Tea-infused chocolate bars you have to try
If you’ve seen my previous posts about tea chocolate, you know that I am obsessed with bean-to-bar chocolate maker Fossa from Singapore and their single-origin tea chocolate bars made in collaboration with tea curator Pekoe & Imp. Given how consistently impressive these tea chocolate bars are, my goal is to try their whole line, which is no easy feat given that many limited releases are not available in the US (at least not that I know of).
I was able to find two Fossa bars I had not tried yet, Duck Shit Dancong tea chocolate and Himalayan Royale Tips Hongcha tea chocolate.
Tea-infused chocolate bars you have to try. The Tea Squirrel
Shoutout to Los Angeles based chocolate expert and blogger My Year in Chocolate (@myic2016), who inspires me daily and so graciously provided guidance on chocolate tasting. She explained her EAT method for tasting chocolate, which I tried to adhere to as much as possible and with a little practice from last time, it made even more sense.
E: exterior (packaging, bar surface appearance and imperfections)
A: aroma (pre and post snap)
T: taste
Tea-infused chocolate bars you have to try - The Tea Squirrel
Fossa Duck Shit Dancong tea chocolate
Net Weight: 50 gr
Price: $12.99
Exterior
Packaging: outer packaging is made of cardstock embossed on the front and printed on the back. Cardstock has a handmade feel (visible fibers). Inner packaging is double-sided gold foil with inner white paper lining.
Bar surface appearance and imperfections: color and appearance are very uniform.
Aroma
Pre snap: floral, cacao-forward, natural unrefined beeswax
Post snap: woodsy
Taste
Floral, fruity, woodsy, mineral, tannic, notes of palo santo
Mouthfeel
Mouth drying, mouth watering, finish is powerful and long-lasting and so is the pleasantly tannic astringency
Overall
Irresistible, I couldn’t stop eating and savoring it
Tea-infused chocolate bars you have to try - The Tea Squirrel
From the chocolate maker (product page on their website):
Tasting notes: Floral fragrance layered with notes of longan and malt
International Chocolate Awards 2019 Silver Award winner.
A collaboration chocolate with rare tea curator - Pekoe & Imp.
Ya Shi Xiang (literally translated to Duck Shit) is a dancong tea cultivated in the Phoenix Mountain of Guangdong Province. The story goes that the farmer, in an attempt to hide the secret to his delicious tea, gave it an unpleasant name and it stuck. Fortunately, the flavour is nothing like its name. This 2020 Spring lot has notes of longan and malt with a long floral finish.
Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder, tea leaves
From the chocolate maker (back of the packaging):
Malaysia origin wine-barrel fermented cacao
Tea-infused chocolate bars you have to try - The Tea Squirrel
Fossa Himalayan Royale Tips Hongcha tea chocolate
Net Weight: 50 gr
Price: $12.99
Exterior
Packaging: outer packaging is made of cardstock embossed on the front and printed on the back. Cardstock has a handmade feel (visible fibers). Inner packaging is double-sided gold foil with inner white paper lining.
Bar surface appearance and imperfections: color and appearance are very uniform.
Aroma
Pre snap: extremely floral, notes of rose petals
Post snap: woodsy, hyacinth, honey notes
Taste
Sweet, floral, jasmine and rose notes, tannic finish
Mouthfeel
Silky, velvety
Overall
Irresistible, I couldn’t stop eating and savoring it
Tea-infused chocolate bars you have to try - The Tea Squirrel
From the chocolate maker (back of the packaging / product page on their website):
Tasting notes: Floral with a base note of scented wood and a long lasting finish.
Jun Chiyabari Tea Garden (Moon-lit Tea Garden) from the pristine highlands of the Himalayas is probably the most recognised name in the Nepal tea industry. This lot was organically farmed at 1850masl and handmade in Autumn 2020 from tips (young opened leaves). It is a special tea made with utmost care.
Complemented with Peruvian Ucayali River cacao, the aroma is elegant — floral with a base note of scented wood and a long lasting finish.
Ingredients: Organic cacao, cane sugar, cocoa butter, tea leaves
Would you try these tea chocolate bars? Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below.
Tea-infused chocolate bars you have to try - The Tea Squirrel
Find more tea-infused chocolate tastings by yours truly here.
DISCLAIMER: this post is NOT sponsored. I purchased the chocolate bar with my own money and was NOT asked NOR compensated to write about it.