Häagen-Dazs - Mayan Chocolate

Mayan Chocolate - Mayan Chocolate Ice Cream with a Fudge Swirl and Chocolaty Truffles

The latest in Häagen-Dazs' "Destination Series" takes us south of the border to Mexico for their Mayan Chocolate Flavor.  What makes the chocolate "Mayan"?  Cinnamon is added.  That makes this a bit similar to the previously reviewed Steve's Mexican Chili Chocolate flavor except here the only added spice is cinnamon whereas Steve's also added cayenne and guajillo pepper into the mix.  Also, today flavor adds a fudge swirl and chocolaty truffle pieces to the spiced chocolate base whereas the Steve's flavor was just the spicy chocolate base.  That is a welcome bonus as I like mix-ins.

Removing the lid and the extra plastic seal shows quite a bit of the fudge swirl is visible right away.  I also lick the plastic seal before digging in and right away I can taste the cinnamon flavoring in the chocolate.  Digging in, the chocolate base is very tasty.   Other brands sometimes focus on the mix-ins to provide the flavoring, but Häagen-Dazs does a straight chocolate ice cream very well.  The fudge swirls provide an extra chocolate kick.  The truffle pieces were fairly numerous and were comprised of all chocolate (no caramel or nut inside).  The pieces were crumbly in texture and chewed easily -- they were not simply fudge chunks.  To my surprise, the cinnamon flavor faded as I ate deeper into the pint.  This could be my own palate.  I tend to prefer higher spice levels and I always heap the cinnamon when I cook with it.  Whereas the Steve's pint above left a lingering spicy taste on my teeth afterwards, Häagen-Dazs went with a milder mix -- perhaps to appeal to a broader audience.

I still enjoyed the pint despite it not being quite as spicy as I would have liked.  Chocolate lovers will like the excellent chocolate in the base, in the swirl and in the mix-in.  If you're more sensitive to spices then you'll notice the kick of cinnamon more than me.