Chinese dim sum (or yum cha in Cantonese) consists of small dishes of mainly bite size steamed dumplings and buns, bake pastries and deep fried snacks made with an assortment of savory meats, seafood and sweet fillings. It is a delightful and creative presentation of food that focuses the enjoyment on both the taste and texture of food. A traditional dim sum meal cannot be complete without a steaming pot of Chinese tea. It is a classic match.
The great thing about dim sum is that generally any type of Chinese tea will pair very well with the food. For many old timers residing in the old territories of Hong Kong and Taiwan the tea of choice is ripe puerh tea. In this case I wanted something fresher and with more complexity so I brought with me the 2011 Jingmai maocha. I used approximately 7-8g for the teapot and requested the waitress to conduct 1 rinse before allowing the tea to steep. Be aware that some places have heavily chlorinated water and sometimes the water is not very hot. At Chefman the water for brewing tea is good and the deep sweet herbal and slightly medicinal character I associate with Jingmai is well presented in the cup. The oiliness of the dumplings and mild savory taste of the meat pastries complemented the tea very well, heightening the aroma and nutty sweetness in the tea. The tea in turn prevented the meal from becoming too oily and helped with the digestion of what had turned out to be more than just a light meal.
