What Does Green Tea Chocolate Really Taste Like?
Unheard chocolate flavors can be a journey into the unknown. It can be an exciting, floral adventure, as it was with lavender and chocolate, or it can be a fairly unusual road trip: Anyone remember when Heinz released Tomato Ketchup Truffles for Valentine's Day? Not every chocolate taste is built to shock, as demonstrated with green tea chocolate; some flavors are crafted to melt gracefully in all the right places.
One bite and the flavors of green tea chocolate wonderfully unravel to present a rich taste that touches on herbal, grassy matcha against a sweeter, creamy backdrop. While a range of green tea chocolates is available, the notable similarity between all of them is the balance between bitter tea and sweet chocolate. Yet another contributing factor to taste is texture. Some variations will resemble the classic thin chocolate block while other green tea chocolate is traditionally presented in a thick cube that's velvety and smooth.
To truly explain how these two robust ingredients unite to form such an incredible taste, it's best to delve deeper into their flavor profiles and forms.
Exploring the flavors
Green tea chocolate is believed to have originated from the Yame region of Fukuoka in southeast Japan. It was first created as a marketing tool to promote the sale of matcha tea. It has since flourished into a popular sweet treat that no longer stands as a promoter of tea but a celebration of two extremely powerful flavors. Although green tea and matcha are used interchangeably throughout this article, there are some notable differences between the two. In a nutshell, matcha is a type of green tea specially bred to have a bright color, and it is then ground into a fine powder — not to be steeped but whisked into tea.
Green tea chocolate slabs are usually made with a simple combination of matcha and white chocolate. This creates a flavor that's aromatic yet enticingly sweet. Green tea is usually paired with white or light chocolate, as this allows the delicate flavor of the tea leaves to unravel, unlike dark chocolate, which is far too overpowering.
The other popular variation of green tea chocolate is matcha Nama chocolate. It's presented in large cubes with a silky, mousse-like consistency, a slightly chewy bite, and an incredibly creamy taste. This variation usually mixes cream, white chocolate, and matcha powder to create decadent and luxurious chocolate.
Other variations and where to find them
The chocolate bar Kit Kat is popular in Japan, with hundreds of flavors available, yet matcha is particularly renowned. As you can imagine, its wafer layers meld gloriously with the taste of matcha and white chocolate to produce a chocolate bar that's smooth and crunchy. Even a dark matcha version is available, ideal for those who prefer their chocolate a little less sweet. These are available online or in-store at some selected Walmarts; one of note is their supercenter in Sacramento.
Another famous green tea chocolate brand that hails from Japan is Royce Chocolate. They make a variety of green tea chocolate forms, including bars, nama cubes, almonds coated in matcha chocolate, and chunky chocolate wafers. Royce is famous for green tea chocolate that's exceptionally creamy, aromatic, and sweet. They are also available throughout the United States; find them in Texas, New York, New Jersey, Georgia, Massachusetts, Texas, Washington, Illinois, Nevada, and California.
If you're a matcha lover, it's time to get on the green tea chocolate train. If you're unsure whether you're convinced, the only way to know is to try!