An Indonesian Chocophile

Greeting everyone!

My name is Bong Willy, you can call me Willy or just Will.

I live with my family that work in micro scale garment industry. So, I'm a newbie to this gourmet food thing, especially chocolate (before knowing fine chocolate, just knew chocolate as a snack and in cheap confection). Oh, and also, pardon for my bad English, not having any formal course except from school.

When first met with Jeffry Lukito (TCL member too) and a pastry chef, named Markus Andrew, opened my mind about real chocolate (they using couverture term) and compound. Then, after tasted Valrhona, I realized that there is a different categories for chocolate, it is fine chocolate.

Not satisfied with the last meeting, I start looking about fine chocolate from internet. The more I learn, the more I don't know about this. Start with how to taste it, how it become from cacao plant into chocolate bar, the brief history and then, this community. My mind was blew with this information about fine chocolate and make me have this passion to jump in chocolate industry.

In my country, only people who have been live abroad (Europe, Australia, or USA) or have formal study in culinary school that have this passion about gourmet food, especially fine chocolate. So, I rarely have friend to discuss and share this passion. But, I see this as a good challenge for me.

Before I read Discover Chocolate, I've got plan to write a book about fine chocolate in Indonesian, so people will know this and get passionate about fine chocolate too.

The problem is, I don't have the needed experience and support yet, so it will take a long time for this plan to realize. Hope from this community, I will learn faster from another chocophile who have more experiences and knowledge.

Oh, not just write book about fine chocolate, I want to make my own bean-to-bar chocolate company too, so I can help local cacao farmer gain more living from their plant; arrange tour and travel to the chocolate maker country; educate people with tasting event.

Wow! There are so many home work to do, and hope my passion can keep me on track. Still not find the track though, so I start with learning from books and internet (thanks to Discover Chocolate that have book reference); improve my English so I can learn faster from this community and other site; learn French and other languages used in chocolate maker country; and the most important one, make some money first (not from chocolate industry yet), so I have the capability to travel around chocolate maker country and learn directly from the plantation to chocolate factory.

Well, that's about me, nice to know everyone. Hope we can meet someday.

Apa kabar, WIlly?

Welcome to The Chocolate Life. Where in Indonesia are you? I have a friend in Sumatra who is growing cacao and wants to start making chocolate there. There are also a few growers/sellers in Bali you could talk to.

Good luck! Selamat tinggal!

Wow! It's shocking me, for someone here greet me with Indonesian :p

I live in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. Are they member to this community too? I'm looking forward to meet them.

Thanks for your support, your Indonesian is good, have you been here before?

Hi Willy,

I'm new to Ubud, Bali - I'm making some raw chocolate & just starting with growing my own cacao plants.. Suki

Hi Suki,

Nice to know you. I've been spent my holiday at Bali in 2004, it's been a long time and I never go to Ubud though. And I just knew when I learn about chocolate recently, that Bali have cacao plantation too. Need saving money from now for go to Ubud, visiting your plantation. I have spent a lot money for chocolates and books about chocolate recently:-p

I don't get what is raw chocolate mean, can you explain it for me? Or, is there any discussion about raw chocolate here?

Regard,

Willy

Alas I'm a long way from nurturing a plantation! One day maybe.. Raw chocolate is working with the unprocessed, un-roasted bean, nibs, butter and powder. A superior health food! Big Tree farms has a revolutionary process here on Bali, currently offering the world's only guaranteed raw product. I'll start a raw group when I figure out how :)

Suki

Wow! I must see the process and taste it too, I can't imagine what the taste will be like, cause the fermentation process, in my knowledge so far, that take charge for the flavor development in cacao bean. But, isn't nibs, cocoa butter and powder need process from cacao bean, to make those form?

See your raw group soon,

Willy

Selamat malam Willy,

The fermentation is still done with "raw" cacao, it's just that the roasting step is left out, and some places like Big Tree try to control the fermentation process so that it never goes above 115 F/46 C. The taste is very different and much more "beany" or green than roasted chocolate. I saw "raw" in quotes because most "raw" cacao has gone well above the 115 F temp in fermentation unless it's extremely closely monitored.

Lightly processed chocolate can definitely have some benefits since it has higher levels of flavonoid antioxidants, but it's an acquired taste and there could be food born pathogen problems with it as well that hopefully the industry will soon resolve.

Selamat malam Nat. Oh, dan Selamat Natal juga

I see. So, if the cacao only fermented without roast, aren't they suppose to be like wine and cheese? I mean, those two products can be consume without any pathogen problems, rights? Is any research have done to look for any pathogen problems in this 'raw' chocolate?

The taste sure very different, but is it as delightful as the roasted one? It will be very popular if it taste the same delightful. Me myself, must taste them first, Big Tree in Ubud sure be on my chocolate travel destination list.