CHUAO VS JAVA.

Laughable of course to most chocolatiers. Chuao comes from a plantation in Choroni, along Venezeula's Caribbean coast. That much I knew. To get more Paul Lewis, a writer with the Guardian, who travelled to Choroni, helped.

As you approach this village in a large valley, the arid scent of fermenting beans shows you the way. A small pretty village of nicely painted houses and a church. They produce about 20 tonnes of cocoa beans a year. It costsabout $12 a kilo. It is a cash windfall for the families that live here. I some places bits that trickle out are sold for about $15 a kilo. The chocolate that it produces is sold for about $20 per 50gm.

Chuao is genetically "pure" Criollo". It was in the early stages abadoned in favour of the more hardy forastero bean. Pure Criollo softer, more aromatic,was neglected. But experts say that this species, like gold dust, still thrives in rainforests in Madagascar, the Carribbean islands and Mexico.

It used to be believed that Chuao has something in the soil, a unique combination of minerals.But it is more likely that the secret of Chuao beans is its inherited methods of growth, fermentation and drying. It is also people. They do as they have been doing for hundreds of years. They keep it small.

It makes me envious. I recall a plantation i recently visited near Ciajur, near Bandung. AS you approach the scent of fermenting beans overwhelms you. Very vinigarish.

Java riollo, as is planted here is also known as red Java. It was imported from Caracas, Venezuela in 1888. This plantation produced about 900kg a ha. With a total crop of 15 tons. In a wet year the crop could be more. Here it certainly looks like the methods of growing, fermenting and drying hasnt changed for years.

Does any great chocolatier use Java. I asked the best I know, Bonnat who produce atop the French Chartreuse Alps.One of the oldest factories in the world. Indeed they use Java cocoa. They produce a 100gm chocolate bar called Bonnat Java 65% Dark Milk Chocolate which is described as "a powerful blond cocoa coming from the Indonesian island of Java. The taste is unique with a creamy sensation on your palate,"

I suspect Java cocoa needs more PR.