Tea at Three: Genmaicha & Matcha Passion Fruit Blanc Manger

TEA: Genmaicha [Harney & Sons]
SWEETS: Matcha Passion Fruit Blanc Manger [Dominique Ansel Bakery]

Green tea pudding paired with green tea. The verrine has layers of matcha pudding and tart passion fruit topped with a green tea butter cookie. The Genmaicha from Harney & Sons brings out the matcha flavors even more. Both, very good.

Pastries in the glass case, including this verrine, at Dominque Ansel's change every 6-8 weeks, so get them while you can.

Tea at Three: Sencha & Prafeuille Chocolate

TEA: Sencha Scent of the Mountains [Harney & Sons]
SWEETS: Prafeuille Chocolate [Royce]

A friend of mine recently gifted me a box of Prafeuille Chocolate from Royce, a shop which just opened in Midtown East in December. Each matcha-infused chocolate piece is individually wrapped and once you take a bite, you'll discover a little surprise—sweetened liquid matcha hiding inside. 

To enhance the matcha flavor, I paired it with some green tea. I went with Sencha Scent of the Mountains from Harney & Sons.

Tea at Three: Winey Keemun & Bacon Cheddar Scone

TEA: Winey Keemun English Breakfast [Grace Rare Tea]
SCONE: Bacon Cheddar Chive [Bouchon Bakery]

At a recent stop at McNulty's in the West Village, I picked up a small tin of Grace Rare Tea. I totally bought into the packaging; it looked so pretty. I paired this English Breakfast blend with a savory scone from Bouchon Bakery. With each flavorful bite of bacon, cheddar and chives, the scone was a perfect match to the full-bodied black tea. 

Tea at Three: Roasted Maté & Chocolate Noisette

TEA: Euphoria [Kusmi Tea]
SWEETS: Chocolate Noisette [Bisous Ciao]

When DessertBuzz tweeted about this Chocolate Noisette ($6) at Bisous Ciao, I knew I had to have it...NOW. I ran over to the Bleeker Street location and grabbed the last one. (They make about five per day.) 

Here's the breakdown from top to bottom: vanilla mousse, hazelnut toffee, sacher biscuit, and hazelnut panna cotta. The spoon that comes with it topped with a chocolate meringue. Each bite is something new as you work your way down. I paired the Noisette with the Euphoria Kusmi Tea which was sent to me recently. It went well since, aside from the roasted maté, the blend includes chocolate and orange. I'm a little unsure if I like the orange flavor in the tea since I don't usually like citrus flavors, but overall, it was good with the Noisette.

Every month Bisous Ciao has a featured flavor cake, and the Chocolate Noisette is the one offered for January. 

Tea at Three: Rooibos & Royal Chocolate Mousse

TEA: Kusmi Tea Organic Green Rooibos
SWEETS: Mille-feuille Royal Chocolate Mousse 

There's only one tea I enjoy with chocolate – rooibos. I just don't think most teas go well with chocolate; It's like drinking Sprite and chocolate. Gross. Meanwhile rooibos and chocolate complement each other really well. I'm going to guess that Masala Chai will probably work well also.

I picked up the Royal Chocolate Mousse ($5) from Mille-feuille and enjoyed that with a cup of Kusmi Tea's Organic Green Rooibos (20 muslin tea bags for $13.49). Rooibos is not actually a tea, but a South African plant. It doesn't have any caffeine, which I like since it can be enjoyed late in the day and won't keep me up. The Royal Chocolate Mousse has a thin bottom layer of almond cake, followed by a layer of feuilletine (crispy, thin, and tiny flakes). Very good.