Jeni's - Xocorosa

Xocorosa - Tongue-tingling chocolate with jalapeño and smoked paprika. Spiked with rose.

The holidays are upon us, so I felt like trying a holiday flavor.  Shopping at Whole Foods, I found this particular pint from the Columbus-based Jeni's brand.  It is called Xocorosa.  The flavor was designed in collaboration with the Stone Brewing Company to be served alongside a pint of the Stone Xocoveza Winter-Spiced Mocha Stout.  So, a holiday ice cream designed to go with a holiday beer.  I debated whether or not I should track down a pint of the beer to eat with the ice cream and decided against it.  I didn't want the beer to numb my taste buds and a pint is a lot to have in one sitting already.  I'm looking forward to giving this flavor a try though, so let's dig in!

Removing the lid reveals a very dark chocolate base.  Digging into the pint, the chocolate flavor was quite strong and was delicious.  I could taste the spices right away but they were not as strong as the chocolate.  The spices were a flavorful complement to the chocolate rather than a providing a strong kick.  I could actually taste the rose!  It was an aromatic sensation which did not mix with the other flavors but it was there in the background.  It was very interesting.  Flowery accents like lavenders and roses are fun and should be more common.  I'm actually glad that I skipped the beer as I don't know if I'd have been able to notice the flowery undertones of this pint if I was sipping stout in between my spoonfuls.

Another successful pint from Jeni's.  If you want a spicy chocolate ice cream with a lot of kick, then I think you go with Steve's Mexican Chili Chocolate flavor but this pint from Jeni's is a much more subtle and intelligent mix.  Jeni's is a premium brand and you do get your money's worth here.  So, if you'd like to try an interesting twist on a strong chocolate pint, then give this flavor a try.