'Ruby' the Fourth Chocolate frontier?

[DianaB]

I’m late to this news but have just seen film of the ‘private’ launch of Ruby chocolate in China that took place recently.  The Callebaut Rep was adamant that his samples were ‘bean to bar’ and that only 5 people in the world are aware of the source of the beans that produce Ruby chocolate and the production steps necessary.

 

Elsewhere on the web I found news that Nestlé is launching a Ruby coated KitKat in certain Eastern markets this Spring.  I didn’t know that Callebaut and Nestlé were linked, perhaps they aren’t but in which case I’m thinking the knowledge behind production of Ruby chocolate must have broadened from the original 5.  The Callebaut Rep likened discovery of Ruby chocolate to Newton discovering gravity...  

[Tri2Cook]

1 hour ago, DianaB said:

The Callebaut Rep likened discovery of Ruby chocolate to Newton discovering gravity...  

  

Marketer's gotta market, I suppose...

[Kerry Beal]

8 minutes ago, Tri2Cook said:

  

Marketer's gotta market, I suppose...

Yeah right - or using an old expiring patent before someone else does!

[DianaB]

Ruby KitKats to make their appearance in the UK:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/apr/10/a-rosy-future-nestle-launches-pink-kitkats-with-ruby-chocolate

 

 

[Rajala]

I've been eager to try this, but when I saw that they only sell it in 10 kb bags for now it's like, meeeh, how about no? Maybe they'll sell the 2.5 kilo bags they've been throwing around, when it's available in more countries.

[Kerry Beal]

I have tasted the Ruby chocolate!

 

I will leave you in suspense until this evening when I get home from the bakery show.

[cdh]

When you do tell us, make sure to let us know if they divulge a %cocoa solids or other info about the stuff... I'm interested to know if the ruby thing is a concentration of solids thing so it can only come in a very limited range of % or if it is a processing thing and you can get ruby from 30-80% like other chocolate types.

[Kerry Beal]

7 hours ago, cdh said:

When you do tell us, make sure to let us know if they divulge a %cocoa solids or other info about the stuff... I'm interested to know if the ruby thing is a concentration of solids thing so it can only come in a very limited range of % or if it is a processing thing and you can get ruby from 30-80% like other chocolate types.

Looks like it's a single formulation at this point - specs.

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

 

This is the single piece that I have for tasting.

 

Smell was only slightly chocolatey - more biscuit like, a bit fruity.

 

Taste - slightly sour, grain/cereal, again biscuity, and a bit fruity - leaning towards the yellow and dried fruits. 

 

Aftertaste - a bit sour 

 

I must say I didn't hate it - it doesn't taste like chocolate - but it is quite pleasant. I think I could enjoy playing with it to make some tasty things. 

 

 

[keychris]

It sounds like the formulation I tasted in January had a similar profile, I think. I wasn't very excited by it - slightly acidic, but fruity, the closest thing it tastes like to me is white chocolate with berries.

Not for me, I don't think - but I'm not in the target millenial market

[DianaB]

Ruby KitKats have been tracked down and eaten!  While this didn’t give us the opportunity to properly evaluate the taste of the chocolate I would second @Kerry Beal‘s impression.  A nice enough biscuit but I wouldn’t whip my cat across a field of broken glass to get hold of another (not that I need to, plenty of stock at Tesco)!

 

Apologies for the orientation of the photos, I couldn’t find a way to flip them in the time available....

 

 

[rotuts]

@DianaB

 

" Ruby Chocolate " is not in the list of ingredients  

 

its easier to see this way ;

 

 

but it also does not seem to indicate food coloring.

 

??

[DianaB]

Thanks for the rotate @rotuts,, it is my understanding that these KitKats are supposed to be made with Ruby choc:

https://www.nestle.co.uk/media/pressreleases/kitkat-ruby-arrives-in-the-uk

 

Fortnum and Mason appear to be selling bars of the product now:

https://www.fortnumandmason.com/t/categories/food-hall/ruby-chocolate?channel=ppc&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8sv3n6Tl2gIVTb7tCh0eGQybEAAYASAAEgLFIvD_BwE

[rotuts]

@DianaB

 

All Righty Then

 

for completeness :

 

 

Im wondering why they do not state this is

 

'Ruby'  ch9ocolate

 

skeptic as I am

 

thqabnks for your post.

[DianaB]

Package does state ‘Ruby cocoa beans’,  I’ll try to get hold of a bar from Fortnums and report further...

[keychris]

if you look at a regular KitKat, it won't say chocolate in the ingredients list either, I imagine. "Cocoa mass" is the pink ingredient in this case.

Edited May 2, 2018 by keychris
clarification of meaning (log)

[Kerry Beal]

"Four crispy wafer fingers covered in couverature chocolate (68%)"

[pastrygirl]

22 minutes ago, keychris said:

"Cocoa mass" is the pink ingredient in this case.

 

Cocoa mass is pretty far down the list.  I'm surprised that milk powders are the third ingredient.  There can't be more milk in the wafers than wheat flour, so is ruby actually a milk chocolate?  Or a milk chocolate for KitKat, at least?

[Kerry Beal]

18 minutes ago, pastrygirl said:

 

Cocoa mass is pretty far down the list.  I'm surprised that milk powders are the third ingredient.  There can't be more milk in the wafers than wheat flour, so is ruby actually a milk chocolate?  Or a milk chocolate for KitKat, at least?

47.3% cacao (29.5% cacao butter), 26.4% milk, which would leave 26.3% sugar. So it's a milk chocolate with a high percentage of fat. (35.9% of which 29.5 is cocoa butter and 5% milk fat) 

[pastrygirl]

17 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

47.3% cacao (29.5% cacao butter), 26.4% milk, which would leave 26.3% sugar. So it's a milk chocolate with a high percentage of fat. (35.9% of which 29.5 is cocoa butter and 5% milk fat) 

 

Ahhh, when I saw the 68% on the package, I thought that was the cacao %  (you know you're a chocolatier when ...)

 

So the kit kat is 32% crispy wafer fingers and 68% chocolate, which is 47% cacao milk chocolate?

Edited May 2, 2018 by pastrygirl (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Hard to say exactly how they are assigning ingredients - kind of looks like they are taking the whole thing - chocolate and filling - and breaking it down by highest to least percentage.

 

 

[rotuts]

so the cacao butter is Pink ?  ( Ruby sounds better than pink, but it looks pink to me )

[pastrygirl]

2 hours ago, rotuts said:

so the cacao butter is Pink ?  ( Ruby sounds better than pink, but it looks pink to me )

 

No, the cacao solids are pink rather than brown. Maybe it starts out more ruby colored before they add white milk and sugar that dilute the color. Cacao butter is off-white once separated from the rest of the bean. 

Edited May 2, 2018 by pastrygirl (log)

[Kerry Beal]

 

 

 

Have a look at these split cocoa beans - notice how purple some are vs others. I believe this is what was noted in some beans that had been exposed to acidity before roasting that led to the patent that resulted in Ruby chocolate. These pictures are from Soma when we toured at the 2016 workshop.

 

[tikidoc]

This stuff just does not sound delicious to me. Full disclosure, I love dark chocolate, I like a few milk chocolates but will always choose dark over milk, and the only things I think white chocolate is good for are fruit-flavored ganaches and decoration.