A young up-and-coming Wairarapa chocolatier has taken out the top spot at the 2022 New Zealand Chocolate Awards.
Johnty Tatham, the 25-year-old behind the bean-to-bar business Lucid Chocolatier, was crowned the 2022 supreme winner after his Port-infused 68 percent dark chocolate captured the judges' hearts.
Praising its "outstanding aroma notes, flavour and complexity", the panel also noted its "flawless texture with exceptional length", placing the $22 bar first against 150 other locally made chocolates from 31 producers across Aotearoa.
Featuring tasting notes of caramel, nut and raisin, the 68 percent Port carries the flavours of 10-year-old Tawny Port with beans from Peru's Marañon Valley. The wine-infused creation also took out the 'Bean to Bar Flavoured' category at the Awards, which were judged in Auckland at the beginning of October.
Tatham was also awarded another accolade, with Lucid Chocolatier's 72 percent Santiago de Sisa winning the 'Bean to Bar Plain' category. With tasting notes of coffee, hazelnut and red berry, the offering is made with the deep, roasted flavours of the Sisa bean, grown in the rugged hills of north-eastern Peru.
In a nod to the collaborative and close-knit nature of Aotearoa's artisan chocolate-makers, Tatham's boutique venture has been supported by two previous supreme winners; Nico Bonnaud from Honest Chocolat, the inaugural supreme winner in 2017, and David Herrick from Foundry Chocolate, who took out the top spot in 2020.
Overall Lucid Chocolatier collected 14 medals at this year's Chocolate Awards, spanning seven golds, four silvers and three bronzes.
Blending artisan chocolate and local boutique spirits proved to be a winning combination for two other category winners. Taking out the title for 'Flavoured Chocolate Bar' was La Petite's Dr Beak Premium Gin Dark Chocolate, a handcrafted collaboration between the artisan Wellington chocolatier and Dr Beak Gin, combining its botanicals with single origin, organic, fair trade chocolate. The judges praised the "clever" and complex flavour combination, noting the intricacy of balancing the cocoa with the other components.
Meanwhile, Aroha Chocolate's Whiskey Hearts placed first for 'Filled Chocolates - Truffles & Bonbons' with their lusciously creamy and dreamy chocolate-and-whiskey combination. Handmade in Nelson, each heart features tempered Belgian chocolate filled with a chocolate ganache infused with Waitui Single Malt - an eight-year-aged whiskey from the Nelson-Tasman region.
Sticking in the Mainland, Adelphi Fine Chocolate's Florentine Chocolate Bark was awarded the winning title in the 'Chocolate Bark, Brittle or Dipped Fruit and Nut' category. Adelphi Fine Chocolate is handcrafted in Christchurch by Sarah Donovan, a veteran chocolatier who has spent over 20 years honing her craft. According to the judges, her Florentine Chocolate Bark is "an exceptional" and "beautifully balanced" product, with the tasty additions of almond and ginger.
The Chocolate Bark is also offered in several other flavours, including Chipotle (hazelnut, chilli and pepita); Ruby Ribble (raspberry, rhubarb and marshmallow); Black Forest (cookie crumb, cherry and berry); and Hokey Pokey (honeycomb, buckwheat and quinoa).
In the Kaipara region of Northland, Paparoa's Tatiana White sells her handmade creations under the label Dekadenz, with her Christmas Treat Individual Chocolates deemed the best in show in the 'Christmas and Novelty' category. The "all-occasion" treat is made with Callebaut Belgium chocolate and features a subtle, balanced flavour, applauded by the judges for its lingering notes and beautifully moreish taste.
Warkworth is home to Chocolate Brown, who collected the 'Kids' Favourite' title for their Hedgehog White Chocolate. Chocolate Brown, which runs a chocolate shop and café in the rural north Auckland town, was judged by two discerning palettes belonging to a 12-year-old and 14-year-old - both of whom branded the treat as "delicious" and praised the sweet design of the mini, hand-painted hedgehogs.
In the hotly contested 'Drinking Chocolate' stakes, the Mahurangi-based craft chocolatier Foundry Chocolate took out the top spot with their Vanuatu Drinking Chocolate. Made simply from organic cane sugar and 70 percent bean-to-bar dark chocolate - sourced from the village of Pinalum on the remote Malekula Island - the single origin drinking chocolate placed first for its "well-developed, full flavour" and "lovely, silky melt". The drinking chocolates features the comforting tasting notes of moreish malt and silky caramel.
In a statement, New Zealand Chocolate Awards director Kathie Bartley said it was wonderful to see so many new, local chocolatiers being recognised in the biennial awards.
"It bodes well for chocolate lovers looking for special treats to enjoy and share over the coming gifting and summer season," she said.
NZ Chocolate Awards 2022 Winners
Supreme Winner
Lucid Chocolatier, 68 percent Port
Category Winners
Bean to Bar Plain
Lucid Chocolatier, 72 percent Santiago De Sisa
Bean to Bar Flavoured
Lucid Chocolatier, 68 percent Port
Flavoured Chocolate Bar
La Petite Chocolate Dr Beak Premium Gin, Dark Chocolate
Filled Chocolates - Truffles & Bonbons
Aroha Chocolate, Whiskey Hearts
Chocolate Bark, Brittle or Dipped Fruit and Nut
Adelphi Fine Chocolate, Florentine Chocolate Bark
Christmas and Novelty
Dekadenz, Christmas Treat Individual Chocolate
Kids' Favourite
Chocolate Brown, Hedgehog White Chocolate
Drinking Chocolate
Foundry Chocolate, Pinalum, Malekula Island, Vanuatu Drinking Chocolate.
