Indonesia vs Papua New Guinea cacao

Two large Pacific producers with the same defining risk — smoke taint from fire-dried beans — and different fine-flavour trajectories.

Side by side

	Indonesia	Papua New Guinea	Why it matters
Smoke taint	A recognised issue where wood-fired dryers vent through the beans, though the bulk trade tolerates it.	Historically the defining quality problem, and the focus of sustained improvement work.	Smoke taint is irreversible. Both origins' fine-flavour reputations depend almost entirely on solving it, which is a drying-equipment problem rather than an agronomic one.
Typical character	Earthy and low-acid, with tobacco and woody notes; Sulawesi dominates the volume.	More aromatic where Trinitario material is well handled, with fruit and a distinctive savoury depth.
Market position	Largely bulk, much of it processed domestically into powder and butter rather than exported as beans.	Smaller volume with a growing specialty segment, particularly from New Britain.
Fine-flavour availability	Improving but limited; Java and Bali lots are the ones to look for.	Better established in craft chocolate.

For an earthy low-acid profile, and where you want a bar from a smoke-free lot.

For a more aromatic Pacific profile, from makers who work with properly dried lots.

IndonesiaSet against Papua New Guinea, with the practical consequence of each difference.
Papua New GuineaSet against Indonesia, with the practical consequence of each difference.

ChocolateHQ editorial synthesis — ChocolateHQ(citation identity confirmed; passage not re-read)