As chocolate makers we are continually on the lookout for delicious new flavours that our customers will love. Join us as we delve into the art and science of creating new chocolate flavours.
Starting with a Season
Chocolate is an industry with a lot of seasonality. We love creating delicious chocolate gifts for Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter but with traditional seasons comes certain expectations around the types of flavours we will present. These seasons are wrapped up in fond memories and there is nothing more delightful than a smell or taste that takes us back to fond memories.
There is an enticing break in traditional seasons between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day where our chocolatier’s can get really creative. As this period in time is across winter in New Zealand it is the perfect opportunity to create a winter chocolate assortment.
Caramel: The Gateway to Delicious Creations
Caramel, with its rich, buttery sweetness, serves as an excellent foundation for experimenting with new chocolate flavours, and it is always popular with our customers. Devonport Chocolates’ owner Sarah Gardner has wanted to create a caramel assortment since she first set foot in our chocolaty corridors. The smooth and decadent velvet texture of caramel makes the perfect base for a winter assortment. By infusing caramel into chocolate, a multitude of possibilities emerge, opening the doors to a world of exciting flavour combinations.
Creative Chocolatier’s
With a theme in mind, we hand over to our team of chocolatiers. They jump into action exploring the array of ingredients we have on offer in our kitchen, freeze dried fruits, hazelnuts and almonds, gin, vodka and rum all from excellent New Zealand makers. Sarah produced a bottle of Scapegrace Black Gin with an exclamation of “I love this!” and the chocolatier’s looked up cocktail recipes for inspiration. They let their imaginations soar and they get testing. As they mix, infuse and chop they are considering flavour balance and mouth texture. If you have two flavours in a chocolate the flavours need to compliment each other not compete with each other. They consider if a chocolate needs a chewy or crunchy surprise, and they make a vast array of samples.
Let the Fun Begin
Never am I more delighted than when I arrive at work and hear “We have chocolates for you to try”. And by chocolates, the team truly meant chocolates, there were heaps of flavours to try. Banoffee, Black Gin and Apple, Caramel Spiced Apple, Rose and Yuzu, Caramel and Almond, Honey and Caramel and Passionfruit Caramel were all laid out in trays in milk, dark and white chocolate shells. Here came the hard part. What flavours worked, what didn’t, and did they suit being in dark, milk or white chocolate? Not content to just balance the flavours inside the chocolate, we need to ensure the shell enhances the flavour not distract from it.
We then consider the flavours that we will put in an assortment. Not only do new want a variety of milk, dark and white chocolates, but we would like different textures and a balance of fruit and nut flavours.
The Art of Presentation
Now we have the chocolates, we need to decide how the chocolates will look.
With our Spring collection Sarah was inspired by a colourful wall of Havianas which lead her researching the colour transition trend at the time. The winter night sky was the inspiration for the winter collection with hints of gold leaf and white and gold cocoa butter to create the illusion of stars.
Craftsmanship and Innovation
Creating new chocolate flavours requires both craftsmanship and innovation. It involves meticulous attention to detail, balancing flavours, and experimenting with different ratios and techniques. The process of trial and error plays a significant role in achieving the perfect balance. At Devonport Chocolates we embrace experimentation, collaborate with our incredible team, and foster a culture of innovation to create unique and remarkable chocolate flavour combinations. We hope you enjoy this selection as much as we have enjoyed creating it.