Tea-Infused Chocolate

From Bonbons to Ganache to Truffles, chocolate can't get by without tea enthusiasts figuring out a way to combine the two. Recently there was a competition for the best tea-infused chocolate held in New York City. The judges selected nine chocolates as finalists at the competition in NYC on May 18, 2006.

The Best of Show award went to Kristy Choo of California for her combination of dark chocolate with Sri Lankan black tea, scented with citrus fruits, roses, vanilla, cinnamon, and almond. There were two winners of the Best Flavor Award, for the best balance of chocolate and tea flavors: Burdick Chocolate for their Rose Hip Tea Bonbon (a dark chocolate ganache garnished with white chocolate strips and a candied rose petal) and Christopher Elbow Chocolates for their Earl Grey Ganache (a well balanced treat with a bold citrus note).

Looks like the trend is heading towards making chocolate good for you? Perhaps, as we see an insurgence of choclate enthusiats and an increase in interest around the health benefits of dark chocolate. Or perhaps the trend is more towards combining tea and tea flavors with other everyday treats. Tea leaves and cocoa are both grown naturally and taken in thier raw forms are beneficial to your health, so why not combine the two?