likebyregina A Toi Gourmet Gifts was launched about a year ago, and it specializes in giftable candies and french pastries with the finest ingredients. The owners believe that gifting should be fun and memorable to both gifter and receiver. Recently, they collaborate with O5 Rare Tea Bar, a quaint tea-tasting bar in Kitsilano, to create a Rare Tea Dessert Set. It infuses different kinds of tea in handmade French pastries.
The Rare Tea Dessert Set features five bite size desserts. Each feature a kind of tea, and it is $20 per set (tea is not included). It is now available in O5 Rare Tea Bar.
I got a chance to be one of the first guests to try them. The first one on the plate is 64% Guayaquil Double Chocolate Cake, featuring Assam tea. Tea flavor is subtle, but the cake is dense and moist!
The Mini Financiers uses Kirishima Matcha in them. They are on a sweeter side but they are perfect to pair with the sugar-free (bitter) matcha.
Houjicha is used to infused in the ganache in the Dacquoise Sandwich. I really like the soft texture of the outer shell. However, I wish the ganache has a stronger, more pungent tea flavor.
The Petal Infused Financier with Raspberry Gel features the petals from Thai Hibiscus tea. I personally don’t like to drink hibiscus tea on its own, but it tastes much better to be in desserts. I also would love to have more raspberry gel, but my friend said it is the perfect amount for her!
Last but not least, it is a simple French Sablé paired with Wuyi Oolong. Simple pastries are the best to showcase a flavor, and these cookies did a great job. One thing I would change would be having slightly bigger chunks of oolong tea leaves, so the tea flavor will be much stronger when biting into the cookie.
Overall Impression
In this tasting, we got to pair the desserts with each of their corresponding tea. But the dessert tea set doesn’t come with the tea. Overall, the treats are sweet and dense, so I would recommend to go with a green tea or black tea, such as Assam or Wuyi Oolong. A light-flavored tea can clear the palette before moving on the next one. It will also not affect the flavor of the pastries. I am sure this will also make the experience more enjoyable. A Toi Gourmet Gifts usually only does online orders or catering, so it is nice to see them collaborating with local stores. If you are interested in trying their pastries, it is now available at O5 Rare Tea Bar. It is totally worth it to visit and enjoy a quiet afternoon here!
Taste : 4/5 • Service: N/A • Ambiance: 4.5/5 • Quality-Price: 4/5
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| Disclosure: Media Tasting |
