Krakakoa & Lewis and Carroll Tea and Chocolate pairing

Chocolate makes for excellent bedfellows with several drinks: it’s not uncommon to attend pairing sessions where different types of chocolate are paired with select wines or coffees to elevate or augment the particular notes in a couverture chocolate bar. But on January 26, 2018, we took it to another level when we collaborated with artisanal tea crafters, Lewis & Carroll, for an afternoon of chocolate and tea.

Established in 2015 and known for their premium blends of exquisite teas, Lewis & Carroll has inspired legions of new devotees to the art of tea drinking. Their meticulous curation of tea varieties and blends made them the perfect accompaniment to Krakaoa’s stable of flavored and couverture chocolate bars.

On the verdant rooftop garden of their South Jakarta home, participants learned about identifying notes in teas through a crash course by resident tea master, Bambang Laresolo. Eight different chocolate bars — from Creamy Coffee to 100% Dark — were each paired with seven different blends of teas to highlight the distinct notes and flavors that made up each chocolate bar.  

In the interactive session, guests were asked on their flavor preferences: what notes did they taste in the chocolate before and after taking a sip of tea? Do they like the chocolate on its own or paired with a tea? Would they prefer if a particular chocolate bar was paired with a different tea?

Overall, it was an experience that titillated and heightened the flavor receptors of everyone present. Participants learned a little more about tea and chocolate flavors, and everyone went home with a bag of chocolate and tea to reenact the pairing at home. If this sounds like an activity you want to be part of in the future, stay in touch to keep up to date with Krakakoa events to come.