Tea Blog

McVities Biscuits (cookies to us Americans) are make some of my favorite tea-time snacks. While I really do try to stick to my low-carb diet, sometimes I can’t help myself and must have a few of these UK-made delights, as they were clearly made to go with tea:

Digestives: These biscuits are very plain, not very sweet, and remind me a bit of graham crackers, though a bit more crisp. Because they are so plain tasting, they can easily be paired with most Indian black teas, from the most delicate Darjeelings to hearty Assams. They can also go well with Yunnan Gold, a  Chinese black tea. Watch out: These cookies are addictive. Really addictive.

Chocolate Digestives: A digestive biscuit dipped in dark chocolate, these decadent treats are best saved for special occasions. However, they do go nicely with stronger teas, and you may find that they go particularly well with Keemun Panda, which has lovely smoke and wine notes that go well with the chocolate. You may also want to try these with a jasmine green tea: It sounds strange, but jasmine and chocolate go really well together.

Hob Nobs: This is a fairly thin oatmeal cookie covered with milk chocolate. This is the sort of thing that you want to eat with a bold Assam or even a Kenyan tea, as the sweetness of the chocolate and the hearty texture of the biscuit really demands something powerful to wash it down. Plus, even if you aren’t fond of some of the more aggressive black teas, you may find them quite palatable when drinking them with these very sweet, very rich cookies.

Classic Rich Tea Biscuits: These very crisp, very light cookies are even plainer and more austere than digestives. I like them with very delicate black teas and find that they can even go well with some of the darker or flavored white teas. If you want a “neutral” cookie for clearing  your palate while you cup (taste) different teas, this one should work nicely.

See also: McVitie’s Digestives Give Teatime Crunch!

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