If existing opinion is anything to go by, cheese and wine go together like tea and cake, champagne and strawberries, and, well, cheese and wine.

But as Brangelina have shown us, even the most established pairings can come tumbling down.

Could it be that wine isn’t actually the best liquid to consume alongside your cheeseboard? Is there a drink out there that brings out cheese’s best qualities, better?

According to one “food and drink luminary”, we should actually all start pairing cheese with tea.

“Most people, in my experience, think of tea as a drink for rainy days, grandmas, or as a little sister to coffee,” tea expert Rachel Safko told Forbes. “All of the above can be true, but there’s much more versatility to tea – it’s the chameleon of beverages.”

New York-based Safko offers private events and consultations including a “tea and cheese soiree” devoted to exploring “the flavours that are unlocked when pairing tea and cheese”.

She believes tea is underrated and under-explored as there are so many different types with different qualities, and there’s a tea for every mood and occasion.

“Whiskey lovers might start with pu-erh or lapsang souchong,” she suggests. “Pairing tea and cheese is a leap of faith from there.

“It comes from seeing tea as a drink with real personality, oomph, and flavour, and from feeling its many moods rather than just seeing it as a dull, old-fashioned afterthought.”