Hands up who loves Chocolate? And/or Coffee? How about Cupcakes, Gelato, Desserts and Espresso Martinis? Me! And I am sure a lot of you who are reading this also put your hand up!

Today, I attended The Chocolate and Coffee Show, held at The Cloud on Queen’s Wharf, a show which celebrates everything indulgent – from boutique chocolatiers and artisan coffee roasters, to producers of tasty treats. There are also talks and cooking demonstrations by chef Julie Le Clerc, chocolatier Karl Hogarth and Homestead chef Sam Mannering, various masterclasses you can participate in – barista skills, cupcake decorating, a chocolate and tea tasting workshop and a Milse Pop-Up – woohoo! You can also check out the winners of the very first New Zealand Chocolate Awards.

I had a really fun experience today, so I have rounded up my favourite coffee, chocolate and tasty products that I came across/tried at the The Chocolate and Coffee Show. If you have any questions about the products, feel free to ask! If you are heading to the show tomorrow, have a great time!

We first started off with coffee, from Hail Elsie. Coffee served in a bright orange caravan… yes please! Coffee is Allpress and they are selling a selection of home baked goods.

FAVOURITE STANDS

Amazeballs
Low sugar, nut based bliss balls which come in 7 different flavours – my favourites are the peanut butter jelly and chocolate orange.

Apero
French style food trailer, creating seasonal dishes with decadent chocolate treats, plus this year they have launched their own natural and organic chocolate spreads – perfect with fresh crêpes and pastries!

Aurigin Espresso Martini – Ready to drink
As mentioned before and under ‘Cocktails’ in my Auckland Food Guide, you will see that I am a HUGE fan of Espresso Martinis. Now, thanks to discovering Aurigin at The Chocolate and Coffee Show this year, I can indulge in ready-to-drink Espresso Martinis, which come in cute 300ml bottles. All you do is chill a bottle, shake well and pour. Life is officially made!

Bohemein Fresh Chocolate
Handcrafted chocolates made with natural and fresh ingredients right here in New Zealand. One of their shops is located on O’Connell Street (in Auckland) which is slightly deadly as my work is just around the corner! I love their chocolates and my workmate swears by their pure hot chocolate drink too!

Enter on their Facebook page to win this giant chocolate fish!

Bondie Designer Cupcakes
You may recognise the name, their store used to be located in Takapuna, however they have now located to Rosedale. Loved their hot chocolate cupcakes!

Boundary Road Brewery (BRB)
One of my friends is a beer lover, and thanks to her mission to try all of New Zealand’s beers, she told me about BRB, a brewery located in Auckland. They have two beers that I have been dying to try for ages – Chocolate Moose – Chocolate Porter and Arabica Dabra – Coffee Oatmeal Stout. Both were delicious!

Cadbury
I love Cadbury chocolate, so I was really excited to see them this year. They have a fun interactive display where you spin a wheel to see which chocolate flavour you are. Definitely check it out, as there is free chocolate involved!

Chocolatier Mirams
Contemporary artisan chocolate crafted in Napier. How cute do their bon bons look?

Despicable Cupcakes
Aka badass cupcakes! Some of their flavours include: ‘Nuts for Nutella’, ‘The Strawb-Mob’, ‘Pretzel-Caramel Affair’ and ‘Unicorn Crunch’. I love their wacky decorations!

Fix & Fogg Peanut Butter
I am a huge fan of Fix & Fogg’s Honey Peanut Butter. They also make a delicious Chocolate Peanut Butter too. If you are ever in Wellington, they have a cute hole-in-the-wall shop where you can buy freshly toasted bread lathered in their peanut butter!

Hogarth Craft Chocolate
Nelson’s only chocolate manufacturer and one of the few in the country who make chocolate from bean to bar. Hogarth have won many awards for their chocolate, and after tasting it today, I can definitely see why! My favourite flavour was the Dark Giandua – could eat it all day!

Honest Chocolat
This was my one of my favourite stands today. Beautiful, honest chocolate made using a rang of organic, sustainably sourced, single origin chocolate with no artificial flavourings, preservatives or palm oil.

House of Chocolate
Contemporary chocolate makers, based in Beachaven on the North Shore. They also have a dessert shop in Takapuna. I absolutely loved their chocolates – my favourite being the Fix & Fogg Peanut Butter bonbon.

Jenny’s Tamarind Chutney
One of my favourite NZ products and the most divine chutney you will ever eat. I love spreading it on pizza, adding it to my meals or just eating it out of the jar! Here’s a pizza recipe to get you drooling…

Koko Loa
Delicately crafted by Samoa’s own local chocolatiers. Their range includes: Samoan Origin 72%, Fruit and Nut and Coconut Milk Chocolate (my favourite).

Marcel’s Pancakes
Delicious homemade gluten free crepes, hotcakes and blini. These are so convenient as all you have to do is reheat and then add your toppings – I like chocolate spread, caramel sauce and pure maple syrup! They are selling their pancakes and crepes with your choice of toppings.

Milse Pop-Up
Auckland’s first dessert bar, selling gateaux, macarons, plated desserts and my favourite ice cream on a stick – Bombe Alaska, with the sorbet flavour inside changes according to season – yummy! Check out my post here. At The Chocolate and Coffee Show, they are selling their gelato sticks, gateaux and macarons.

Stir It Up
I have been seeing Stir It Up’s products on Instagram recently, so I was pretty excited to try out their products at The Chocolate and Coffee Show. They make dairy free, gluten free plant based not-milk powders, including almond, coconut, soy and oat. I picked up some of their oat milk, soy milk and almond milk. All you do is add warm water to the powder, shake it up and you have your milk! Super easy.

The Chocolate Tour
Imagine receiving a box of all your favourite chocolates to your door? Well, The Chocolate Tour does just that. Every month, they curate a new collection of the best craft and artisan chocolate, along with tasted notes and delivered straight to your door. Sounds awesome!

The Macho Mini
Another favourite stand today serving cute cupcakes, which are between the size of a mini cupcake and regular cupcake, which to me is the perfect size! Loved the stand presentation, packaging and the cupcakes looked delicious.

Urban Blends 
A father and his son are behind Urban Blends, where they make latte blends, like Cacao Hot Chocolate, Cacao White Hot Chocolate, Raw Spice Chai and Pink Beetroot Latte. We loved their Cacao Hot Chocolate!

All the details…

The Chocolate and Coffee Show
Details: On tomorrow, Sunday 24 September 2017 and will run from 9am to 5pm.
Address: The Cloud, 89 Quay Street, Queen’s Wharf
Tickets Online ($18.50 for adults, $13.50 for students, under 12s free)
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