TRADITIONAL BAKED LOTUS MOONCAKES
According to Rehan Amarasuria, CEO of The 1872 Clipper Tea Co, an oolong tea is great for cutting through the richness of traditional baked mooncakes, as well as enhancing the nectarous quality of the lotus paste.
The 1872 Clipper Tea Co recommends: Alishan Oolong
RUM AND RAISIN SNOWSKIN MOONCAKES
For matching the saccharine quality of dessert mooncakes, Maranda Barnes, co-founder and Director of Corporate Communications & Business Development at TWG Tea, puts her advice towards full-bodied teas with a robust aroma to refresh the palate.
TWG Tea recommends: Yunnan Pu-Erh Tea Brick
CHAMPAGNE TRUFFLE AND GANACHE SNOWSKIN MOONCAKES
To do justice to the champagne truffle centre, you'll want a tea that can play up the champagne's delicate flavor, and still hold its own with a distinct complexity.
Maranda suggests a Darjeeling tea for its intriguing bouquet of spicy and sweet notes. Quite aptly, the Darjeeling is also commonly praised as the champagne of teas!
TWG Tea recommends: Maharajah Darjeeling Tea
DURIAN SNOWSKIN MOONCAKES
Our love of the tropical fruit makes durian mooncakes very popular, but their bold flavours tend to overpower most teas.
Rehan recommends pu'er, which can stand up to the durian's strong character but also compliment the creamy sweetness of the fruit.
What's more, sipping on pu'er can ease your digestion!
The 1872 Clipper Tea Co recommends: Pu'er Tuo Cha
MATCHA SNOWSKIN MOONCAKES
Seek out green tea-based blends with a hint of sweetness, says Maranda. Since matcha snowskin mooncakes have bitter overtones, you can afford to pick out a fruity blend with an aromatic bouquet.
TWG Tea recommends: Silver Moon Tea (a light blend of green tea)
SALTED EGG YOLK LAVA MOONCAKES
These mooncakes can be quite rich and cloying, so go for a refreshing red tea blend which carries enough depth to cut through the heavy flavours and textures.
Red teas also boost health benefits ─ they're high in anti-oxidants, Vitamin c, mineral salts and protein ─ and the fact that they're caffeine-free makes them ideal for children and even pregnant women.
To complement the new-fangled concept of salted egg yolk mooncakes, consider this quirky proposition from Maranda: Serve iced red tea to really wake the palate!
TWG Tea recommends: Eternal Summer Tea (also available as Eternal Summer Iced Tea)
TARO MOONCAKES
Taro has a heaty quality, warns Derek Lim, Sales Director of Infusion-De-Vie, so counter the effects with a light, cooling tea like chrysanthemum. You can also steep some goji berries to mellow out the herbal taste profile of the tisane.
Infusion-de-Vie recommends: Refresh (white chrysanthemum tea with sun-baked goji berries)
MIXED NUTS & HAM BAKED MOONCAKES
Since both sweet and savoury aspects show up strongly in mooncakes with mixed nuts and ham, Newby's Marketing Manager Serene Su would opt for a black tea to maintain the balance.
Compared to some black teas that have a spicy finish ─ which might lead to a very confused mix of flavours ─ Darjeeling's smooth, clean aftertaste makes it an ideal neutral bridge between the contrasting components.
Newby recommends: Darjeeling