Pairteas friend and tea connoisseur Marzi Pecen baked a flourless chocolate cake for her father's birthday. A message from Marzi the day before the event:
"Chocolate cake baking! Sipping on an English breakfast. A big malty, a little red fruit & cocoa. Round & full. It pairs beautifully with the aroma of the cake!"
And after everyone enjoyed the cake:
"The cake (70% chocolate) with [unsweetened whipped] cream and berries paired perfectly. The maltiness [of the tea] was delightful and everyone commented how bright the berries tasted."
Why is this combination so scrumptious?
First, the compounds in chocolate hit the warm/hot receptors, mainly the latter. However, the fat in the whipped cream tames some of the bitterness and astringency of the chocolate through its action at both the taste bud and the hot receptor. Net effect: a delicate balance between chocolate and cream flavors so neither is overwhelming, but both delicious.
Next, breakfast tea and raspberries: both have the essential aroma element that gives raspberries their special flavor, namely raspberry ketone. Raspberry ketone hits the warm and hot receptors. Meanwhile the acidity of the raspberries activates the taste bud acid receptor, dampening any excessive sweetness, and the hot receptors. In doing so, the raspberries increases the slight pain (tang) that activation of the hot receptors by other compounds in the tea gives, hence the feeling of brightness—it's kind of a wakeup (see post of Monday, February 29, 2016, about the trigeminal nerve).
Next, breakfast tea and raspberries: both have the essential aroma element that gives raspberries their special flavor, namely raspberry ketone. Raspberry ketone hits the warm and hot receptors. Meanwhile the acidity of the raspberries activates the taste bud acid receptor, dampening any excessive sweetness, and the hot receptors. In doing so, the raspberries increases the slight pain (tang) that activation of the hot receptors by other compounds in the tea gives, hence the feeling of brightness—it's kind of a wakeup (see post of Monday, February 29, 2016, about the trigeminal nerve).
Finally, while raspberry and and chocolate do not share any significant compounds, the fact that they share the ability to activate the hot receptors means that the flavor of both comes through clearly.
I'll say a word about the maltiness of English breakfast tea, and maltiness in general, and how maltiness goes so well with chocolate, in an upcoming post.
I'll say a word about the maltiness of English breakfast tea, and maltiness in general, and how maltiness goes so well with chocolate, in an upcoming post.
No comments:
Post a Comment