Sebastian Joe's - Black Forest

Black Forest - Cherry Ice Cream with Almonds 

 

I return to Sebastian Joe's for their Black Forest flavor.  I picked up this pint at their scoop shop in Lowry Hill.  It is a cherry-based flavor.  I should have asked the exact ingredients.  Cherry and almonds for sure, but checking my archives, the ingredients are similar to their Dakota Cherry flavor (black cherry, white chocolate and almonds).  Since today's flavor is "Black" Forest, it may very well be black cherry as well which would mean that the only difference is that this flavor lacks white chocolate.  Let's check it out and see.

Removing the lid, the cherry back has the expected pink color and appears to be rather thick.  I see some speckling which may be from small cherry pieces or from the almond pieces.  Digging in, the cherry flavor is quite appealing.  The almond pieces are small but provide a bit of crunch to keep this from being a completely homogenous pint.

This is a solid cherry nut flavor from Sebastian Joe's.  I did not sample the flavors back to back, but it is quite a bit similar to their own Dakota Cherry flavor.  That kind of detail bugs me.  Next time I see Black Forest in their scooping bin, I may ask to clarify the exact ingredients so that I can update this review.  It is delicious, though!  If you are at Sebastian Joe's and in the mood for cherry, don't hesitate.

Milk Bar - Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow

Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow - Cookie Dough flavored Ice Cream with Cornflake Crunch, Chocolate Flavored Chunks, and Melted Marshmallow

 

Today I return to the New-York-based Milk Bar brand for their Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow flavor.  I bought this at the Whole Foods on Selby in Saint Paul, but I have recently seen this brand stocked at the Target in the Midway.  I am glad to see this brand spreading to more stores.  Like my previous pint from Milk Bar, today's flavor is another one that incorporated breakfast cereal in the mix.  Let's check it out.

Removing the like and peeling back the seal with the nice message from Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi, I see several of the key ingredients right away.  The cookie dough base has an off-white color, there are quite a few chocolate chunks visible and I see hints of marshmallow and maybe hints of cornflakes.  Digging in, the cookie dough flavored base is decent.  There's no actual cookie dough, but it is cookie-dough flavored which I suppose means brown sugar, butter and eggs.  It works as a good vehicle for the mix-ins.  The chocolate chunks are a lot like chocolate chips but harder and rectangular change.  They provide a lot of chocolate flavor when you bite into them.  The marshmallow swirls are fun and not overdone.  There was not as much cornflake crunch as I was expecting but a little bit of cornflake goes a long way.  This is quite good.

This is a fun ice cream from Milk Bar.  It is not as heavily cereal based on their Cereal Milk flavor.  I would call it a hybrid flavor where a relatively small amount of cornflakes is used to spice up a chocolate-chip and marshmallow pint.  Enjoy.

 

 

Dolcezza - Vanilla Bean

Vanilla Bean - Vanilla Bean Gelato

 

Today is another Dolcezza pint which I bought at Whole Foods on Selby in Saint Paul.  Today is a simple Vanilla Bean flavor.  Vanilla pint implementation do not make for very exciting reviews, but they are part of my full survey of a brand's offerings and I have learned quite about about vanilla from writing these up.  This flavor is a "vanilla bean", so I expect to see some small specks from the vanilla flower's bean pods in the mix.  Let's check it out!

Removing the lid, the flavor is quite light in color.  Some vanilla's can appear yellowish from added eggs and other ingredients, but this is a fairly white vanilla.  The bean specks are fairly small, but if I look really close I can see them.  Digging in, the vanilla flavor is quite good.  The Dolcezza website says they  beans come from Singing Dog Vanilla in Eugene, Oregon and that the Vanilla is grown in Indonesia & New Guinea.  It's a fairly standard vanilla very similar to what most brands use (not a sweet Tahitian-style vanilla).   The texture is soft.  As I eat my way down, the gelato melts a bit giving a pleasant milkiness to mix.  It's good.

This is a solid vanilla implementation from Dolcezzo.  Good flavor, good texture.  Not much else to say.  If you like Dolcezza and are in the mood for a simple vanilla, this will hit the spot.

 

Dolcezza - Swiss Chocolate

Swiss Chocolate - Chocolate Gelato with Double Dark Chocolate Stracciatella and folds of Dulce de Leche

 

Today's flavor is Swiss Chocolate from Dolcezzo Gelato.  I bought it at the Whole Foods on Selby in Saint Paul.  When I bought this flavor, I assumed this was a simple chocolate implementation, but upon closer inspection the chocolate base features a dark chocolate stracciatella mix-in with folds of dulce de leche (caramelized milk).  "Stracciatella" are shredded-style chocolate chips common in Italian-style gelato companies.  See an earlier Dolcezzo review for more information.  So there is more ingredients here than I expected, what a pleasant surprise.

Removing the lid, the base has the expected chocolate-brown color.  Many of the chocolate chips are visible right away and I can even see a bit of dulce de leche on the top as well.   Digging in, the chocolate base is quite thick and tasty.  They certainly did not scrimp on the chips.  These adds more chocolate flavor and a crunchy texture.  I taste the dulce de leche from time to time, but as an accent.  It is quite good.

I liked this pint from Dolcezza very much.  It is primarily a chocolate-chocolate-chip flavor with a bit of dulce de leche in the mix as a bonus.  It's quite good.  Gelato fans who like chocolate should enjoy this.

 

Van Leeuwen - Vegan Chocolate Covered Strawberry

Vegan Chocolate Covered Strawberry - Vegan Cashew Milk flavored with Chocolate and Strawberry and with an In Bloom Brain Flow Boost
 

Today's flavor is the last from my recent online shipment from Van Leeuwen's Ice Cream of Brooklyn.  This is a non-dairy flavor called Vegan Chocolate Covered Strawberry (instagram link here).  A note to local readers that although Kowalski's carries Van Leeuwen, I don't think they carry this flavor.  I bought this flavor online.  Ok.  Here, the non-dairy base is made with cashew milk and it features chocolate, strawberry and a nutritional boost from a company called In Bloom.   I don't know if I have had a nutritional boost added to ice cream before.  Reminds me of Jamba Juice.  This boost includes gingko, ashwagandha root, some mushroom extract.  A full list with discussion is available on their website here.  I am more interested in the ice cream.  Chocolate is a common non-dairy base because if it includes its own cocoa butter, it supplies its own creaminess.  Let's check it out.

Opening the pint and peeling back the protective foil shows the chocolate has the expected deep brown color.  Do I see a hint of red in there from the strawberry?  I am not sure.  Digging in, it does taste chocolatey and I do taste a bit of strawberry in the mix right away.  The strawberry has a weird taste to it, though.  It feel bit mediciney?  Is that the boost?  I am not sure.  The texture was decent.  Not as creamy as their egg-rich French-style dairy bases, but not icy like some non-dairy flavors.  Eating my way down, there are occasionally small chunks of chocolate in the mix which provide some bit of textural variation.

Hmm... I did not particularly like this flavor.  A rare miss from the usually reliable Van Leeuwen.  Was it the non-dairy cashew milk base?  I guess I would have to try other non-dairy flavors.  Was it the strawberry flavor (more of an accent to the chocolate-chocolate chip here)?  I am not sure.  Was it the boost?  I am not sure.  Anyhow, I recommend sticking to their dairy line until I collect more information.

 

 

 

Sebastian Joe's - Bailey's Irish Cream

Bailey's Irish Cream - Ice Cream made with Bailey's Irish Cream

 

My next pint is from Sebastian Joe's of Minneapolis.  It is called Bailey's Irish Cream and I picked it up at the scoop shop in the Lowry Hill neighborhood.  It is based on the famous Irish cream liqueur of the same name.  I have had one other Bailey's themed pint from Sebastian Joe's called Bailey's Raspberry Truffle and I liked it very much.  I have also had -irish-creambased flavors from Häagen-Dazs and Izzy's (Irish Moxie is still available in pints!).  I am looking forward to checking this out.

Removing the lid, the base ice cream has a light cream color which is about what I expected.  Many of the 'bourbon' bases are the same color.  Digging in, the irish cream flavor is quite noticeable right away.  It is not at all 'boozy', but it is very fragrant and 'aromatic' -- the flavors seem to fill up my mouth and nose as I eat them.  I love it when liquor-based flavors have this effect.  This is a homogeneous pint with no mix-ins.

This is an excellent Bailey's-themed flavor from Sebastian Joe's.  Great flavor without feeling too boozy.  I really enjoyed it by itself, but other's might feel since there are no mix-ins that it could serve well accompanying something -- a small scoop in your coffee perhaps, or a scoop alongside a slice of chocolate cake.  Either way, it's good.  Check it out, if you see it in their scooping bin.

 

 

Van Leeuwen - Sicilian Pistachio

Sicilian Pistachio - Pistachio Ice Cream

 

The next pint in my recent shipment from the Brooklyn-based Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is called Sicilian Pistachio.  This appears to be a simple pistachio ice cream.  The Sicilian label is because Sicily is a common source for pistachios.  For a while, Talenti's pistachio flavor was called Sicilian Pistachio, but they've change their sourcing and now call it Pacific Coast Pistachio.  A note to readers that I bought this flavor online, so I am not sure if it is available locally in the Twin Cities.  Kowalski's does carry this brand, but I don't think I have seen this flavor.

Before I proceed, this is my 900th pint review!  With that I like show a collage of the previous hundred flavors:

Pints 801-900

For previous collages, see the reviews for pints 100, 200, 300, 400, 500,  600, 700 and 800.  I just had an idea, with nine "century" collages, I can actually make a collage of collages:

Mmmm... 900 pints of ice cream... 

That's a lot of ice cream!  I did not eat it all at once, though, so don't worry.  Unless I am on vacation, I don't eat ice cream on consecutive days and I try to eat a lighter dinner on ice cream nights.  A lot of local brands this year.  This started off as primarily a Ben & Jerry's blog and Ben & Jerry's is still my most reviewed brand, but a couple of the local shops will likely pass it soon as they are coming up with multiple new flavors each month.

OK, on to today's Sicilian Pistachio flavor.  Removing the lid, the color is very muted.  It is more of a khaki green than other brands of pistachio that I have had.  Digging in, this pistachio has a fairly "earthy" flavor which I take to mean that it is not as sweet as other brands.  Perhaps this in conjunction with the color means that it is going for more of a 'natural' implementation.  It is a homogeneous pint with no mix-ins. So, no nuts.

This is a decent implementation of pistachio.  I found it a bit earthy and unsweetened which is not my personal preference, but that combination may appeal to some.  Checking the pistachio tag in my reviews, I liked Sweet Science (local, seasonal & premium) and Ben & Jerry's (easier to find) the most.

Sebastian Joe's - Immaculate Confection

Immaculate Confection - Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Honey, Ginger, and Streusel Topping

 

I return to Sebastian Joe's for a flavor called Immaculate Confection.  I was at the Lowry Hill scoop shop and this flavor sounded really good so I had a pint of it hand-packed.  It is an interesting flavor.  I was having a little trouble remembering all the ingredients, but I got bailed out by a random facebook post from a couple of years ago which gives the flavor details.  I know it's a lot of work, but it would be nice if their website included flavor descriptions.  It is a combination of vanilla bean ice cream, honey, ginger and streusel topping.  Sounds quite interesting!

Removing the lid, the base ice cream has an off-white color with several of the streusel bits visible right away.  Digging in, I taste the honey and streusel right away.  Occasionally I run into a piece of ginger candy pieces which are quite delicious.  The vanilla base is decent but primarily serves as the vehicle for all of the mix-ins.

This flavor was a pleasant surprise.  Sebastian Joe's does candied mix-ins quite well (see Spumoni, and KARE-11 Sunrise).  The ginger pieces were delicious and went well with the strudel.  Check it out if you see it in their scooping bin the next time you are there.

 

 

 

 

Van Leeuwen - Bourbon Cherries Jubilee

Bourbon Cherries Jubilee - Sweet Cream Ice Cream with Swirls of Bourbon Cherry Compote

 

The next pint in my recent shipment from the Brooklyn-based Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is called Bourbon Cherries Jubilee.  This is a limited edition which I bought online so I do not believe that any local grocery stores stock this brand.  This is an implementation on a "Cherries Jubilee" flavor which I have seen before from the New Orleans brand and from Izzy's scoop shop days.  The Van Leeuwen implementation features a sweet cream base with swirls of bourbon cherry compote (a compote is like a thicker and chunkier jam).  Let's check it out!

Opening the lid and peeling back the protective seal, the base has a light pink color indicating that some of the cherry compote got blended into the sweet cream upon mixing.  Sections of the cherry compote swirl itself are also visible on top.  Digging in, the cherry flavor is quite good.  The added bourbon is not at all 'boozy' but creates a darker cherry flavor.  As I dig further down, I start to encounter larger chunks of cherry from time to time.  I guess this is the difference between a compote and a jam.  I also encounter some whiter, more sweet-cream-like sections where the swirl had not blended in.  This creates an 'a la mode' type effect which I really enjoyed.

This is a very enjoyable cherries jubilee flavor from Van Leeuwen.  It does not compete with the more boozy and larger cherry chunks Izzy's scoop shop flavor, but for a factory-made pint this is pretty good.  Enjoy. 

 

 

Milkjam Creamery - Candy Corn Killa

Candy Corn Killa - Blend of Creamy Fondant, Rich Marshmallow and Warm Vanilla Notes

 

In a recent review, I noted that I had already reviewed three of the four October flavors for the Minneapolis-based Milkjam Creamery.  The fourth flavor is the one that I am reviewing today.  Candy Corn Corn Killa (instagram link here).  This flavor is based on the common candy called Candy Corn.  Candy corn has an interesting history.  It was developed in the late 1800s with the original name 'Chicken Feed' which was thankfully changed to 'Candy Corn' not long after.  It became known as one of the first penny candies available in bulk.  What is it?  The base of the candy is a mix of sugar, corn syrup and carnauba wax (so if it tastes 'waxy' that's because it does contain an edible wax).  Fondant icing is added for texture and marshmallow added for a soft bite.  How does Milkjam create an ice cream flavor out of this?  It looks like they base it on added added fondant and marshmallow.  I wonder how this will turn out.  Will it taste like candy corn?  Will it be good?  Let's see!

Removing the lid, the ice cream has a very bright color with hints of some orangish and yellowish marbling underneath.  Digging in, it has a good ice-cream-like texture (below you can see the ripples that form as I scoop into it).  It has a sweet flavor to it.  It doesn't obviously taste like frosting (fondant) and it definitely not obviously marshmallow either.  That said, it tastes distinctly different than sweet cream or vanilla as well.  I guess it sort of tastes like candy corn!  Blending in all the milk and cream blurs the flavor a bit.  Perhaps the power of suggestion helps a lot, but I can totally imagine the candy corn flavor (a flavor which is itself hard to describe) in there.  Most importantly, the subtlety of the flavor does not cancel out all the appealing things that I normally like about ice cream in general.  So, this was an easy pint to eat.  Outside of some slight marbling of the colors (see pictures below), this is a homogeneous pint with no mix-ins (so no candy corn pieces).

This is an enjoyable implementation of a candy corn flavor from Milkjam Creamery.  It is not a very strong or impactful flavor but they managed to blend the two ingredients that distinguish candy corn from other confections (fondant and marshmallow) in a similar way so as to produce an ice cream that reminds me of candy corn.  It's worth checking out if you are a candy corn lover.  Otherwise, it's quite educational as I learned more about candy corn than I did before by trying this ice cream and writing this review.

 

 

 

 

Milk Bar - Cereal Milk

Cereal Milk - Cereal Milk Ice Cream with Cornflake Crunch

 

Last week, I reviewed my first pint of Milk Bar ice cream (review here).  While I was researching for that review, I realized that this brand specializes in using breakfast cereal in ice cream and I had reviewed one of the few flavors that did not contain breakfast cereal!  So, I am remedying that mistake today by trying their Cereal Milk flavor.  I bought it at Whole Foods on Selby in Saint Paul, but I have also seen Milk Bar stocked at the Target in the Midway.  Cereal Milk is Milk Bar's signature flavor and features a cereal milk ice cream with a cornflake crunch.  Checking the cereal tag on this blog, I find that I have had several cereal-based ice creams.  Several from Milkjam -- Cereal Killers, Monster Mash, Death By Chocula and Waka Flocka Flakes -- and flavors by both Bebe Zito (Breakfast Club) and Ample Hills (Breakfast Trash).  But the flavor that day's flavor most closely resembles would be Coolhaus' Cereal Dreams.  Both Milk Bar and Coolhaus feature cereal milk bases and swirls of crunchy cereal  Let's see how Milk Bar compares.

Removing the lid and peeling back the protective foil (which includes a greeting from Milk Bar founder Christina Tose), I see both the bright white color of the cereal milk base and the orangeish color of the cornflake swirl.  I can taste the cereal flavor right away in the first spoonful.  The base really does taste like the milk at the bottom of the bowl.  It is a little sweet but not overly so.  All the cream in ice cream does an excellent job of balancing out sugar for me.  For the cornflake swirl, the cornflakes are ground up into a powder that has a gritty texture to it (the Coolhaus pint above does the same thing).  I imagine this is done to keep the cornflakes from getting soggy -- and they don't -- they remain gritty which is similar to crunchy.  Sometimes the density of the cornflake swirl is a little inconsistent -- there will be a lot, then just a little, then a lot again -- but it's usually pretty easy to get both the swirl and the base on each spoonful.

This is an excellent cereal-based ice cream from Milk Bar.  This pint should have been my first Milk Bar review.  It's just simple cornflakes -- none of the colorful sugary ice creams of the Milkjam, Bebe Zito and Ample Hills flavors -- but cornflakes are still plenty sweet.  The balance between the cereal mix-ins and the cereal milk base is well done.  I did like Coolhaus's Cereal Dreams but this is my new favorite simple cereal ice cream flavor.  Check it out.