Ruby chocolate hit the scene this year as the first new natural colour of chocolate in over 80 years, since white chocolate was introduced by Nestlé. No extra flavours or artificial colouring is added to create the pink colour. Compared to other chocolate it has a slightly fruity flavour reminiscent of berries.

Source: Nestle

It took more than a decade for the world’s largest cocoa processing company, Barry Callebaut, to understand how to process this fourth chocolate type from ruby cacao beans. Previously, Nestlé struck a deal giving them exclusive rights for six months to the brand new product. They decided the world's first taste of this new product should be in Kit Kat form, giving us the ‘Sublime Ruby’ Kit Kat.

But now the six months is up and other companies have free reign to create new products with the elusive fourth chocolate.

The ANA Intercontinental Hotel have gone ruby chocolate obsessed and used lashings of their stuff for their ‘Chocolate Sensation’ campaign.

There’s a ruby chocolate afternoon tea available in the hotel’s Atrium Lounge that includes treats like raspberry and chocolate cake and chocolate marshmallows. The pink colour of all the desserts allow for a particularly striking presentation.

At their champagne bar, you can indulge in a chocolate dessert buffet, filled with sweets such as ruby chocolate mousse, mont blanc and pannacotta.

At the hotel’s French restaurant Pierre Gagnaire, they’ve prepared a Pink Ladies Lunch. The lunch course includes rose champagne and dishes based around the theme of pink. The main event is the ‘sphere ruby’, a chocolate bomb style dessert using, you guessed it, ruby chocolate.

Ruby chocolate is still enjoying its time as a luxury item, with just a few places offering a taste of the new substance. If you want to go all out when trying ruby chocolate, this chocolate campaign seems like a good chance.

More information including prices and time restrictions are available on the ANA Intercontinental Tokyo Website (Japanese only).


By - Jess.