Wine and chocolate gets all the attention, and whiskey and chocolate is delightful – but tea might be the most natural chocolate pairing partner of all. Both are grown within a similar tropical-to-subtropical band, both go through fermentation or oxidation steps that shape their final flavour, and both reward the kind of slow, attentive tasting that turns a delicacy into an experience.
If you've never sat down with a selection of specialty tea and a pile of craft chocolate bars, here's how to get the most out of it…
1. Match intensity before you match flavour
The single biggest mistake people make is reaching for their favourite everyday tea and pairing it with whatever chocolate is closest to hand. Start instead by thinking about weight and depth. A delicate white or green tea will likely be flattened by a bold 85% dark bar – the tannins and bitterness in the chocolate will steamroll the tea's subtlety before you've had a chance to notice it. Save your lighter, more floral teas for milk chocolate, white chocolate, or light and delicate darks – keep your darkest, highest-percentage bars for teas with enough backbone to stand up to them, like a pu-erh or a robust black tea. Get the intensity right first, and the flavour matching becomes much easier.
2. Look for shared flavour notes, then look for contrast
Once intensity is sorted, the fun part starts. Tea and chocolate share an enormous overlap in flavour vocabulary – fruity, floral, nutty, roasty, earthy, spiced – which is what makes pairing them so satisfying. A fruity single-origin dark chocolate (something with berry or stone-fruit notes) will often sing alongside a fruity black tea, while a nutty, malty oolong can bring out toffee and caramel qualities in a dark-milk bar. If you want a change of pace, try contrast instead of harmony: a roasted hojicha green tea against a salted dark chocolate plays smoky, toasty notes off salt and cocoa in a delightful way.
3. Brew it properly, and don't skimp on the leaves
A weak, over-diluted cup will lose the pairing battle against chocolate every time. Use loose-leaf tea when you can, and don't be shy with the quantity – you want a cup with enough presence to hold its own next to a piece of craft chocolate that's been made with real care. Pay attention to water temperature and steeping time for whichever tea you're using; delicate whites and greens scorch easily in water that's too hot, while dark teas like pu-erh benefit from a longer steep to develop their full character.
4. Taste each on its own first, then bring them together
Before you pair anything, taste the tea by itself and the chocolate by itself, so you know what you're working with. While you taste the chocolate, smell the tea – and vice versa. Next, take a sip of tea, followed by a small piece of chocolate, and let it melt slowly – you can chew it a few times, but don't munch and swallow like you would a snack. The warmth of the tea will help the chocolate melt faster and release its flavour more intensely. Go back and forth a few times, paying attention to how the combination changes on the second or third round – pairings often reveal themselves gradually rather than all at once.
5. Keep both sides simple and let the raw ingredients do the work
The best tea and chocolate pairings tend to involve minimal additions on both sides. A single-origin dark chocolate and a single-estate tea, tasted without other flavours competing for attention, will show you far more about terroir and craftsmanship than a heavily flavoured bar or a blended tea ever could. Save the inclusions and flavour additions for snacking – for a proper pairing session, simplicity is best.
A few combinations to try
- Floral white tea with a floral single-origin milk chocolate
- Jasmine tea with a single-origin white chocolate
- Malty oolong with a dark-milk chocolate
- Roasted green tea (like hojicha) with a salted dark chocolate
- Fruity black tea with a fruity single-origin dark chocolate
- Pu-erh with a high-percentage dark chocolate
As with any pairing, treat these suggestions as a starting point rather than a rulebook. The joy of tea and chocolate is in the exploring – so put the kettle on, break out a few bars, and see what you discover.
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P.S. If you’re looking for a great place to buy specialty tea, we highly recommend LizzyKate.
