Tea and chocolate food pairing

We often talk about the similarities between wine and tea. What these two gifts of nature have in common is that the flavours and aromas they contain depend on the terroir in which they are grown and the skill and passion of the tea master or vintner who made them. Chocolate is no different! The altitude, climate and minerals in the soil affect the flavour of the cocoa bean just as much as the tea leaves or grapes affect the finished tea or wine. When the best cocoa beans are grown in the right terroir and processed by a skilled chocolatier, the results are outstanding. In this article, we explore the pairing of premium orthodox tea with fine artisan chocolate and suggest some interesting tea and chocolate food pairings for you to explore.

Food pairing tips for tea and chocolate

• Use the best quality chocolate and tea you can find. This will unlock a multitude of nuanced layers of flavour, texture and mouthfeel.
• Less is more. Try no more than three or four pairings at a time to avoid overwhelming the palate. For the ultimate tasting experience, pair teas and chocolates of a similar high quality.
• Drink the teas without milk, lemon or sweeteners. The purer the tea, the better it will taste when paired with chocolate.

A pairing guide for tea and white chocolate

White chocolate can be too sweet. However, premium varieties do not contain soya lecithin or vanilla. They are naturally delicious and are the best type of white chocolate to pair with tea. When it comes to pairing tea with white chocolate, we recommend Willie’s Cacao El Blanco . This blend of natural cocoa butter, raw cane sugar and milk work in perfect harmony, allowing you to enjoy the experience of combining the flavours of the chocolate with those in the tea.

When you are ready, take a sip (slurping rather than sipping will intensify the flavours) and swirl the tea around your mouth so that it covers all your taste buds before swallowing. Then take a bite of the chocolate and allow it to melt slowly and thoroughly in your mouth. Then take another sip of the tea and enjoy the synergy between the two flavours.

Teas to pair with white chocolate

• Matcha: One of the most successful and increasingly popular pairings of white chocolate and tea is Matcha. Combining the creamy sweetness of white chocolate with the bitter, nutty notes of matcha creates a very satisfying mouthfeel, and while we recommend enjoying a piece of white chocolate before drinking matcha, chocolatiers such as the UK’s Willie’s Cacao and Germany’s Edelmond Manufaktur have created their own white chocolate and matcha bars.
• Long Jing (Dragon Well): Combining white chocolate with nuts and fruit is commonplace among chocolatiers. Although delicate, Long Jing is known for its nutty and fruity notes. Pairing Dragon Well with white chocolate combines the sweetness of the chocolate with the chestnut, hazelnut and macadamia notes found in the tea.
• Genmaicha: Genmaicha means “roasted rice tea” and that’s exactly what it is, a Japanese green tea mixed with roasted rice. Mixing the tea with rice gives the tea a nutty flavour, making it ideal for pairing with white chocolate. For a more intense food pairing experience, try Edelmond Manufaktur’s Genmai white chocolate with Genmaicha tea.
• Herbal Infusion Ginger & Lemon: Herbal teas also work well with white chocolate. In particular, the spiciness of ginger combined with the tang of citrus peel and lemongrass balances the sweetness of the chocolate.
• Greek Mountain Tea: Deliciously light and floral with a hint of citrus, Greek Mountain Tea is the perfect accompaniment to white chocolate. Simply take a bite of your favourite white chocolate, let it melt in your mouth, sip the tea slowly and enjoy the experience.

A pairing guide for tea and milk chocolate

High quality milk chocolate is mild and sweet and feels creamy as it melts in your mouth. For the following teas we recommend a milk chocolate with a minimum cacao content of 40 %, such as Willlie’s Cacao Venezuelan Rio Caribe Milk of the Gods, or for a touch of added intensity, Sea Flakes, or Sea Kissed Almond.

Although any black tea will pair well with milk chocolate, we recommend the lighter ones, and would advise against drinking the tea with milk. As any tea purist will tell you, good tea should be appreciated as nature intended. Adding milk, lemon or sugar will change the taste. And any change in taste we experience in food pairing should be down to the synergy between the chocolate and the tea. 

When you are ready, take a bite of the chocolate and enjoy how the flavours unfold as it melts  in your mouth. Then slurp some of the tea and discover how the flavours intensify as the tea and chocolate work on your taste buds at the same time. 

Teas to pair with milk chocolate

• Houjicha: Houjicha is a roasted tea that has nutty a nutty flavour. Pairing Houjicha with Willie’s Cacao Sea Flakes or Sea Kissed Almond really brings the nutty and roasted notes to the fore.
• Milky Oolong: Sweet, buttery and smooth, Milky Oolong is a wonderful accompaniment to milk chocolate.
• First Flush Darjeeling: Glenburn Good Fortune Blend has a mild and floral taste. Pair it with Willie’s Cacao Clementina’s Almond Chocolate for a particularly floral and fruity combination.
• Nepalese Imperial Black Tea: Pairing this interesting medium strength black tea with milk chocolate with brings out the natural cocoa citrus notes in the tea.
• Chai: Combining milk chocolate with the chunky star anise, cassiar bark and cardamom pods in our Star of India Chai works really well and reveals an interesting spicy flavour.

A pairing guide for tea and dark chocolate

Dark chocolate is full-bodied, fruity and powerful on the palate and can be paired with very strong flavours without being overpowered. Although it is possible to pair green tea with dark chocolate, it is ideal with strong black tea. The higher the cocoa content, the more the flavours of the cocoa bean will come through, making it an interesting experience to pair with tea. For the following teas, we recommend a minimum of 70% cocoa, and you can even try some teas with 100% cocoa chocolate.

When you are ready, take a bite of the chocolate and enjoy how the flavours unfold as it melts  in your mouth. Then slurp some of the tea and discover how the flavours intensify as the tea and chocolate work on your taste buds at the same time. 

Teas to pair with dark chocolate

• Honey Scent Black Tea: This beautifully crafted tea has a natural sweet, honey flavour that is accentuated when paired with the fruity flavours found in Willie’s Cacao 70% San Agustin Gold Chocolate.
• Golden Monkey: This mellow but bold Chinese black tea is perfect for pairing with the nutty flavours found in Willie’s Cacao 72% Las Trincheras Chocolate.
• Malty Assam: Pairing a strong, malty Assam tea with Willie’s Cacao 70% Ginger & Lime combines the honey notes of the Baracoan cacao beans with warming ginger and tangy lime. 
• Strong Ceylon black tea: The fruity apricot and chocolate notes found in the New Vithanakande FBOPF EX SP style tea work very well with a 100% cacao chocolate blended with fruits, for example Willie’s Cacao Orange & Almond.

Teas to avoid pairing with chocolate

Flavoured tea

With the possible exception of a good Earl Grey, we would not recommend pairing flavoured teas with chocolate. We say this out of respect for the skills of the chocolatier. While high quality orthodox teas have natural flavours that complement the chocolate, flavoured teas can overpower the chocolate and be confusing to the palate.

White tea

Very subtle teas, such as the white tea Silver Needle, are best drunk unaccompanied, as the delicate and subtle flavours within the tea will be overpowered by the chocolate.

Tea and chocolate food pairing gift set

Tea and chocolate are luxurious indulgences that make a wonderful gift. Our Tea & Chocolate Gift Set contains five bars of Willie’s Cacao chocolate with ten packets of 10g tea and suggestions of teas to pair with the chocolates.