Tea and Chocolate Virtual Tasting

Taste the finest tea and chocolate available in this city in the comfort of your own home with the guidance of an expert tea importer and a award winning Montreal chocolate maker. Shiho Kanamaru is from the south of Japan and runs Cha Do Raku, a teahouse which translates as “tea in decadence”. Let her guide you through a tasting of teas that she travels to buy directly from farms in Japan and Taiwan every year.

Leading the tasting experience with her is Daniel Haran, Montreal chocolate-maker extraordinaire. Daniel left the IT and AI sector to make chocolate and has since won a slew of international medals. His knowledge of chocolate and generosity with sharing and articulating what chocolate is, how it is made and its origins is without compare. We will even get a peak into his factory.

Elfi Maldonado, an extraordinary Montreal chocolate maker, will also lead the tasting experience with Shiho. Originally from Peru, Elfi has helped the world discover the origins of the most complex Peruvian cocoa: wild, ancestral and cultivars. She has won numerous international gold medals, including the award for the best chocolate in the world in 2018. Half of the events are with Daniel of Chocolats Monarque and half are with Elfi from Quantu.

You will taste teas and chocolates paired that will transport you and envelope you in a deeply sensual experience that will probably thwart your expectations.

Content of the Tasting

We will taste black, white, green, and oolong tea as well as matcha and a tisane. We will also taste 5 chocolates that are all made here in Montreal from the bean to the bar. The pairings have been carefully selected and we will take you on a trip, tasting tea and chocolate together- both twice as complex as wine.

Daniel will fill you in on the abc’s of chocolate, how it is made and where it comes from. Shiho will teach you about the tea families as well as about its origins and guide you through making the best cup of tea.

The tasting will last for about 2 hours. The price includes six very high quality teas and chocolates. There is a $10 delivery fee to your home for those on the island of Montreal and a $20 fee for those outside of Montreal, but within North America. Tasting kits can also be picked-up in Verdun or in the Plateau. You will receive your kit in the week before the event.

You will need:

A small teacup or a mug

Two bowls that hot water can be put in

Another bowl for used tea leaves

A kettle or a thermos with boiled water

A mason jar

Optional: a grater

If you have a gaiwan or a yuzamashi great, but not necessary!

We also have tea kits available for an additional cost that are comprised of a tea tray, a tea cup and a gaiwan courtesy of Camellia Sinensis for $40 + tx.