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Post by thesolution on Jun 25, 2016 9:27:35 GMT -5
Ample Hill's It Came From GowanusAmple Hill's It Came From Gowanus is labeled as ""Dark chocolate ice cream made with 72 percent Guittard chocolate and cocoa powder, hazelnut paste and gianduja covered crack cookies, dark-chocolate-brownies flavored with natural orange extract and a splash of Grand Marnier, white chocolate pearls." Judging by this description I do not know if my taste buds are ready. Multiple sources and reviews claim this as the top Ample Hills flavor ever created. We all know if you have followed my reviews just how good the Ample Hills dark chocolate base truly is. After Jeni's took the listeria hit I would have to claim AH as my top Chocolate base on the ice cream market. the crack cookies have been seen before in Salted Crack Caramel, and the brownies AH Brings to the table are quality. Lets see if this really claims the #1 spot on the Ample Hills lineup. The Guittard dark chocolate ice cream was impressively rich and reminded me of the old Jeni's Dark chocolate base. While most typical chocolate ice creams have a bland taste to them, this flavored tasted like an ultra-rich dark chocolate with a milk chocolate aftertaste. The premium chocolate ice cream is far from ultra dark, but has elements that resemble one of the best chocolate bases of all time in ice cream. How Ample Hills makes a very soft, creamy, and dense tasting premium ice cream is unique. While the flavor is strong it provides a great start to the pint. The crack cookies are a Ample Hills signature mix-in. The saltiness combined with the dark chocolate base gives you a decadent mixture. The saltiness of that crackers help enhance the bold dark chocolate flavor offered in this pint. The brownies were very soft and similar to the Greyston Bakery ones found in Ben & Jerry pints. The brownies had a great texture, were very chewy, and packed a ton of flavor. The orange extract was a mere aftertaste to the amount of chocolate going on in this pint. The white pearls were very hit or miss like my experience with the Dark Side. They make a small appearance, but not enough to truly get a lot of recognition. The brownies and the crack cookies steal the show. There are no words left after this pint. Easily the best pint offered on the Ample Hills lineup from start to finish. If you love chocolate this base could be scooped by itself. Combine brownies to a superb chocolate base and its like checking yourself into chocolate therapy. The saltiness and crunch of the crackers are the Ample Hills spotlight signature mix-in. The saltiness helps increase the flavor from the base and other elements thrown together in this offering. Why Ample Hills has just released this to order online is beyond me, but it better be here to stay. Grade: A+ Found: AmpleHills.com
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Post by thesolution on Jun 25, 2016 9:15:33 GMT -5
Ample Hill's The CommodoreAmple Hill's The Commodore is labeled as "salt honey base with clusters of chocolate covered potato chips and house made honeycomb candy. " The base may sound familiar to Sweet as Honey "sweet cream ice cream with pieces of homemade honeycomb candy". The major difference here is the salt honey base and added chocolate covered potato chips. Salt & Straw had one of their best flavors include chocolate covered potato chips, so lets see how this spin off Sweet as Honey holds in the lineup. If you have read my previous review about the house made honeycomb candy it is decadent. Coming from the taste of NY and exclusive flavors this one really peaks my interest. The salt honey base is different then the sweet cream base that was found in sweet as honey. Some people found the sweet as honey just simply too sweet, and to the point it downgraded the pint. What I really enjoy in the salt honey base is the added salt element. This helps enhance the flavor of the sweet honey, which is like picking fresh nectar from a bee hive. The flavor is so pure and sweet it is exactly what you would expect from Ample Hills. Ample Hills thrives off high quality and dense ice cream, this is another flavor that does not fall short of that. If I were to compare Sweet as Honey to Commodore, Commodore wins hands down. As I touch in most of my reviews with the mix-ins, Ample Hills is known for consistency. This pint is no exception as you get 70% mix-ins to 30% ice cream. At some points I was eating just pure chocolate covered potato chips and honey comb candy. The beauty of the mix-ins is they pack flavor, and the potato chips did not get soggy. Each potato chip has the crunchiness you would expect and a melt in your mouth milk chocolate coating. The honeycomb candy are 1" thick in diameter, hollow, but provide more crunch to go with the sweet base. Think about having a box of honey comb cereal but enriched with a honey coating. Both mix-ins were done to perfection and enhanced the salty and sweet flavored base. There is a reason why this is a Vanderbilt exclusive flavor and has been a top seller on the Ample Hills line. Sweet, salty, and savory you name it this pint delivers it. If you are a fan of honey comb cereal, sweet nectar honey, and chocolate or potato chips you will be in heaven. Easily a pint I could rescoop and never get sick of. This has to be one of my favorite flavors off the Ample Hills lineup. With one pint left in my collection of New York I cannot claim this my all-time favorite just yet! Grade: A Found: AmpleHills.com
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Post by thesolution on Jun 18, 2016 11:59:28 GMT -5
Ample Hills Hell’s Kitchen SinkAmple Hills Hell’s Kitchen Sink is labeled as " Dark chocolate Guinness ice cream with spiced brownies, brown butter cookie dough and toffee pieces." If you know Ample Hills they offer a to do for dark chocolate ice cream base. With the inclusion of booze this may be a turnoff to some people. Not everyone who enjoys ice cream is a drinker. What I am looking forward to are the brownies and toffee pieces. Both mix-ins which Ample Hills has been known to shine with. How well with this one stack up in the Taste of NY? I have only had a few booze based ice creams in the past, one being B&J New Belgium Salted Caramel Brown-ie Ale & Jeni's Rumball. While both flavors were top notch the booze did not phase me even as someone who never drinks. After a few scoops of the ice cream it is exactly what you expect. Ample Hills pure dark chocolate base which is packed with flavor and a small vibe of Guinness beer. It is so minimal it is nothing that will overpower the premium dark chocolate ice cream. For those who are not drinks do not fear picking up this pint if that is on the back of your mind. What really sticks out besides the fantastic base is the toffee pieces. Usually I am a bigger brownie fan, but the toffee pieces were flavorful, crunchy, and had a good size to them. The brownies were the next best mix-in this pint offered. While they are not top tier, they are still good and have a mild chili spice element added to them (hence the spiced brownie). The chewiness pairs perfectly with the dark chocolate base to enrich your experience with this pint. The cookie dough was very hit or miss, it is nothing like you would get from Handel's, or 2nd Street from top to bottom. Maybe it was just my pint, but this was really in favor of toffee and spiced brownies. All 3 mix-ins offered combine to give you a "Everything But The" Ben & Jerry's vibe since they pair very well with the dark chocolate base. This pint is what you would expect from Ample Hills with a small twist. Even with the added element of Guinness to the ice cream it did not skew my final ranking of this flavor. Toffee and Brownies stole the show when you rank the mix-ins offered in Hell's Kitchen Sink. The crunch, texture, and chewiness from the mix-ins form together and enhance this offering. While the cookie dough was lackluster it is a mix-in Ample Hills can improve on. This pint was much better than Floatin’ Over The High Line, but there could be small tweaks to make it one of Ample Hill's best flavors. Grade: B Found: AmpleHills.com
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Post by thesolution on Jun 18, 2016 10:53:37 GMT -5
Ample Hills Floatin’ Over The High LineAmple Hills Floatin’ Over The High Line is labeled as "Root beer ice cream made with Bubby’s root beer syrup, mini marshmallows and chocolate sprinkles." For never having a root beer ice cream in my life, I have a feeling this one will be an experience. Being a fan of rootbeer and rootbeer floats I have faith in Ample Hills to create a unique flavor. The inclusion of chocolate sprinkles does seem a bit off the wall. With all that said and done I am willing to give anything a chance once. Right away the root beer flavored base is dense. For those who love rootbeer this will be a hit. It offers exactly what you would expect from your favorite root beer flavored beverage. While root beer is made up from vanilla, cherry tree bark, wintergreen, molasses, anise, liquorice root, cinnamon, you do get a small hint of cinnamon in the aftertaste and a glimpse of carbonation like you would have in a canned soda. This was way different than your normal ice cream flavor, but something that was high on my priority list. I enjoy rootbeer do not get me wrong, but as ice cream just very different. The mix-ins were plentiful as you would expect from Ample Hills. There is easily over 3 dozen marshmallows from top to bottom included in this pint. The marshmallows are incredibly soft, and are similar to eating them right out of a plastic bag you would buy at the supermarket. They offer a sweet and luscious aftertaste to help enhance the root beer base. The chocolate sprinkles I could of done without to be honest. While they give you a hint of a birthday cake vibe, it really does not compliment root beer or marshmallows to a great degree. While they are good, they just do not go hand in hand with the overall combination. A unique twist of root beer flavored ice cream and mix-ins that fell short or a great execution. Ample Hills did a great job on nailing a root beer base, and for those who love root beer they will enjoy this greatly. The marshmallows I had 0 problems with as they were perfect. Super soft, great flavor, and give you a root beer float kind of vibe as you venture through this offering. The sprinkles were just there, even though they did not really enhance this pint. While it was nice to try a limited edition flavor in the taste of new york, I will be looking forward to the other flavors that were included. Grade: C+ Found: AmpleHills.Com
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Post by thesolution on Jun 11, 2016 12:40:56 GMT -5
Salt & Straw CinnatopiaSalt & Straw Cinnatopia is labeled as "Cinnamon roll, cinnamon gaweyness with ribbons of frosting! – bits of cinnamon roll and cinnamon and sugar and vanila ice cream and ribbons of frosting". In other words a cinnamon lovers paradise. If you love cinnamon roll's this seems like a knockoff of Ben & Jerry's Cinnamon Buns. The one thing we do know is that Salt & Straw is known for their quality ice cream and consistent mix ins. How well will this stack to the other cinnamon based flavors on the market? The description states the ice cream is a vanilla base, but frankly after a few bites you do not even realize this. Due to the richness of all the cinnamon elements you would swear this is a cinnamon ice cream base. Even the color of the ice cream looks similar to the cinnamon snickerdoodle flavor. The addition of cinnamon and sugar to this pint really takes that vanilla to another level. Think about the richest cinnamon baked good you had, and then replicate that into ice cream. Salt & Straw hit a home run on this one. Easily the best vanilla/cinnamon base you could ever try on the market. I would rank this above Cinnamon Snickerdoodle even though it is labeled a vanilla ice cream. Onto the mix-ins for Cinnatopia. After a few bites you get actual chunks of cinnamon rolls. Not shards, not small little pieces, but actual chunks very similar in size to Graeter's signature chocolate chips. Not only are they consistent from top to bottom, but provide that gooey and fresh baked taste even frozen inside an ice cream. The flavor of the dough is top notch like it is fresh from a bakery with a hint of butter glaze in the aftertaste. The one compliment that is overshadowed is the cream cheese swirl. While it is small and easily recognized this pint is very cinnamon heavy. The amount of cream cheese added is like the fresh frosting placed on top of a cinnamon roll. Job well done Salt & Straw. Legit chunks of cinnamon roll's, a luscious cream cheese swirl, and one of the best ice cream bases found for a cinnamon roll flavor. This is the easiest way to dictate Salt and Straw Cinnatopia. If you ask me this takes the cake over Ben & Jerry's Cinnamon Buns with ease. If they made this flavor a permanent flavor it would sell like hotcakes. The combination of cinnamon roll elements, the fresh dough of a baked good, and the glaze of cream cheese binds well to make one of Salt & Straw's best offerings. Grade: A+ Found: www.saltandstraw.com
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Post by thesolution on Jun 4, 2016 10:56:08 GMT -5
Salt & Straw Wildflower Honey w/ Ricotta Walnut Lace CookiesSalt & Straw Wildflower Honey w/ Ricotta Walnut Lace Cookies is a May limited edition flavor from Salt & Straw. Honey is folded into ice cream and it’s almost a tea-like steeping effect–a beautiful bloom of honey ice cream. Crumbles of lemony ricotta walnut lace cookies add a little bit of zest and snap and nuttiness to the experience. We love Bee Local honey because it tastes like everything delicious in Oregon. Bee Local does a ton of education, community support, and direct trade, and they harvest their honey just south of Portland near the wine vineyards. For those who like very sweet honey ice cream this will be a home run. This was very similar to the base to Sweet as Honey from Ample Hills. Vanilla based ice cream overpowered by the rich Oregon bee honey extracted and applied throughout the base. The pure flavor of the honey was absolutely fantastic. Think about getting a bottle of bee honey and throwing it into your favorite vanilla ice cream. With how rich this ice cream is, it may not be for all sweet tooth outs there, but I personally loved it. The ricotta is unique as it binds into the base to provides a creamier and richer flavor. I have never had a walnut lace cookie before, but after digging into this salt and straw experience I need to start investing in them. That crunchy caramel texture of the cookie breaks up a mouthful of smooth ice cream in the most heavenly way possible. You get vibes of brown sugar, rich butter, and corn syrup throughout the flavor of the cookie. The cookies reminded me of the size of Graeter's Chocolate Chips spread throughout the top and bottom. As I continue to preach in my reviews Salt & Staw's consistency with their mix-ins make them stand out from the ice cream pack. Large chunks walnut lace cookies meet a very sweet ice cream . The base personally is very enjoyable. Many were turned away from Ample Hills Sweet as Honey because of the richness it provided. Oregon extracted bee honey laced into fatnastic vanilla ricotta ice cream packs a dense amount of flavor in each spoonful. The cookies were decadent and gave this a perfect compliment. For being frozen into an ice cream the quality of the cookies tasted like they were still fresh from a bakery. For a flavor I did not order I came away a happy camper. If you love sweet and salty combinations this is a pint you will not want to miss in Salt & Straw's May's offerings. Grade: A- Found: SaltandStraw.com
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Post by thesolution on Jun 4, 2016 10:21:01 GMT -5
Salt & Straw Sea Salt with Caramel RibbonsSalt & Straw Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons is labeled " Fleur de Sel, which is made in Guatemala from salt pans that are famed for supplying the Mayan Empire at the height of its power. We’ve topped it off by ribboning in hand-burned caramel that we make in house!" A very interesting twist on a Sea Salt & Caramel pint from Salt & Straw. As anyone knows who has ever had S&S they take pride in their quality and uniqueness when it comes to crafting ice cream. How much will this differ from the other Sea Salt Caramel's offered on the market? Some of my favorites include: Talenti, 7/11, and 2nd Street. For the base the salt in the Sea Salt ice cream is from an internationally renowned salt shop also located in Portland. Their caramel is hand-burned and every flavor has a story about the locality of the ingredients chosen. The quality of the vanilla ice cream with enhanced salt is over the top. Think about a pure and luscious vanilla ice cream that has an added kick from the fresh made sea salt. Words can't describe how something so basic provides such a high quality taste. The main inclusion with this pint is the caramel ribbons. The hand burnt caramel is made in house at Salt & Straw. The slight inclusion of the burnt caramel gave me an Ample Hills vibe with Salted Crack Caramel. The caramel is not sweet and rich like a typical sea salt caramel. This burnt addition provides a burnt sugar addition that gives it a great kick and provides incredible flavor. The amount of swirl is surmounted throughout the ice cream from the top to the bottom of the pint. Salt & Straw is no stranger to great consistency through their pints. This review is short and simple because Salt and Straw kept a basic concept and executed it well. With an over the top sea salt vanilla ice cream they implemented dense in house caramel swirls. For those who enjoy caramel this will be a hit. There is nothing that really sticks out besides high quality ice cream and thick swirls. The difference from other Sea Salt Caramel ice creams include truffles, or other chocolate mix-ins. For those who are huge mix-in fans and enjoy variety 2nd Street would be my pick, but it is not longer made. You cannot go wrong with 7/11 or Talenti because of the thick chocolate truffle inclusions. If you are a looking for a basic and delicious sea salt caramel Salt and Straw gets the job done. Grade: B - Found: SaltandStraw.com
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Post by thesolution on May 28, 2016 13:26:12 GMT -5
Salt & Straw Triple Chocolate Cheerio ChimpSalt & Straw Triple Chocolate Cheerio Chimp is labeled as "Delicious Dark chocolate covered bananas, with Milk chocolate chips, added in are crunchy cheerios, and lastly is silky smooth chocolate ice cream". The Triple chocolate comes from the milk chocolate base, dark chocolate covered banana's, and milk chocolate chips. There is plenty of chocolate going on here with a chocolate swirl to give this an enhanced chocolate twist. The added texture and crunch from the cheerios will be a great one two compliment with the amount of chocolate featured in this offering. How good does this one stack up on the April order of Salt & Straw? Just like the last pint I had of complement crunch the chocolate base is not very different. Similar to Chocolate brownie its a very dark, rich, and dense milk chocolate. As stated it does not match the old Jeni's chocolate base, but it is a top tier chocolate on the ice cream market. Salt & Straw is known for top notch quality and thick ice cream similar to custard in texture. If you are a chocolate fan, Salt & Straw is a must try. There base gets a good rating. Due to the amount of chocolate combined into this pint all chocolate lovers will be rejoicing. The chocolate covered banana's are exactly as you would expect. A dark chocolate element combined with ripe, fresh, and delicious bananas. The only downside is the amount packed into this pint which is minimal. I was lucky to get 3 pieces of chocolate covered bananas. When I did get them, they were done very well and tasted excellent. The cheerios were loaded from top to bottom as the consistency in S&S Pints are stellar. The cheerios only downfall is they contain a soggy aftertaste. Not fresh out of a cereal box, but taste like they were sitting milk for 5-10 minutes. It will be hard to keep the quality fresh after being frozen in ice cream which takes off some points. The chocolate swirl is elegant. The amount of flavor it brings is similar to eating fudge or brownie batter. It tasted like eating the center core of B&J's Brownie Batter core. Overall this is a good pint, not a top tier S&S flavor, but still very enjoyable. Being a chocolate fan I would easily consider this one in the future if the quality of the cheerios could be brought up. The base if you ever tried S&S is superb. The dark chocolate banana's were the highlight of this pint, but the only problem was the amount. The dark chocolate swirl bonded well with the milk chocolate base to add a different chocolate element. The combination of chocolate flavors flowed together and enhanced the chocolate presence. While this may seem unique with the combination of mix-ins the quality could of been upgraded. With that said this is a good offering, but not the best from the April order of Salt & Straw. Grade: B Found: Saltandstraw.com
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Post by thesolution on May 28, 2016 10:32:15 GMT -5
Salt & Straw Complement CrunchSalt & Straw Complement Crunch is labeled as " Chocolate ice cream, rainbow sprinkles, rice crispy treat chunks and graham crackers." Salt and Straw for the month of April decided to let younger kids pick their flavors and mix-ins. Salt & Straw has had a lot of chocolate ice creams in the past and have been good. The inclusion of sprinkles, rice crispy treats, and graham crackers will make this pint interesting. Now how well will all of this mesh together? Mix-ins can be good, but when they do not compliment each other it can be hit or miss. First thing is first Salt & Straw's Chocolate base is great, but not the best I have ever had. It is a flavor that screams milk chocolate and has a very bold flavor. The density of the ice cream is very thick and almost resembles custard in texture. With how pure the chocolate is, the base itself is something to really enjoy. You should not get sick of this ice cream if you are a true milk chocolate lover. The only other chocolate base I would rank above this is Jeni's Chocolate before the listeria craze. Complement Crunch features a lot of mix-ins. The rainbow sprinkles do not offer much to this pint because of how luscious the chocolate base is in flavor. It is honestly a mere aftertaste with the combination provided in this ice cream. The rice crispy treat chunks was a huge resemblance of the light side or snap mallow pop from Ample Hills. Salt & Straw takes this childhood classic and puts thick, soft, and chewy chunks into a delicious chocolate base. Lastly the graham cracker pieces are nice shards consistent from top to bottom in the ice cream. The graham cracker pieces have a slight cinnamon after taste to them. The graham crackers are dense and provide a perfect "Complement Crunch" pun intended to this offering. Overall the mix-ins were something not seen often on the ice cream market. When combined together did a great job with a top notch premium milk chocolate ice cream. Besides the sprinkles not providing much in this pint they were still noticeable. The graham crackers and rice crispy chunks were the steal of this show. For those who enjoy childhood treats like rice crispy treats and cinnamon graham cracker you will wish you got this in your April order. Salt and Straw did a good job with this one and combining a unique twist of random mix-ins. Credit the kiddo's for creating this unique flavor. Grade: B+ Found: SaltandStraw.com
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Post by thesolution on May 11, 2016 16:44:47 GMT -5
Ample Hills Peanut Butter 4 President Ample Hills Peanut Butter 4 President is labeled as "Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Ice cream with peanut butter chocolate ooey gooey butter cake." If you have ever had Ooey Gooey Butter cake you know just how rich that mix-in truly is. The cake pieces are butter-enriched yellow cake that pack an incredibly dense flavor to enhance the ice cream. Lets combine peanut butter into the base, and peanut butter cake pieces and see just how good this flavor will be. Seeing it won the flavor war that was held on Ample Hills website next to Breakfast Trash this has to be destined for greatness. Peanut Butter Cream cheese ice cream. It is not everyday you find this in an ice cream. After a few spoonfuls of the base the cream cheese is heavily masked. You are presented with a bold, rich, and creamy peanut butter base. The PB presenceis so strong that the cream cheese is a mere shadow of flavor. If you would of just said this was peanut butter ice cream I would of agreed. With how minimal the cream cheese was its no surprise it was nothing but an aftertaste. While a bit misleading in the title it is still one of Ample Hills best ice cream bases they offer. Hopefully we see more of it in the future. The peanut butter chocolate ooey gooey butter cake mix-ins were simply incredible. Do you like chocolate and peanut butter cake? If you do that is basically what you are eating half of the time. The amount of mix-ins are packed from brim to last bite. The cake pieces have a dual layer of chocolate and peanut butter to give them a dual element. The chocolate layer packs a brownie batter and fudge flavor that compliments the peanut butter layer well. The combination of rich chocolate and dense peanut butter just take this pint over the edge. Not only are the mix-ins melt in your mouth, but the richness of the cake is what elevates this pint to greatness. With how much I love Peanut butter, chocolate, and cake this pint is everything I expected it to be. The bold, creamy, and luscious peanut butter base is loaded with flavor. With the cream cheese name attached to the peanut butter base it was nothing more than a small aftertaste. The cake pieces were the steal of the show in this pint. A dual layered ooey gooey yellow cake layered with chocolate and peanut butter. The chocolate was a combo of fudge and brownie batter. The peanut butter layer was a replica of a buckeye filling with a semi-sweet peanut butter flavor. For peanut butter fans if you did not grab at least 2 pints of this you missed out! Grade: A Found: AmpleHills.com
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Post by thesolution on May 8, 2016 11:21:58 GMT -5
Ample Hills A Night At The MoviesAmple Hills A Night At The Movies is labeled as " Popcorn ice cream with classic movie theatre candies: Whoppers, M&M's, and Sno-Caps." Ample Hills knows how to do limited edition flavors. Not only are they unique, they like to diversify mix-ins and interesting ice cream bases. I am not a big butter fan or sno-cap guy in general, but I am always willing to try something. With all of my positive experiences in the past of Ample Hills I hope we find a fancy flavor that strikes gold. First off the initial taste test of the base is far from popcorn ice cream. The name is highly misleading to a large degree. In my opinion this is a glorified vanilla ice cream with a minimal butter after taste. I was hoping to see a salty and savory combination from the popcorn. In essence this never really happened which has to lower the overall grade of this ice cream. While it is not bad, it is not what the label states. Ample Hills need to go back to the drawing board on a popcorn flavored ice cream. Mix-ins wise this is where Ample Hills can really shine. AH is known for consistency and loading pints from top to bottom. Whoppers? M&M's? Sno-Caps? My inner fat kid is getting very excited. From first bite you are laced with lots of crushed up candy. Think about the times you would spend minutes glazing over the candy selection at your favorite movie theater. Ample Hills decided to throw them all together in a simple ice cream base to help them shine. Plentiful pieces of M&Ms shined above everything else. Whoppers were hit or miss, and the sno-caps I really could not even tell they were in there. Do you like candy? If you do then this limited edition pint has your name all over it. The popcorn base was far from being true to its name. The amount of butter was minimal in this offering. Which lead me to conclude it tasted close to a vanilla based ice cream. The inclusion of salt was a huge swing and miss from first to last bite. The amount of mix-ins helped this pint, but can't give it an A grade on its own. If you love candy and enjoy mix-ins this has a place in your heart. Good, but not great, Ample Hills could do a bit more work on this one. Grade: B- Found: AmpleHills.com
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Post by thesolution on Apr 28, 2016 10:34:52 GMT -5
Ben & Jerry's Pecan Sticky Buns Ben & Jerry's Pecan Sticky Buns is labeled as "Buttery brown sugar ice cream with pecans, sticky bun dough and a cream cheese frosting swirl". For many who experience the Ben & Jerry's line may think this is a spin off of Cinnamon Buns. While a lot of the aspects are indeed similar there are some slight modifications. The Buttery Brown Sugar ice cream has been seen in Rockin Blondies or Blondie Ambition, but has never got great reviews. Lets see if the small mix-in inclusions could change the outcome of this flavor. Right away digging into my first bite the base is great. The butter brown sugar ice cream is more of a buttery cinnamon flavor. The base started to remind me of the dough from a fresh cinnamon bun with a brown sugar aftertaste. Doughy, rich, and dense in flavor this base makes a great start to the flavor. As I continued to dig deeper into this pint is where the mix-ins really took over. The pecans are a stand out from the top to the very last bite in this seasonal offering. These pecan's are not little chunks, they are full size chunks you would get from a bulk section in the grocery store. The pecans have a candied aftertaste which enhances the offering even more. The sticky bun dough is exactly as you would expect. Think about eating little globs of snicker doodle cookie dough from scratch. Combined with the brown sugar base these two elements go hand in hand. As I continued to dig down the pint I was searching for this cream cheese swirl. The more I looked, the more I gave up because it was no where to be seen. Given the massive amount of pecans and sticky bun dough, every spoonful of Ben & Jerry’s Pecan Sticky Buns is going to leave a taste to be remembered. Besides the lack luster cream cheese swirl, Ben & Jerry's made a good seasonal flavor. The base is overpowered by the mix-ins offered in the pint. In regards to comparing this to Cinnamon Buns the caramel base wins. Combine the improved base in cinnamon buns and the cinnamon streusel swirl that flavor gets the upper hand. Thick Pecans and Sticky bun dough (a mix-in that needs to be used more often) were great additions to the brown butter base, but not enough ammo to win the war. Grade: B Found: Walmart Erie, Pennsylvania
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Post by thesolution on Apr 14, 2016 16:09:35 GMT -5
Salt & Straw Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache
Salt & Straw Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache is Salt & Straw's Grandma Malek's Almond Brittle recipe to the next level with our own house-made, perfectly soft, chocolatey ganache. For those who have never had almond brittle it is basically sugar, corn syrup, butter, and crushed up almonds. This recipe is then baked and made into a very hard bark. Somehow Salt & Straw took a homemade chocolate ganache and combined the almond brittle element into ice cream. Being it is a vanilla ice cream base the mix-ins will really enhance the overall flavor of this pint. The vanilla base in Salt & Straw is fantastic. I would be hard pressed to tell you its not one of the elite on the ice cream market. Sweet, packed full of flavor, and has a luscious sugary aftertaste. Everything you could want in a good vanilla ice cream. While many are bland and don't pack quality flavor, Salt & Straw won't shortchange you when it comes to that. The amount of flavor from the mix-ins did not take away from the base experience itself. The almond brittle you can tell is very high quality. Not only are the chunks Graeter's signature chocolate chip in size, but are loaded with flavor. For those who have never had peanut brittle or almond brittle you are in for a surprise. Thinking this is ice cream you would imagine it would be rock hard. Wrong. Salt and Straw found a way to keep the buttery, sugary, and delicious almond brittle to not break your jaw. Each bite was delicious and had the perfect element to compliment the outstanding base. Combine the rich chocolate ganache and you had a sweet, savory, and salty combination. The chocolate ganache had an everlasting flavor of dark chocolate fudge. This pint was win from the very first scoop. Breaching the top of the pint was a 1" shard of almond brittle, soon to be followed by loads more. The consistency of the mix-ins from salt & straw in all 5 pints I ordered were on point. Packed to the brim and were there to the very last bite. The amount of flavor in each and every bite of this offering made it incredibly enjoyable. Not only was the vanilla base great, everything else just followed suit to form a masterpiece. Grade: A+ Found: SaltandStraw.com
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Post by thesolution on Apr 14, 2016 15:57:39 GMT -5
Salt & Straw Chocolate Gooey BrownieSalt & Straw Chocolate Gooey Brownie is labeled as "We’ve teamed up with Portland’s Holy Kakow Chocolates to make a base that is straight forward and chocolatey. Our house-baked brownies have marshmallow fluff folded in to keep them extra gooey." There is nothing off the wall with this flavor but the basic chocolate base and brownie inclusion. The question is how well did Salt & Straw execute a basic flavor? Time will tell. The Chocolate base is a straight forward milk chocolate ice cream. The quality and density of the ice cream pack a punch. The flavor is exactly what you would expect with a premium chocolate flavor that melts in your mouth. While this may not be the best chocolate I have experienced in my time its damn good. The chocolate base alone would rank up there with Jeni's, Graeter's, and Handel's. Onto the brownies. The house baked brownies are easily noted as you dig into this pint. Right off the bat I had a huge chunk laying right on the surface of my pint. With ease i dug right in to a delicious, soft, and gooey brownie. The texture reminded of of greyston brownies found in Ben & Jerry's pints. The taste and flavor is what separated this from its competition. The marshmallow fluff labeled that is folded into the brownies was not really noted. Just tasted like fresh baked brownies coming out of the oven, and best of all as soft as can be. Chocolate and brownie loves rejoice. This screams your name all over it for those who are chocoholics. Personally I would of enjoyed a sweet vanilla ice cream base to really separate the flavor of the brownies. The chocolate base was great, and the brownies were spectacular. You can't complain on the quality Salt & Straw brings to the table. I personally would of enjoyed a chocolate fudge swirl (like frosting for a brownie) or a vanilla base to really enhance the flavor of the brownies. Good, but Salt & Straw offers better flavors. Grade: B - Found: Saltandstraw.com
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Post by thesolution on Apr 14, 2016 15:02:52 GMT -5
Salt and Straw Pots of Gold and RainbowsFrom Salt & Straw's Website: A technicolor flavor trip to days past where Saturday morning cartoons blaze in the background as you pour yourself a fresh bowl of Lucky Charms. After meticulously sorting hundreds of pounds of lucky marshmallow “charms” from their less lucky whole grain counterparts, we steep the cereal in cream overnight to get that yummy cereal base. Then, we stir the mallows back in so they can bask in the greatness that is this ice cream! The base of this ice cream seemed to be a marshmallow base. After a few bites it really reminded me of drinking the milk after a bowl of cereal. It did have a luscious marshmallow flavor, but not overpowering to the point it is too sweet. The base did not give me the full toasted marshmallow flavor like I found in wegmans, but had the sweet vanilla flavor like found in Graeter's. it was really hard to truly pinpoint this base, but they did a great job not making it too strong, nor too weak. It found the happy medium for a sweet cream taste and a very rich vanilla. What is Pots of Gold and Rainbows known for? Lucky Charms cereal. That is right, you literally got chunks of lucky charms marshmallows in each and every bite. Enjoy the blue rainbows in lucky charms? I got about 6 of them through this pint. The additional color of the rainbows and the marshmallows were scattered throughout this experience really enhancing this for those who love very sweet desserts. Salt & Straw kept the mix-ins simple, but did them great. Its amazing how they are super soft like they were soaking in milk for a few minutes. Like Lucky Charms? Enjoying drinking the milk in your cereal after you are finished eating it? Then guess what this is made for you. Too bad this flavor was only around as a March exclusive to Salt & Straw. Many may argue their favorite cereal of all-time, but its hard pressed to find a company who can duplicate that into an ice cream. My only gripe would be a small sugary swirl to really take this one over the edge, but it was fantastic, I was Grade: B Found: SaltandStraw.com
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Post by thesolution on Apr 14, 2016 14:53:25 GMT -5
Salt & Straw Salted Caramel CupcakeSalt & Straw Salted Caramel Cupcake is labeled as "Sweet Cream ice cream with chunks of cupcakes". Labeled on Salt & Straw's website is the following: An ode’ to that old time fave, a scoop of this ice cream is salty and sweet, packed full of soggy, crumbly, mushed up cupcake bottoms and hand fulls of indulgently frosted cupcake tops. If you know me, I have a vicious sweet tooth. Lets see how well they pull this flavor together. Sweet Cream ice cream is a flavor that should be utilized more in the ice cream market. Sweet cream ice cream in Salted caramel Cupcake tasted like an enhanced vanilla. The only thing about the base in this pint was that it was way overpowered by the amount of cup cake mix ins. After breaching the base the mix-ins really took over. The Sweet cream did provide a quality base, and was improved over some of the others I have had in the past (Ben & Jerry's and Coldstone). The chunks of cupcakes is being kind. I think I ate 2 full cupcakes after it was all said and done with this pint. Some of the cupcake chunks were close to an inch in diameter that is how thick they were. Each bite was soft, and melted in your mouth. There were dark brown and light brown pieces that signified the frosting and cupcake base. Each one packed a ton of flavor, the cupcakes pieces were so moist it was hard to image they were frozen in ice cream. the chocolate base had a great milk chocolate flavor with a buttercream frosting that was superb. There is not too much else to say about this pint but it was epic from start to finish. If you love cupcakes you will be upset you missed out on this experience. The base is good, but its hard to really gauge due to how many mix-ins you really get. The frosting and cupcake chunks really pack a thick buttercream and chocolate flavor to the sweet cream base. Not only do you get mix-ins packed to the brim and your very last bite, you virtually eat a few of them in a pint of ice cream. For someone who has a vicious sweet tooth I was in heaven. Grade: A Found: SaltandStraw.com
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Post by thesolution on Apr 14, 2016 14:37:11 GMT -5
Salt & Straw Cinnamon SnickerDoodleSalt & Straw Cinnamon SnickerDoodle is labeled as "A mix of both doughy snicker doodle cookies and spicy cinnamon ice cream." The cinnamon is rich and aromatic because they grind the cinnamon into powder in small batches, using a slower machine; ensuring the cinnamon keeps all of its amazing flavors! Salt & Straw bakes all of the snicker doodle cookies in our kitchen in SE Portland. This house recipe is extra delicious because it is salty, doughy, and slightly acidic. Digging into my first ever Salt & Straw experience was a good one. This is not a cinnamon that is too overpowering like Gelato Fiasco. Even though this is labeled "Spicy Cinnamon" that is a far stretch. The balance of the cinnamon in the ice cream is ideal. Not too strong, nor too weak. The dense ice cream is packed with fresh ground cinnamon to give you a true cinnamon element. I was very pleased with this. The extra touch of sugar gave this the complete snicker doodle element in ice cream form. The snicker doodle cookies were abundant from top to bottom. Very fresh, doughy, and provided a chewy texture. Each cookie had its unique taste to separate itself from the base ice cream. I enjoy snicker doodles and have a vicious sweet tooth, so the extra sugary compliment to the base was touching. Each mix-in was dense and packed with delicious flavor in each and every bite. Simple on paper and executed very well. My first Salt & Straw experience was a good one. Being a big fan of snicker doodle cookies this really hit the spot. A dense, delicious, and cinnamon packed ice cream filled with fresh snicker doodle cookies. You can't ask for more if you love cinnamon and cookies. They put both elements together to pair a permanent flavor on their lineup. Adding in a Cinnamon Swirl (think Turkey Hill) or a Sugary swirl (like in Steve's Coffee and Donuts) would of put this one over the top. Grade: B+ Found: SaltandStraw.com
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Post by thesolution on Apr 9, 2016 18:51:49 GMT -5
Sam's Choice Cappuccino Caramel Brownie FudgeSam's Choice Cappuccino Caramel Brownie Fudge is labeled as "Coffee Ice Cream and Cappuccino Swirl with Brownies & Cappuccino Bits". For those who have had Sam's choice it dwells in your local supermarket. Recently they discontinued some of their older flavors to make way for new flavors. They also have included pint size flavors instead of quart size flavors. Being the coffee junkie I am the first flavor that caught my eye was anything with the word cappuccino in it. How strong will this coffee ice cream be, and will it live up to the Sam's name of incredible swirls? Right after popping the lid tons of mix-ins and the caramel swirl is present. Digging into my first bite of the coffee ice cream the base tasted nearly identical to Ben & Jerry's Coffee ice cream. This is nothing top tier, but middle of the road when it comes to quality. The coffee presents a mediocre mocha flavor that highlights a medium roast coffee. It is nothing dark in flavor, but gives enough subtle flavor to give you a coffee feel. I would still opt for a better Chocolate Shoppe, Jeni's, or Haagen Daz's for my coffee fix. The mix-ins fell nothing short of incredible. I almost thought I dug into a pint of ample hills for a second. I got nearly 2 dozen brownie pieces from top to bottom. Each brownie piece was soft, moist, and provided a chewy aspect to this offering. The cappuccino bits were overshadowed by the dominant brownie pieces and cappuccino swirl. These tasted similar to mini chocolate chips with a mocha aftertaste. The cappuccino swirl was almost caramel in reality. It started to give me a coffee, brownie, and caramel vibe the longer I went into this pint. Good? absolutely, because you got a mix-in in every single spoonful. Overall this is a good pint, but nothing great. For a walmart quality ice cream its a cost effective option to fix your sweet tooth. I have had some larger swirls in the past (Coffee & Donuts), but not nearly as many mix-ins like I got from the brownie pieces in this pint. With a underwhelming coffee flavor it left me a bit unsatisfied. The swirl and compliments really enhance this pint for the price you pay. Grade: B- Found: Walmart Erie, PA
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Post by thesolution on Apr 6, 2016 8:23:55 GMT -5
Dairy Queen Oreo S'mores BlizzardIn 2013 DQ came out with the S'mores blizzard it took a lot of people by surprise. Easily one of the most enjoyable experiences I have ever had at DQ in my lifetime. From my previous review I have stated this one was superb. Now DQ came out with a small twist this year making an Oreo S'mores Blizzard. Oreo S'mores is listed as "OREO® cookies, mini marshmallow filled chocolate bars, graham cracker pieces and marshmallow topping blended with creamy DQ® vanilla soft serve." While DQ may be soft serve and not the highest quality ice cream I am a big fan of S'mores. Lets see if this takes the crown. Don't get me wrong soft serve is enjoyable, but after you have had some premium vanilla ice creams it just does not match the quality. The soft serve is really overpowered by all the mix-ins offered in the blizzard. As it is blended together you do get the creaminess the ice cream does offer. While the vanilla is faint in each and every bite it is present. For a local chain ice cream joint its not bad, but again not top of the chain. It is still enjoyable and cost effective for those who do want a quick ice cream fix. If we stack this against a Graeter's which has the extra kick of sweetness it is a no brainier which one I would personally choose. Unfortunately not everyone can have access to that where they live. Now lets look back at those mix-ins are put everything together here. Not only are you getting the graham cracker pieces, marshmallow filled chocolate bars, and marshmallow topping, but the addition of Oreo's comes into play. Dairy Queen 80% of the time will load your experience from brim to the very last bite. With my first bite my eyebrow rose. Not only do you get a very strong marshmallow flavor, but the cream of the blended up Oreo's. The graham cracker pieces offer a nice texture and compliment the strong marshmallow and chocolate flavoring with a sweet touch of honey. Not only are the chocolate pieces scattered everywhere, but you get chunks of delicious marshmallow from time to time. Since the marshmallow is so dominant it really makes the base soft serve seem like that is the true flavor of this blizzard. The additional oreo chunks are broken up, but really enhance the chocolate experience to make this a very well rounded offering. DQ has made a killer seasonal flavor. Do not get me wrong I am a peanut butter and cookie dough junkie, but years ago when I had the S'mores blizzard for the first time I was blown away. Coming from a soft serve chain you may not have high hopes of quality, but the amount of flavors combined in the Oreo S'mores blows up your taste buds on every bite. The chocolate chunks are not rock hard like you may find in Ben & Jerry offerings, but really melt in your mouth as you plow through your soft serve experience. The combination of the marshmallow filling, graham cracker pieces, oreo cookies, and chocolate chunks really take the S'mores experience up a notch. Grade: A- Found: Dairy Queen Erie, PA
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Post by thesolution on Mar 31, 2016 15:31:50 GMT -5
Ample Hills The Light SideAmple Hills The Light Side is labeled as " a bright marshmallow ice cream with homemade crispie clusters, as well as a smattering of handmade cocoa crispies". If you have ever experienced Ample Hills this may look similar to Snap Mallow Pop as a rice krispy replica. While that pint was delicious I am always up for new and different twists on flavors. The real difference is the inclusion of homemade cocoa crispies. How much will that be able to increase the grade of Snap Mallow Pop? After first bite the bright marshmallow ice cream is not much different than Snap Mallow Pop. While they may use "Bright" and "Rich" as the difference between the flavors they both have very similar characteristics. Both are very light and creamy in consistency, and the flavor is superb. While this is not the strongest marshmallow base I have experienced (Wegmans) it still packs a lot of flavor. The bright marshmallow ice cream has that luscious vanilla aftertaste, but combined with the light, airy, and fresh marshmallow flavor. The mix-ins were loaded in this pint. Ample Hills does what they do best and give you the true experience of crispie clusters from top to bottom. It is easy to pin point the difference between the cocoa crispies and the crispie clusters. One has a darker tone to them, but still gives you a different flavor to help compliment the delicious ice cream base. Think mixing rice krispies and cocoa krispies and clustering them up throughout an ice cream. In return this is what you experience in the Light Side. Job well done to the light side, and this flavor gets the nod of approval between the two specialty pints. These ice cream flavors were unique from Ample hills as you would expect, but it could of been a better experience with the dark side. The light side offered exactly what you would expect. Bright could be replaced with a "Sweet" marshmallow ice cream to give it a more fitting name. The crispies were the highlight as they were loaded in every spoonful from top to bottom. Great job Ample Hills on taking a regular flavor and upgrading it with a small twist. Grade: B+ Found: Ample Hills.com
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