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 Luscious Orange, Cafe Negro & Ginger Lime

Although American craft chocolate maker Patric's blood orange bar seemed one to lust over, chocolate and orange is a pairing I always disdain. I ended up with this orange chocolate because I went a little trigger-happy with Willie's Cacao recently (I bought these two bars, the Cuban Black 100%, the Peruvian, Indonesian, Milk of the Gods & El Blanco again, and was given the Ginger Lime)

Willie's Cacao Madagascan Gold Sambirano 71

Another chocolate made from Sambirano cacao. First with Domori and then with this, and also being able to taste the Rózsavölgyi and The Chocolate Tree again, it is proving to be some product development research for me (but really, actually heartening to find that I make chocolate that I love)

The aroma had me in a forest, it was toast, spice: cracked pepper, chilli; prune, forest fruits, orange blossom, wood shavings, malt, tree sap, Marmite. The wooded profile dominated the fruitiness (and bare in mind it wasn't greatly fruity)

On the tongue was a juicy acidity, with firstly a heavy roast but then berries rounding it: strawberry. There was also pineapple, the occasional sour hit (loved!) and raisin

The finish was slightly bitter and with some astringency

Tasting again right after the Sambirano chocolate I made: it was alkalised cocoa and wood. But once my mouth became more familiar again, there came the acidity and fruits

It is good chocolate with great acidity (think raspberry and sour cherry!), though I was not so hot on the earthed/wood profile. And it's just SO roasted 

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

Willie's Cacao Venezuelan Gold Las Trincheras 72

Willie's Cacao has two Venezuelan chocolates. They're both at 72%, but the beans are sourced from separate estates - roughly 750km away. I have had the Rio Caribe, now it is time for a taste of Las Trincheras! 

The aroma was chocolate, leather, chili pepper, peanuts, ... piss (a characteristic I think of as being quite Peruvian), honey and coffee

The flavour started with cocoa, then opened up to chilli, roasted peanuts, with a honey and yellow raisin sweetness. The taste of cocoa was throughout, with there also being wood, bitterness and tea (once it was like I had just sucked a tea bag)

Occasionally it had a real sour twang, which was very nice. Overall a nice, but not stunning, chocolate

Willie's Cacao Colombian Gold Los Llanos 88

It's Willie's darkest GOLD yet. If you were to buy the Colombian 88%, you'll find that on the packaging, and online too, it will say "redcurrant and spice" notes, however on my packaging it was "soft cherry & plum". I was curious to find out which was more accurate

The single estate, Los Llanos, cacao aroma was cocoa (standard, dutch-processed), coconut, and most definitely plummy. Like dark, verging on overripe plums and their pits fermenting in barrels. Strikingly it became a malt loaf, packed with raisins, lightly spiced and made extra sticky with black tea. The malt loaf was toasted. I suspect Willie went for a medium roast 

The flavour opened with cocoa, which also finished the chocolate, and a soft bitterness. Naturally, as chocolate melts, flavour compounds break down on the tongue and you begin tasting all the different flavours of the chocolate. With this Colombian 88%, cherry quietly surfaced, which brought a sour-cherry feeling on the tongue. The cherry remained mild in taste though, with only the slightest sourness. I discerned the toasty roast, but apart from that ... nothing. I was hoping for more flavours, like the plentiful fruits in aroma. Once, whilst chewing it tasted like a cherry sponge cake

The chocolate didn't take me on a gustatory journey. I will admit that the intense cocoa flavour distracted me slightly, but I still don't think it had a complex flavour. I liked the aroma though, that was nostalgic. Like Willie's Peruvian, it smelt like Polish sweet things - cherry, plum, prune etc.

I like my chocolate to be a little sweeter and fruitier

Willie's Cacao Venezuelan Gold Rio Caribe 72

Willie's Cacao truley is my favourite brand. To justify: it runs on a passion, it promises and delivers an experience, the design is aesthetically captivating, the product is sensational. My list could go on, but what's most interesting is that I perceive the identity behind the name *Willie's Cacao*, and this, to me, is what makes it a brand. Willie Harcourt-Cooze is fantastic, not that I know him personally but from Twitter, his documentary, and with some communication with him, it's crystal clear how passionate he is

In terms of chocolate, the Venezuelan Rio Caribe is the subject of discussion. I noticed right away the darker shade of brown it was. The aroma was earthy, coffee, very malty with a little mango, prune and coconut sweetness, and tomato (which I'm questioning, but I did definitely get tomato)

Like in aroma, the flavour too had a heavy roast. There was a distinct bitterness and rich cocoa. I didn't get the "complex nut" but I did get the coffee notes suggested by Willie. There was a sweetness and a berry fruitiness that would sieve its way through the strong cocoa taste. Overall it tasted like a red wine with a cocoa finish. The high cocoa quotient, along with the deep roast, brought real darkness to the chocolate. There was a feel of tannin on the tongue and I was hit with whiskey which, exploiting the surprise, was quite nice...

*Update 17.5.15- moments prior to the finish is a really lovely flavour amongst what has been said above* 

OK, so this Rio Caribe didn't enthuse me like Willie's Cacao has done in the past. It was enjoyable, but the shortfall in acidity (though a noticeable acidity), the mighty deep roast and predominant cocoa flavour, however, just did not tantalise my taste-buds

Willie's Cacao Peruvian Gold Chulucanas 70

This single estate Criollo cacao from Chulucanas, a town in the Morropón Province within the Piura region of Peru, promised instant gratification with notes of plum and raisin

Willie's Cacao Peruvian chocolate is made from cocoa mass, cocoa butter & Cuban raw cane sugar

The aroma, like Willie's Peruvian Black (100% Chulucanas cacao), was juicy, sweet raisin and prunes with an earthy undertone. It reminded me of chocolate covered plums I used to eat from Poland when I was younger, my brother too said it reminded him of Polish (jam) pastries our mum would buy. The chocolate had an overlaying cranberry, alcohol/"urine" spiced aroma, of which seems a distinct attribute of Peruvian cacao

In the mouth the chocolate bursted with a grape acidity. After that initial crispness it softened to olive oil, rapidly surfacing a sweetness: balsamic vinegar, dark red fruit, a red wine, though still remained juicy and refreshing. A bitter cocoa was brief in the finish, with a tart cranberry, sweet wild berry and red wine dominating the finish of the chocolate. This is a heavy roast, but apart from that it's very juicy and luscious

The chocolate had a crisp snap and a long, beautiful, smooth melt. Peruvian cacao isn't so much "my style", but I did enjoy this chocolate. I feel passionately towards Willie's Cacao after watching his hit TV documentary, and I feel passionate towards Willie's Cacao's chocolate

Willie's Cacao El Blanco White Chocolate

White chocolate is notorious for its possession of heavy sugars, powerful vanilla and sickly taste: making one feel very guilty. But what about a white chocolate that ditches the vanilla and places sugar last on its ingredients list? Well, Willie's Cacao El Blanco white chocolate features only 3 ingredients: Venezuelan cacao butter, British milk and Guadeloupean raw cane sugar; "all in perfect harmony" says Willie

First thing that is noticed is the colour: the darker shade of cream and then the absence of vanilla in aroma! Usually white chocolate to the nose screams an excess of sugar and vanilla, but with Willie's it was different. It was a very soft, light, mellow aroma. But dig a little deeper and there was little nutty notes

*I tried this chocolate a second time round (almost a year later), and the aroma was of stale cigarette smoke and light vanilla*

The snap was hard. The chocolate had a light flavour, evident of there being no vanilla and definitely little sugar, but despite this there were subtle smoked tones which could be found in the aroma too. I found the predominant taste to be floral. The texture was extremely light on the tongue with an impressive long smooth melt leading to a little fragrant aftertaste

*However, my second bar's flavour was predominantly smoke and rubber but then once I got into it it became more delicate and very creamy, more like a white chocolate. This bar didn't specify the sugar's origin, unlike my first bar which was Guadeloupe*

With this white chocolate, because the cocoa butter is NONdeodorised, you discover what the Venezuelan Trinitario cacao butter really tastes like; it was an experience quite mesmerising. If you are a white chocolate fiend, I hate to say it but this chocolate make take some time getting used to... However, do try it!

One small detail that I was perplexed by was that at times the taste almost resembled a flavour similar to melted ice cream ... odd

Willie's Cacao Milk Of The Gods

Rio Caribe 44% - Trinitario cocoa beans

This single estate 25% cacao mass, from Hacienda San Agustin (near Rio Caribe) in Venezuela, is mixed with 19% cocoa butter from Barlovento, raw cane sugar from Guadeloupe and 21% British milk

It smelt quite dark and intense with a depth of earth and fruitiness, reminiscent of dark chocolate, yet it was very creamy and with custard. My second bar (17/03/15) had distinct tobacco smoke and malt

I loved the hard, rigid snap and bite and it being a single slab made it more personal. The flavour was seriously roasted, with a cocoa depth and slight bitterness. There was little acidity, light chilli spices were vocalising, and the raw cane sugar did not overpower the cacao; thus creating a rich chocolate flavour. The milk created a very creamy, cheese-like taste and I also thought of coconut macaroons/biscuits, nuts and wheat

The texture was slightly coarse in melt with a cooling feel. The toasted lingering taste made for a long, soft, warm finish

For a milk chocolate, this Milk Of The Gods is very expressive. Upon the chocolate, the calligraphic typeface of 'Fruitful' is consistent with Willie's Cacao's distinct branding. And now with more and more of us making more conscious decisions when it comes to our chocolate (percentage and now origin), I'm certain in the very near future Willie's will become a household name. Not that being so would lose credibility for the prestigious Willie's Cacao... think of it more as an enlightenment of the British public