Chocolate lovers know of the classic trio: dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. But in 2017, the chocolate world got a surprise that looked almost too pretty to be real. Ruby chocolate is a naturally pink-hued chocolate that quickly became one of the most talked-about sweet innovations in years. Created by Barry Callebaut, one of the world’s biggest chocolate companies, ruby chocolate was introduced as the “fourth type of chocolate” after dark, milk, and white. And yes, its pink color is completely natural.
What Makes Ruby Chocolate So Special?
The first thing that makes ruby chocolate unforgettable is its stunning blush-pink shade. Its color comes from specially selected ruby cocoa beans, sourced from cocoa-growing regions like Brazil, Ecuador, and the Ivory Coast. These beans naturally contain compounds that can reveal pink-red pigments when processed in a very specific way. While the process is still a closely guarded secret, experts believe it involves minimal fermentation and carefully controlled acidity levels.
If you’re expecting ruby chocolate to taste like milk chocolate with food coloring, think again. Ruby chocolate has a flavor profile unlike any other chocolate variety. It has a gentle creaminess but with a bright fruity tang. It also boasts mild berry-like notes, with a sweet-and-sour finish.
A lot of people say that it tastes like raspberries mixed with white chocolate without any real fruit. That natural tartness is what makes ruby chocolate stand out. It feels lighter and fresher on the palate compared to the richness of dark chocolate or the sweetness of milk chocolate.
Is It Really The “Fourth Chocolate?”
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Not everyone in the chocolate world agrees that ruby deserves to sit beside dark, milk, and white chocolate as a completely new category. Some chocolate experts argue that ruby is more of a processing innovation than a truly new chocolate variety since cocoa beans naturally contain pink-violet pigments anyway.
Others say the unique flavour, colour, and processing method make it different enough to earn its place as a fourth category. Either way, ruby chocolate introduced something the industry hadn’t seen on a global scale before.
It Took Over A Decade To Create
Ruby chocolate wasn’t invented overnight. Barry Callebaut reportedly spent 13 years developing it, starting research in 2004 before officially launching it in 2017. The company worked to unlock the right bean characteristics and processing conditions to consistently create the signature pink color and fruity flavor naturally. That’s why ruby chocolate remains difficult to replicate.
Despite its unusual look, ruby chocolate behaves much like milk or white chocolate when melted and tempered. It is incredibly versatile for chocolate bars, truffles, cakes, cookies, and more. For people who thought they’d tasted every kind of chocolate, ruby feels like discovering chocolate all over again.
