Lapperts - Horchata Cajeta

Horchata Cajeta - Rice Cinnamon Ice Cream with a Mexican-style Caramel Swirl

Today we review the penultimate pint of my six-pint order from the Sausalito-based Lappert's Ice Cream.  Today's flavor is called Horchata Cajeta.  I had to look up both of those words!  Horchata is a rice milk beverage common in Mexico and Guatamala that is often spiced with cinnamon.  Cajeta is Mexican confection made from caramelized goat milk or a mixture of goat milk and cow's milk.  It is a bit like dulce de leche, but with the inclusion of goat milk.  Checking the flavor description here, we have rice and cinnamon for the horchata part of the name and caramel for the cajeta part of the name.  There is no detailed ingredient list, so I'm not sure if there was any goat-milk used but I approve of the colorful inspiration.  This is one of the flavors that Isaac Lappert talked about on the Ice Cream Show and rice milk is a new ingredient for me, so I am looking forward to this pint.

The top of the pint is an off-white color -- you can tell there is cinnamon.  There are hints of a caramelish swirl as well.  It looks very thick and you can tell that it is hand-packed.  Digging in, I can taste the rice right away.  I did not notice any actual grains of rice, but the flavor reminded me a lot of rice pudding.   There is just enough cinnamon in the mix to add to the flavor without distracting too much from the rice.  It is quite delicious.  The caramel swirl is a nice addition to the mix.  It is a bit sparse near the top of the pint, thought there was more caramel as I ate my way down.

This is a fun pint of ice cream.  The rice milk base is the star of the show and is quite delicious and unique.  More brands should try a rice milk base!  The cinnamon and caramel were good too, albeit in supporting roles.  If you like rice milk or rice pudding, you should definitely check this out.