Jeni's - Watermelon Taffy

Watermelon Taffy - Watermelon Ice Cream

Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream has new flavors for late summer!  They are calling it their State Fair Collection.  Five flavors.  All of them are new to me, but I believe four of the five might be brand new for Jeni's (Wildberry Lavender is a older flavor that I have not yet tried).  Because of the pandemic, this year's Minnesota State Fair has been cancelled, so pulled the trigger on an online shipment of this collection from Jeni's to help make up for not being able to go to the fair.  Additionally, I was able to add a sixth flavor to my shipment to fill out the box.  A note to local readers, this is an online shipment and I am not aware that any of these flavors are available in Minnesota grocery stores.  The first flavor in this shipment is called Watermelon Taffy.  This is a watermelon ice cream made with buttermilk and yogurt.  I have had a watermelon sorbet before from Graeter's but not a watermelon ice cream.  I look forward to checking this out.

The first thing I notice about the pint is the nice artwork on the carton.  They made the side of the pint look like the inside of a watermelon with its pink color and block dots for seeds.  Also the lid looks like the rind with its light and dark green stripes.  Well done.  Popping off the top, the extra seal under the lid has a clever phrase (see below) which I like.  Peeling back this seal, the base ice cream has a very light pink color.  It is lighter than I expected, it is almost off-white.  Digging in, it is quite tart!  The light color does not mean light flavor.  It tastes a lot like the watermelon-flavored Jolly Rancher candy.  As I continue to eat, the flavor holds up as I continue to eat the rest of the pint.  Sometimes which a strong flavor, it either fades as my palate gets used to it or it becomes too overpowering.  It is like the beginning of every spoonful is tart, but there's a cool creamy finish in the mix as well.  I wonder if the buttermilk and yogurt in the mix help with that effect.  I don't specifically taste buttermilk, but it might help manage the strong flavor of the watermelon.

This is a very good watermelon ice cream from Jeni's.  It is on the tart side, so expect the sour flavor of those Jolly Rancher candies, but it's also creamy -- very well balanced like most Jeni's flavors.  If watermelon is your thing, check it out.