You are probably aware that PLAQ has a cult following for well-made chocolate. In all its forms.
Our pure darks, however intense they may be, are not enough to celebrate this limitless love. Other horizons remain to be explored to satisfy all palates and honor all occasions.
In the PLAQ family sold on rue du Nil, we demand milky pleasures. In the quest for the best dark milk chocolate, the Idukki cocoa bean naturally stood out. We tell you.
Idukki cocoa, from the bean to the PLAQ
Idukki is one of the Asian beans transformed into chocolate in the boutique factory PLAQ.
It is in Kerala, in the southwest of India, that this unique raw material is born. The state with a very humid climate, particularly fertile, is nicknamed “the garden of God itself”. The Idukki bean needed at least that much to reveal all its splendor.
The Go Ground Beans & Spices agricultural cooperative brings together 200 farmers in the hills of Idukki and guarantees the traceability of the beans. Cocoa plantations take root in the middle of the forest, in the middle of spice crops, surrounded by fruit trees and palm trees.
The result is a unique bean with fresh and spicy nuances, the result of a Forastero-Trinitario blend. In every way ideal for making dark chocolate with a cloud of milk such as PLAQ designs dark milk.
The cooperative has its own hydraulic press. This allows it to transform part of its production into cocoa butter and powder. Beyond the aromatic qualities of the Idukki bean, we are quickly attracted by the possibility of being able to buy cocoa butter - essential for the formulation of dark milk chocolate - from the same beans, directly from the producer. The promise? A rare cocoa butter whose aromas are preserved. Far from the usual deodorization processes but also from unclear origins.
Regularly out of stock, we supplement it at PLAQ with another equally aromatic, traceable and fair trade cocoa butter, originating from Haiti.
Idukki cocoa bean and butter are imported to Europe by our trusted partner Silva Cacao. The same supplier who supplies us with Kamili cocoa beans on a daily basis .
We are grateful to him for being able to let you and us taste the little miracle of the mixture between Idukki cocoa and a cloud of milk. In the service of taste.
What PLAQ likes about Idukki cocoa
Idukki cocoa shows aromatic affinities with Maya Mountain cocoa, PLAQ's great favorite.
Our tasting committee made up of Sandra and Nicolas, the co-founders of PLAQ, and Margherita, responsible for transforming the bean into chocolate, appreciates it above all for its softness and smoothness .
This is far from being its only characteristic. Its soft side is quickly struck by a certain freshness. Tips of spices, cardamom and pepper explode in flight. Completed at the end of the palate with notes of nuts and dried fruits.
At PLAQ, milk chocolate is not… a combination of fat and sugar! It is a proposal that bears the imprint of cocoa beans, more than 40%. There is only a little sugar and a simple cloud of milk. It therefore reveals very beautiful aromas. Undoubtedly reinforced by cocoa butter itself aromatic. For which we maintain the same standards as in everything we do. Because what would well-made chocolate be without precision?
Whether Idukki cocoa is accompanied by whole cow's milk powder, vegetable milk or praline... The impression in the mouth is initially gently tangy then caramelized and creamy.
Even if you are very dark, try the adventure. Believe us, it's worth the detour. It's a completely different experience than milk chocolates of the order of the known.
Idukki cocoa in the eye of PLAQ
Dark milk , it's simple, you PUT me on the milky side of the force. Breathtaking, clean, addictive. A unique taste of coming back.
To your PLAQ.
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Organic Idukki cocoa beans from Kerala India (46%), organic unrefined cane sugar from the state of São Paulo Brazil (28%), organic Idukki cocoa butter from India (12%), organic cow's milk powder (26 % fat) origin Pays de la Loire France (14%). Without lecithin.
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Idukki organic cocoa beans from Kerala India (34%), unrefined organic cane sugar from the state of São Paulo Brazil (25%), natural and traceable organic cocoa butter, origin varying according to harvest (13%), milk powder organic cow (26% fat) origin Pays de la Loire France (21%), coffee beans origin Huila Colombia (7%) roasted by bean. Without lecithin.
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Gran Nativo organic cocoa beans from Piura Peru (46%), organic unrefined cane sugar from the state of São Paulo Brazil (28%), organic blend cocoa butter from 4 origins (10%) (Ecuador, Peru, São Tomé , Dominican Republic), organic sheep's milk powder (38% fat) from Aveyron France (16%). Without Lecithin.
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Sandra Mielenhausen and Nicolas Rozier-Chabert founded PLAQ in 2015. Guided by their love of chocolate, they surrounded themselves with Chloé Doutre-Roussel, Bean to bar ambassador, to open their factory-boutique in the 2nd borough of Paris. Made on site in limited quantities, PLAQ chocolate is pure, from its ingredients to its packaging, including its taste. After their signature product, PLAQ, a slab of chocolate without a square, they now offer their know-how in bars, drinks, pastries, rocks and coated dried fruits. For chocolate lovers, chefs who reinvent gastronomy and all those who share the love of things well done.
