Jeni's - Sun-Popped Corn

Sun-Popped Corn - Ice Cream infused with the flavor of Popcorn

I continue more with from the State Fair Collection from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream.  Today's flavor is called Sun-Popped Corn.  It is popcorn flavored ice cream with popcorn from BjornQorn in the Hudson Valley of New York.  A note to local readers that I got this flavor from an online shipment and I assume this point is not available in local grocery stores.  I have only had popcorn in ice cream once before with Ample Hills's Big Ample Circus.  There, they used a popcorn toffee (similar to Cracker Jack) as a mix-in.  Here, it looks like Jeni's is infusing the base with a popcorn flavor instead of adding it as a mix-in.  This should be quite interesting!

Removing the lid and peeling back the protective layer, the base is bright white.  Digging in, I can taste the popcorn right away.  It's salty too.  It's a bit uncanny.  There are no mix-ins and it looks just like sweet cream, but it tastes just like freshly popped salted popcorn.  No butter, but there's plenty of cream, ha ha.  Reading the link above, I guess they steep the popcorn in the milk and cream for quite a while allowing it to absorb the popcorn flavor but then they filter out actual kernels before the churning and freezing stage.  I imagine if you left the kernels in as mix-ins, that they would get too soggy and to avoid the sogginess, you'd have to harden the kernels with with a coating or with toffee. The way Jeni's does it, it ends up being a very simple pint -- salty and creamy and no mix-ins.  I do like the flavor and it held up as I ate the entire pint in one sitting.

This is a very interesting pint from Jeni's.  It is a smooth mix-in-less pint which tastes just like fresh salted popcorn.  I suppose since I eat so many different kinds of ice cream, I tend to gravitate towards the unique and unusual flavors, but this is done really well.  It is definitely worth sampling if you see this flavor in the bin of a Jeni's scoop shop.  Otherwise, if you are adventurous, give a whole pint a try.