Sweet Science - Toasted Coconut

Toasted Coconut - Vanilla Ice Cream infused with Toasted Coconut

Today's flavor is the Saint Paul-based Sweet Science brand's implementation of Toasted Coconut.  It has been a while since I have reviewed a coconut-based flavor, so I figured that I would give it a try.

Opening the lid, the ice cream appears a bit more yellow than I was expecting.  I checked the ingredient list and it includes both vanilla bean paste and egg yolks.  Each could have a yellow-ing effect (especially the egg yolks).  When I look very close I can see the small black vanilla bean specks.  Digging in, I taste the coconut right away as expected.  There are no mix-ins which by the description on their website is intentional.  Every once in a while, I did find the occasional small piece of coconut, but I've read that can sometimes happen.  As I understand it, when you infuse a base with a flavor, you cook the cream with the mix-ins and then strain out the solids before churning and chilling.  It is usually not a big deal if a few bits of the solid make it through the strainer.

I have mixed feeling about this pint.  As a simple pint with infused toasted coconut flavor, it was quite good, but it seemed a bit too plain.  I think I would have preferred bits of coconut included or perhaps some nuts or caramel or chocolate.  This was good, it just felt like it needed to be accompanied with something.