Pumphouse - Heirloom Corn Masa

Heirloom Corn Masa - Heirloom Corn Masa Flavored Ice Cream

Today, I try an interesting new flavor from Pumphouse Creamery in South Minneapolis.  This one is called Heirloom Corn Masa.  Masa is a corn-based dough, so this appears like it may be a tortilla-chip based ice cream.  Interesting!  Their flavor page says "Fear not friends, this flavor is a sleeper-stunner."  I am very eager to check this out.

Popping off the lid, I see that the base ice cream is quite light in color and I can see little specks of the masa mix-ins.  With the first spoonful, the ice cream is soft and creamy.  The masa flavor in the base is not too strong.  It's definitely more flavor than sweet cream and it's definitely not vanilla.  Then I encounter the corn masa pieces.  These are quite interesting!  They are like tortilla chips but a little thicker and sweeter.  It is a bit like a cross between a tortilla chips and a waffle-cone pieces.  This material would make for interesting material for a waffle cone actually.  Also, perhaps the material that makes up the shells of those 'ice cream tacos' that some brands sell. 

I really liked this!  "Sleeper-stunner" is correct.  Like other recent experimental flavors from Pumphouse like Cardamon with Candied Orange Peel and Lemon Olive Oil & Sea Salt, this might not be ideal for kids but it's fun and surprisingly delicious for adult palates.  Unfortunately, I think it might have fallen out of their scoop shop rotation already -- maybe this was just a winter-time experiment?  Perhaps I am biased towards unique and unusal flavors, but I hope they bring it back someday.