Art Pollard of AMANO Chocolate announced the launch of Jembrana Chocolate recently. Naturally it got us very excited. Jembrana is in Bali, Indonesia. The district is at the very tip of Bali and at the narrowest point only 60 meters from the tip of Java island.
AMANO announced that their 70% chocolate was made from cocoa beans from Jembrana, It has a fine rich flavour, with fruit notes and with nutty overtones.It has left us puzzled. Jembrana is indeed very fertile. Soil is volcanic. Cloves are grown but the main crop is coconut, Plantations of coconut blend into the jungles and rises over 1000 meters into the highlands.
In the lowlands are rice fields.Rice harvests are celebrated enthusiastically with buffalo races.
Overland travellers from Java Cities take a ferry from the southern tip of Jave and travel through this district to Denpasar, capital of Bali. The problem is we could find no cocoa plantations.Balinese in the area were doubtful of cocoa plantations in that area. If they did exist, they would have merely produced unfermented beans.
In all likelihood the beans secured by AMANO probably came from across the straits from the Java, where indeed there are large cocoa plantations which process high quality beans. These beans are Java and as chocolatiers know, regarded very highly, in the chocolate world.
There is geographical evidence that these areas were connected. The soils tend to be similar. Crops of cloves, rice, rubber and quality coffee besides cocoa is grown on the Java side.Java cocoa besides being fruity has a leathery hints Bonnat of France has produced bars made of Java.
Showing posts with label Bonnat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bonnat. Show all posts
Saturday, 8 November 2008
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
SURABAYA CHOCOLATE!
A nice email from a member of the Academy of Chocolate,London alerted me to "Bonnat Srabaya Chocolat au Lait 65%" I was delighted of course because I have special fondness for Surabaya, the second largest city of Indonesia, after Jakarta, the capital.
A review describes is as a"gentle giant" among Bonnat's milk chocolates. It is mild enough for milk chocolate fans and the lack of sweetness will find it favor from those who prefer dark.
The cocoa undoubtedly comes from hand selected beans from the Katiklatak Plantation in East Java. Here cocoa is planted alongside rubber and coffee on hilly slopes refreshed by the humid breezes of the Indian Ocean.
Alex Rast describes it flavour;"starts with an olive taste with apricot an cinnamon, rum raisin, tobacco and a fresh tangy presence.
He goes on;"The first touch on the palate is light with vanilla, pistachio and citrus, then savoury, yeasty tones emerge, balanced sweetness, dark fruits, molasses, tea and fried food! After all this the flavour descends to a green tea."
It certainly, high praise for Surabaya and Java beans.
A review describes is as a"gentle giant" among Bonnat's milk chocolates. It is mild enough for milk chocolate fans and the lack of sweetness will find it favor from those who prefer dark.
The cocoa undoubtedly comes from hand selected beans from the Katiklatak Plantation in East Java. Here cocoa is planted alongside rubber and coffee on hilly slopes refreshed by the humid breezes of the Indian Ocean.
Alex Rast describes it flavour;"starts with an olive taste with apricot an cinnamon, rum raisin, tobacco and a fresh tangy presence.
He goes on;"The first touch on the palate is light with vanilla, pistachio and citrus, then savoury, yeasty tones emerge, balanced sweetness, dark fruits, molasses, tea and fried food! After all this the flavour descends to a green tea."
It certainly, high praise for Surabaya and Java beans.
Monday, 11 August 2008
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.
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.
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