Whittaker’s teamed up with local producers around New Zealand to create an Artisan Collection of chocolate bars unique to the country. Unlike most regional products in Japan, which are available only in their region of origin, these were available throughout New Zealand. A recent visit saw D’s parents returning with a selection of the collection courtesy of his cousins. This is Whittaker’s Artisan Collection Waikato Grown Aromatic Oolong Tea in Dark Chocolate.
The bar infuses Whittaker’s 50% dark chocolate with single source oolong tea grown by Zealong Teas in the Waikato, a region in the upper North Island of New Zealand.
Zealong roasts their oolong briefly at high temperatures so that it takes on hints of fruity flavours. This was evident in the chocolate with its fragrant fruity notes against the bittersweet chocolate. It smells much like your kiwifruit (also by Whittaker’s), blueberry or passionfruit (by Lindt) in dark chocolate.
This dominant fruity note is also the first flavour tasted and builds in intensity before becoming more floral as the chocolate melts to a bittersweet smoothness that lingered in the aftertaste. With 50% cocoa content, the dark chocolate is the perfect balance of sweetness and bitterness.
I love the fruity notes in oolong for its relief from the more vegetal green teas and malty black teas, but I’m certain I could not identify this as a tea-infused, rather than fruit-flavoured, dark chocolate without the packaging. That’s more a reflection of the nature of oolong, though, and explains why it complements chocolate well.
This bar of Whittaker’s Artisan Collection Waikato Grown Aromatic Oolong Tea in Dark Chocolate contained 100 g. It was produced in New Zealand and gifted by family visiting from Auckland, New Zealand in 2016.