For us it has been a year of new beginnings, and, as the winter ebbs and spring beckons, we have something new to share with you.

In celebration of Lunar New Year, the Year of the Ox, which begins on the 12th of February, we collaborated with Noisette by Olivia to bring you this special chocolate bar. It is an homage to Olivia’s Hakka Taiwanese upbringing. The Hakka are a diasporic group of people scattered throughout the world with a distinct tradition of “Lei Cha” (Thunder Tea).

This ‘pounded tea’ drink is commonly served as a herbal remedy to promote good health and is a welcome gesture for guests. It is traditionally made from tea leaves ground together with various roasted nuts, seeds, grains, and herbs.

For this limited release, Olivia baked us a thin Hakka Lei Cha biscuit which we combined with a 55% dark milk chocolate made from our Philippine cacao beans, resulting in a creamy chocolate bar with a crunchy center and notes of toasted nuts, herbs, and tea leaves.

The cover art for this bar was hand-painted and calligraphed by local artist and Kasama team member, Ann Liao. The brush-painted Chinese calligraphy greeting translates to, “All will be well”. To all our old and new friends, may your year be filled with good health and blessings throughout!