Cocoa-Infusions from Pierre Marcolini
There’s something about a no-calorie chocolate that I think will catch everyone’s attention. A chocolate drink which contains little to no calories and yet still has that delightful smell and taste of chocolate. That holy grail of dieters can be found on the shop shelves at Pierre Marcolini – “Infusion de Cacao”
I’ve been using cocoa shells on my garden for years and not just because every time I watered the ground it reminded me of chocolate 🙂 The cocoa shells actually elp keep the slugs down and help add back nutrients into the soil (so the bag said). I never thought of making a tea from it before and so the influx of teas and shots has been welcome. Treating chocolate as something more than just a bar or bonbon is essential in understanding just how versatile this crop is and how much we should value it for more than just a snack… or coating vitamins in *eurgh*
Far from being some sort of fad food, this delight is a giant teabag of cacao shells cracked and packed in to infuse their cocoa deliciousness into the boiling water. The trick is to make this tea as you would proper tea – in a teapot with the right amount of water, allow it to steep and remove the bag to prevent bitterness. I’ve cheated and used a large mug 😉
The box I was gifted with had jasmine added to the cacao shells and it added a very nice light top note to the tea. The flavour was subtle but present and it gave my tea a little bit more complexity to the flavour. The tea does not taste like a chocolate bar but it does have a distinct chocolaty flavour. I did not add sugar to mine – an essential ingredient in anything but 100% chocolate – and so it is possible to bring it closer to a bar with sugar but why add it? This rich tea tastes wonderful on its own, with or without jasmine. It is hand-made from some of the best beans in the world, roasted on-site at Pierre Marcolini’s factory, and hand-packed into each special tea bag.
Whether you are trying to cut down on the amount of chocolate you eat or just want to try something different, this tea is absolutely delightful and best for me – caffeine free.
