Last week we took the Easter spirit to new levels and decided to do a tea and chocolate tasting extravaganza {luckily, nobody had given up chocolate for Lent}.
We’re big fans of the sweet stuff here at Tea HQ, and hot drinks work great as a pairing with chocolate - drinking them warms your mouth, so when you take a bite of delicious chocolate, the cocoa melts and its flavours are enhanced. Mmm...
To taste your tea and chocolate perfectly, slurp some tea so that is sprays into your mouth, then swirl it around and swallow. Then take a bite of your chocolate. The chocolate will melt quickly and evenly, so you can savour the combination of tea and chocolate together.
It’s a good idea to keep on hand some water and a palate cleanser (a water biscuit will do!).
SO HOW DID WE GET ON?
We went for both complimentary {Chai and milk chocolate}, and contrasting combinations {Green and chilli} with some varying results.
First off, it was Jasmine Green and a white chocolate with a hint of vanilla. The combination of the sweet tropical notes of the Jasmine, and the vanilla-ry creaminess of the white chocolate was ace, leaving a lovely lingering floral aftertaste. With an average score of 9 out of 10, this was definitely an early favourite.
Green Tea and chilli chocolate didn’t fare so well. The dark chilli chocolate brought out some of the more bitter notes of the green, with the chilli overpowering any of the tropical or sweet notes. It got an average score of 2 - definitely not a Tea HQ classic.
In round 2, the stand out combination was English Breakfast and salted caramel chocolate. Our English Breakfast tastes of malt, caramel and rhubarb with a very slight smokiness, so pair this with an oozingly soft caramel chocolate dusted with fine sea salt and you’ve got something pretty special.
CO2 Decaffeinated and orange chocolate was another popular pairing with the team here at Tea HQ, but Earl Grey and 62% Dark chocolate wasn’t so great. It might be that we’re not so into dark chocolate, but the tannins seemed to overpower any of Earl Grey's citrusy, woody notes.
We rounded off with Chai and a milky chocolate with notes of butterscotch and apricot. The spice in the chai worked really well with the fruity flavours of the chocolate, with the milk leaving a creamy, spicy aftertaste.
WANT TO HOLD YOUR OWN TASTY EXTRAVAGANZA?
We’ve got a handy tasting table and guide, so you can find your own favourite combinations. Send us a snap of your own tasting and we’ll even reward with you with some Brew Coins to spend on whatever takes your fancy.
