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Post by thesolution on Dec 1, 2015 6:58:12 GMT -5
Perry's Ice Cream Peanut Butter S’moresPerry's Ice Cream Peanut Butter S’mores is labeled as "A campfire staple… with a peanut buttery twist! Enjoy toasted marshmallow ice cream with graham cracker and peanut butter swirls and fudge chunks." I saw some reviews stating this was one of the best S'mores on the market. The inclusion of the peanut butter wlll either be a hit or a miss depending on how well it combines with the rest of the product. Perry's does offer some good ice cream, but can it stack up to a 7-11 S'mores, Wegmans S'mores, Gelato Fiasco, Jeni's Roxbury Road etc. First of all you are presented the toasted marshmallow ice cream. I want to reference Wegmans S'mores for a second because that is the identical base found in that pint. When you put both together Wegmans wins in the base department as far as flavor goes. Perry's is good, but wegmans offers that extra edge in flavor of a roasted marshmallow right off a camp stick over a bonfire. the aftertaste of the marshmallow in Perry's is on the weak side, but does offer a good marshmallow flavoring. Not as strong as you would hope for which is why I knock it down a few points. The mix-ins for Perry's S'mores contains graham cracker and peanut butter swirls + fudge chunks. As you continue to go down the quart (could not find the pint around my area) you will note these do expand. From the surface you get a few flecks of fudge and a hint of a swirl. As with most cases in ice cream you strike gold the further you dig. The swirls offer a great compliment to the marshmallow base. The graham cracker swirl seemed overshadowed as the peanut butter swirl overpowers it in flavor and taste. The fudge chunks are like shattered hershey chocolate bars spread throughout the quart. All are great additions to a Marshmallow base, but the ratio and overpowering of the PB swirl takes away from the additions of the graham cracker flavor and fudge chunks. Overall a good ice cream offering, but there could be improvements. The marshmallow base needs a denser flavor to match the quality of 7-11, wegmans, or gelato fiasco. Those all offer a very strong flavor and richness to the S'mores base in their ice cream.. If i did not read a label on this pint I would of assumed it was a Peanut Butter Marshmallow Fudge Chunk. Since the peanut butter is way stronger in flavor than the graham cracker swirl offered. The marshmallow base also is obsolete in flavor to the overpowering compliments. I would suggest this if you do enjoy a PB & S'more Mix-off. Grade: B Found: Tops Erie, PA
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Post by thesolution on Nov 26, 2015 15:19:25 GMT -5
Handel's Spouse Like a House Handel's Spouse Like a House is "vanilla ice cream with Peanut Butter filled pretzels." While appears simple on paper I have had a few samples and one scoops of this in the past. This flavor alone packs a punch, and is loaded with mix-ins. When you think of Peanut butter filled pretzels the words "Chubby Hubby" may come to mind. this is Ben & Jerry's flavor that features "Vanilla Malt Ice Cream with Peanutty Fudge-covered Pretzels". After a few one scoops of handel's spouse like a house I prefer it over B&J's version even with the PB Swirl added. Both pints will pack a very high caloric amount (none listed for Handel's) but I would assume it easily tops 300+kcals a serving. Handel's Vanilla base is a similar vanilla to Graeter's. You get that luscious vanilla buttercream flavoring, but not the extra kick of sweetness graeters does provide in their ice cream base. While this is a great vanilla ice cream on its own, the addition of the PB Filled Pretzels takes this pint to another level. I would highly suggest trying the vanilla from Handel's as they offer Vanilla + Oreo's, Vanilla PB Chip, Vanilla w/ Reese Peanut Butter Cups, Vanilla Caramel Truffle, & Vanilla Turtle. This way you can experience the vanilla base to see how it stacks up to other companies out there. Flavor, Quality, and texture wise it is a high quality offering. The peanut butter filled pretzels offered in Spouse like a house are delicious. As i popped the lid i noted a few chocolate chunks floating on the surface, this was the outsides of the PB Filled Pretzel's. As you bite into them, you get the salty crunch, and the rich peanut butter cream filling. It is not a sweet peanut butter (like a buckeye), but similar to the HD PB Pie Pint like Peanut butter out of a jar. The Savory and Salty combination of the peanut butter + pretzels make a great match on top of the rich chocolate coating. Overall this flavor is a win from start to finish. If you enjoy Peanut Butter filled pretzels in general this pint is a must. If you ever had Chubby Hubby before and want something similar in design this would be my suggestion from Handel's. it is not often you see PB filled pretzels as a mix-in, let alone coated in chocolate. That alone raises the bar and makes for a great mix-in and high quality base. Take the mix-ins offered and combine this with a great vanilla base and you have a flavor you must scoop from Handel's. Grade: A Found: Handel's Ice Cream West Mifflin, PA
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Post by thesolution on Nov 22, 2015 15:37:48 GMT -5
Coolhaus Chocolate Molten Cake Coolhaus Chocolate Molten Cake is labeled as: "Chocolate Ice Cream with Chewy Cake Pieces & a Fudge Swirl". After reading a lot of reviews on this flavor this is one of their top flavors. Some people have been jipped with the mix-ins when it comes to the cake pieces, and some people strike gold. That seems to be a trend with some ice creams from time to time. Batch/Consistency of Mix-ins can be hit or miss. Hopefully mine is loaded, but time will tell. The Chocolate Ice cream used in the Coolhaus Chocolate Molten Cake is very rich and full of flavor. Rich and delicious but not over the top sweet. It reminded me of a mix between a milk/dark chocolate with a hint of a semi-sweet chocolate aftertaste. The density of the ice cream is on the lighter side compared to a Graeters or Handel's which is a lot thicker in texture. This reminded me of an upscale talenti gelato as far as the base goes, but the flavor was on point for a great chocolate base. Much better than a basic ben & Jerry chocolate, but not a Jeni's Chocolate. These cake pieces are almost more like a brownie. They are soft and moist like a cake but also had a little fudge/chewy component to them. They were flat out delicious! The only problem was I got around 2-3 of them, while some pints i saw had around 10-12. While there was a major lack of cake pieces, my pint was not lacking the fudge swirl. The swirl was the entire top of my pint, and continued all the way to the bottom. The fudge had a gooey texture, a very bliss chocolate flavor, that was a perfect compliment to an already rich base. Overall a good pint for a true chocolate lover. If I had more cake pieces I would of gave this a better score. While there was a lack of cake pieces, the swirl was far from weak. This reminded me of eating chocolate therapy from ben and jerry's without the cookies and added cake pieces. With a very unique chocolate base, and a killer fudge swirl that alone gives this a decent score. Between the Mint and this one, I would give this one the edge. Grade: B Found: Giant Eagle Columbus, Ohio
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Post by thesolution on Nov 22, 2015 15:15:32 GMT -5
Coolhaus Dirty Mint Chip
Coolhaus Dirty Mint Chip is labeled as: "Our signature Dirty Mint Chip ice cream, just fresh mint, brown sugar and semi-sweet chips". Being someone who is not a huge mint fan, I was very surprised by how good NO Ice Cream Company's Mint Chocolate Cookie was. I have had a few in my past (B&J Peppermint Crunch, and B&J Mint Chocolate Cookie), but neither of those touched NO when it came to quality and flavor. For the base, what Coolhaus did with this flavor, though, left me quite satisfied. I would never have guessed it, but this turned out to be pretty good. For not being a mint fan the base reminds me of a vanilla mint extract. The taste is not as quality as a mint chocolate girl scout cookie, but the natural mint flavor is present and true to its flavor. I also noticed a slight aftertaste of the brown sugar which was unique. Really the only mix-in provided is the semi-sweet chocolate chips. The chocolate chips were small pieces of semi-sweet chocolate. They were pretty good and provided a decent crunch/chew. It isn’t your normal chocolate chip from a chocolate chip cookie that is overly sweet, but rather has a rich cocoa taste similar to a rich cocoa powder. The downside was I got about 6 total chocolate chip pieces, where I have seen some pints that got around 20+. I seemed to not have good luck in this department. Overall this is an ok pint. If you enjoy a nice mint ice cream, the base is exactly what you are looking for. it is not overpowering, but provides a great mint flavor and refreshing brown sugar aftertaste. The brown sugar could of been stronger, but the chocolate chip pieces helped this grade even though there were not many at all. . I personally would not rescoop this pint. Again I am not a huge mint fan so take that with a grain of salt. For those who enjoy mint It may be worth a shot, but this was very basic. I personally would opt for their Mint Cookie Sandwich "Mintimalism" Grade: C Found: Giant Eagle Columbus, Ohio
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Post by thesolution on Nov 17, 2015 9:15:00 GMT -5
Handel's Midnight MadnessHandel's Midnight Madness is labeled as "Dark Chocolate Ice Cream with a Peanut Butter Ripple & Peanut Butter Oreo's". Reading that on paper and seeing this as a limited flavor almost gave me a heart attack. Take Dark Chocolate and combine it with oreo's and peanut butter? This has to be a winner without even sampling this. I instantly scooped a pint I took it home to give it a whirl. being Handel's is a homemade ice cream place that is a small chain and offers unique flavors I had very high hopes. Right away digging into the dark chocolate base it reminded me of a few pints I had in the past. Very similar to the Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffle, & Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie. The best way to describe the chocolate base is to take a melted Hershey's chocolate bar and imagine that as a thick and dense ice cream that packs a surmount of flavor. It is similar or succeeds the Dark Chocolate base featured in "Roasted and Toasted", but lets face it, this is not going to trump the king (Jeni's) when it does come to chocolate. Now onto the Peanut Butter Oreo's and PB Ripple. Knowing Handel's they usually pack their mix-ins to the brim and offer a serious swirl. Unfortunately mine got botched up in little patches as I went through the pint. The bottom was a massive peanut butter glob and had a full oreo, while throughout most of the pint there were scattered pieces of the swirl and PB Oreo's. I won't complain on those last few bites that were like eating spoonfuls of peanut butter and dipping oreo's in them. The PB Oreo is a legit PB Oreo you can buy in the grocery store, they blend them right into the ice cream with peanut butter making this top tier and high quality. Besides the weird way my pint was set up from start to finish another exclusive and premium offering from Handel's. The only downside is this is limited at locations from time to time. Similar to the seasonal Pumpkin Ripple, Peppermint Stick, Oreo Dough, Graham Central Station and other flavors they do have (Handel's Half Time being another). If you are a dark chocolate fiend, you could eat this base by itself and love the ice cream. Add in Peanut Butter + Peanut Butter Oreo's its a dream come true. This is a must if you enjoy chocolate or peanut butter. Lets face it who really does not? Grade: A Found: Handel's Ice Cream West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
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Post by thesolution on Nov 17, 2015 9:00:41 GMT -5
7-Eleven Sea Salt Caramel Truffle7-Eleven Sea Salt Caramel is labeled as "Salted Caramel revel and sea salt caramel-filled chocolate flavored mini truffles in caramel ice cream" There have been a lot of Sea Salt Caramel's out there on the market and one of the best to compare this to would be Talenti or 2nd Street Kopper Ketle Karamel. If you have ever had Talenti they set the bar high on a great blend of Sea Salt, Caramel, and Truffle Mix-ins. 2nd Street is still the king of caramel ice creams before I have had this 7-11 offering. Lets see if we can crown a new champion Right off the bat the base provides a dense, bold, and flavorful caramel ice cream. Compared to Talenti being a gelato this packs more density in each bite. Being an ice cream you would expect that, but the amount of caramel in each scoop is great. Would I say this surpasses the perfect Caramel ice cream and swirl in 2nd Street? No, but it comes pretty darn close. The Sea Salt Caramel Mix-ins and the Caramel Swirl are well done. The swirl provides that buttery and rich caramel syrup to the mix of a great caramel base. The Sea Salt Truffles are melt in your mouth, and there are tons of them provided in the pint. These are not little mini truffles, these pack a pretty good size. These would be similar in size to a dime but with a thicker volume. 7-11 Sure knows mix-ins and quality ice cream. Overall I was very pleased with the quality 7-11 brings to the table in this pint. The base, mix-ins, and swirl were all on point. The only small take away would be the amount of mix-ins (Talenti won this one), and the overall flavor where 2nd street won out on this. Do not get me wrong, this is a very good pint. if you enjoy Caramel this is a must buy. There are just minor things that could improve this to be the best overall SSC on the market. After getting through all my 7-11 Pints I would rank them as follows: 1) S'mores 2) Sea Salt Caramel 3) Fudge Marshmallow 4) Banana Cream Pie 5) Cookie Dough Grade: B+ Found: 7-11 Gas Station Cleveland, Ohio
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Post by thesolution on Nov 4, 2015 20:47:30 GMT -5
New Orleans Ice Cream Co. Po'Boy Ice Cream SandwichNew Orleans Ice Cream Company has gotten into the Ice Cream Sandwich Game. In june of 2015 they released the Po'Boy Sandwich. The Po'Boy Sandwich is labeled as "Fresh Baked Chocolate Cookies Stuffed with New Orleans All Natural Ultra Premium Ice Cream, Hand Dipped in Rich, Indulgent milk Chocolate" The Po'Boy Sandwiches are offered in Vanilla Bean and Creole Cream Cheese flavor. If you have not tried Creole Cream Cheese from NO Ice Cream Company you could be missing out on one of the best Cream Cheese Ice Creams on the planet. First lets break down this review into three aspects: The Cookie, The Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, and The Creole Creme Cheese Ice Cream. Since the cookies are the same on both Po'Boy Sandwiches the only difference will be the ice cream stuffed between each cookie. The Po'Boy Cookies: Since these are fresh baked chocolate cookies that are hand dipped in milk chocolate I have very high hopes for these. Upon first bite these are very soft, moist, and provide an overpowering chocolate aftertaste. I was almost overwhelmed by the double aspect of chocolate provided in the cookie. Right off the bat you get the milk chocolate hand dipped coating, and the aftertaste of the chocolate cookie. If you ever got to try Mississippi Debris or Chocolate City from NO Ice Cream Company you know how rich their chocolate ice cream is. The cookie provided more of a dark chocolate flavor, but compliments the milk chocolate covering perfectly. Vanilla Bean: I was a bit surprised after having this cookie because the vanilla bean was a perfect replica of a vanilla bean coffee creamer. NO Ice Cream Company found a great way to combine sweet an subtle to a vanilla bean flavor. The vanilla has a very creamy texture, and balance in consistency of flavor in each bite. With a strong chocolate cookie/milk chocolate coating the vanilla bean is a great 1-2 combo. I would rate this as a good offering for a vanilla ice cream, but not as strong as Graeters which gets the upper edge in my vanilla rankings. Creole Cream Cheese: Right away if you are a cream cheese or cheesecake fan this will be worth a try. Think about eating the center of a NY Style cheesecake without the crust, and then you get a semi-sweet sugar aftertaste of a delicious vanilla flavored ice cream. Put two and two together and you are presented with NO Creole Cream Cheese. Cream Cheese in an ice cream base done to perfection. Overall the only other Chocolate Cookies I have had for ice cream sandwiches are: Jeni's Chocolate Truffle Backyard Mint Sandwich, Coolhaus I'm Pei-Nut Butter, and Coolhaus Mintimalism. Cookie wise these cookies are as soft as Coolhaus, but do not offer the milk chocolate coating which is where NO Ice Cream gets the upper edge. Jeni's chocolate cookies are not as soft as Coolhaus or NO Ice Cream Company, but hold a very strong chocolate taste to them. If i were to invest in one cookie it would be the Creole Cream Cheese cookie. How NO Ice Cream Company has perfected the creole creme cheese (as one of their top selling flavors) on top of a dense chocolate coated cookie makes it the perfect ice cream sandwich. Each Cookie was not meant to be healthy as the owner Adrian said, but pack 260-290 calories in each serving (2 Servings a Sandwich) ((Creole being a bit heavier in calories)). For the calories there is a reason why they pack so much flavor! Grade: A (Creole Cream Cheese), B (Vanilla Bean) Found: New Orleans Ice Cream Company (Ice Cream Source) Marrero, LA
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Post by thesolution on Nov 2, 2015 17:26:28 GMT -5
Handel's Graham Central StationGraham Central Station is labeled as "graham flavored ice cream with a graham cracker ripple and chocolate-covered crunchies" Before digging into this pint I was expecting a similar base to Gelato Fiasco S'mores which was very heavy in graham cracker. Same could be said with 7-11 S'mores offering and how dense the graham cracker quality was. Handel's being homemade ice cream and in house may spark up a debate on which could be the best graham cracker base I have tried. Time will only tell, the major difference is the mix-ins offered in Graham central station to the others. Upon lifting the lid it is no surprise at a graham cracker/brown looking base. Before I dug into my first bite I noticed plenty of small ripples and little chunks of chocolate present. Upon first bite I was blown away at the quality of graham cracker flavoring presented in Handel's base. This is no joke a replica of a cinnamon graham cracker in ice cream for a base. This tops Gelato Fiasco's S'mores base as it gives a perfect blend of cinnamon and graham cracker in each and every bite. As I dug further I could of ate just the base alone it was that good. Graham Cracker Ripple and Chocolate-covered crunchies were present in almost every single spoonful. The ripple has a lighter brown color to it that seperates its image from the base. Do not be fooled as it provides a similar taste to the base but enhances the amount of graham cracker in each and every bite. The chocolate covered crunchies look and taste like small chocolate malt balls. They have a small crunch to them but melt in your mouth shortly after with a great long lasting after taste. The combination of the chocolate graham cracker is a legit one-two combo. At first I was skeptical hearing how this is one of Handel's best flavors, but after trying it I would have to agree. If you like anything that resembles a graham cracker, cinnamon, and a hint of chocolate you need this immediately. The quality of the graham cracker base alone separates itself from the pack on the ice cream market. The inclusion of the graham cracker ripple and chocolate crunchies were icing on the cake. The chocolate crunchies could be labeled mini chocolate malt balls, but do not let it fool you because they all combine perfectly to make it one of my top 3 flavors from Handel's behind Pumpkin and CCCD. Grade: A+ Found: Handels Ice Cream Pittsburgh, PA
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Post by thesolution on Oct 19, 2015 12:28:45 GMT -5
7-Select Banana Cream Pie7-Select Banana Cream Pie is a basic "banana ice cream with pie crust pieces". After looking at the ingredient profile you will notice there is a mention of a whip cream swirl. Why they did not put that on the label is beyond me, but hopefully it shines like the swirls in their other flavors (S'mores & Fudge Marshmallow). I have watched a video by Powered by Ice Cream claiming as this is the best of the flavors, so I am very excited to give this a shot. Right away you will notice how the base looks vanilla based. Usually when you think Banana ice cream it will be bright yellow or have a yellow tint to it. After having Wegmans banana Peel-N the base was a darker yellow in color. Same with Banana Fosters from new Orleans Ice cream Company. Luckily after first bite my mind was instantly changed. The banana ice cream is pure and delicious. There is no sign of artificial taste, and provides a ripe, rich, and an exact replica of a fresh banana. Wegmans still gets the upper edge with density/flavor for a banana base (while only getting to sample Banana Cream Pie from Handel's). The pie crust pieces are really an incredible addition to the delicious banana ice cream base. These bad boys are loaded from top to bottom and in generous size. They are about the size of chiclets (the square gum), and have a melt in your mouth texture to them. Usually when you think of pie crust it will have a denser consistency than the mix-in provided in this ice cream. The pie crust went very well with the banana base making it a perfect compliment to this ice cream. 7-11 kept this one very simple, and to the point. Good ice cream does not need a lot of mix-ins, variations, or swirls to establish a quality offering. With a spot on banana base, and a perfect pie crust pairing you got an incredible banana ice cream combination. If you are a fruit fan I would highly suggest grabbing this if you have a 7-11 gas station near by. If not it may not strike you as the top flavor 7-11 provides. Overall this is a must to try, 7-11 brings quality ice cream to the table, and this was no let down just like the other flavors I have tried (Fudge Marshmallow, Cookie Dough, and S'mores). Grade: B Found: 7-11 Cleveland, Ohio
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Post by thesolution on Oct 19, 2015 12:14:31 GMT -5
Ben & Jerry's New Belgium Salted Caramel Brown-ie AleBen & Jerry’s and New Belgium Brewing, both registered “beneficial corporations,” are teaming up to release an ice-cream-flavored beer. This flavor provides a "New Belgium Brown Ale Ice cream with Fudge Brownies & Salted Caramel Swirls". I have only had Bourbon Pecan from Graeters and Rumball from jeni's in the past which provided alcohol in their offerings. I was eager to see how this would stack up, and how strong the booze would really shine through the ice cream. Right when you pop the lid, you will notice a massive chunk of a fudge brownie. On top of that you see a small hint of the caramel swirl providing all the aspects of the ice cream at the surface. I was nervous that I would not like this because I am not a beer drinker, but after a few bites this really sunk in. The beer in the new Belgium brown ale base is not very strong. You taste more salted caramel flavor then brown ale. While the brown ale is a faint aftertaste it does not overpower the ice cream, and persuade away those who may not be alcohol consumers. Onto the mix-ins. Ben & Jerry's has really stepped up the size and density of their mix-ins recently. The fudge brownies are massive in size and quantity. I am talking Graeter Chocolate Chip wise in size, but packed with a very moist, soft, and dense fudge brownie flavor. Each Brownie was awesome, literally melt in your mouth awesome. The addition of the caramel swirl went hand in the hand with the brownie inclusion. The caramel swirl was not massive by any means, but provided a thick & gooey texture and a rich sugary caramel taste. If you have had Salted Caramel Core the caramel is very similar, just no where near as salty. Ben & Jerry's have really upped their game and mix-ins in 2015 when they have released other flavors like PB Half Baked, Tonight Dough, and PB Brownie Sundae. New Belgium Salted caramel Brown-ie Ale threw me off at first, but made be a believer. This ice cream was awesome. Tons of mix-ins, and a great salted caramel brown ale base. If you are not a drinker, do not pass this right away. Give this a shot, it may surprise you with how well the slight addition of the booze after taste can be on top of delicious brownies and a caramel swirl. Grade: A- Found: Kroger Columbus, Ohio
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Post by thesolution on Oct 19, 2015 12:03:22 GMT -5
Handel's Oreo DoughHandel's Oreo Dough is one of the seasonal selections that Handel's had to offer in the fall season. Luckily I was in the right place at the right time when visiting Pittsburgh at the West Mifflin location. Oreo Dough is "Vanilla ice cream with Oreo Cookies and Cookie Dough". Simple on paper, but since Handel's Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt is made fresh every day on the premises. They use products, equipment, methods and recipes exclusive only to Handel's. First off you notice tons of crushed up Oreo's and Cookie dough just on the surface of the pint. The vanilla ice cream is simple and to the point. Nothing over the top like Graeter's provides with a sweet and sugary luscious aftertaste. I would place this as a middle of the road vanilla base that gives you a decent flavor and nice bold aftertaste of a true vanilla bean. What shines at Handel's is how they load their pints with mix-ins and make everything in house. The Oreo's are fresh oreo's you would get from a grocery store. Nothing out of the ordinary here, the fact is they just load their homemade ice cream with them, and do not shy you on cookie dough either. As the lady was scooping my pint out of their gallon jugs you could only help to notice how the ice cream is literally 50% mix-ins and 50% ice cream. The amount of cookie dough is very similar to their Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream. Which means in other words packed to the brim with huge penny size balls of raw cookie dough. Put three simple things together and you get a legit Oreo-Dough replica in ice cream. The oreo's had the great crunchy compliment, factor in the rich chocolate shell, and creamy center to aid the vanilla ice cream base. The cookie dough balls were loaded with flavor, a great chewy addition, and pair well with oreo's and vanilla to make a killer trio. If you love oreo's or cookie dough, do not shy on this flavor. This was a score from the first bite to the last. Being someone who loves cookie dough this was a must to pick up and scoop. Grade: A Found: Handels Ice Cream Pittsburgh, PA
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Post by thesolution on Oct 17, 2015 17:47:42 GMT -5
Trader Joe's Pumpkin Ice Cream: I am one of those people who looks forward to pumpkin season all year long. Pumpkin is one of my favorite food items, and when Trader Joe's stocked their ice cream this year I had to scoop it. Being from a city that does not carry a Trader Joe's I have not had the access to get this. Luckily being in Columbus I was grateful to hit a TJ's and stock up on Pumpkin goods. I have had quite a few Pumpkin Ice Cream in my times, now I want to see where Trader Joe's falls on my ranking list. Upon popping the lid you are presented with a bright orange colored base. Literally the look reminded me of popping open a Libby's pumpkin jar from the grocery store. Right away your taste buds will be overwhelmed with a strong pumpkin base and a small pumpkin spice aftertaste. The easiest way to describe this ice cream is the filling of a pumpkin pie. If you are a person who loves pumpkin, and will go head over heels for a basic pumpkin ice cream this will be a wise investment. For someone who needs a mix-in or compliment to a pumpkin ice cream I would pass. Many enjoy a graham cracker swirl, marshmallow ripple, or a heavy dose of pumpkin spice to put together the pieces to a perfect pumpkin ice cream. While this may not crack my top 5 overall pumpkin ice creams I have had in the past, there could be room for improvement. If Trader Joe's decided to throw in a swirl (why turkey hill got the edge), or other mix-ins this would get a higher grade. I ended up mixing a few Jo Jo's into the last few scoops to give it a nice upgrade. Grade: C+ Found: Trader Joe's Columbus, Ohio My Updated Pumpkin Rankings: 1. Handels 2. Jeni's 3. Coldstone 4. Talenti 5. Perry's 6. Turkey Hill 7. Trader Joe's 8. Ben & Jerry's 9. Dairy Queen 10. Graeters
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Post by thesolution on Oct 11, 2015 10:52:33 GMT -5
Perry's Ice Cream Pumpkin Pie Perry's limited edition flavor Pumpkin Pie is labeled as "Pumpkin Ice Cream with swirls of whipped cream flavored ice cream and pie crust pieces". What is interesting is the swirl is a different shade of ice cream, where as in Turkey Hill you get a graham cracker swirl and a premium pumpkin base. How well will Perry's Stack up against the competition out there? I ended up splitting this into two pints due to it being a quart in size. Lets get on to the review. Right away when opening the quart you notice a darker looking pumpkin base. Usually a lighter orange color is present, this resembled more of a light brown color. Upon first bite you really are overloaded with a pumpkin puree flavor and minor hints of pumpkin spice. This clearly is not going to be overloaded on spice such as some of my favorites (Handels, Jeni's, and Coldstone) but the pumpkin base alone is worthy of a quality pumpkin ice cream. This flavor strikes a stronger balance of pumpkin to spice (70/30) with the spice more of an aftertaste. Now onto the mix-ins which resemble the whipped cream ice cream and pie crust pieces. The whipped cream ice cream played a great aspect into this offering. The best way to describe the ice cream is simply whip cream out of a canister but offered in a denser ice cream fashion. It does not provide an overly sweet compliment, but pairs great with a pumpkin base. The pie crust pieces were hit or miss throughout the quart. While they were pretty decent in size (about the size of a penny) they did not offer much sugar or cinnamon to them. They were pretty bland but offered a nice crunch. Overall for a mid-range pumpkin ice cream this will fix your sweet tooth, especially if you can get Perry's in your area. Do I consider this a premium top 3 purchase for a pumpkin ice cream? No, but I would definitely rescoop this if you are a pumpkin lover such as myself. My only gripe to this was more pie crust pieces and a stronger taste to them. The base really overtakes the flavoring of the pie crust pieces which is why I knock off a few points. The Whipped Cream ice cream swirl did a fantastic job of pairing with a dense pumpkin puree flavored base. Give the pie pieces a bit more flavor (Cinnamon or Sugar), and include more of them (got maybe 10-12 total pieces in the whole quart) and this would be an A grade flavor. Grade: B Found: Wegmans Erie, PA My Updated Pumpkin Rankings: 1. Handels 2. Jeni's 3. Coldstone Creation 4. Talenti 5. Turkey Hill 6. Perry's 7. Ben & Jerry's 8. Dairy Queen 9. Graeters
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Post by thesolution on Oct 4, 2015 18:15:41 GMT -5
Gelato Fiasco Mascarpone Pistachio Caramel GelatoGelato Fiasco Mascarpone Pistachio Caramel Gelato is labeled as "A customer suggestion that hit big time, this gem was inspired by the seductive, creamy filling found in Sicilian Cannoli." Usually when you think of Mascarpone you instantly think of Tiramisu or the filling of a cannoli. Taking two of my favorite desserts and claiming this is the base of a gelato was a must grab. Right away on my first bite I instantly thought of New Orleans Ice Cream Company's Creole Cream Cheese. The Difference between the NO Flavor and this one is the amount of sweetness added to the base. The mascarpone offering is exactly what you would expect if you enjoy italian based desserts. Think a very bold cheese flavored dessert, with a nice luscious aftertaste. Next Gelato Fiasco is not known to get fancy with mix-ins. The real addition is the pistachio's thrown into the base of the gelato. The Caramel may be a far stretch. There really is no swirl, but you taste small vibes of caramel every few bites. The Pistachio is exactly as you would want them to be. Plentiful in amount, salty, and offer a nice crunch. Gelato Fiasco does not shy on the thickness or size of these either. These were a bit larger in size compared to the toffee walnuts offered in Maple Sap Tap. Do you like Cannoli's? Do you like Mascarpone in Tiarmisu? Do you like a very sweet and rich cream cheese based ice cream? If you said yes to all of those buy this right away. On top of an incredible dense base that has the consistency of Gelato Fiasco's famous gelato. The addition of the salty pistachio's and a slight caramel inclusion in the decadent base puts the icing on this cake. Hands down one of Gelato Fiasco's best offerings on their line. Grade: A Found: FoodyDirect.Com
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Post by thesolution on Oct 3, 2015 12:34:57 GMT -5
Comfy Cow Coconut Almond White Chocolate DreamComfy Cow is a brand located out of Tennessee/Indiana. Their owner Roy went to “Ice Cream School” at University of Wisconsin and then another program at University of Florida. And I started developing the ‘concept’ and feel of what it was we had dreamed of creating. I first watched a review by Powered by Ice Cream on Simply Southern and Peanut Brittle and wanted to give this company a scoop. Coconut Almond White Chocolate Dream is labeled as: "Barry Callebaut white chocolate and coconut ice cream with flecks of Callebaut white chocolate, crunchy toasted coconut and chopped almonds." Being a white chocolate fan it is uncommon to see that associated as an ice cream base. The combination of coconut could be a good or a bad thing. Bad if it overpowers the white chocolate, and great if they compliment each other well. Upon first scoop it was clear the Coconut was the clear winner in the base. The presence of coconut was a 80/20 blend over the white chocolate which was disappointing for myself being a big white chocolate fan. The coconut reminded me of Graeters Coconut Chocolate Chip base right away. Very pure in coconut taste, with a mild sugary aftertaste. Onto the mix-ins offered in Coconut Almond White Chocolate Dream. Flecks of white chocolate really did not appear at all in this pint. As i scooped through the pint the overall amount of mix-ins were subpar. I had a few flecks of chopped almonds similar to shattered almonds in Nutty Caramel Swirl from Ben & Jerry's. The Crunchy Toasted Coconut was overshadowed with the dominant coconut base. Overall not pleased at all with this offering. The base was subpar considering the white chocolate offered in the base. The total amount of mix-ins offered in this pint was next to nothing. They should relabel this to Coconut Dream due to the fact there were minimal almonds or white chocolate. If you want a pure Coconut Ice Cream this would be something to highly consider. Would I repurchase this flavor? Not a chance. I do hear the Peanut Brittle is worth a scoop, but until I ever see that I will pass on Comfy Cow. Grade: C- Found: Whole Foods Columbus, Ohio
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Post by thesolution on Oct 2, 2015 15:07:06 GMT -5
Coolhaus Im Pei-Nut Butter Cookie Sandwich
Coolhaus is known for gourmet desserts and they do not disappoint when it comes to their Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies. Pei-Nut Butter is a double chocolate chip cookie + peanut butter ice cream. While basic on paper, Chocolate and Peanut Butter are two things you can not go wrong with! First off The Double Chocolate Chip Cookie is very moist, and provides a great fresh cookie even right out of the freezer. Upon first bite the chocolate is a milk chocolate with a dense swiss chocolate aftertaste. The combination of both chocolate flavors in the cookie makes it very remarkable. The overall texture is soft, moist, and has a fresh baked texture in each and every bite. While being a frozen selection this provides a very high quality cookie. The peanut Butter ice cream offered by coolhaus is delicious. Right away you get a flavorful peanut butter flavor and a salty aftertaste. While it may not be as flavorful as eating the real stuff out of a jar, Coolhaus did a good job on providing fantastic peanut butter offering. All in all a 500 calorie cookie for 3$ with two good cookies and a fantastic peanut butter ice cream is hard to pass up. Coolhaus did this cookie right and made a good gourmet dessert. The only downside may be the Chocolate Cookie flavor takes away from the peanut butter ice cream due to the richness of the cookies. For a good chocolate and peanut combination this is worth the price tag. Is it their best? Hard to say. I have only had 3 Coolhaud Cookies, and I would rank the Coolhaus "Caramia Lehrer" (Snickerdoodle Cookie + Sea Salt Caramel Ice cream) Above this, then Mint. Grade: B Found: Giant Eagle Columbus, Ohio
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Post by thesolution on Oct 1, 2015 19:27:10 GMT -5
Handel's Half TimeHandel's has a limited flavor for the football season called "Handel's Half Time". This flavor is a spin-off of their famous Buckeye Flavor. Handel's Half Time is a Yellow Vanilla flavored ice cream, mixed with a peanut butter ripple, and peanut butter chocolate footballs. While that does sound very appealing to peanut butter fans! Handel's Yellow vanilla flavored ice cream. After a few bites this started to remind me of eating yellow cake from a bakery. The yellow has a nice subtle aftertaste on top of a rich vanilla ice cream. Think Graeters sweetness with the vanilla, but an added yellow cake flavoring to the mix. While the base provides a good offering you are really overwhelmed with the peanut butter swirl and peanut butter football mix-ins. The Peanut Butter ripple started to remind me of the ribbons in Peanut Butter Pie from Haagen Dazs. This ripple tastes identical to peanut butter glazed peanut butter in a thick and dense fashion. Swirled from the surface of the pint and amplifies to the bottom of the offering makes this perfect compliment to an already strong yellow cake base. The Chocolate Peanut Butter Footballs were very similar to a buckeye mix-in. It even has the perfect buckeye sweetness with a sweet/salty peanut butter flavor. If you are a peanut butter lover, this is one to pick up. Handel's has a very good Yellow Vanilla Ice cream base and two great compliments that compliment the base. This reminded me of Peanut Butter world with a yellow cake base and peanut butter footballs. The Swirl's provided a salty compliment, while the footballs has a nice sweet peanut butter flavoring. Mix a sweet and salty combination with a great ice cream base is an easy A grade from me. Handel's has some incredible quality from a hand made ice cream joint! Grade: A Found: Handels West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
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Post by thesolution on Oct 1, 2015 19:13:17 GMT -5
Handel's Tin Lizzy CheesecakeHandel's Tin Lizzy Cheesecake is a flavor I have never seen before when I visit the Handel's in West Mifflin Pittsburgh. When I saw this on the menu at a shop in Columbus I had to ask for a sample. After having a sample I instantly bought a pint because I had a feeling I would need more than a sample to give it an honest review Tin Lizzy Cheesecake is a "Cheesecake Ice Cream, Butterscotch Ripple, and Butter Pecan Toffee Pieces". After hearing that from the employee, and that the store in Columbus is one of the only stores to stock the mix-in. Right upon opening the pint the cheesecake base is mixed well with the butterscotch ripple. Toffee pieces are also present right upon the surface which is always a benefit. After digging into my first bite this ice cream is a pure replica of new york style cheesecake. You are instantly presented with a decadent cheesecake flavor. Right away the richness of a cream cheese is laced with a luscious sweet aftertaste that makes this base incredible. The butterscotch ripple presented in the pint "Butterscotch Ripple". Instead of a butterscotch base with a swirl this is a Cheesecake base with a butterscotch swirl. The denseness of the cheesecake base and the richness of the butterscotch swirl added is a killer one two punch. The swirl is very thick which is similar to the size of what is offered in turkey hill quarts. The Butter Pecan Toffee pieces are a great compliment that adds a killer crunch. The nutty pecan flavoring is present in each bite, but the added aftertaste of the caramel makes them taste great. Overall this is a good flavor. After sampling it I knew I had to pick up a pint. Tin Lizzy has Outstanding cheesecake base that is loaded with flavor. The butterscotch ripple is dense in flavor, thick in size, and goes hand in hand with the base. The Butter Pecan Toffee Pieces offer a thick crunchy compliment. The small aftertaste of caramel that corresponds with the butterscotch ripple makes this a killer combination. Cheesecake, Caramel, and Butterscotch if you love these 3 things you need this right away. Score: B Found: Handels Columbus, Ohio
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Post by thesolution on Sept 27, 2015 13:21:22 GMT -5
7-Select Toasted S'mores Ice Cream 7-Select (Coming from 7-11 Gas Station) Toasted S'mores Ice Cream is labeled as "Graham cracker flavored ice cream loaded with chocoaltey chunks and swirls of marshmallow and fudge" Almost all companies make a basic S'more Flavor, but how good would this one stack up to others on the market. I was very highly impressed with some of the other 7-11 offerings being a convenience store, lets see if this can stack up with my favorite S'more coming from Wegmans, or a high quality Gelato Fiasco. Upon popping the lid of the pint you are presented with a fine looking graham cracker base. There are also visible chunks of chocolate chips and fudge/marshmallow swirls surrounded the edge of the ice cream. After my first bite the taste of the graham cracker base is very dense and creamy. The Graham Cracker base taste is similar to a cinnamon graham cracker but with a much bolder flavor and gelato-like texture. 7-Select did a fantastic job on this base and really making a high quality offering for only 240 calories per serving. Compared to the Gelato Fiasco base which is also a Graham Cracker offering, this packs a stronger graham cracker taste. Gelato Fiasco may have a slight edge on the extra cinnamon provided in their base. Now onto what 7-Eleven does not skimp on and that is the mix-ins. First of all the Chocolatey chunks are all over the place. Nearly a half dozen just on the surface and an ample amount as I plowed through my pint. Each chocolate chunk is thin in nature, provides a slight crunch, and has a melt in your mouth hershey chocolate bar taste. The Swirls are really what makes this pint stand apart from the other S'mores on the market. The fudge and marshmallow swirls look to be only on the outside of the pint, but as you take a few bites it starts to overtake the base. These Swirls remind me of a Turkey Hill Swirl which starts to overtake the base due to the sheer size it provides. Towards the end of this pint I was basically eating fudge and marshmallow chunks which was absolutely fantastic. Do not sleep on this pint, if you are ever near a 7-11 pick this up instantly. The Graham Cracker base provides a heavy graham cracker flavor and tons of mix-ins with an incredibly creamy base. If you like heavy and thick swirls of marshmallow and fudge with chocolate chips mixed into a perfect graham cracker base you need to look no further. If you like a stronger cinnamon base and less mix-ins Gelato Fiasco may be your cup of tea. If you are looking for a heavy marshmallow base with graham cracker swirls + Chocolate Chips then Wegmans will be your go to S'mores Ice Cream. These would be my top 3 S'mores Ice cream offerings. Grade: A Found: 7-11 Convenience Store North Hills, Pennsylvania
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Post by thesolution on Sept 21, 2015 10:46:51 GMT -5
Halo Top Chocolate: Halo Top ice Cream offers a low-calorie, high-protein, and low-sugar ice cream based off all natural ingredients. They state on their webpage "We know it sounds too good to be true, so don’t just take our word for it – dig in and see for yourself just how good healthy ice cream can be!" After being offered to try two pints from the company I figured I would give it a shot to see how this is. I have never had a low calorie, high protein ice cream before, so I was very intrigued on the quality and taste. All of their flavors except chocolate have just 70 calories per serving (with chocolate at 80 kcals a serving) Upon lifting the lid you notice a dark and rich looking chocolate base. Upon my first bite I was a bit thrown off because it had a large artificial hot chocolate taste to it. The ice cream was creamy, but the taste left my mouth on the dry side which was surprising. Looking at the ingredient profile and seeing high fat cocoa this may skew the overall flavoring for a low caloric option and provide a flat tasting chocolate. Halo Top will find it hard to replicate chocolate because of it being a higher fat candy. Trying to utilize low caloric options in an ice cream without a lot of sugars and fat will provide for a lower tasting option. Halo Top was in the talks of reformulating their chocolate due to customer feedback, so this may be why I rate this chocolate as I do. Overall If i were to get this or pay 5$ for it I would be upset. I could find much better ways to spend 5$ to fix my chocolate taste buds besides a dry tasting low calorie ice cream. I would have to say this would be put on my list of worst ice creams I have ever encountered over my time. This not being a 100% true ice cream, but for a healthy option and the price tag it is hard to justify: Grade: F Found: Wegmans Erie, PA
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