I am 99.9% sure that this is one of the teas from White Antlers, so many thanks!
We went to Lidl last week, which is a huge deal for us. We buy very little and we seldom go but for some reason it is almost a date night. Lidl is new here, and we really love picking up some unusual little something to try. That something this time was frozen baklava.
Before you judge, let me just put it out there that years ago we could only get baklava once a year as far as I knew, when the Greek Orthodox Church in town holds their World’s Largest Spaghetti Dinner in November.
Then I found out that a restaurant nearby owned by one of the church members sells it – but they sell out fast. Every time I have had a baklava craving, I have heard the sad words, “We are sorry! Someone came in and bought the whole tray!”
So when I saw frozen baklava at Lidl I figured it couldn’t hurt to try.
But what tea to pair with it?
I have been eyeing this one, but was afraid I wouldn’t like it and it would ruin my baklava experience and almost had Da Hong Pao, but the more I thought about it, the more I was sure that the toasted sesame flavor would be great with the walnut baklava.
Because once again, the craving hit fast, there was no following those sissy instructions and letting the pastry thaw for two hours on the counter. Time’s a-wastin’, people! I popped it in the microwave on the very lowest setting for a few minutes, turned it around, and gave it another minute. It went really well.
As for the oolong, I gave it a quick rinse and then followed the instructions. (Unlike the baklava…) The first steep is brilliant gold and gleaming in my silver lined cup and smelled almost toasty smokey with a hint of burned crust, but tasted nutty and definitely sesame. It really did taste great with the baklava. Neither detracted from the other and the tea cut the sweetness of the pastry nicely. The second steep was creamy and nutty, smooth, and flavorful but not overpowering. The strong roasted aroma is turned down a bit and sesame rules now.
Third and fourth steeps are paler gold and still going great with the baklava. I am so glad I chose this instead of Da Hong Pao, which would have been good but I got to have a little tea adventure tonight!
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OK, you’re making my stomach growl.
I tried Baklava from Lidl as well, but I wasn’t fan of it. Maybe I just need to try it with nice tea :)
And this tea… sounds interesting and nice!
The baklava from Lidl was just okay, but not great. It was not quite as flaky as fresh baklava and there was an odd but not horrible flavor…almost like it had absorbed some meat or savory flavor from another food? But then I thought perhaps it was just the flavor of that baklava after all. Thawing in the microwave worked fine, very low power for a few minutes until it was no longer cold. But yes, it isn’t as good as fresh!
OK, you’re making my stomach growl.
I tried Baklava from Lidl as well, but I wasn’t fan of it. Maybe I just need to try it with nice tea :)
And this tea… sounds interesting and nice!
The baklava from Lidl was just okay, but not great. It was not quite as flaky as fresh baklava and there was an odd but not horrible flavor…almost like it had absorbed some meat or savory flavor from another food? But then I thought perhaps it was just the flavor of that baklava after all. Thawing in the microwave worked fine, very low power for a few minutes until it was no longer cold. But yes, it isn’t as good as fresh!