When pairing chocolate with your favorite drink, it’s fun to mix and match flavors that complement or contrast with your beverage. Try these combinations for a delightful mixture of flavor that will satisfy your sweetest chocolate desire.

Coffee

When choosing a coffee to drink with chocolate, consider its country of origin, acidity and bitterness. A coffee that contains high acidity or is bitter will mix best with a smooth white or milk chocolate, while a sweeter coffee blends with the tangy bite of darker chocolate. Brazilian roast coffee tastes delightful with a rich, dark chocolate or a chocolate with nuts. Columbian roast coffee blends better with milk chocolate or a milk chocolate and caramel combination. Chocolates that complement Guatemalan roast or Java roast coffee are dark or intense dark chocolates with nuts or caramel. White chocolate is also a good companion to almost all coffees because its gentle flavor contrasts the bitter flavor.

Tea

Tea and chocolate are rarely thought of together but enhance each other’s flavor when paired properly. Teas low in tannins, like white teas and flower teas, mix best with chocolate; however, green, black and herbal teas can also be enhanced with chocolate. The soft flavor of white tea blends well with a sharper chocolate like dark or intense dark chocolate. Green, black and Jasmine tea are also good choices with dark chocolate while Lapson Souchong tea tastes great with a bit of intense dark chocolate. In contrast, try a cup of herbal tea or Oolong tea with a bit of white or milk chocolate. Sample different combinations of chocolate with your favorite variety of hot or cold tea.

Water

Water and chocolate as a tasty combination? For some people, mixing the right combination of water and chocolate is as satisfying as wine with chocolate. Sparkling or effervescent water brings out the rich flavor of dark chocolate without leaving a tinny aftertaste that wine can sometimes do. The light bubbles in the water add to the flavor of the chocolate without disturbing its unique taste. A dark chocolate and fruit combination or dark chocolate with hazelnuts or almonds are also excellent choices with bubbly water.

Hot chocolate

Blending a cup of hot chocolate with a piece of chocolate is a pairing made in heaven. Since hot chocolate generally has a milk base and soft flavor, pair it with intense dark chocolate or dark chocolate with caramel. These two contrasting chocolate flavors will complement each other and delightfully satisfy your deepest chocolate cravings.

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