Drink a ruby, with the exquisite flavours of the world’s “fourth chocolate”.

In Japan, Valentine’s Day is celebrated with gifts of chocolate, and Starbucks is presenting us with one of the best gifts of the season: the Ruby Chocolat Symphony Frappuccino. This new drink is the second instalment in the chain’s two-part Valentine’s Day series, building upon the “chocolate symphony” theme introduced in the first round, which gave us not one but two Frappuccinos…

▼ …the Classic Chocolat Symphony…

▼ … and the Blonde Chocolat Symphony.

This time we’re being dazzled with beautiful pink hues, thanks to the addition of ruby chocolate powder, which gives the drink a ruby-like appearance and a characteristic fruity, berry-like tartness.

▼ Ruby chocolate is often referred to as the “fourth” chocolate after dark, milk and white chocolate.

The chocolate sauce and chocolate whipped cream on top is sprinkled with gold powder, accentuating the ruby shades and enhancing the bitter taste of cocoa and crunchy chocolate cookies in the body of the drink. The melt-in-the-mouth texture of the creamy elements is said to provide a memorable finale to the chain’s Valentine’s Day series, with Starbucks saying it hopes customers will enjoy “the symphony woven with a variety of chocolate flavours and textures”.

The new beverage will be available to purchase at Starbucks branches across Japan from 24 January, but members of the Starbucks Rewards loyalty program will be able to purchase the drink from 22 January, by using the “Mobile Order & Pay” option or presenting the code from the official app at the store checkout.

The Ruby Chocolat Symphony will be on the menu until 14 February, alongside the first two Valentine’s Day Frappuccinos. This makes it the perfect opportunity to enjoy all three symphonies, and the chain is rewarding Starbucks Rewards members who do so by giving them a free Valentine’s Day gift in the form of digital wallpapers.

▼ One of the wallpapers acts as a February calendar.

With Rewards members being showered with gifts, many customers will no doubt find themselves being seduced into registering for the loyalty program this Valentine’s Day. For the rest of us, we’ll have to wait to taste the ruby on 24 January, when it goes on general sale in a Tall size only, priced at 736 yen (US$4.72) for takeout or 750 yen for drink-in.

Source, images: Press release
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