We've got a new type of chocolate on this list: pink chocolate. We know about white, dark, and milk chocolate, but what is pink chocolate?

There have been only 3 types of chocolates since forever: milk chocolate, white chocolate, and dark chocolate. While everyone devours these chocolates, it wouldn't hurt to try something new? There's a new type of chocolate, and you'll be thrilled when we say that it's pink-colored chocolate!

You may assume that pink chocolate has been made using artificial colors and flavors, but would you believe if we tell you that pink chocolate gets its color from an extract obtained from ruby cocoa beans? Pink or the Ruby chocolate is a product of extensive research, and it's finally here!

It's not easy to wrap your head around the idea of pink-colored chocolate when all your life, all you've known was either brown or white-colored chocolates. Pink chocolate isn't just an idea, but it's a reality. While pink chocolate isn't yet available in the market for grabs, Kit Kat has already given you a taste of it with its pink variant some time back! It's just a matter of time now that you'll be able to try the new chocolate variety whose flavor has been told to be similar to fruity berry.

You might still not be sure what to expect from pink chocolate, but we've put together an account talking about what scientists say about pink chocolate, what it contains, and what to expect in terms of flavor and texture.

The Pink Storm

We're calling the introduction of pink chocolate a Pink Storm because it's all set to shake the global chocolate industry. Ruby chocolate was first made in 2017 by the chocolatier Barry Callebaut. The pink-hued chocolate is a patented product branded as the latest and the 4th type of chocolate after white, dark, and milk chocolates. It was first brought to market by Nestle in 2018 as the pink 'berry-good' Kit Kat in Japan.

Ever since the chocolatier first made their pink chocolate, they spent some time marketing their 'pink sensation' in Asia and Europe and finally introduced it in American and Canadian markets. You'll be surprised to know that the Ruby chocolate is the first-ever new flavor of chocolate introduced in the U.S. since its debut of chocolate in the 1930s. No wonder it was welcomed as a sensation.

Initially, FDA (Food and Drug Authority) didn't approve the status of Ruby chocolate as chocolate, so it was marketed as Ruby cacao or Ruby coverture, but now, Ruby chocolate has got the status of being the 4th type of chocolate!

What Gives Pink Chocolate its Pink Color?

Now, you may find it extremely hard to believe that a bar of chocolate that's pink in color doesn't have any artificial colors! Well, the secret to what gives this chocolate the pink due is closely guarded by the manufacturers; there are some speculations.

According to the chocolatier, the chocolate got its pink color from an extract from the pink ruby cocoa, that's a unique and rare type of cocoa bean only found in Brazil, Ecuador, and the Ivory Coast. They say this cocoa bean was left undiscovered and unutilized.

However, speculations suggest otherwise. Some insiders from the chocolate industry are set on their belief that Ruby chocolate is a product of regular cocoa, only that it has been left unfermented, which gives it the pink color. The regular brown chocolate is made using bitter cocoa beans from the cocoa tree. These beans are first dried and then fermented till they become edible. Brown chocolate has been made using this technique for as many as 4,000 years.

The cocoa that forms from this process is heated to form a liquor and cocoa butter and cocoa solids are separated. The cocoa butter and solids are then re-mixed in specific ratios. The more the cocoa solids in a chocolate composition, the more chocolatey the flavor will be. According to speculations, this isn't how pink chocolate is made.

The most we can tell about how pink chocolate gets it pink hue is from a patent that the chocolatier filed in 2009. According to the document's details, one can make cocoa-derived materials purple or red by simply minimizing the fermentation (3 or fewer days). The product is then treated with acid, and the fatty acids are removed by petroleum ether. If this process is closely followed, it's possible to create new hues which are otherwise lost in the extensive production process. Many companies file fancy patents, but not all of them are approved, are they?

We can never be sure about the exact recipe of Ruby chocolate unless the manufacturers decide to disclose it. Till then, let's just enjoy the fruitiness of the berry and the luxurious smoothness of the Ruby chocolate!

What is the Flavor Like of the Pink Chocolate?

Coming to the part that you might be most interested in. How does pink chocolate taste? Is it all sweet, bitter, or a combination of both? Well, it's nothing like you've ever tasted. The chocolatier describes the flavor of pink chocolate as similar to that of berry but something that's sour yet sweet. Some people who've tried this chocolate say that it lacks the traditional flavor of the cocoa that we're all so accustomed to. But then again, the flavor of traditional chocolate is a result of the processing method, and pink chocolate isn't made through that, which pretty much explains why it lacks the typical cocoa flavor.

Manufacturers say that pink chocolate is packed with berry fruitiness, and its texture is luxuriously smooth. But to know what pink chocolate really tastes like, one got to try it themselves!