Earl Grey Creme Infused Hot Chocolate/Four O’Clock. . . .

Four O’Clock is an interesting company. I never heard of them until a friend from work bought me a tea gift a couple years back that came with a glass tea tumbler and four Four O’Clock teas. The teas were all sort of plain teas that did not excite me in the slightest: Cherry Green Tea, Orange Rooibos Black Tea, a herbal with a bunch of chamomile, and this tea, Earl Grey Creme. I sort of ignored the teas in my stash and it wasn’t until I started law school in September that I started even thinking about them again. All of a sudden, I was surrounded by Four O’ Clock teas since that is the brand sold in the law building.

Even still, I just couldn’t get excited about the blends. That is where Pinterest comes in. I came across this recipe. The recipe is for an Earl Grey Hot Chocolate and suddenly I had a very good reason to reach for this blend.

The recipe is super simple…you just heat 1 cup of milk and 1/2 a cup of heavy cream on a medium-low heat. Turn off the heat and steep 1 tablespoon of Earl Grey in the milk mixture for 10 minutes. Then turn the heat back on low and melt 5 ounces of finely chopped dark (or in my case, semi-sweet) chocolate into the Earl Grey-infused milk. There is a recipe for a cream topping as well but I got lazy and topped it with canned whipped cream.

This hot chocolate can basically be described in one word: “DECADENT!” It is really rich and so good. Not overly sweet but so smooth and creamy. The dark chocolate gives this so much depth that pairs perfectly with the earl grey. It matches the intensity of the earl grey and rounds out the flavor so the bergamot is more bright and less sharp. Honestly, decadent. This is a dessert in a mug, but an elevated dessert. This isn’t your typical childhood favorite. This is hot chocolate for adults. Sophisticated and elegant. Delicious!


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Where to Buy:  Four O’Clock