Pumphouse Creamery - Mint Chocolate Chip

Mint Chocolate Chip - Peppermint Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

The next flavor is from the Pumphouse Creamery in south Minneapolis.  I picked this up in the "before times" but I just checked their website and their temporary hours during the pandemic are 12-6 for pints/quart sales only.  The flavor is Mint Chocolate Chip.  Long-time readers will know this is my favorite ice cream dating back to when I was a kid.  Pumphouse has had a lot of unusual and eccentric flavors this winter (e.g. Corn Masa, Black Garlic, Dill Pickle) so I feel I should be showing that they do standard and popular flavors as well.  Pumphouse has recently written about this flavor in their website diary describing how they have found a new source of mint -- the Seeley Mint Farm in Oregon.  Let's check it out.

Cracking open the lid, the peppermint base is bright white and there are lots of fine chocolate chips visible right away.  Digging in, the mint flavor is quite potent but not overpowering.  It's strong yet not chalky or dry, the base remains quite creamy.  I like it.  It is very delicious.  The chips provide a bit of chocolate but since they are small chips it is not as much as I expected.  This is not a complaint, I am just noting that this is a very minty version of mint chip.

I quite liked this implementation of mint chocolate chip from Pumphouse Creamery.  As I mentioned above, this is not as chocolatey as some mint chip pints are, but it is one of the best peppermint bases that I have yet tried.  That Seeley Mint Farm makes really good mint!  So, this is more of a mint-lovers mint chip and that is OK. 

Talenti - Coffee Cookie Crumble

Coffee Cookie Crumble - Layers of Cold Brew Gelato, Dark Chocolate Chunks, Chocolate Coffee Sauce, Vanilla Bean Gelato and Amaretti Cookie Pieces

Talenti has new Gelato Layers pints for 2020!  The new ones are the ones which include coffee, lemon, banana and coconut.  Today's flavor is the coffee one:  Coffee Cookie Crumble.  I got this pint at Lund's in Highland Park, but I have also seen it at Cub in the Midway.  To refresh everyone's memory, a Gelato Layers pint involves stacking several (usually five) layers of ingredients in the same pint container.  The five years here are cold brew coffee gelato, dark chocolate chunks, a chocolate coffee sauce, vanilla bean gelato and amaretti cookie pieces.  I've written many times before about how coffee and chocolate always makes for a great combination possibly because their active ingredients (caffeine and theobromine) are so similar.  I was unfamiliar with "amaretti" cookies but like amaretto liqueur, it appears to be almond based.  I found some recipes online.

Let's check it out!  Unscrewing the distinctive lids of the Talenti jar, I only see the top layer.  That's true of all Talenti pints.  For these special flavors, I like to cut out a slice for the pictures below.  I can see the two gelato bases (coffee & vanilla) separated by two mix-in layers (chocolate chunks and coffee chocolate sauce) which are both thin enough to effectively blend together.  The bottom layer is the cookies.  Digging in, the coffee gelato has a smooth coffee flavor.  They bill it as a 'cold brew'.  I am not enough of a coffee expert to recognize that immediately, but it does have good coffee flavor without any hint of bitterness.  The chocolate chunk/sauce combo in the middle is quite delicious.  The chunks are fairly small -- they are almost chip-sized -- and the sauce has a bite to it.  My first impression was that it had a similar bite to it than canned syrup has, but I also note that it is billed as a coffee-and-chocolate syrup so I imagine some of the bite comes from the coffee.  It's delicious.  Quite a lot of chocolate in these two layers and it goes well with the coffee base.  The vanilla base it a refreshing compliment to it all -- to keep the coffee and chocolate from being too intense.  The cookie at the bottom are OK but not too memorable.  They are not bad, but they provide a bit of soft chewy crunch and not a lot of flavor.

This another successful layers pint from Talenti.  The coffee gelato goes really well with the chocolate chunks and sauce and the vanilla and cookies keeps it from being too much.  My method of extracting out a slice for the photos leaves the pint in such a state that it makes it easy for me to sample most of the layers with almost every spoonful.  If you find it tricky to do the same, you could try scooping it all out into a bowl first.

Sweet Science - Pineapple Passion Fruit Mango Sorbet

Pineapple Passion Fruit Mango Sorbet - Pineapple Passion Fruit Mango Sorbet

Today's flavor is a new sorbet from the Saint Paul-based Sweet Science Ice Cream.  It is called Pineapple Passion Fruit Mango Sorbet.  This is not a 'monthly' flavor but a sorbet which has been cycled into their main rotation.   I bought it at the Keg & Case Market earlier this month.  Keg & Case is temporarily closed for the pandemic, but I have found pints of theirs stocked at Whole Foods, Kowalski's and a number of other local markets.  A reminder that sorbets are dairy-free by definitely -- it is basically flavored ice which is churned like ice cream.  Pineapple, passion fruit & mango are all flavors which I have had sorbets for in the past, but it will be fun to see how they all taste blended together.

Opening the pint, the sorbet has a nice bright yellow color.  I recognize the four dots on top from the inner lining of the lid.  Digging my spoon in, the sorbet has a good texture.  I can tell that there is no dairy in there, but it is churned quite well and almost seems 'creamy'.  The flavor is quite good.  I can specifically taste the pineapple and the passion fruit right away.  The mango I have to think about more, it is not quite as distinctive of a flavor as the other two, but I trust that it is in there. The tropical blend that the three flavors form is quite delicious.  As tropical as passion fruit is, the flavor can be a bit bitter at times so mixing it with sweeter flavors is a great idea.  I saw Milkjam Creamery do that once by blending passion fruit with lychee.

This is an excellent tropical themed sorbet from Sweet Science.  The flavors mix so well that I actually like this more than sorbets that I have had of the individual flavors.  It is a sorbet and not ice cream, so keep that in mind, but if you are in the mood for a tropical pint this is an excellent choice.

Izzy's - Umeshu Chocolate

Umeshu Chocolate - Chocolate Ice Cream made with Guittard Cocoa and Japanese Plum Wine

Today's flavor is a hand-packed flavor from the Saint-Paul-based Izzy's Ice Cream.  It is called Umeshu Chocolate.  It is a Guittard chocolate base blended with umeshu, or wine made with Japanese plums called ume.  They are called plums but are perhaps more closely related to apricots.  Choya is the brand of wine used here.  I got today's pint at Izzy's Saint Paul scoop shop before everything temporarily closed for the pandemic.  Sorry about the delay.  Sometimes I overload my freezer and a queue builds up before I get around to eating it.  Also, I wanted to try their regular chocolate first.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid shows a much darker base than I was expecting, especially considering that umeshu is a lighter colored wine.  Digging in, this is a deeper and darker chocolate flavor than their regular chocolate pint.  I taste the wine right away too underneath the chocolate.  There is not too much wine -- this is not at all 'boozy', it does not have enough alcohol to soften the ice cream - but the wine flavor definitely complements the dark chocolate quite well.  It is a good blend.  This is a homogeneous pint with no mix-ins.

I quite liked this flavor.  It is a unique and interesting blend of wine and chocolate which I have not seen before.  The chocolate flavor is very strong -- you could almost call it dark chocolate and the wine accents and removes any bitterness that concentrated chocolate sometimes brings.  If you like dark chocolate and this type of a wine blend intrigues you then this is one to check out when the scoop shops re-open.

Häagen-Dazs - TRIO - Ruby Cacao Crackle

TRIO - Ruby Cacao Crackle - Pistachio and Sweet Cream Ice Creams layered with Ruby Cacao Chocolate

Häagen-Dazs has new flavors for 2020 and they are making their way into grocery stores even in these interesting times.  The big release this year from them is their Heaven line of low calorie pints.  I usually don't review the low-cal flavors -- my theory being that dessert should be indulgent and if you don't want to indulge then have dessert less often.  The other new flavors are spread across their existing lines.  Today's flavor is a limited release from their TRIO line of pints and is called Ruby Cacao Crackle.  I bought it at the Hyvee in Eagan.  I have not seen it anywhere else since, but I imagine other places will have it soon.  The TRIO line feature layers of two types of ice cream layered with a third crunchy layer.  The two ice creams are sweet cream and pistachio and the crunchy layer is a new flavor for me: ruby chocolate. 

Ruby chocolate has only been around for a few years -- introduced in 2017 by the Barry Callebaut company.  They select special cacao beans and then process them in a proprietary way so that it comes out with a purplish red color.  The flavor is described as sweet and sour with  hit of berries, but I guess I can judge the flavor for myself soon!  Barry Callebaut is marketing this as the "fourth chocolate" -- the other three being dark, milk and white.  I don't know if this will get *that* big but it sure sounds interesting.

Let's dig in.  After removing the lid and peeling back the label, I can actually see all three layers.  Just a little bit of the ruby chocolate can be seen and I can see swirls of both sweet cream and pistachio.  The pistachio has a very faint color but I can see that it is different from the sweet cream.  Like most of the other TRIO pints, I have to dig my spoon in to cut through the crunchy layer -- the ruby chocolate.  Tasting it, the ruby chocolate is what I taste the most.  It is a very unique flavor.  It's a little bitter, like a dark chocolate often is, but the flavor itself is not like dark chocolate.  It has more of a tart or acidic taste to it.  I don't think it is love-at-first-bite for me, but it is an interesting new flavor.  Given this sharp flavor of the crunchy layer, I can see what the role of the sweet cream and pistachio will be here -- a soothing role which helps bring balance to the pint.  The flavor of the pistachio is as mild as the faint color implies, but it does help cleanse the palate while eating the chocolate.  Pistachio lovers should stick to their Pistachio flavor.

Ruby chocolate is an interesting new flavor and I'm glad that Häagen-Dazs has made this available even if it is a limited batch.  A TRIO flavor is a good choice to deliver this flavor.  You can try out the crunchy new chocolate and wash it down with the two bases.  My first impression of ruby chocolate is that it's a bit sharp but perhaps it is a flavor that you have to acquire.  I remember thinking the same thing about dark chocolate when I was a kid.  I will keep on the lookout for other ruby chocolate flavors.  Certainly, the choco-curious will want to check this out.

Pumphouse Creamery - Dill Pickle

Dill Pickle - Dill Pickle Ice Cream

Today I try a new flavor from the Pumphouse Creamery in south Minneapolis called Dill Pickle.  Yes, you read that correctly!  Dill Pickle!  Pumphouse has had some unusual and creative flavors this winter including Corn Masa and Black Garlic (now with chocolate chips).  They seem to have topped themselves here.  Pickles? Pickles and Cream?

Pickles (pickled cucumbers) have been around for a few thousand years.  Pickling something in vinegar and brine is a great way of preserving food -- before supermarkets, you had to have a good way of eating things when they were not in season.  I found some interesting articles online on the history of pickles here, here and here.  Dill is a fragrant herb of the Apiaceae family which is a very large family known mostly for celery carrots and parsley but also for fragrant herbs such as cumin, coriander, anise and fennel.  Dill has long been used as a flavoring agent for pickles.  Reading these articles, I see a frequent mention of pickles and ice cream as one of the cravings that pregnant women might get.  There was a write-up about this on Slate.com a while back.  I hadn't thought about that.  Perhaps that is one of the motivations of creating this flavor?

On to the ice cream!  Opening the lid, the ice cream is a bright yellowish white color.  There are hints of a few specks in there -- I am not sure if they are pickles or dill.  I brace myself as I dig in.  Yup, I taste the pickles right away!  It is sweeter than just the pickles themselves.  Reminded me a bit of a relish at first.  Interestingly, I taste the creaminess of the ice cream as a 'finish' (what you taste after you swallow).  With their recently black garlic flavor, it was the garlic that was the finish.  That creaminess does seem to allow me to eat more than one spoonful at a time.  I am surprised at how palatable this was made to be.  I was actually able to finish the entire pint in one sitting, although I would probably recommend a smaller service.  Like the garlic pint that I had last month, I was craving a palate-cleansing stick of gum about a half an hour after finishing.

This is a fun experimental flavor from Pumphouse Creamery!  I will admit that it is probably not for everyone, but it is very entertaining to try something completely different.  If you're a pickle fan or if you are pregnant, you should definitely try it.  You might want to limit yourself to a scoop at first -- a full pint was a lot.  I just checked the Pumphouse website and they do mention that they are open from 12-6 daily for take-home pints and quarts.  I've also seen them at some local Kowalski's.

Izzy's - Chocolate

Chocolate - Chocolate Ice Cream

Today's flavor is a pre-packaged pint from the Saint-Paul-based Izzy's Ice Cream.  This flavor is simply Chocolate.  The scoop shop is temporarily closed, but you can buy pre-packaged Izzy's pints at many local grocery stores.  I got my pint at Lunds, but I've also seen them at Hyvee, Whole Foods and Kowalski's.  I have reviewed most of the pre-packaged flavors from Izzy's, but I noticed I have not gotten around to doing a write-up for their implementation of chocolate.  Now seems as good of a time as ever.  The packaging proudly states that they get their cocoa powder from Guittard.  Let's see how it tastes!

Opening the lid, the chocolate brown has a solid brown color as expected.  I don't usually comment, on the surface texture, but it looks really good.  You can almost tell that it'll be extra creamy just by looking at it.  Digging in, the ice cream is indeed thick and creamy.  It is surprisingly easy to scoop despite still being firm and frozen.  The chocolate flavor is quite good, there is very little bitterness but not overly sweet, so the cocoa/sugar balance is very well done.  It does not have the taste of a frozen hot chocolate like some bases do -- this is more the taste of a very good chocolate bar.

This is a very well done and delicious implementation of a simple chocolate ice cream from Izzy's.  Since scoop shops are closed these days, buying pints is a way to support your local brands.  If your grocery store carries Izzy's and you are in the mood for chocolate, try this pint and see if you like it.

Milkjam Creamery - Diane Moua

Diane Moua - Pandan Ice Cream with a Coconut Pandan Jam Swirl

Today's flavor is from Milkjam Creamery in Minneapolis.  I bought it at their scoop shop on Lyndale.  Since I bought this, there have been a lot of closures due to the virus, but last I checked the World Street Kitchen next door still has takeout/delivery and since they are under the same ownership as Milkjam, you can get pints of ice cream when you order from them.  I don't want to dwell too much on current events because I still plan on eating whatever ice creams I can get a hold of, but just leaving a note for local readers about the current flavor availability.

The flavor is called "Diane Moua".  March is Women's History Month and Milkjam renames their flavors each year after famous women.  "Diane Moua" is a new flavor this year and as far as I can tell this is its original name (it is not renamed just for this month.  Diane Moua is the Executive Pastry Chef at Spoon and Stable, Bellecour and Demi in Minneapolis.  An Instagram link to the flavor release from Milkjam is available here.  This flavor features pandan as the primary ingredient.  Pandan is a tropical plant common in southern and southeastern asia which has fragrant leaves which are frequently used in cooking.  Here the base ice cream is flavored with pandan and there is also a swirl which contains a coconut pandan jam.  I am looking forward to trying this out.

Popping off the lid, the ice cream is an off-white yellow color with a slight greenish tinge to it.  Digging in, it has a bright, herbal and fragrant flavor.  It is a bit familiar, but I can't quite place it.  It is not very intense -- most of the flavor comes from its fragrance -- but it is sweet and pleasant.  Looking for the coconut pandan jam swirl, I see some sections which are a little denser than the rest but no distinct swirl.  I think it got mostly blended into the base.  That is OK as the flavor is good.

This is a very interesting pint from Milkjam.  Pandan is a new flavor for me, so I am not sure what to judge it against, but it has a pleasing flavor.  I follow Milkjam's twitter and it looks like they are still selling pints for pickup.  If you like pandan -- or feel like trying something new -- give it a try.

Häagen-Dazs - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough - Vanilla Ice Cream with Cookie Dough Pieces and Chocolate Chips

There was a one-day sale at Lund's a couple of weeks ago for pints of Häagen-Dazs so I picked myself up a pint.  The Lund's in Highland Park did not have any of the new 2020 flavors yet, so I had to find a flavor which I had not yet tried.  I have tried all of the newer and more unique flavors, so I had to scan my phone for a while to find a flavor I have not yet tried.  It turns out that I have not had their Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor yet!  Let's see how their implementation compares to other brands!

Inside their vanilla ice cream, I see lots of chocolate chips and a couple of pieces of cookie dough.  They are using a separate mix-ins for the chocolate chips.  I have seen that before with Graeter's.  Many other brands mix the chocolate chips into the dough, though keeping them separate is not a bad way to put more chocolate into the mix.  The cookie dough is chewy and had a buttery flavor.  The chips are simple but quite good, they are the same ones that they use in their other 'chip' flavors such as Mint Chip.

This is a good implementation of a cookie dough flavor from Häagen-Dazs.  Splitting the chocolate chips into a separate mix-in makes me feel like there is a little less cookie dough than some implementations, but it does deliver more chocolate.  If you like the 'chip' part of chocolate chip cookie dough, this might be for you. 

Ben & Jerry's - Cannoli

Cannoli - Mascarpone Ice Cream with Fudge-Covered Pastry Shell Pieces & Mascarpone Swirls

I have been waiting to see what the new flavors from Ben & Jerry's would be this year.  Last month, I reviewed Netflix & Chilll'd, but I figured that could be the only one for this year.  In recent years we've seen Core flavors, Cookie Core flavors, Truffles flavors, Cookie Dough Core flavors, what could be next?  It turns out that they've decided to bring back three recent and particularly successful limited batch flavors as fan favorites:  Gimme S'more (previously reviewed here), Peanut Butter Half Baked (previously reviewed here) and Cannoli (not previously reviewed, so today's flavor!).  I have had one cannoli-themed pint before -- from Coolhaus.  It will be interesting to see how this one compares.  Note to local buyers, I saw this flavor first at the Hyvee in Eagan, so I bought it there but I am starting to see it appearing in other grocery stores like Lunds.  I imagine that will spread to places like Target and Lunds soon.

Popping off the lid, I see the marscarpone base is a bright white color and I see quite a few fudge-covered pastry pieces right away -- including one piece where the fudge has not completely covered the pastry.  Digging in the mascarpone base is delicious.  I am a big fan of mascarpone... the 'dessert cheese'.  It is a sweet creamy cheese which does not have the aftertaste of cream cheese.  Next I encounter the fudge-covered pastry pieces.  These are crunchy and the fudge delivers quite bit of chocolate flavor.  These remind me quite a bit of cone pieces -- not exactly, but quite close.  So this flavor might have a similar appeal to Americone Dream.  There are some key differences -- mascarpone is a richer base than vanilla and there is no caramel -- but the mix-ins are quite similar.  The pastry shell pieces here might be a little bigger and crunchier.

I really enjoyed this pint from Ben & Jerry's.  Mascarpone is one of my favorite ingredients, so I'm quite happy to have another way of enjoying it.  I liked this pint slightly better than the Coolhaus implementation that I tried last year (I enjoyed that pint, but it was a bit sweeter than I was expecting).  Even during these interesting times, I am starting to see this flavor being rotated into local grocery store freezer cases.  So fans of cannoli and/or mascarpone can try out this flavor at home soon.  Keep a lookout for the other two new flavors (Gimme S'more and Peanut Butter Half Baked) as well.

Sweet Science - Lemongrass Ginger Bark

Lemongrass Ginger Bark - Lemongrass Ice Cream with White Chocolate-covered Ginger Bark Pieces

The Saint Paul-based Sweet Science has new flavors for March.  The first flavor is Earl Grey with White Chocolate which I have reviewed previously and the second is today's flavor Lemongrass Ginger Bark.  The description on the carton says that they originally released this flavor back in 2014, but I have only been following Sweet Science closely since late 2017 so this flavor is new for me.  I am fairly excited about this as I have not had a lemongrass-based flavor of ice cream yet.

Lemongrass is an Old World grass which smells like lemons.  It is a source of Citonella oil.  I found a good article on the use of lemongrass in cooking here.  Another article comparing lemongrass to lemons is here.  I like the flavor of lemons, it will be interesting to see if I like lemongrass.  By "ginger bark", they mean creating a confection with ginger and white chocolate which is similar to peppermint bark and almond bark.  Let's see how these two mix.

Removing the lid, the lemongrass base has a very light yellow color and I can see chunks of ginger bark right on top of the pint.  Digging in, the lemongrass flavor is quite interesting.  The smell of lemon is in my mouth as I eat it, but the flavor is a bit more herbal than the lemon fruit would be.  It's good.  The ginger bark pieces are hard and crunchy.  In my pint, ginger was very mild and I had to focus to taste it.  Perhaps it was dominated by the lemongrass or perhaps the white chocolate bark meant to mute the ginger a bit was doing too good of a job.

This was an interesting flavor from Sweet Science.  Lemongrass is an interesting flavor.  I do prefer lemon -- their Lemon Meringue Pie flavor from January was amazing -- but this is not bad.  If you like lemongrass I'd check this out, but otherwise I'd see if I could get a sample first.  That's the problem, though, as I write this the Keg & Case Market where I got this is closed due to the coronavirus.  You can probably still find it at grocery stores like Whole Foods or Kowalski's.

Pumphouse Creamery - Fresh Banana

Fresh Banana - Banana Ice Cream

Today's flavor is from Pumphouse Creamery in South Minneapolis.  It is a simple flavor:  Fresh Banana.  Pumphouse has been having fun experimenting this winter with some eccentric flavors.  Recent flavors have included Black Garlic and Corn Masa (plus there is a pickle flavor in my freezer).  I wanted to mix a normal flavor in there as well to show although *I* am drawn to the weird and unusual, they still have a lot to offer in their standard line.  Perusing their flavor page, I saw that the banana flavor is described as having a 'cult following' so I figured I would check it out.  I have had quite a few flavors which have included banana (banana chip, bananas foster, banana caramel, banana vanilla wafer, etc), but I believe this is my first straight banana flavor.

Removing the lid the top of the ping is a bright white color.  Knowing that it is banana, I can look and see a hint of yellow in there, but it is as white as most vanillas or sweet creams.  Digging in, the ice cream is thick and creamy and tastes like bananas.  I've written before about the two types of banana ice creams:  ones that have the earthy flavor of banana bread and the sweet banana of a banana pudding or banana cream pie.  This just tastes like fresh bananas!  I guess it would be closer to the banana cream pie bananas but without the gooey sweetness.  It tastes so much like bananas that even though there are no chunks of bananas in this mix, I can almost imagine the texture of a ripe banana in my month as I eat it.  This is delicious.

This is a very simple flavor -- fresh banana -- but very well done.  If you just want banana ice cream, you can't do much better than this.  Enjoy.

Milkjam Creamery - Masala Holla

Masala Holla - Garam Masala Spice Blend (Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice, Ginger, Peppercorns and Cardamom) spun into a Dairy-Free Base with Oat and Coconut Milks

Today is another flavor from the Milkjam Creamery of Minneapolis.  This flavor is called Masala Holla (instagram link here).  It is a dairy-free flavor made with oat and coconut milks and then seasoned with a garam masala spice blend.  I have had two ice creams specifically billed as 'masala', one from McConnell's and one from Pumphouse.  That said, this specific spice blend is very similar to that of "5-spice" or even the "spice" of "pumpkin spice", so it would appear that many cultures have discovered that cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger go well together.  Masala Holla was part of Milkjam's "Silk Road" series from the month of January, but I found a pint in their freezer case just a couple of weeks ago.  It is not unusual for pints to continue to be available after they've cycled the flavor out of their scooping pints.  Let's check it out!

Removing the lid, the ice cream has a off-white color consistent with oatmeal.  Knowing that oat milk was used may have led me to use that description, I might have used a linen color.  Digging in, the base is sweeter than I expected.  Not candy sweet, but almost a cereal-milk type of sweetness to it.  I do taste the masala spice blend in the mix, but it is surprisingly mild.  'Garam' means 'hot', so perhaps this is just masala.  The texture of the non-dairy base is interesting.  It has a bit of gritty oiliness to it.  It is not extreme -- it is still pleasing to eat -- but I do note the difference when I compare it to dairy bases.  The texture reminded me a bit of Indian or Thai desserts -- cold, sweet with a little bit of graininess in there.

I enjoyed this flavor.  It was not nearly as spicy as I was expecting for a masala flavor, but it was still cool and refreshing.