Pairing chocolate with tea could have surprising health benefits, experts say

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Both tea and chocolate have a rich, unique history spanning thousands of years. 

Tea made its debut in 2737 B.C., when legend has it Chinese emperor Shen Nung was sipping boiled water beneath a tree when some leaves accidentally blew into it, according to multiple sources.

Tea sommelier Piotr Miga, based in greater Boston, told Fox News Digital that recent evidence suggests the people of Ecuador were using cocoa 5,300 years ago – but noted it did not reach Europe until the early 16th century, when Spanish explorers brought it over. 

Soon, word spread about the health properties of these two delicacies. "By the 17th century, both tea and chocolate were considered high-scale, fashionable and medicinal in nature," Miga said.

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Tea and chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, he said, are high in antioxidant polyphenols, which target free radicals and can reduce the risk of cancer and have other health benefits. 

Healthline reports the antioxidants and flavanols in cocoa and dark chocolate can reduce inflammation and help keep the endothelial cells that line the arteries healthy. Popular teas like green tea, ginger and rosehip can also fight inflammation and prevent oxidative damage, the journal also notes.

Tea and chocolate are high in antioxidant polyphenols.

Tea and chocolate are customarily served at the end of a meal with dessert, especially on special occasions. Miga said tea is more appreciated in British and Eastern nations, while in France and Italy, people are more inclined to drink wine. 

Miga believes dark chocolate complements black, pu'er or herbal teas with flavors of berries, rose or citrus. He said milk chocolate or a chocolate dessert would "pair nicely with black tea picked in the early spring — what we call first flush tea or oolong tea."

Amy Sherman, a San Francisco-based tea enthusiast and editor-in-chief of The Chocolate Professor, told Fox News Digital the same rules apply to pairing chocolate with tea as chocolate with wine. 

"You can either contrast or you can complement," she said. "There are a lot of different styles of chocolate and tea, so it lends itself to a lot of experimentation."

The same rules apply to pairing chocolate with tea as chocolate with wine, a tea enthusiast told Fox News Digital. (iStock)

Sherman concurred with Miga's suggestion of pairing dark chocolate with black tea. She also said she loves Earl Grey tea, a black tea with a citrusy bergamot flavor, paired with chocolate – because "citrus and chocolate [are] a beautiful combination."

When it comes to choosing the right tea to sip with a chocolate mint, Sherman commented, "It depends." 

"If you're trying to enhance the mint flavor, then I would have a mint tea," she said. "If you want something to cut the mint flavor, then I would go with a black tea (like) English Breakfast or Orange pekoe."

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Since chocolate caramel is extremely sweet, Sherman thought it would be paired best with "something that has a stronger character to it," like Lapsang Souchong, a smoky black tea.

To cut the strong sweetness of milk chocolate, Sherman suggested pairing it with green tea, which has an earthy, milder taste.

Tea and chocolate are customarily served at the end of a meal with dessert. (iStock)

She surmised that red tea (rooibos), which has a honey flavor, would go well with bittersweet chocolate, chocolate covered nuts or toffee, or even strawberries or cherries that have been dipped in chocolate. 

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"With some of the fruity chocolates, I would go with either a rooibos or hibiscus that has its own flavor that's really strong, or I would go with a black tea, which would be a contrast," Sherman said.

Chocolate with sea salt or chocolate covered popcorn would go best with matcha tea, which is made from green tea leaves and has a frothy bitterness, she explained.

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Sherman said the sweetness of white chocolate confections, like bonbons or truffles, complements the delicate floral essence of herbal tea, or the mild flavor of chamomile. Since white chocolate is made from cocoa butter rather than cocoa solids, it also has a milder flavor.

Another popular trend, she said, is tea-flavored chocolate bars.

Tea-flavored chocolate bars are a popular trend. (iStock)

William Mullan, brand director of Raaka Chocolate in Brooklyn, New York, told Fox News Digital his company has been manufacturing chocolate tea bars in-house since 2014, with the debut of their Earl Grey unroasted dark chocolate bar. 

Just as some teas can bring out the sweetness of darker chocolate bars, the health properties of each can also work together as mood enhancers, Mullen said.

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"Theobromine and caffeine are both stimulants, and they can help with focus and mood," he said. 

"If you want to get something done and be peppy and focused, a little chocolate and a little tea, chemically, can be a very advantageous thing in the right dose."