Häagen-Dazs - TRIO - Ruby Cacao Crackle

TRIO - Ruby Cacao Crackle - Pistachio and Sweet Cream Ice Creams layered with Ruby Cacao Chocolate

Häagen-Dazs has new flavors for 2020 and they are making their way into grocery stores even in these interesting times.  The big release this year from them is their Heaven line of low calorie pints.  I usually don't review the low-cal flavors -- my theory being that dessert should be indulgent and if you don't want to indulge then have dessert less often.  The other new flavors are spread across their existing lines.  Today's flavor is a limited release from their TRIO line of pints and is called Ruby Cacao Crackle.  I bought it at the Hyvee in Eagan.  I have not seen it anywhere else since, but I imagine other places will have it soon.  The TRIO line feature layers of two types of ice cream layered with a third crunchy layer.  The two ice creams are sweet cream and pistachio and the crunchy layer is a new flavor for me: ruby chocolate. 

Ruby chocolate has only been around for a few years -- introduced in 2017 by the Barry Callebaut company.  They select special cacao beans and then process them in a proprietary way so that it comes out with a purplish red color.  The flavor is described as sweet and sour with  hit of berries, but I guess I can judge the flavor for myself soon!  Barry Callebaut is marketing this as the "fourth chocolate" -- the other three being dark, milk and white.  I don't know if this will get *that* big but it sure sounds interesting.

Let's dig in.  After removing the lid and peeling back the label, I can actually see all three layers.  Just a little bit of the ruby chocolate can be seen and I can see swirls of both sweet cream and pistachio.  The pistachio has a very faint color but I can see that it is different from the sweet cream.  Like most of the other TRIO pints, I have to dig my spoon in to cut through the crunchy layer -- the ruby chocolate.  Tasting it, the ruby chocolate is what I taste the most.  It is a very unique flavor.  It's a little bitter, like a dark chocolate often is, but the flavor itself is not like dark chocolate.  It has more of a tart or acidic taste to it.  I don't think it is love-at-first-bite for me, but it is an interesting new flavor.  Given this sharp flavor of the crunchy layer, I can see what the role of the sweet cream and pistachio will be here -- a soothing role which helps bring balance to the pint.  The flavor of the pistachio is as mild as the faint color implies, but it does help cleanse the palate while eating the chocolate.  Pistachio lovers should stick to their Pistachio flavor.

Ruby chocolate is an interesting new flavor and I'm glad that Häagen-Dazs has made this available even if it is a limited batch.  A TRIO flavor is a good choice to deliver this flavor.  You can try out the crunchy new chocolate and wash it down with the two bases.  My first impression of ruby chocolate is that it's a bit sharp but perhaps it is a flavor that you have to acquire.  I remember thinking the same thing about dark chocolate when I was a kid.  I will keep on the lookout for other ruby chocolate flavors.  Certainly, the choco-curious will want to check this out.