Post by thesolution on Nov 26, 2016 9:58:50 GMT -5
Lake Effect Pumpkin Gingersnap
Lake Effect Pumpkin Gingersnap is labeled as "Pumpkin Ice Cream with Gingersnap cookies". Lake Effect crowns this as the king of their fall flavors, but after hearing how good this is from friends I was lucky to get a pint set aside for me. Being the biggest basic bitch you will ever find I love everything pumpkin. I have had numerous pumpkin ice creams (almost a dozen), so I am very eager to see how this stacks against some of my favorites. Turkey Hill, Handels, Talenti, Coldstone Pumpkin Cheesecake round off the list as some of my all time greats.
First of all, Lake Effect's premium ice cream is very thick and dense in nature. Unlike some Talenti flavors (gelatos that melt fast) or Ample Hills flavors that temper extremly quick, this is much harder in texture. While I do not mind that one bit, I find that it may be because of the higher buttermilk fat content. The flavor of the pumpkin gingersnap is very rich. Right away the pumpkin compliments of cinnamon and nutmeg are present. The clove and ginger in a pumpkin spice are very faint in an aftertaste. The pumpkin puree flavor is the real deal in this flavor. While a lot of other companies have things that really overpower each other either in spices or the pumpkin base this has a happy medium with almost everything besides the lacking clove and ginger. This has a great balance of pure pumpkin and pumpkin spices.
The gingersnap cookies in this are fantastic. These are extremely chewy, have a great texture, and are not rock hard like some mix-ins of cookies can be in other brands ice creams. How Lake Effect managed to keep them near fresh like they came out of a bakery even frozen is incredible. The pieces are not very large, but scattered and consistent from top to bottom in the pint. Nearly every spoonful had a few little chunks of gingersnap cookies which made the experience delightful.
If you were to ask me ranking the bases alone this is right up there with Handel's and Coldstone Pumpkin Cheesecake. Talenti falls a bit behind, and Turkey Hill came in last. The reason why Turkey Hill is so damn good is the graham cracker swirl could be one of the best swirls ever made in a seasonal ice cream. Something Talenti and Coldstone lack being pure bases. If you ask me Lake Effect would be a complete A with a graham cracker or marshmallow swirl. With just the cookies alone it is still a high quality grade. I really have no complains with how good the base is, and how many cookies there are, but I think there is a missing element that could make this just that much better.
Grade: B+
Found: Lake Effect Ice Cream
Buffalo, New York.
Lake Effect Pumpkin Gingersnap is labeled as "Pumpkin Ice Cream with Gingersnap cookies". Lake Effect crowns this as the king of their fall flavors, but after hearing how good this is from friends I was lucky to get a pint set aside for me. Being the biggest basic bitch you will ever find I love everything pumpkin. I have had numerous pumpkin ice creams (almost a dozen), so I am very eager to see how this stacks against some of my favorites. Turkey Hill, Handels, Talenti, Coldstone Pumpkin Cheesecake round off the list as some of my all time greats.
First of all, Lake Effect's premium ice cream is very thick and dense in nature. Unlike some Talenti flavors (gelatos that melt fast) or Ample Hills flavors that temper extremly quick, this is much harder in texture. While I do not mind that one bit, I find that it may be because of the higher buttermilk fat content. The flavor of the pumpkin gingersnap is very rich. Right away the pumpkin compliments of cinnamon and nutmeg are present. The clove and ginger in a pumpkin spice are very faint in an aftertaste. The pumpkin puree flavor is the real deal in this flavor. While a lot of other companies have things that really overpower each other either in spices or the pumpkin base this has a happy medium with almost everything besides the lacking clove and ginger. This has a great balance of pure pumpkin and pumpkin spices.
The gingersnap cookies in this are fantastic. These are extremely chewy, have a great texture, and are not rock hard like some mix-ins of cookies can be in other brands ice creams. How Lake Effect managed to keep them near fresh like they came out of a bakery even frozen is incredible. The pieces are not very large, but scattered and consistent from top to bottom in the pint. Nearly every spoonful had a few little chunks of gingersnap cookies which made the experience delightful.
If you were to ask me ranking the bases alone this is right up there with Handel's and Coldstone Pumpkin Cheesecake. Talenti falls a bit behind, and Turkey Hill came in last. The reason why Turkey Hill is so damn good is the graham cracker swirl could be one of the best swirls ever made in a seasonal ice cream. Something Talenti and Coldstone lack being pure bases. If you ask me Lake Effect would be a complete A with a graham cracker or marshmallow swirl. With just the cookies alone it is still a high quality grade. I really have no complains with how good the base is, and how many cookies there are, but I think there is a missing element that could make this just that much better.
Grade: B+
Found: Lake Effect Ice Cream
Buffalo, New York.