Pairing Oolong Tea with Fruit
Updated Mar 08, 2026
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I tasted a variety of oolong teas with fruit to see which which pairings worked the best.
Oolong Tea Pairing
I got together with my tea friends, Sara and Georgia, to have an oolong tea pairing. For this pairing, we decided on fruit.
Oolong tea is between a green tea and a black tea in terms of how it’s processed so I like to refer to it as the Goldilocks of tea as it’s not too light and not too strong.
We cupped three classic oolongs: Bao Zhong, Tie Guan Yin (Iron Goddess), and Xiao Hong Pao (Little Red Robe).
We tasted from light to dark and as you can see in the photo above, the Bao Zhong, which we had first, is the lightest in color (and in taste) from the other two oolongs.
On the fruit plate were slices of Asian pear, plum, and persimmon. We added comb honey for a touch of something sweet.
Starting with the lightest oolong, the Bao Zhong had some flavor notes similar to green tea in that it was vegetal, tasting a bit like steamed greens but also had a hint of floral. With a medium body, it wasn’t bitter at all and went best with the pear.
The pear was juicy and mild in taste so it didn’t overpower the light flavor profile of the Bao Zhong.
The second oolong was a Tie Guan Yin. It’s a roasted oolong (my favorite kind) and it tasted like heavily roasted barley. Delicious.
The pear kind of disappeared, flavor-wise, and couldn’t hold up to the tea until I had it with some of the comb honey. The persimmon with its sweetness went really well, especially with the honey.
The third oolong we steeped was the Xiao Hong Pao (Little Red Robe). Very similar in color to the previous oolong, it was nice and roasty, full bodied and had a sweet finishing note.
This was the most intense of the three and it went well with the persimmons but it paired perfectly with the plums.
What I really got out of this pairing was that almost any food will go great with oolong if there’s a little honey as it intensifies the oolongs and brings out the best characteristics of the tea.
I was having my Taiwanese Oolong with Asian pears and I was not sure if I paired it properly. I was doing some research and found your website. It is lovely and elegant the way you write.
I will follow up for more tips. After reading you today, I tried some Maple syrup with the pears and it did really intensified the taste of the tea.
Have a warm winter,
Jen
Nice…! i loved reading your post and i love your tea pairing idea. Thanks for sharing…!
Hi Debasis, thanks!
We make beautiful messes!
I am so happy with our collaboration, too!
Hi Georgia, we do! Loved reading your post!