McConnell's - Passionfruit Custard

Passionfruit Custard - Passionfruit Custard

I got an order from the Santa Barbara-based McConnell's!  I had seen that they had a couple of limited-batch flavors for the spring season, but I didn't immediately pull the trigger because they didn't have enough new flavors to fill a four-pint shipment and I have been so busy with new flavors from other brands.  Well, they made their cookie dough flavor temporarily available online so I had enough for four pints and I pulled the trigger.  Today's flavor is one of the limited release flavors for spring, Passionfruit Custard.  It is just that, a frozen custard made with passionfruit.  (McConnell's uses the one-word spelling of 'passionfruit', but the two-word 'passion fruit' is just as common)  I've had passion fruit in ice cream twice before, once from Milkjam Creamery as a swirl and another time from Sweet Science as the base flavor.  This pint most closely resembles the Sweet Science implementation, although this is labeled a custard and not an ice cream.  The 'custard' label usually means that it has extra eggs and often means that there is less air in the mix (less 'overrun').  Enough talk, let's check this out!

Removing the lid, the base has a yellowish color of passionfruit as expected.  Digging in, the frozen custard is very thick and dense.  It is quite hard in the container, but it is not at all icy in texture.  The first spoonful provides a delicious passionfruit flavor.  This is one of my favorite tropical flavors.  The initial flavor is sweet, but there is a bit of tartness and bitterness in the 'finish' (what you taste after you swallow).  It is not too strong, but it is noticeable.  I noticed this exact same thing in the other passion fruit base that I've tried.  It is either part of the flavor of the fruit or it is a sign that the seeds are also in the mix.  The flavor is still excellent overall, the tartness actually prevents the flavor from becoming too sweet.

This is an excellent pint of passionfruit custard.  In comparison to the Sweet Science pint, McConnell's is denser and thicker while the Sweet Science pint is softer and easier to scoop.  But they both have great passion fruit flavor with a bit of tartness mixed in.  Passionfruit fans should check this one out.