Laatst bijgewerkt op: 11/11/2026
24 days, 24 surprising combinations of chocolate and tea. For Carambole Chocolates’ new Advent calendar, founder Rita Zamoshchina spent a year searching for unique teas, artisanal chocolates, and flavor combinations. The result is a unique Advent calendar that goes beyond just tasting: with its own paper Christmas play, December also becomes a month full of stories, games, and discoveries.
After a year’s absence, the Carambole Chocolates Advent calendar is back. And this time, it features a completely new concept. Whereas the calendar previously focused mainly on special chocolates, the combination of tea and chocolate now takes center stage. Every day, you’ll discover a new pairing, featuring carefully selected loose-leaf tea, bean-to-bar chocolate from independent artisans, and Carambole’s own bonbons and chocolate creations.
The new edition offers a combination of familiar Carambole elements and surprising innovations:
Everything is produced on a small scale and by hand, with a focus on craftsmanship, creativity, and unique flavors.
For this calendar, Carambole, based in Amersfoort, collaborated with the Amsterdam tea house Moy Chay and nine other exceptional bean-to-bar chocolate makers from around the world:
The idea came about during a series of tea and chocolate tastings that Carambole founder Rita organized last year together with Sergey Shevelev of the Amsterdam-based tea specialist Moy Chay. The surprising flavor combinations and enthusiastic reactions gave her an idea: why not recreate that experience at home?
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This was followed by a year of sampling, testing, and gathering. Rita selected unique teas from different parts of the world, including oolong, pu’er, green tea, red tea, and herbal infusions. She then set out to find chocolate that not only pairs well with them but also adds something new.
Because at Carambole, a good pairing is about more than just two flavors that complement each other. It’s about discovering a third flavor that emerges when tea and chocolate come together. Sometimes the flavors of tea and chocolate enhance each other; other times, it’s the contrasts that create a surprising experience. Temperature, texture, aroma, and intensity all play a role in this.
The Advent calendar showcases this versatility in various ways. Behind some windows, you’ll find a combination of loose-leaf tea and chocolate that you can taste side by side. In other creations, the tea is actually incorporated into the chocolate, such as in a ganache or bonbon.
Over the course of 24 days, you’ll discover just how versatile the combination of tea and chocolate can be—from subtle flavor nuances to striking contrasts. There are no strict tasting rules. You can follow Rita’s suggestions, but you can also experiment on your own with the order in which you taste them and the way you combine the flavors.
Carambole wouldn’t be Carambole without a playful and artistic element. That’s why this year’s Advent calendar also includes a special bonus: a paper Christmas play.
The idea ties in with Rita’s background in theater. Before turning her attention to chocolate, she worked in the theater world for many years, where she was particularly fascinated by puppet and shadow theater. Together with designer Diana Tamarova and illustrator Nastya Ikusova, she translated that love into a miniature theater world that you can build yourself. Every day, along with a new tea and chocolate pairing, a character from the Christmas story is revealed.
“I wanted to create more than just an Advent calendar: a world you can build yourself, play with, and keep,” says Rita. Every day, you discover a new character and another piece of the Christmas story. Step by step, you build the set, give the characters a place on stage, and watch the Christmas theater slowly come to life. Follow the story in the included booklet, or come up with your own scenes. Over the course of Advent, the theater grows into a complete Christmas story that you can keep even after the holidays.
With this Advent calendar, Carambole invites you to take a moment each day in December for a special tasting experience. Discover a new tea, sample a surprising chocolate combination, and let your own Christmas story come to life along the way.
A unique December gift for lovers of specialty tea, craft chocolate, and anything that’s just a little different.
Contents: 24 tea and chocolate pairings, featuring loose-leaf tea, craft chocolate, and Carambole bonbons
Extras: paper Christmas play set, characters, and a booklet with instructions and a Christmas story
Production: handmade, small-batch
For: lovers of unique teas, bean-to-bar chocolate, and original Advent calendars
Price and availability: €167 for a single-person calendar, €217 for a two-person calendar. Only 150 available!
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