Chocolate and Tea Pairing

One of our recent events in the tea room featured an evening of Chocolate and Tea Pairing. Working with Frederic Loraschi of Chocolat Loraschi, we selected five flavors of  hand crafted single origin gourmet chocolates and paired each one with two types of tea. We provided a worksheet for tasting notes that included the names of the chocolates and the types of teas.

 The first pairing featured Mango Passion Fruit White Chocolate which captures the exotic tangy flavors of mango and passion fruit with a white chocolate coverture. This was paired with a Japanese Sencha considered an everyday Japanese green tea with vegetal and grassy notes and also with Gunpowder, a Chinese green tea with a slightly smoky flavor.

In the background, the kitchen staff was busy plating chocolates and preparing tea for the next tasting. The teas were served in individual compostable cups, marked with the first letter of the tea so everyone was assured of having both teas to taste. We paired a Formosa Oolong from Taiwan with a toasty, nutty flavor and Darjeeling from India with floral undertones to sample with the Moroccan Mint Milk Chocolate.

Black tea blends, Windsor Castle with honey toasty notes and Palm Court, a classic Harney & Sons blend of four teas were served with the Black Currant Violet with 33% milk chocolate. As we sampled darker chocolates, we served heartier black teas. A Tippy Yunnan with its assertive balance of sweet earthy notes and a Keemun with its slight smoky flavor was paired with a Mexican Origin 64% Dark Chocolate. Lastly, an Assam with malty, honey notes and a Puerh with its aged earthy flavor was paired with a Tanzania 72% Dark Chocolate.

Marcella Farina, The Tea and Hat Lady posted this comment on our Facebook page: "The selection of chocolates certainly complimented the chosen teas. All palettes were tingling by the end of the evening."