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.
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 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
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)
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.
JENN
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!
Katie
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.
Sara-Jayne
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!
Katie
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!
Miles L.
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.
Katie
I hope you do! 🙂 Experimentation leads to finding the perfect combination for you.
Lea Bullen
Great info. I didn’t think to try different honeys, guess I didn’t know there were any. Good idea.
~Lea
Katie
There are lots of varieties out there. Once you start sampling them, it becomes like a treasure hunt to find new varieties.
rochkirstin
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!
Katie
I totally agree. And when I have a cough, I throw a little fresh lemon juice in there too.
Tiffany
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!
Katie
I have been surprised by how many people really like berry flavor in their tea!
vidya sudarsan
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!
Katie
Lots of new and improved flavors. I am a big chai fan, too!
Sara
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.
Katie
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.
Christina Thomas
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!
Katie
Chamberlin’s in Winter Park has a really good blackberry honey, and Publix sometimes hides a spectacular sage honey in the deli area. 🙂
Tracy
I love most teas but chia tea is my favorite. I just started using honey and was told to buy raw honey because they said it was best. I don’t think the same. I love raw honey on biscuits or such just not in my chia tea and was confused why. After reading your post I will be looking for and giving different flavors a try. With raw honey in chia tea it tends to dull out the chia spices which ends up to half cup down the sink. Thanks for the ideas, helps a bunch. Will definitely will be trying your different flavors combinations.