Blake Eats: Rubies are Red and so is…Chocolate? Sweeten Up Your Valentine’s Day with this Adventurous Culinary Creation

Looking to elevate your chocolate game this Valentine’s Day? Might we suggest “ruby chocolate”? This avant-garde sweet is so named because of its fervent pink hue and has become somewhat of a phenomenon in the dessert world of late.

Ruby chocolate is widely regarded as a “fourth” kind of chocolate, but whether or not this confection is actually derived from a rare ruby cacao bean is a question that remains unanswered. No matter its composition, we at the Blake Beat decided to see if ruby chocolate was worth incorporating into your Valentine’s Day diet, and the feedback was mixed. 

We sampled three kinds of ruby chocolate products: ChocXO’s PB & Ruby cups, ChocXO’s Ruby Snaps snacking chocolate and Moonstruck Chocolate Co.’s Ruby Cocoa Almond Drops. Something to note is that we had to purchase all of these off of Amazon, as we could not find chocolatiers or stores that sold ruby chocolate nearby. 

The peanut butter and ruby cups are described by the company as cups made of “fruity ruby cacao surrounding luscious creamy peanut butter.” Our staffers felt that the cups were very peanut butter-forward, initially masking the unique qualities of the ruby chocolate and reminding them of the classic Reese’s peanut butter cups, but finished with a tart zing of sourness that really accentuated the salty peanut butter and cut through its richness. Junior Maame Darkwah described the cups as addictive, but was put off by the sudden flavor change and labeled the finish as “gross.” 

The ruby snaps are said to be infused with “crunchy quinoa” and “tart organic raspberry pieces” with a layer of ruby cacao chocolate to cover four separate fragments. Out of all the chocolates, the ruby snaps turned out to be everyone’s least favorite. Our staffers felt that the infused raspberry initially overpowered the taste of the chocolate and made the treat sour, but afterwards, the chocolate was made more apparent and left a strong aftertaste. Journalism and English teacher Jeffrey O’Toole expressed a bitter taste to the bar when trying it, and a few students even went so far as to compare the taste to a Nestlé Crunch bar, chocolate covered raisins or strawberry ice cream. 

Lastly, we tasted the chocolate-covered almonds. These were, by far, the most sophisticated of the treats. There were tart, floral notes characteristic of the ruby chocolate right off the bat. As you kept chewing, the brightness of the chocolate faded into the background as the earthy flavor of the almond was released, which balanced nicely the exciting overtones of the chocolate. To finish everything off, the umami of the almond combined with the chocolate and both melted in the mouth harmoniously. These shareable morsels were regarded as extremely enticing and mature in flavor profile, which could definitely add an extra touch of romanticism and class to your Valentine’s Day. 

Overall, ruby chocolate definitely has a distinct taste, and may not be for everyone. The trademark berry flavor could make non-chocolate lovers open to chocolate desserts or remind them of some of their other favorite confections. On the other hand, some may find the flavor too strong or too elaborate. Established chocoholics might fall anywhere on the spectrum. Ruby chocolate definitely plays well with other flavors and ingredients, though, and eating it is truly a fun and fresh experience.