Tea and Chocolate - A Dream Combination

When Sarah from the lovely Maison Cupcake contacted me recently to say I'd won a giveaway I was thrilled. When I realised it was for a box of tea flavoured chocolates I was pretty much ecstatic! Somehow the existence of Matcha Chocolat had passed me by, which was frankly a miracle as it is a product combining two of my favourite things in the world. Such is my love for tea flavoured chocolates I had previously sought them out at Pierre Marcolini and l'Artisan du Chocolat amongst others but here was an opportunity to have a whole box devoted to that most glorious of combinations. I awaited them with eager anticipation.



When they arrived a few days later I couldn't wait to tuck in but managed to restrain myself for a few hours as it was about nine o'clock in the morning... Instead I spent the intervening time checking out the packaging: a nice square fuchsia box with a Japanese inspired design; and reading up about the company's philosophy. They produce a seasonal selection of chocolates three times a year and make a point of sourcing their tea and chocolate ethically: so far so good. But how did they taste?

To be honest I was blown away. As I've mentioned I've sought out tea chocolates from some of the most renowned chocolatiers in Europe before now and Matcha Chocolat were up there with the best of them. I received the summertime Jade Selection which included five different chocolates: Sencha, Liquid Jade, China Rose, Strawberry Summer, and Masala Chai. It was a fantastic selection with each chocolate having a definite and distinctive flavour. My personal preference was for the chocolates where the tea was really front and centre, namely the Liquid Jade - a white chocolate dome containing a dark chocolate ganache with matcha liqueur; Masala Chai - a milk chocolate ganache full of all the gorgeous flavours of chai tea, covered with dark chocolate and topped with piece of crystalised ginger; and my absolute favourite, the Sencha. This delight features a white chocolate shell filled with white chocolate ganache that is infused with an intense hit of sencha. Despite not usually being a huge white chocolate fan I think its delicateness really let the green tea punch through which I loved.

This is not to suggest that the other two flavours were not also delicious; I for one am always a complete sucker for anything rose flavoured, but I found the tea a bit more delicate and therefore they didn't rate quite as highly for me. Having said that, the other people who tried them (although I wasn't being overly generous with them as I wanted them all for myself) really loved them, with the Strawberry Summer being a particular hit with Coffee Boy. I guess not everyone is as obsessed with tea as me (which is frankly weird) and in that case these flavours provide a great balance.

Overall, what a treat these chocolates are. Very much a box of loveliness that I can highly recommend for the tea lover in your life. Or why not treat yourself to a little box? At £14.95 for the seasonal selection of sixteen chocolates they are not an everyday indulgence but for a special occasion they are definitely a hit. I hope, and presume, the other collections will be just as delicious but I'll have to wait for a special someone in my life to treat me when the time comes. (Friends? Family? Are you reading this..?) Until then I'll content myself with a cuppa and a square or two of chocolate. But it definitely won't be the same.