With the majority of us Brits drinking tea with our toast every morning, you would surely expect we all knew how to match perfect combination? Think again….
When we were propositioned by a seasoned Wine guru and The Savoy’s resident tea expert with the opportunity to uncover the perfect tea and toast partnerings, we certainly had a little chuckle, but then again, when The Savoy do things they don’t exactly settle for second best, and after a £220m refit you would expect they at least have a pleasant selection of teas on offer. Well needless to say, that toast aside I was already personally sold on the concept and clearly more than happy to sip my way through their exotic teas, a slice of toast or two might well make a tasty addition though.
There are some things that are just meant to go together: Wine and Cheese, Fish and Chips, Morecambe and Wise, Peanut Butter and Jelly (if you’re American) and… well Tea and Toast. Simple? Or so you may think? Have you ever stopped to consider what blend of tea you are drinking and whether it is the ‘perfect partner’ for your favourite type of toast?
Having created the concept of Toast Tones (highlighted on the table below), conducted a National Toast Census and uncovered the formula for the perfect slice of toast, pioneering bread makers Vogel’s continue to champion the sublime enjoyment of browned bread with a gastronomic investigation into the perfect partnership of tea and toast, so that everyone can find out their ‘Perfect Partner’ And here’s how it was done…
Ingredients
Firstly they put Delicious Magazine’s wine expert Susy Atkins and The Savoy’s resident tea guru, Trevor Mordaunt – Manager of their world famous Thames Foyer – together in a room, then equipped them with a toaster, a tea pot, and set them the sole objective of sipping and nibbling their way through a mountain of toasted bread and hundreds of cups of tea to map their findings in to search for the ‘perfect partners’.
Method
Alongside the more mundane loaf of sliced white and a traditional brown bread, they also tested out each of the four delicious varieties of Vogel’s bread which were toasted and tasted at various shades of brown. These very different flavours were plotted on a graph with two axes running from grainy to nutty and earthy to sweet.
The same method was applied to sixteen varieties of tea, some everyday and some rather more exotic, and brewed to various strengths. The flavours of the teas were assessed along a range of green/zesty to smokey/spicey and tannic (dry) to sweet.
When the two maps are overlaid, the teas and toasts that occupy the same space are revealed as the perfect partners – possessing complimentary flavours.
Results: Toast analytics…
At a Glance: The gastronomes’ view on the best tea and toast matches?
If you want to find out your perfect combination of Tea & Toast then luckily for you Salisbury based bread brand Vogel’s has now unveil a super app designed to ensure you need never ponder what cup of tea to enjoy with your delicious slice of the warm buttery stuff. Ladies and gentleman, be upstanding for the Vogel’s Toast ’n’ TEA-O-TRON 3000! Try it for yourself at www.facebook.com/lovetoastcommunity
So now you can snack on one of Britain’s most favoured food combinations, with a wonder feeling of smugness, knowing you are not just treating yourself to any old tea and toast, but constructing a gorgeously balanced gastronomic experience.
Reviewed by Sam Bryan-Merrett
