Chocolate Tea

Our Chocolate Tea is exactly that, a Tea blended perfectly with chocolate. It contains Black Tea (approx 80%), broken cocoa pieces, all-natural flavouring and white chocolate chips. “Indulgence” is the defining word when first trying this Tea. Ultimately, our Chocolate flavoured tea never ceases being scrumptious. Consider it a little treat to yourself despite being healthier than one might at first believe!

When consumed as part of a healthy and active lifestyle, all Black Teas (flavoured and unflavoured), are able to enhance cognitive function and boost the metabolism, helping the body to burn fat quicker and more efficiently.

Studies have also suggested that Black Tea can reduce the risks of developing type-2 diabetes and even, although research is preliminary, certain types of cancer. Who knows what the future might hold for these heavenly Teas? Whatever it might be, you are choosing well with Chocolate Tea.

The Tea leaves used in this Tea come from China, the birthplace of this astonishing brew. In 2737 BCE, or according to legend at least, a Chinese Emperor named Shennong fell asleep underneath a tree, a glass of boiling water by his side. When the Emperor awoke, he found that leaves from the tree above had fallen into his drink. Shennong, an avid herbalist, decided to try the infusion - it tasted amazing! Unknowingly at the time, he had just discovered Tea!

But Black Tea did not arrive for hundreds and hundreds of years after this tale. Most (but not all) historians believe that the first Black Tea was Lapsang Souchong, nicknamed the “smoked Tea”. This was during the Qing Dynasty, a time of great upheaval in China when bandits roamed freely across the country, pillaging and plundering as they saw fit.

One day, a group of bandits happened upon a peaceful village, one home to a number of Tea farmers. The bandits demanded that the villagers gather the Tea and hand it over in the coming days, upon their return. But the villagers did not give in that easily. In a desperate bid to get the Tea to market before the bandits returned, the villagers roasted the leaves over pinewood fires to speed up the process of oxidation.

The result, however, was a smoky Tea. At first, it appeared that the farmers had ruined their crop, but when they arrived at the market, a group of Dutch traders expressed great interest in the Tea. It would mark the beginning of Black Tea, or so the story goes!

All we know is that over the course of the last few hundred years, the consumption of Black Tea has overtaken the likes of Green Tea, White Tea and Oolong Tea. Now, Black Tea accounts for 78% of worldwide Tea consumption while Green Tea accounts for 20% and other Teas are at 2%.

The popularity of Black Tea is due to, at least partly, its ability to accommodate a variety of flavours. Our Chocolate Tea is one of the hundreds if not thousands of types of flavoured Black Tea currently available worldwide. Personally, we believe this one is one of the best!

Type of Tea: Loose Leaf Black Tea.

Ingredients: Black Tea (80%), broken cocoa pieces, natural flavouring, and white chocolate chips (sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder (lactose) dextrose emulsifying agent: soy lecithin).

Contains Allergens: Soya lecithin, milk powder.

Origin: China.

Brewing Instructions: Brew using freshly boiled water and infuse for 3 to 5 minutes.

How to Serve: Consider milk with this Tea. alternatively, serve black.

Tasting Notes: The maltiness of the Tea leaves adds to the taste of chocolate, offering a well-balanced flavour, one that is rich and sweet but not overpowering.

Colour in Cup: Coppery liquor, dark in tone.

Health Benefits: If the taste of Chocolate Tea alone doesn’t put a smile on your face, then its ability to improve oral health certainly will. In fact, a collaborative study conducted in conjunction with the US University of Iowa and the Institute of Odontology at Göteborg University, Sweden, has discovered the plaque-fighting capabilities of any Black Tea! Participants in the U.S. division of the study were given Black Tea to rinse their mouth with for 30 seconds, five times, waiting three minutes between each rinse.

The reasoning for this was to simulate the effect of sipping tea. The Swedish division, meanwhile, saw volunteers rinse their mouth with Black Tea for one minute, 10 times a day. Both co-operating studies discovered that the more participants rinsed, the more their plaque and bacteria levels fell. The research indicated that the Polyphenolic compounds in all types of Black Tea - including, of course, Chocolate Tea - can kill or suppress cavity-causing bacteria from either growing or producing harmful acid.