In the same way that a lot of food has a high percentage of ingredients that are good for you (like fruits and vegetables, nuts, and other healthy things), so too do a lot toymakers make sure they have some really awesome, unique and awesome flavors to go with their products.
We recently sat down with Zay Jones, co-founder and CEO of The Zayzle Company, to learn more about the process of finding and crafting these flavors.
We’ve got to say, I feel a little guilty for the whole pumpkin thing.
I feel like I’m just eating something from a pumpkin farm.
But I do love the fact that it’s all natural.
So, what is that?
What is this flavor?
A spice?
A little bit of spice?
I just don’t know.
I just really love the pumpkin.
We’ve actually gotten a lot more inquiries about this flavor and it’s a little bit different from our other ones, so it’s definitely got a bit more flavor to it.
What is that spice?
What kind of spices are you using?
Is this one the same as the pumpkin spice you use on all your products?
Yeah, I think it’s the same spices.
It’s like, there’s a bit of that, a little more of that and then there’s like a touch of that.
It has some pumpkin.
It kind of has a little of that as well.
Do you use cinnamon or nutmeg?
I think the pumpkin is kind of the spice.
Is this cinnamon?
Is it nutmeg, like the pumpkin?
No, it’s not.
It is definitely a little spice.
What kind is it?
Oh, this is a cinnamon, pumpkin.
And it’s very good.
It was a lot better than I thought it would be.
Is this one really something I could be using on a cookie?
Yeah.
I love that it has the cinnamon, so I definitely use it in that flavor.
And I’m also using a lot, like, ginger and ginger beer.
Are you using ginger beer in this one?
It’s a ginger beer, and it really is.
You’re not drinking ginger beer and then you’re drinking ginger in this.
It just really works.
Is there a ginger ale flavor?
Yeah!
I think that’s great.
I think I’m going to go get a bottle of ginger beer right now.
How do you choose spices?
What I do is I have these little little bags of spices that I’m using for each of my products.
I’ve got a little container with these little bags that have this little bit.
Like, one cup of spice, one teaspoon of cinnamon, one tablespoon of ginger, one whole tablespoon of nutmeg.
I make sure that it really goes in the bag.
Is it a small container?
No.
Is a big container?
It is a big bag.
And so I make these little plastic bags and I’ll just put a little little bit in the jar and then it’s ready.
How are you doing this?
I have a lot going on, so this is the time when I’m putting the little bag in the container.
I’ll then put the other little bit into the jar.
Is that the way it goes?
Yeah it’s like this little bag that I just put in.
It goes in, and then I put it in the bowl, and I mix everything together.
How long does it take?
Like, it depends on how long it takes me.
It can take like a couple of hours.
How about when it’s done?
Like I put in like three to four cups.
How much can it take to make a little one?
I usually like like to like a tablespoon or two, like a teaspoon or two.
How big is that one?
Like it’s about a quarter cup.
Is one of these two that big?
Yeah that’s like two teaspoons.
Is the other one bigger?
I would probably go with like a half-cup.
Is your whole jar just like a bowl of spice in there?
Yeah absolutely.
Is everything just mixed together?
It looks like this big bowl, but you can just mix it all together.
Does it taste?
Yeah I mean, it does taste really good.
I mean the cinnamon is there, but it’s just kind of there.
Is all this going in?
Like yeah, you can kind of taste it and then when you put it all back in it’s sort of like, oh my God.
It really does taste great.
Is like that the best cinnamon you’ve ever tasted?
Yeah of course.
It tastes really good, I just think it looks so good.
What is your favorite spice?
This one.
This one is just really really good for me.
The ginger is kind, I’m not a fan of the ginger beer taste, but this one is so good, like I think if you can get this one, it is going to be just like that. Do