Willie's Cacao Milk of the Stars Indonesian 54%

After searching high and low for the NEW Willie's Cacao milk chocolate, yep - I finally found it. Prior to finding it, that same day, I picked up Beavertown's new smoked porter. And what a pairing ...

Aroma is clotted cream, light caramel. On taste it's creamy, and now smokey, in flows chocolate sauce, and finishes with hay. Second go at it, it was Bonnat's Surbaya ... just much, much, much better. It coats the mouth with beautiful smoked cocoa toffee. Each subsequent taste I enjoyed.

A little more Indonesian cacao would have made this chocolate greater; I love the Indonesian 69% dark chocolate of Willie's, so go figure! 

Willie's Cacao Indonesian Gold Java 69

From my few trips to the far eastern-hemisphere at Java (vicariously through chocolate) I have learnt many things about the island, such as it being formed mostly as a result of volcanic eruptions and more importantly the characteristics of its cocoa! Its characteristics include a nice acidity but predominantly it is smoke and rubber, which are NOT flavours I am fond of. However, as Domori had aggrandised Javanese cocoa for me with their JavaBlond, it was not impossible that Willie's Cacao couldn't do the same, with cacao from Surabaya

The aroma was smoke and ham, not nice. Hammy flavour in cacao correlates with drying the beans over wood fires, ("regions that harvest a lot of cacao during the rainy seasons must use artificial drying methods to decrease moisture" = Java!). There was a little plum and citrus, VERY chocolatey. Looking beyond the rubber and smoke was such sweetness: a sweet fermentation, BBQ ribs, vinegar, but earth and bark too

In the mouth this chocolate was incredibly smooth. With my first bar (experienced during the day) I noticed smoke and rubber, then actual caramel and THEN this unbelievable acidity! Oh wow. And then with my second bar (experienced at night), vinegar just poured out. It was so acidic, there was chocolate at the back with that not-so-nice rubber, and there too was caramel, but not as authentic as before, maybe because I had picked up on a salty touch. The smokey note this time was seriously desirable

*update* - a touch of horse hay in the taste

There was a puckering feel in the finish, with flavours of cacao, the vinegar lingering and minerals (I thought sand). The finish was slightly anti-climatic, but only because you are left wanting more. God this chocolate is good

Initially I did not enjoy this Java but when I got in to it, I really got into it. I was completely in awe of this Indonesian, in particular during my second experience. I think night time, darkness, no distractions, is the optimum time to have real chocolate

*update 9.5.15* this chocolate is incredibly roasted

Hotel Chocolat Rabot 1745 Java 74% Milk

Java 74% milk chocolate from Hotel Chocolat's Rabot 1745 range. The cocoa beans were roasted for 39 minutes at 130 C, with a refine & conche time of 42 hours

Due to Java's "almost perpetual" rainfall, it is common for farmers to use wood fired dryers to dry their cocoa. This in turn, unfortunate to me, lends the distinctive smoked flavour that Javanese chocolate is known for

The tasting description was "Old-school glam. Opens like an enriched mousse au chocolat, filling the mouth with a lush smoothness. Notes of malted biscuits and baked banana swish by." Haha, NICE!

The aroma was intensely chocolate, with metal, minerals and cocoa nibs. I understand the "mousse au chocolat". When the nose sat, there came the infamous smoked note. There was a distinct rich caramel and butterscotch, of which I pictured drizzling down the "baked banana" 

The taste was cocoa, noticing the very little sugar (14%) right away, unripe banana, fairly roasted. It was bitter and creamy, with an astringent feel in the finish. There was a bright, fruity sweetness in the middle, and the bitter cocoa restored with a spiced feel too. The texture was very smooth

This 35g chocolate was £3.75, and I really love the rustic look of it and how delicate it felt. Its flavour profile was not one I enjoyed so much, but, if a little sweeter and a little fruitier it would have been definitley more enjoyable than Artisan du Chocolat's 72% dark Java

Domori Javablond

Without added vanilla nor cocoa butter, we get purity with Domori: just cacao nibs and cane sugar. I am not one for Java/Indonesia cacao, and at this 70% I wasn't sure how I would fare. However, the name Javablond and seeing Criollo suggested a delicate approach 

The blond in the name referred to the lighter coloured Criollo cacao, of which Domori had sourced from east Java. And the chocolate was a very light brown, compared to say Domori's Arriba

The aroma was intensely chocolate, with rubber at the very back. But what was more powerful than rubber was the floral and citrus orange, which was unexpected of Java! 

I couldn't help but compare the aroma to Omnom's Madagascar. The Javablond was more chocolatey, but they really weren't that different. I was very impressed

The taste was more captivating. It opened very chocolatey and then in with a vibrant red fruit. The smokiness of Javanese cacao was only sensed at the very end. There was the occasional distinct touch of hazelnut. The chocolatey taste was so dominant and had a bright acidity to liven it up

The texture was phenomenal: exceptionally smooth. The cacao gave a slight astringent feel 

I really enjoyed this chocolate. It was like a tamed Madagascar 

Artisan du Chocolat Java 72%

Java is one of the largest islands of Indonesia and it's landscaped by a chain of volcanic mountains. Artisan du Chocolat's Java dark chocolate was of a lighter shade of brown with a slight reddish tint when compared to their Colombian bar

The acrid, harsh aroma was seriously smokey, with ash, charred wood, burning rubber and peat coming to mind. I would have thought the beans had been dried and roasted over a fire with poor ventilation, but Javanese cocoa is naturally known to have a bold, smoked, leather flavour profile. I guess the volcanic soils of Java has so much influence over its cocoa beans. To breathe in the aroma of this chocolate was like inhaling the smoke from a blown out candle, it irritated the throat and was seemingly dangerous 

Initially the taste didn't offer much else than what the aroma did. It wasn't as pungent, but it still was overwhelmingly smokey. In regards to smoke in chocolate, subdued tobacco hints are rather nice, but this bar wasn't tobacco, it was the smoke from burning wood and car tires. There was also a hammy flavour, which I did not like. The middle-end taste surfaced a beautiful olive oil and a fruity, citrus acidity with some hints of blackberry. Strong bitter cocoa notes and an astringent feel followed, and then the unpleasant smoke returned for the finish

The added cocoa butter and soya lecithin made for a buttery smooth texture. The snap sounded great, showing the chocolate's excellent tempering

I found Artisan du Chocolat to have a distinctive style, as there were hints similar to the Colombian, like a sherbet aroma, as well the luxurious texture. I think I would have been better off trying their Java milk chocolate instead. I doubt such intense flavour could be that affected by milk solids. I imagine the Java milk bar to be actually rather tasty