Here’s a handy guide for figuring out which foods go best with which teas. There are really no hard-and-fast rules for pairing, except the Golden Rule, which is to use common sense: The foods you’re pairing should always complement the tea’s essence, its aromas and flavors, never contradict them.

While your own personal preferences are always the first and best criteria in enjoying your food-tea pairing, we’ve come up with a list of pairing recommendations here for your day-to-day reference. They come to us from our Master Tea Buyer-Blender David De Candia, so these recommendations are sure to get you off to a delicious start.