Jeni's - Mango Cheesecake Swirl

Mango Cheesecake Swirl - New York-Style Cheesecake Ice Cream with a Mango Swirl

 

I return to Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream today for the next flavor in my recent shipment of the Ice Cream Trunk Collection.  This flavor is called Mango Cheesecake Swirl.  This is a cheesecake ice cream with a mango swirl.  I have had several mango flavors, but each was as the base flavor.  This is the first time that I have had the mango delivered in a swirl.  We'll see how this one is different.

Removing the lid and peeling back the protective seal, I see the mango swirl right away on the top.  I like it when they have good top-of-the-pint presentation of the swirl like this.  The cheesecake ice cream has a very white color.  Digging in, I taste the mango swirl right away.  It's pretty good.  The cheesecake base offsets it a bit, but there is still plenty of mango flavor in the mix.  The cheesecake base is perhaps thicker than the usual sweet cream or vanilla base, but it does not have that specific 'cheesecake' flavor.  The cream cheese just provides thickness.

I liked this flavor quite a bit.  Delivering the flavor of mango in a swirl is a very good idea and it provides an alternative for those who like mango but feel that full mango bases are a bit too much.  Enjoy.

 

McConnell's - Banana Peanut Butter & Chocolate

Banana Peanut Butter & Chocolate - Banana Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Ribbons and Chocolate Chips

 

Today's flavor is the second in my recent four-pint shipment from the Santa-Barbara-based McConnell's Ice Cream.  This flavor is called Banana Peanut Butter & Chocolate.  I bought it online and I am not aware of any Minnesota grocery stores that stock McConnell's.  Today's flavor is an interesting flavor combination.  There's lots of banana/chocolate combinations and lots of peanut butter banana combinations, but for all three I only find Häagen-Dazs' Banana Peanut Butter Chip and a non-dairy flavor from Milkjam Creamery called PB vs Everybody.  Let's see how this compares.

Removing the lid, the banana base has the expected light yellow color and I can see lots of small pieces of both peanut butter and chocolate.  The small pieces of peanut butter look "chip sized".  Digging in, I actually taste the peanut butter first -- that's how well done these peanut butter chunks are.  The banana forms a background flavor which is quite appealing and I chocolate flavor is released when I bite into each of those chips.

This is a well-done implementation of a banana, peanut butter and chocolate flavor from McConnell's.  Compared to the two flavors above, this is very close to the Häagen-Dazs flavor which I also liked.  If I had to pick a favorite of the two, I would probably pick McConnell's, but that said, McConnell's is also more expensive and harder to find.  If you are like Elvis and love the banana and peanut butter flavor combination (and you have access to McConnell's) then give this flavor a try.

 

 

Jeni's - Orange Freeze

Orange Freeze - Juicy Blood Orange, Tart Orange Juice and Coconut Cream

The next flavor from the Ice Cream Truck Collection from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream is called Orange Freeze.  I bought it online and I am not aware that it is available in local grocery stores.  This is a non-dairy flavor that uses a blend of blood orange and orange juice into a coconut cream.  This looks good.  I am curious as to how the orange will blend in with the coconut cream.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, the top of the pint shows a pale orange section and a white section.  it looks like there is both an orange section and a plain coconut cream section which are marbled together.  Digging in, the orange flavor is quite good.  Without reading the carton first, I would not have guessed that it was a blood orange/regular orange blend but it is a delicious orange flavor.  The balance between sweet and tart is well done.  The coconut cream only sections are also quite good and go surprisingly well with the orange.  I have written before how Jeni's has a good coconut cream.  The coconut flavor is fairly mild and stays in the background.  The orange flavor is the star here.

This is a very delicious non-dairy orange cream flavor from Jeni's.  It reminds me a lot of their Orange Blossom Chiffon flavor from last year -- both have a very appealing light orange flavor.  The key differences are that last year's flavor was dairy and homogenous, while this years flavor is non-dairy and marbled with plain coconut cream.

 

 

McConnell's - Seavees Sprinkled with Pride

Seavees Sprinkled with Pride - Strawberry Ice Cream with Shortcake Pieces, Strawberry Jam and Rainbow Sprinkles

I made an online order from Santa Barbara's McConnell's Ice Cream!  It has been a while, but I was surfing the web for ice cream one day and found that they had enough new flavors for me to purchase a shipment.  The first flavor is called Seavees Sprinkled with Pride.  

Seavees is a shoe company which like McConnell's is also based in Santa Barbara.  It has an interesting history.  It started in the 1960s as a casual sneaker company, first as a subsidiary of BF Goodrich and then as a subsidiary of Converse.  In the early 1970s, a court ruled that Converse controlled too much of the sneaker market to also own Seavees, so Converse discontinued the brand.  Fast-Forward to 2008 and the brand is relaunched -- this time as an independent company.  They've teamed up with McConnell's to sponsor this LGBTQIA+ themed flavor with 5% of the proceeds going to the Pacific Pride Foundation.  

What is in the flavor?  It's a strawberry ice cream with shortcake pieces, a swirl of strawberry jam and rainbow sprinkles.  I have had strawberry shortcake-themed pints before from Ben & Jerry's (limited batch no longer available), Tillamook and Talenti Layers.  This is the first with sprinkles, but sprinkles are mainly a cosmetic addition so it should still be easy to compare.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid and peeling back the foil, I see the pink color of the strawberry base and lots sprinkles.  Digging in, the strawberry ice cream is very good.  McConnell's has just about the densest ice cream around while still being cream-based.  The swirls of jam add additional strawberry flavor.  I worried a bit that the jam might be frozen it softens up very quickly in my mouth the shortcake pieces are scattered throughout the pint.  The spoon cuts through them very easily, they provide a little bit of a change in texture as I eat it.  The pieces are not as gritty in texture as the ones in their Earl Grey & Shortbread Cookies flavor, so it does appear that this is a different mix-in.  The difference between shortbread cookie and shortcake I suppose.  The sprinkles are a nice visual touch.  I notice that some of the sprinkles have a darker color than I expected.  I checked the ingredient list and sure enough some of them are chocolate sprinkles.  I don't find that sprinkles add much flavor but your palate may be more sensitive than mine.

This is an excellent strawberry shortcake themed pint from McConnell's.  I love the thickness of McConnell's Ice Cream and the two strawberry flavors (base and swirl) are delicious.  Compared to the other strawberry shortcake implementations linked above, I liked the flavor of this the best which says a lot because I really enjoyed the Talenti and Tillamook flavors as well.  If McConnell's is available near you, check this out.

 

 

 

 

Jeni's - Rocket Pop

Rocket Pop - Blueberry and Pineapple swirled into a Buttermilk Yogurt Ice Cream Base

 

As discussed in a previous review, I have recently made an online purchase from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream of Columbus, Ohio.  The previous review was for a standalone limited batch flavor called Wedding Cake.  The rest of the shipment comprises what they are calling the Ice Cream Truck collection.  Today's flavor is called Rocket Pop which I believe is based on the old Bomb Pop or Firecracker popsicles that you would get from ice cream trucks.  Those tricolored popsicles were flavored with cherry, blue raspberry and some sort of white lemon-lime.  Here Jeni's uses two colors.   Blueberry and pineapple ice creams are swirled together and each ice cream is made with buttermilk and yogurt.  I don't think I have had this flavor combination before.  Sounds very interesting.

Removing the lid and peeling back the protective seal, I see both ice creams right away.  The blueberry has an amazing blue color.  Then the pineapple has a light yellow color to it.  This blue is incredible.  I know Jeni's does not use artificial colors, so I was curious as to how they created this.  The ingredients list spirulina which is a natural blue-green algae.  Jeni's also uses spirulina to create the green color of their Green Mint Chip flavor.  A quick google search tells me that spirulina also comes in blue.  Moving on, I taste the pineapple flavor first.  The blueberry is not too strong, but if I scoop out a spoonful only from the blue part I can taste it.  In both bases, the buttermilk and the yogurt is not a significant part of the flavor.  Those ingredients were chosen for how well they 'held' the pineapple and blueberry flavors.

This is very fun pint!  These colors are beautiful and the pineapple and blueberry are very refreshing together.  There's pints with more intense pineapple or a more deeper blueberry flavor, but this Rocket Pop flavor puts them together in a very fun and nostalgic way.  Enjoy.

 

 

Sweet Science - Watermelon Lime Sorbet

Watermelon Lime Sorbet - Watermelon Lime Sorbet

 

It has been a while since I have reviewed a pint from Sweet Science, so I was happy to see a new flavor from them which I have not yet tried.  Today's flavor is a Watermelon Lime Sorbet.  A lot has happened since I last reviewed this brand.  First, they no longer have a scoop shop in the Keg & Case Market in Saint Paul.  They have since re-opened in Edina inside the Nolan Mains project near 50th and France.  As a Saint Paul resident, I am a bit bummed because Keg & Case was so convenient, but they are still stocked at places like Kowalski's, Whole Foods and many local co-ops.  Plus, I have have been told that the Golden Fig market on Grand Avenue in Saint Paul (near Avon) has a very good selection that includes the monthly specials.  I bought this pint at Golden Fig.  I have had watermelon sorbet once before from Graeter's (there blended with lemon instead of lime).  It'll be fun to see how this compares.

Removing the lid, the watermelon base has a light pink color -- a bit lighter in color than I expected.  Digging in, the watermelon flavor is very refreshing and delicious.  The flavor is a bit on the mild side, but so is the flavor of a slice of watermelon.  I do notice the lime a bit, but only a twist of it.

This is a very refreshing and delicious watermelon sorbet from Sweet Science.  It is not as strong as that of the Graeter's pint I had a couple of summers ago, but I like the flavor here a bit better.  Watermelon fans and fruit sorbet fans will love having this on a hot summer day.

 

 

Milkjam Creamery - Roasted Vanilla

Roasted Vanilla - Roasted Vanilla Bean Custard

 

Today's flavor is the last of Milkjam Creamery's "American Classics" series for June (instagram link here).  This flavor is Roasted Vanilla (instagram link here).  You don't get any more classic than that.  I have written before about how vanilla is not "plain" -- plain ice cream is called "sweet cream".  I've also written that vanilla's flavor comes from the bean of an orchid native to Mexico but now commonly grown in places like Madagascar, Indonesia and Tahiti.  Still, the flavor is so familiar and ubiqutious that I usually don't look to review a brand's vanilla flavor first, but I often do get around to it.  Scanning my archives, I find reviews for simple vanilla and/or vanilla bean flavors from Häagen-Dazs, Izzy's, Graeter's, Ben & Jerry's, McConnell's, Talenti, Coolhaus, Sweet Science and Jeni's.   So, this is Milkjam Creamery's implementation of Vanilla.  I am not sure if I have ever had vanilla that was roasted before.  I wonder how much of a difference that will make.

Removing the lid, I see an off-white base -- a little bit of a yellowish tinge to it.  Looking super close, I can spot a few bean specks in the mix but this is not a pint which is super heavy on the bean specks visually.  Digging in, it has the expected vanilla flavor to it.  I do not notice the fact that it is 'roasted' but perhaps I would have to have a side-by-side taste test against other vanillas to pick that out.  It's good vanilla.  The texture is creamy... perhaps even a bit fluffy.  Milkjam is often known for denser almost goopy ice cream in many of their signature flavors but this flavor has the traditional ice cream consistency.  Notice the airy texture in some of the photos.

This is a simple and well-done implementation of a standard vanilla ice cream from Milkjam.  I did not personally notice a strong effect of the vanilla being roasted but perhaps you may.  It is pretty good, but Milkjam is known for having for having bold and unusual flavors so a simple vanilla seems to go against their type.  Maybe that's the point.  Still, my reaction to this is similar to what I said in my recent review of their C.R.E.A.M. sweet cream flavor.  It's good, but their namesake Milkjam flavor fills this part of their ice cream menu in a much bolder and unique way.