Chocolate and tea share many similar characteristics. Both come in many different varietals with different flavours and textures which allows them to be extremely versatile to pair and complement other ingredients very well.
The main concept behind pairings is that certain elements in both chocolate and tea interact with each other, and thus when the right combination of these elements are found, it will elevate the entire tea experience.
We recommend you to best experience the tea pairing via the ‘Sandwich Method.’
1st - Take a sip the tea to experience the flavours
2nd - Take a bite of the chocolate to recognise the flavours
3rd - Take a sip of tea, a bite of chocolate, another sip of the tea and experience the flavour party in your mouth!
The reason why this 'Sandwich method' works especially well is because the warm tea will melt the chocolate and as it coats our tongues, it'll release a multitude of flavours in our mouth.
Tea pairing like any other food pairings, there is no right or wrong but we tend to look out for flavours which complement one another or enhance flavours of the food items.
We have spent time doing multiple tasting sessions with our dear friend over at The Goods Matrix to find the best Tea and Chocolate pairings with our range of tea selections.
Our current favourite tea and chocolate pairings would be -
- Marou's Single Origin Tien Guang + Silver Needle Pairing
- Marou's Origin Plus Meekong Kamquat + Breakfast Brew
- Manoa's Breakfast Bar + Noir Tea
- Cacao Hunters' Golden Berries + Shui Xian Oolong