Krakatoa is one of thousands of volcanic islands that makes up the nation of Indonesia in Southeast Asia. The 1883 eruption was cataclysmic, unleashing huge tsunamis which killed tens of thousands of people. According to Wikipedia, “The explosion is considered to be the loudest sound ever heard in modern history.” The LiveScience website says “Barographs around the globe documented that the shock waves [from the eruption] in the atmosphere circled the planet at least seven times.” That’s certainly quite a name to live up to!
This 63% bittersweet bar with lemongrass oil and cracked black pepper, aptly named after this volcanic island, is a “sleeping giant” in terms of flavor. At first, the black pepper wasn’t overwhelming to me, unless I isolated a peppercorn granule & chomped down on it, unleashing a warming explosion in my mouth. However, as I continued eating a couple more pieces, I realized that the black pepper had a long lasting/lingering after taste that was quite potent, but not unpleasantly so.
Each time I see this mold comprised of 8 topsy-turvy “tiles” adorned with a leaves and flowers, I think of a childhood block puzzle that was left unfinished.
Unwrapping the bar from the colorful Nepalese handmade paper outer wrapper and the plain wax paper like inner wrapper, you immediately smell the refreshing citrusy aroma of lemongrass oil. The chocolate itself has a creamy texture despite not having any dairy. I like to challenge myself to pinpoint tasting notes of the base chocolate; but this time, I couldn’t get past the primary lemongrass flavor. Even though I was a little disappointed not to find information about the country of origin for this chocolate on either the packaging or the website, after reading this fun interview from 2014, it sounds like owner Mindy Fong uses Guittard or Valhrona for her confections, so maybe a Madagascar origin bean could have been used?!
When you’re ready to take a flavor adventure to the Pacific Islands, check out: http://www.jadechocolates.com/