When tea meets chocolate

You’ll melt with pleasure…

Tea and chocolate are perfect partners – they have so many things in common.

The diversity of their terroirs and the way they are processed (oxidation, fermentation, roasting, etc.) gives them an extremely varied palette of flavours and textures, which go well with many dishes.

Tea and chocolate have so many similarities, they are made for each other.

Increasingly pastry chefs are combining these two ingredients in their recipes and they are right to do so: both can take centre stage in a recipe, instead of just playing second fiddle.

You can see we are dealing with two key gourmet products and it was an easy job to bring them together and come up with complex and tasty blends. Here are some combinations that we have tried and particularly enjoyed.

Dark chocolate from Equador (100%/sugar free) and Yunnan Green Special

A superb contrast between the refreshing qualities of a great green tea and the warm flavours of dark chocolate from Ecuador.

Tasting tip: Melt the chocolate in your mouth with the tea (a combination of resonance and contrasting flavours). The slight bitterness of the Chinese green tea Yunnan Green Special and the chocolate go hand-in-hand from the first few sips, then delicious notes of yellow fruit (pear in the case of the tea and exotic fruit in the case of the chocolate) emerge. You can particularly appreciate the contrast between the bitter, fruity and slightly tart notes. This combination also has a lovely balance between the warmth of the woody notes of the cocoa and the vegetal freshness of the tea. A complex, very sweet blend with a long finish that lingers on the palate…

Milk chocolate (50%, classic or vegetable) and Baozhong

Tasting tips: Taste the tea then eat the chocolate and finally drink the tea (complementary flavours). The vegetal and flowery aromas of the great Taiwanese wu long Baozhong deliciously and subtly mix with the sweet, milky notes of chocolate. This tasty combination with its spring accents is perfect for Easter.

Dark Kerala chocolate (75%) and Kerala’s Wonder

Tasting tips: Enjoy the tea and the chocolate together (resonance and complementary flavours).

Grown in the same rich soil, the Indian chocolate has a particularly fruity aromatic profile that goes perfectly with our  Kerala’s Wonder TGFOP black tea.

The raisin flavours found in both the chocolate and the tea are apparent from the first few sips. The overall bitterness balances itself out and highlights the delicious fruity character of this blend in which you can also detect warm notes of blond tobacco.

The tasting concludes with a slightly peppery finish. A particularly interesting combination for lovers of complexity.

You can also combine this really delicious chocolate with Dian Hong Golden Buds. This black tea from Yunnan gives a fuller flavour with more sweet aromas and texture. Or what about a summer harvest of Selimbong Muscatel FTGFOP1 SF which accentuates the raisin notes of the chocolate and makes a delicious combination…

Hazelnut chocolate (55%) and pu’er

The woody notes of the pu’er go wonderfully well with hazelnut chocolate.

Tasting tips: drink the tea before, after or with the chocolate – anything is possible (complementary and resonant flavours)

Anyone who has tried it will tell you that as a general rule of thumb, pu’er tea goes extremely well with chocolate cake (brownies, chocolate marquise etc.).

Paired with hazelnut chocolate, this  Pu’er dark tea is a smooth, indulgent combination with delicious notes of caramel, nuts, hazelnut and undergrowth. A true delight!

We also have also tried it with a Nicaraguan chocolate whose aromatic profile often contains notes of undergrowth and soil which has a beautiful resonance with the pu’er … You simply must try it!

Dark chocolate from Nicaragua (trinitario variety) and Venerable Wu Long

With its fruity (grape and hazelnut), woody and tertiary (the scent of undergrowth and clay) notes, this chocolate embodies the very particular qualities of the volcanic soil in Nicaragua and the cocoa variety trinitario.

To complement and prolong the flavours of this chocolate, we have chosen a tea that is also very special: Venerable Wu Long, a superb semi-oxidised, slowly matured tea from the unspoilt region of Waikato in New Zealand.

Tasting advice: Take a sip of Venerable Wu Long to soak up the amazing flavours of this tea that has been aged for at least five years in a clay pot, place a piece of chocolate in your mouth and take another sip of tea. And let the magic happen…

The woody, fruity (fig, grape, toasted hazelnut) and tertiary (clay) notes of the tea resonate for a long time with the flavour of the chocolate. A complex combination resulting from the meeting of two exceptional terroirs!

Find out out more about our New Zealand wu long

Dark chocolate with orange and Singell Malt FTGFOP1 SF

Dark chocolate and orange are already a wonderful taste combination blending the depth of cocoa and the bright notes of citrus. To prolong this gourmet delight and awaken the senses, we have chosen Singell Malt, a Darjeeling produced in limited edition for the 150th birthday of the prestigious Singell garden.

Tasting tips: Start by letting a square of chocolate melt in your mouth and experience the gourmet pleasure of dark chocolate combined with sun-soaked citrus fruit. Take a sip of black tea and let yourself be carried away by this intensely deep and fruity union.

The bitterness of dark chocolate, lifted by the fruity and luminous notes of orange, blends deliciously with the intense malty and fruit flavours (currants) that characterise Singell Malt FTGFOP1 SF. On the palate, it’s all about contrast and complementary flavours with an unforgettable gourmet taste…

To find out more about Singell Malt FTGFOP1 SF

Dark chocolate from Tanzania (80%) and Sakura

This is the odd one out. But with this regional chocolate that is so intensely evocative of cherry we just had to try it with an infusion of sakura leaves instead of tea.

Tasting tips: Taste the chocolate and pause for a moment… because this chocolate is particularly intense, then sip the sakura infusion to experience all the subtlety of this combination (between contrasting and complementary flavours)

The milky and fruity (cherry) notes of this chocolate are reminiscent of a Black Forest gateau and resonate perfectly with the infusion of sakura leaves. This delicious pairing lingers on the palate with notes of cherry stones and bitter almond.

Something else to try: This combination works very well with our first flush black tea Darjeeling Dragon Dance which adds sweetness and and subtlety, with a more creamy texture.

Dark chocolate and Surprise!

The warmth of dark chocolate contrasts with the refreshing flavours of cocoa and exotic fruits.

Tasting tips: Start by tasting the chocolate, then wait for the flavour to begin to recede slightly and prolong the pleasure by drinking a cup of green tea (brewed for 3 minutes at 75°C, 1cc per mug, no more!) This is a blend of resonance and contrasting flavours.

Amaze your loved ones by combining dark chocolate with the cocoa, lime and exotic fruits  flavours of our Surprise!.

A tastebud explosion, full of colours and flavours!

Milk chocolate and Dragon’s Tail

The creaminess of milk chocolate serves here as a gourmet showcase for the incredibly fruity flavours of Dragon’s Tail, a rare white tea made not from the leaves of the tea tree, but from tender buds from ancient tea trees in Vietnam. This extraordinary grand cru won a silver medal in 2021 in the « Épicures de l’Epicerie Fine” awards.

Tasting tips: First take a sip of the clear and surprisingly velvety infusion of Vietnamese white tea to appreciate all its subtlety, then put a square of milk chocolate in your mouth and take another sip of tea.

The milk chocolate and its creamy, milky flavours enhance the smooth exoticism of lychee, the complexity of spicy notes (nutmeg, mace and pepper) and the delicacy of of garrigue honey, rose jelly and buttermilk notes in this exceptional tea.

Achieving a gourmet pairing with such a complex tea, so rich in flavours, is a rare experience…

To learn more about Dragon’s Tail

Milk chocolate and Baozhong

The delicious flavour of milk chocolate is highlighted by the delicate taste of Baozhong.

Tasting tips: Take a sip of a delicate Baozhong with its subtly vegetal and flowery notes then taste a square of milk chocolate. Take another sip of tea… (combination of resonance and complementary flavours).

A spring combination, sweet and full of flavour as the perfect accompaniment to Easter egg hunts.  As surprising as it is delicious!

Milk chocolate and The flower power

Smooth milk chocolate deliciously complements the fruity and floral taste of flavoured wu long.

Tasting tips: Take a sip of ‘flower power’ with its bewitching floral notes then taste a square of milk chocolate (combination of complementary and contrasting flavours).

It’s a combination that will delight those who love chocolate with red fruits and it’s one that we adore. Milk chocolate is a delicious accompaniment to The power flower, a wu long with raspberry and elderberry whose fruity, tangy and creamy notes are a real treat…

White chocolate and Rêve éveillé de Gaïa

For a combination of maximum sweetness!

White chocolate and the white tea Rêve éveillé de Gaïa is a resonant combination – buttery, vanilla and cleverly spiced.

Tasting tips: use slightly more tea leaves when making the brew so the combination is even more intense!

White chocolate and matcha

A peak of creaminess and delicacy!

This pairing, which we really love, reminds us of the traditional wagashi, the Japanese pastries eaten at the start of the chanoyu ceremony which balance the slight bitterness of matcha with their sweet flavours.

Tasting tips: melt a square of white chocolate (plain or coconut) on your tongue before sipping the matcha. This will make the famous Japanese green tea smoother than ever! And what a beautiful sight too! The pretty green mousse goes particularly well with pieces of white chocolate…

These pairing suggestions are the first step towards a world of sweetness that is as delicious as it is comforting. We are sure this will give you some ideas. Don’t hesitate to experiment; with our local teas and quality chocolate (organic and fair trade of course), you can’t go wrong… And if you discover any particularly successful combinations, let us know!