12 Jul 2026 6 min read Tea

Tea & Chocolate

Pairing foods and beverages together can be a natural process–one that we may find ourselves doing instinctively at times. We take this a step further when we become intentional about it. In this article we will be reflecting on the menu curated by my co-host and I at our first tea and chocolate pairing event. This experience consisted of four pairings and an additional welcome tea. Our chocolates featured some delicious bean to bar products from makers such as Moka Origins, Embers and KESSHŌ. Our welcome tea was a wonderful wild white tea, from Health and Tea. Lastly, every tea used in our pairings was from local San Diego tea shop, PARU.

This pairing was designed to be progressive and engaging. It was our hope that the guests could find distinction in each pairing while still being able to appreciate unique qualities of the individual teas and chocolates. Below are the teas and bars that we used–followed by the titles and accompanying descriptions we printed on our menu for all in attendance to reference during the event.

Welcome Tea:
Highland Wild White by Health & Tea

1st Pairing:
Jasmine Wild tea by PARU
Hojicha White bar by KESSHŌ

2nd Pairing:
Winter Candy Oolong tea by PARU
Strawberry and Roses White bar by Embers

3rd Pairing:
Ingat tisane by PARU
Lemon Ginger dark bar by Moka Origins

4th Pairing:
Blue Chamomile tisane by PARU
Dream Bar milk bar by Embers

Wild Jasmine & Hojicha Chocolate

Soft, floral jasmine notes of the tea are met by a sweet roasted hojicha flavor of the white chocolate bar.

This initial pairing engages the senses and welcomes us to reconsider where the tea stops and chocolate begins.

Winter Oolong & Strawberry Roses

This oolong is reminiscent of milk tea and has dried strawberry aromatics while the chocolate satisfies the palate's expectation of sweet cream. The dried strawberry dovetails with the tea’s aromatics.

Ingat, Ginger & Citrus

Warm ginger and zesty citrus meet rich dark chocolate for a bright, comforting pairing. The ginger bridges the gap here and the lemon in the bar lends well to the citrus zip of the calamansi.

Wonderful palate cleanser and contrast to the previous pairing.

Blue Chamomile & Tea Dreams

An enchanting, floral finish. Calming chamomile and rose in this stunning blue blend finds a home next to this Dream bar infused with similar botanicals elegantly embedded in the chocolate.

Colors & Seasons

I have been pretty interested in the ways our sensory brains organize and associate certain smells, and tastes, with color. Sometimes it feels like a gut response and others say it can feel more mechanical. What color is the flavor of lemongrass? Did you say yellow? Green? How well can you recall what lemongrass smells and tastes like? For me, it was established before I'd ever even tasted it! Lemons are yellow and grass is green... fundamental associations that have been reinforced my whole life. Just by exposure to its name, lemongrass primed me to expect a mixed flavor similar to those fundamentals.

With something like a pairing experience, it feels like a wonderful expansion of this concept. Like a abstract experience akin to painting. It became clear that there were some color associations formed as we curated the different pairing courses. My co-host, Audrey De Guzman, took this a step further as she felt like each course represented distinct seasons–Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. I challenge you to consider what abstract associations you would find as you tasted our menu. There is no objectively correct answer to this, but the following are the associations that Audrey and I discovered.

Spring - Grey, White, Sky Blue & Brown

This initial pairing with the wild jasmine and the hojicha chocolate felt like it was a bit grey overall. Audrey said this felt like Spring, to which I agreed. The beginning of Spring felt like the perfect first course.

I imagined an overcast sky, the morning after rainfall, as the clouds are just beginning to part. The air is light, damp, and you can smell the the blossoms on nearby fruit trees. Perhaps a neighbor's chimney smoke wafts in the wind from the evening prior or could it be wet the wet firewood we smell as we emerge from our tents while camping. The sky itself is still waking and taking its time as it stretches and clouds begin to part.

Winter - Blue & Pink

We were heavily influenced by the name of the Winter Candy Oolong. This pairing felt rich, soft, inviting, cozy and indulgent.

In the winter when we come inside and eat treats. The color of the bar is pink with visible strawberry, rose and cacao chunks. The feeling reminds me of sleeping in on winter break. The varied textures of the bar inclusions make each bite a bit like digging through my Christmas stocking for a specific treat.

Summer - Orange, Green & Yellow

The Ingat and ginger dark bar were a vibrant experience. Audrey and I both have a lot more to say about this pairing but as far as general associations go, this course was clearly summer.

I recall hot days and soccer tournaments. The fresh cut grass and the citrus from orange slices at halftime. Cool wind and ice cold water before going out and running as fast as I could go. All the while, the hot sun beamed down.

Audrey taught me that "Ingat" means "Take Care" in Tagalog. She and I both felt that care upon our first sip of this invigorating tisane. "It's warping and soft, like a warm hug you needed after a long day" explained Audrey. The lemongrass, ginger, and calamansi in the Ingat compliment the rich chocolate in the bar. The dried-candied ginger finds a new life as you allow the tisane to melt it over your tongue.

This pairing was my favorite.

Fall - Blue & Magenta

This one was tricky. The Blue Chamomile wasn't inherently evocative of Fall, in fact I felt like it could easily be Spring. Audrey agreed it feels like Spring in full bloom. Let's compromise. This blend is one of Paru's flagship tisanes and that signature blue color they accomplish is by incorporating butterfly pea flower.

It's enchanting.

I discovered something about this while sharing a pot with a friend prior to our event. Rather, I should say that a friend of mine educated me. Did you know that the color from the butterfly pea flower reacts to pH levels?? Well, I had some calamansi on hand that we were using for photos and we decided to experiment by squeezing this sour fruit into the tea. The beautiful tisane transformed from a deep blue into a magenta right before our eyes. The changing seasons... when the leaves turn from green into bright red and orange–this was our Fall pairing.

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