There’s a new (pink) choc on the block

WHEN it comes to satisfying a sweet tooth, we’ve only really ever had three choices of chocolate – dark, milk or white.

But for the first time since Nestle brought white into the mix 80 years ago, confectioners claim to have invented a fourth type – ruby.

Despite its lurid pink colour, it has not been dyed with additives and was naturally developed over 13 years from the ruby cocoa bean. The catch? It is said to taste so light and fruity you’ll find yourself quickly munching through more than is healthy.

Swiss creators Barry Callebaut hope ruby chocolate will be a ‘hedonistic’ hit with an Instagram generation obsessed with sharing snaps of their food. The world’s largest cocoa processor says it offers a ‘totally new taste experience’, neither bitter, milky nor sweet, but a ‘tension between berry-fruitiness and luscious smoothness’.

The chocolate, which was unveiled at an event in Shanghai this week, has already received the thumbs up from British taste-testers.

It is thought ruby chocolate could hit shops within six months and it is expected to be marketed as a pricey gourmet option. Barry Callebaut chief executive Antoine de Saint-Affrique said: ‘It’s natural, it’s colourful, it’s hedonistic, there’s an indulgence aspect to it, but it keeps the authenticity of chocolate.’