This can be a fun event for you, a small group of friends or even as a larger charity event. The décor can be as formal or informal as you wish. You will want to avoid heavily scented flowers, room fresheners, candles and foods, as they may detract from the scents of the teas and chocolates.
Before the event you will want to consider making a “scorecard” for each participant listing the teas and chocolates to be sampled along with room for notes. Remember, people have different tastes. No one is right or wrong. You may want to have some categories for them to consider such as smell, feel, visual appeal, grade (how well you like it) and what you might consider serving with the offering.
As with tasting wine and chocolates, begin with the lightest and work toward the dark and heaviest. In other words, from a white tea to a heavy black, from white chocolate to the darkest chocolate with the highest cacao content. Take time to smell and savor each item. Let them fully fill your mouth. Contemplate the flavors.
You will want to clean the palate between each sample. Consider having some plain crackers available. (We use unsalted oyster crackers.) Taste the tea, and then the chocolate and then the tea again. Note how the taste of the tea has changed. Note the general characteristics, the aromas, the flavors, the mouth feel.
Look for items that complement each other such as Assam, Masala Chai or Earl Grey and milk chocolate. If the tea goes well with milk, (think lattes as well as the traditional tea with milk), it will probably pair with milk chocolate.
Matcha will also go well with milk chocolate or white chocolate.
For dark chocolate try Assam, Earl Grey, Oolong or Pu-erh.
Try to avoid overload. If the tea is flavored, then consider a plain chocolate. Likewise, if the chocolate is flavored, consider a plain tea. A high grade tea also calls for a higher quality chocolate.
If you aren’t sure of what to pair, you might want to do a test run yourself before presenting it to the public. There are also new trends in chocolates, such as chocolates with spices and floral notes. Experiment. It can be quite a little treat for you and your friends.
