys, guess I didn’t know there were any. Good idea.

    ~Lea

    Reply
    • Katie

      February 16, 2016 at 4:18 pm

      There are lots of varieties out there. Once you start sampling them, it becomes like a treasure hunt to find new varieties.

      Reply
  5. rochkirstin

    February 13, 2016 at 8:46 pm

    I love drinking tea and just recently I have discovered the natural benefits of honey. It works well for my dry cough! Having a snack that combines the two seems great. Green tea with honey is perfect!

    Reply
    • Katie

      February 16, 2016 at 4:17 pm

      I totally agree. And when I have a cough, I throw a little fresh lemon juice in there too.

      Reply
  6. Tiffany

    February 13, 2016 at 9:31 pm

    I absolutely love Lipton as a brand and even though I have only just started working tea into my daily routine I almost always pair with honey and/or lemon. I have not tried the berry blend yet but it is officially added to my shopping list!

    Reply
    • Katie

      February 16, 2016 at 4:17 pm

      I have been surprised by how many people really like berry flavor in their tea!

      Reply
  7. vidya sudarsan

    February 14, 2016 at 1:46 am

    I’ve never seen these flavor of Lipton tea! I want to try these, will be great especially on a cold day. I am really interested in the Chai flavor. Lipton brand has been around for so long.. that I completely trust their products!

    Reply
    • Katie

      February 16, 2016 at 4:16 pm

      Lots of new and improved flavors. I am a big chai fan, too!

      Reply
  8. Sara

    February 18, 2016 at 8:26 am

    I too love to start my day with a cup of tea. Lately, I’ve been trying to stay away from adding white sugar, so your post came at the perfect time. I had no idea there were so many varieties of honey! Can’t wait to start trying out some pairings. I’m thinking earl grey and lavender honey.

    Reply
    • Katie

      February 18, 2016 at 8:28 am

      Oh, that combo would be delicious! Lavender honey is so wonderful. I think sage, blackberry (hard to find a good one), and lavender are my current favorites. Tupelo is unbelievable in smoothies.

      Reply
  9. Christina Thomas

    February 22, 2016 at 3:11 pm

    I usually drink tea without sugar, a bit strange for someone with a sweet tooth! I just discovered different types of local honeys (I always thought there was only one -the kind in the bear!) and now I am hooked on having a spoon of raw honey with cinnamon every morning with my tea. Love the idea of the pairings. I better go stock up on more honey and tea! Cheers!

    Reply
    • Katie

      February 22, 2016 at 3:24 pm

      Chamberlin’s in Winter Park has a really good blackberry honey, and Publix sometimes hides a spectacular sage honey in the deli area. 🙂

      Reply

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