Godiva Chocolatier. Giving out the best

As the Chinese New Year is fast approaching, how probably is the best time to plan a sweet surprise for your beloved, send out best wishes to your relatives and show your appreciation at the workplace. Look no further as GODIVA CNY collection is the best choice to show your sincere New Year wishes to your loved ones. GODIVA wishes to bring you and your loved ones an exceptional year of the Dragon through the  tenderness of their dedicate collection.

The touching story behind the brand
There is always a fascinating story behind a legendary brand. GODIVA’s history began more than 80 years ago in Brussels, Belgium when master chocolatier Joseph Draps founded a chocolate company named in honor of the legendary Lady GODIVA.

According to legend, in 1057, the people of Coventry were suffering from extremely heavy taxes imposed by their lord, Leofric the Dane. Leofric’s sympathetic wife, Lady GODIVA, was determined to convince him to reduce the taxes, while Leofric believed her shameless to plead for the unworthy serfs. Lady GODIVA responded by saying he would discover how honorable the serfs were and struck a deal: Lady GODIVA would ride unclothed through the streets of the city and if the citizens of Coventry remained inside shuttered buildings and did not peek at her, their tax burden would be lifted. The following morning she made her famous ride and the citizens of Coventry graciously stayed inside to spare Lady GODIVA any feelings of shame. Leofric kept his word and reduced the grateful people’s taxes. Today, in Europe, Lady GODIVA is celebrated in countless works of art, including tapestries, paintings, sculptures and literature.

The secret of a long-existing brand
For a brand to succeed, it needs to strike a balance between tradition and innovation. According to  odiva’s Regional Connoisseur, Master Yin, aside from bringing the authentic taste of Belgium, Godiva excels throughout the years due to the spirit of continuous innovation. “Say, for example, the new Parfait Chocolates collection. It is a newly-invented collection that combines the taste of favorite multi-layered dessert fillings in a delicate chocolate cup. The eight different flavors are the perfect combination of classic desserts and chocolate. The deliciousness will linger so long that it is hard to forget,” Master Yin told Hong Kong Business.

Furthermore, almost all the decorations on the chocolate are hand-made which demonstrate GODIVA’s pursuit to deliver the most refined chocolate with meticulous attitude. “In addition to skillful craftsmanship, cocoa beans and ingredients from around the world are carefully selected. Take GODVIA’s homemade hazelnut paste as an example, we have carefully selected whole hazelnuts from Turkey to make the paste from scratch. Yet, selecting the appropriate hazelnuts is not an easy task; hazelnut that is too big in size is difficult to be cooked and it will easily burn if too small. Therefore, we need to select hazelnuts that are more or less the same size, or else it can ruin the taste of chocolate,” Master Yin explained.

Giving the best to your love
As the New Year starts, GODIVA brings its unique and sincere wishes to Chinese by rendering the mighty spirit of Chinese New Year with the sense of tenderness and ambitiousness.

2012 GODIVA Chinese New Year Collection, whose cocoa beans are selected from Dominica, Venezuela and Ecuador, is a perfect combination of Chinese tradition and premier chocolate. Cocoa beans from Venezuela have a rich taste of flower while those from Ecuador have a nice fruity taste, such a rare gift from nature.

Magnificent 2012 GODIVA Chinese New Year Limited Edition Gift Box, whose image of Chinese Loong, meanwhile, shows the nobility of Chinese as the descendant of Loong, combining Chinese red and noble gold. The brand-new 2012 GODIVA Chinese New Year Limited Edition Gift Box, with rich content, is classic and luxurious. The gift box is equally ideal as a present for family members and loved ones as it is for friends and acquaintances. You can even treat yourself to one as a reward for all the hard work you have put in during the past year

How to savor fine chocolate
How is the quality of the chocolate tested? Here are some simple tips according to Master Yin: Look at the chocolate pieces. Fine chocolates should have a consistent color and a natural-looking satiny sheen free of air bubbles or other blemishes. The best chocolates also display a high degree of craftsmanship in their shapes and designs. Smell the chocolates. Savoring fine chocolate begins when you open the box and take in the bouquet of the contents. Fine chocolates should have a fresh, deep aroma, not the overly perfumed or sugary smell associated with artificial flavors or preservatives. Taste the chocolate. In tasting fine chocolates, look for two things: flavor and texture. Freshly made fine chocolates have very intense but refined flavors and subtle nuances of textures. With the notable exception of truffles, the couverture or outside coating of fine European-style chocolates is often molded in a sleek, semi-hard shape that “snaps” when you bite into it. The inside of a chocolate piece is called the center or filling and, in fine chocolates, is specifically intended to complement the couverture in terms of flavor and texture.

When tasting a piece of chocolate let it melt against the roof of your mouth to feel the texture. A fine chocolate should be velvety smooth without any of the graininess that comes from incomplete refinement. Roll the chocolate  over your tongue, allowing the flavors to permeate your mouth. The initial taste should be a nutty, roasted chocolate flavor, followed by sweetness and other flavor components. Lastly, fine chocolates tend to have a longer “finish” or pleasant aftertaste that lingers on the palate.

FAST FACTS
• With exquisite taste, premium quality, seasonal packaging, exclusive boutiques and innovative products, GODIVA Chocolatier is dedicated to over 80 years of excellence and innovation in the Belgian tradition.

• Recognized around the world as the leader in premium chocolates, we bring the most ultimate chocolate experience and emotional appeal of gifting to chocolate lovers worldwide. 

• GODIVA Chocolatier produces many different chocolate pieces that fall into nine basic categories and are often mixed and matched to create a wide range of collections for personal, sharing, holiday and special-occasion use.