Swiss Hot Chocolate Tea in Summer: Yes, You Can Serve It Iced

A chocolate tea named for winter that drinks great in August

It is early August in Louisville, the kind of week where your steering wheel doubles as a griddle. So of course we want to talk about a tea called Swiss Hot Chocolate.

Stay with us. The name says hot. The flavor does not care what season it is. Our Swiss Hot Chocolate is a strong black tea packed with dark and white chocolate bits, vanilla, and a little sugar. It is excellent iced, and it might be the easiest dessert you make all summer. No oven. No stove past boiling a kettle. Just a glass of cold, chocolatey black tea that tastes like an after-dinner treat.

This is a plain flavor guide. We will tell you what it tastes like, how to brew it iced without it going bitter, how to turn it into a chocolate milk tea, and how it compares to our other chocolate blends. Here we go.

What Swiss Hot Chocolate tea actually tastes like

First thing to know: this is a black tea, not a herbal cocoa. The base is real black tea leaves, so it brews up dark brown and packs a lot of caffeine. You get tea and dessert at once, not a mug of melted candy.

The ingredient list is short: black tea, dark chocolate bits, white chocolate bits, vanilla, sugar, and chocolate flavor. In the cup, that comes through in three layers.

• The black tea is the backbone. Malty, a little brisk, the kind of body you would want under milk in a breakfast tea.
• The dark chocolate brings a deep, roasty, slightly bitter cocoa note that keeps things from getting cloying.
• The white chocolate and vanilla round it out with a creamy, sweet finish. This is the part that makes people say dessert.

Dry, straight out of the bag, the aroma is the showstopper. One of our customers put it perfectly.

That last point matters. There is a little sugar in the blend, but this is not a syrupy tea. Most of the sweetness is aroma and the impression left by the chocolate and vanilla. Drink it unsweetened and you still feel like you had a treat.

How to brew it iced (two easy ways)

Iced tea goes wrong two ways: it gets bitter, or it gets watery. We will help you dodge both. Two methods, and we like each for different reasons.

Method 1: Hot brew, then chill over ice (fast)

This is the move when you want a glass in the next ten minutes.

• Use 1 heaping teaspoon of leaf per 8 ounces of water. Since you are pouring over ice, double it: about 2 heaping teaspoons for a 12 ounce glass, because the melting ice will dilute it.
• Heat water to 208 degrees. This is black tea, so near boiling is right.
• Steep 3 to 4 minutes. Do not go past 4, or the black tea base turns tannic and bitter and fights the chocolate.
• Strain the leaf, then pour the hot concentrate straight over a full glass of ice.

The hot water pulls the chocolate and vanilla out fast, and the ice locks in a rich, chilled cup. If it clouds up a little as it cools, that is normal for black tea. It still tastes great.

Method 2: Cold brew (smoothest, least effort)

This is our favorite way to drink it in summer, and it is why we sell a Cold Brew Gallon Bag of Swiss Hot Chocolate for $11.99. Cold brewing pulls out the sweet, chocolatey notes and leaves most of the bitterness behind, so you get a mellow, dessert-forward glass.

• Drop the gallon bag (or about 1 cup of loose leaf for a gallon) into a pitcher of cold, filtered water.
• Put it in the fridge for 8 to 12 hours. Overnight is easiest.
• Pull the leaf out, pour over ice, done. No heat, no bitterness, no babysitting.

Cold brew keeps in the fridge for about three days. It rarely lasts that long around here.

Turn it into an iced chocolate milk tea

Here is where this tea earns its keep. The package says add a splash of milk, and that is not a suggestion. A little dairy turns this from a chocolate iced tea into something closer to an iced chocolate latte or a dessert boba drink.

One of our customers went all in.

Here is our iced chocolate milk tea build for a 16 ounce glass:

• Brew 3 heaping teaspoons of Swiss Hot Chocolate in 8 ounces of 208 degree water for 4 minutes. Strain.
• Fill a 16 ounce glass with ice.
• Pour the hot concentrate over the ice.
• Top with 3 to 4 ounces of milk. Whole milk is rich, oat milk is great, almond milk keeps it light.
• Optional: a teaspoon of brown sugar dissolved into the hot concentrate before it hits the ice.

Want froth? Cold froth your milk with a handheld frother and spoon it on top as a cold foam. Dust with a pinch of cocoa powder. That is a coffee-shop drink you made at home for a fraction of the price, with real tea caffeine to get you moving.

The affogato move for the truly committed

Chill a shot of the concentrate, pour it over a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a low glass, and eat it with a spoon. Dessert, drink, and a heat break in one. It is the summer version of a cozy winter mug, and honestly we might like it better.

How much caffeine, and when to drink it

Because the base is real black tea, Swiss Hot Chocolate is high in caffeine. It is not a bedtime tea. Treat it like a strong cup of breakfast black tea, roughly 40 to 70 milligrams per cup depending on how strong you brew and how long you steep.

That makes it a good afternoon lift. A cold glass at 2 p.m. beats a fourth coffee, and it doubles as your sweet fix so you skip the vending machine. Just do not slam a big glass at 9 p.m. and expect to sleep.

If you want a chocolatey flavor with almost no caffeine for the evening, we have you covered further down.

Swiss Hot Chocolate vs. our other chocolate teas

We sell a handful of teas that flirt with chocolate. They are all different, so here is a quick map to help you buy the right one.

• Swiss Hot Chocolate (black, high caffeine): the full dessert. Dark and white chocolate, vanilla, sugar. This is the one when you want cocoa flavor and caffeine.
• Chocolate Covered Strawberry (herbal, very low caffeine): tart and fruity with cocoa nibs, built on hibiscus, apple, and strawberry. Brews red, not brown. Great iced and nearly caffeine free.
• Black Cherry (black, high caffeine): cherry and pomegranate up front with roasted cocoa nibs in the background. Fruity first, chocolate second.
• Banana Muffin (rooibos, very low caffeine): cocoa nibs and banana on a rooibos base. Cozy, dessert-like, almost caffeine free.
• Mocha Mushroom (wellness, no caffeine): roasted chicory, cacao, and mushrooms. Your coffee-and-chocolate stand-in with zero caffeine, and our pick for a chocolatey evening cup.
• Cafe Ou The (black, high caffeine): black tea, pu-erh, cocoa beans, and actual coffee beans. The most coffee-forward of the bunch.

If you searched for chocolate tea and want it to taste like hot cocoa with a caffeine kick, Swiss Hot Chocolate is the answer. If you want the cocoa without the buzz, jump to Banana Muffin or Mocha Mushroom.

What to pair it with

This tea already tastes like dessert, so pairing is about matching or contrasting.

• Fresh summer berries. Strawberries and raspberries against the dark chocolate is a classic for a reason.
• Salty snacks. A handful of salted almonds or a few pretzels makes the chocolate pop.
• Vanilla ice cream, as mentioned, in affogato form.
• Nothing at all. A cold glass by itself is plenty. This is a solo act if you want it to be.

For a party spread, pour a pitcher of cold brew Swiss Hot Chocolate next to a pitcher of our unflavored Mr. Tea's Southern Tea so guests have a dessert option and a classic sweet tea side by side.

Sizes, price, and where to get it

Swiss Hot Chocolate comes in four sizes, so you can test the waters or commit:

• Small, 12 cups, 30 grams, $11.99
• Medium, 24 cups, 60 grams, $21.99
• Large, 50 cups, 100 grams, $34.99
• Cold Brew Gallon Bag, $11.99, the easiest on-ramp for summer

Grab any of it on our Swiss Hot Chocolate page or browse the full lineup in the shop. If you are local and want to taste before you buy, catch our mobile tea cart around Louisville. Planning a wedding, bridal shower, or event and want a dessert tea station? Head to our events page or reach out and we will set you up.

Frequently asked questions

Can you drink Swiss Hot Chocolate tea iced?

Yes, and it is one of the best iced dessert teas we make. Cold brew it overnight for the smoothest cup, or brew it hot and double strength then pour over ice. Add a splash of milk for an iced chocolate milk tea.

Does chocolate tea have caffeine?

Our Swiss Hot Chocolate does, because it sits on a real black tea base and runs high in caffeine, roughly comparable to a strong cup of breakfast tea. If you want chocolate flavor with little or no caffeine, try our Banana Muffin rooibos or our caffeine-free Mocha Mushroom instead.

Is Swiss Hot Chocolate tea very sweet?

It is just sweet enough. There is a small amount of sugar in the blend and plenty of sweet aroma from the vanilla and white chocolate, balanced by the dark chocolate and black tea. Plenty of customers drink it with no added sugar.

How long do I steep chocolate black tea?

Steep 3 to 4 minutes in water heated to about 208 degrees. Do not go past 4 minutes, or the black tea base can turn bitter and bury the chocolate. For iced tea, use double the leaf so it stays flavorful after the ice melts.

What milk is best for a chocolate tea latte?

Whole milk gives the richest, most dessert-like result. Oat milk is our top non-dairy pick because it froths well and adds body. Almond milk keeps it lighter if you want the chocolate flavor without the heaviness.