Lapperts - Ube Macapuno

Ube Macapuno - Ice Cream flavored with Philippine purple Ube Root mixed with Macapuno (coconut) puree

There is a new show this year on the Vice Network called the Ice Cream Show.  It is a fun and whimsical show featuring different kinds of ice cream, popular ice creams in different cities and includes many behind the scenes looks at how ice cream gets made.  The host of the show is Isaac Lappert of Lappert's Ice Cream.  I checked out their website and the flavors seemed unique and interesting so I figured that I would give them a shot.  My online order of six pints arrived just before I went on vacation to New York.  I am back home now, so I can try them out.

Lapperts was founded in 1983 by Isaac's grandfather Walter Lappert.  Walter had 'retired' to the Hawaiian town of Hanapepe on the island of Kauai, but he did not like the local desserts so he started making ice cream.  This led to a successful second career selling tropical-themed ice cream flavors throughout Hawaii, several western states and even in Japan.   When Walter died in 2003, the company split.  His former wife and business partner inherited what is now Lapperts Hawaii and his son Michael (Isaac's father) inherited the part on the US mainland which is centered in Richmond, California.  I got a shipment from the Lappert's in California.  If you looks at the flavor menus for the two companies you can see the shared heritage.  Both specialize in tropical flavors and many of the flavor names are the same.


Today's flavor is called Ube Macapuno.  I must admit that when I first saw this flavor selection, I had no idea what either of those words meant.  One of the fun things about this blog is trying new things so once I confirmed that neither word meant something terrible I decided to give it a try.  An ube is a purple yam native to southeast Asia and its neighboring islands.  Macapuno is a soft, gelatinous variant of coconut.  The two commonly occur in dessert recipes.  It should be fun to check this out.

The first thing I notice is that the side of the pint carton is blank.  There is only brand-labeling on the lids.  What should I take a picture of?  I took a picture below, but perhaps that doesn't make a good 'avatar' for the article as it appears in the mobile feed?  So, I also included some marketing imagery from their website.  I could go either way on that, though.  Taking off the lid, the ice cream is a beautiful lavender color.  Digging in, the flavor is unique and not too strong.  It is not as sweet as a sweet potato, but it is definitely sweeter than taro root (which is what it visually reminds me of).  You can taste a little bit of the coconut, but it is blended in really well.    I notice tiny bits of ube pulp in the mix.  Because of their small size, they provide only a small bit of textural variation, but they do confirm that this is made from natural ingredients. The flavor builds a little bit as I continue eating, but it never gets too strong.

This was a very interesting pint of ice cream.  Because the ingredients are so new to me, I feel like I can only describe what I ate rather than try to compare it to anything.  The light purple color certainly gives it a tropical vibe.  The yam-coconut flavors are quite mild but they are also quite light and refreshing.  This is definitely worth a try if you are curious.