Mooncakes are one of the popular kinds of bakery products in China, widely represented in the country and closely connected with the holiday of the Middle Autumn Festival, which is celebrated in September or early October on the full moon. They are round like the moon, and traditionally contain a filling of lotus seed paste or red bean paste and in some cases a salted duck egg yolk. Similarly to tea, mooncakes are traditionally enjoyed, which makes the combination of the two products a real treat for the senses.
Selecting the Right Tea
Mooncakes are very sweet, and hence one needs a tea that has some strong accents that would be able to tolerate the sweetness of the cake. Aroma: Extremely light and subtle tea types such as whites and some greens can easily be overpowered. However, sweetened and aromatic teas such as roasted, spiced or earthy and vegetal notes are the most fitting to match the mooncakes. Here are some fine options:Here are some fine options:
- Pu-erh tea: The strong and even somewhat sourish and almost rancid taste of aged pu-erh tea to my palate complements the sweet paste of a mooncake. The richness compliments the pastry’s texture in a manner that is akin to an actual chocolate. Actually, I enjoy raw or young pu-erh tea as well.
- Oolong tea: A roasted darker oolong such as a Da Hong Pao or rock oolong has more of a minerally character and a deeper flavor profile. It also has great buttery oxidation notes that offset the sweetness while adding a rich depth of flavor.
- Black tea: The Yunnan gold black tea is especially characterized by its tips giving out a strong maltiness. Or go for an afternoon style Assam black tea that is mixed with milk, it holds up well on the sweet mooncakes served especially in the evenings.
- Chai tea: The natural heat of spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, clove and ginger is perfectly illustrated by lifting a pastry real sweetly. It is very easy to mix your own preferred sweet level of the spices by preparing your own masala blend.
Both these fine teas exhibit the wonderful roasted note that marries so perfectly with everything from the traditional lotus or red bean mooncake to the contemporary ice cream or durian.
Brewing the Perfect Cup
Just as important, or even more important, is brewing the tea that should be served with the mooncakes as skillfully as possible to reveal its best side and complement the taste of the cakes. The time that the tea-steeping and the temperature of the water used should bring out the features that complements the sweetness of the pastries. There are some parameters that are ideal for preparing each tea type. For example:
- The Pu-erh teas are better brewed with hot water and longer steeping time : up to one minute initially to get stronger taste as compared to the subtle flavors that are found in the green and white tea. Despite that, the last drop of earthiness emerges in full, and the toned-down mineral astringency mellowed pleasantly with the richness of the sweet bean paste or lotus paste filling of the accompanying mooncake.
- Oolong is steeped using water that is cooler than boiling and for shorter durations to preserve butter and florals. That must be an almond biscuit snowskin mooncake with oolong which is divine.
- Black teas require water that is slightly less boiling than the one needed for the green teas and can be infused with both milk and sugar. Go for a pure yolk, creamed or whole yolk filled mooncake with Yunnan gold black and brown sugar to have the ultimate taste.
- Spiced chai teas steep the milk and sweetener right within the mix. If you wanted to take things up a notch, enjoy your red bean mooncake with sesame seeds powders with a cup of masala chai.
The fine tea steeping and appreciation are even more complementary when enjoyed together with a specialty mooncake to mark this relation-festooned festival. Listen to your aroma senses that will inform you when it is time to sip each tiny cupful and accompany it with a tiny mooncake slice. But let both remain in your mouth, as you shut your eyes and take in the calming fumes of your ideal companion in a drink. Simply delectable!
It is also important to also pay attention to the textures and the temperature of those things that you are drawing.
Not only the tastes are entwined, but also the textures and temperatures of the selected tea and mooncake creations interlink with each other in each mouthful. Even in the simplest pleasures, as this fall treat, opposing and complementing characteristics can amplify or diminish the beauty of it. For example:
- Serving tea cold is also possible and this makes the moon cakes taken with average room temperature teas to have a refreshing feel. Iced honeysuckle green tea matches well with a Cheesecake mooncake, which is cold as well.
- Hot teas go well with the newly baked mooncakes with the help of the residual heat used to infuse the cakes with more fragrance. Fresh lotus paste buns find its optimum match in first infusion of Anji white tea at the boiling point 180F.
- Sip some kick with a sharp aged sheng pu-erh against the tender creaminess of a snowskin mooncake when again, the mould made from ginger-infused gelatine is removed.
The sweetness can become too much at one point and thus contrasting with the soft textures allow for the best of both contrast to be savored at a time. Take turns to sip on different variations such as, warmed cinnamon black tea, chilled melon oolong, and room temperature nutty brown rice tea, for a multiple sensation.
Using the SAPPHO model, it is possible to identify the following aspects of the successful combination of products and their beautiful presentation:
The effectiveness of selecting fine teas in order to pamper the guests’ senses when the dish of mouth-watering mooncakes is served cannot be overemphasized. However, the symbolic value is also significant. When you select beautiful tea ware and also ensure that your pastries are well arranged, the full experience is complete. For example:
- With lotus or water lily printed cakes, you can serve on large fanned leaves from your garden resting in a wide porcelain bowl filled with blooming chrysanthemum tea.
- Place personal-sized Yunnan gold black tea and steamed salted yolk mini mooncakes on an exquisite hand-carved dark wooden platter with sheer cups, served with pumpkin accessories.
- Provide an enticing range of mini mooncakes served alongside small tins of cold-brewed tea, presented in a clear glass serving tier together with chilled fruit and custard fillings such as chilled durian, almond cookie and red bean.
To accommodate guests, let them freedom to choose and mix flavors in sampling and if they want, warm the mooncakes by pouring hot water at the bottom. Thus, encouraging thoughtful conversation on difference makes this centuries old cultural practice one that is genuinely mindful when done with others.
In Summary
Yes, indeed tea and mooncakes were a perfect match, so much so that I could almost feel the crunch of the pastry and the warmth of the tea as I was reading her words. It will be advisable to plan ahead on which sort of tea you are to prepare in order to complement the pastries that you intend to prepare for this early tour of the autumnal festival. Then pay a special attention to the preparation methods and offer the beers with proper food combinations to be consumed with friends and families. Such honoring of sweetness, aromas, community and our place in nature is at the very essence of Mid-Autumn Festival, as the Chinese cultural heritage asserts itself in the digital age. So get ready for a slow dinner, using a small glass of hot or cold beverage to cleanse the palate in between the courses. Let all these tastes blend and take you to this full moon night fantasies wonderfully.