Milkjam Creamery - Roasted Vanilla

Roasted Vanilla - Roasted Vanilla Bean Custard

 

Today's flavor is the last of Milkjam Creamery's "American Classics" series for June (instagram link here).  This flavor is Roasted Vanilla (instagram link here).  You don't get any more classic than that.  I have written before about how vanilla is not "plain" -- plain ice cream is called "sweet cream".  I've also written that vanilla's flavor comes from the bean of an orchid native to Mexico but now commonly grown in places like Madagascar, Indonesia and Tahiti.  Still, the flavor is so familiar and ubiqutious that I usually don't look to review a brand's vanilla flavor first, but I often do get around to it.  Scanning my archives, I find reviews for simple vanilla and/or vanilla bean flavors from Häagen-Dazs, Izzy's, Graeter's, Ben & Jerry's, McConnell's, Talenti, Coolhaus, Sweet Science and Jeni's.   So, this is Milkjam Creamery's implementation of Vanilla.  I am not sure if I have ever had vanilla that was roasted before.  I wonder how much of a difference that will make.

Removing the lid, I see an off-white base -- a little bit of a yellowish tinge to it.  Looking super close, I can spot a few bean specks in the mix but this is not a pint which is super heavy on the bean specks visually.  Digging in, it has the expected vanilla flavor to it.  I do not notice the fact that it is 'roasted' but perhaps I would have to have a side-by-side taste test against other vanillas to pick that out.  It's good vanilla.  The texture is creamy... perhaps even a bit fluffy.  Milkjam is often known for denser almost goopy ice cream in many of their signature flavors but this flavor has the traditional ice cream consistency.  Notice the airy texture in some of the photos.

This is a simple and well-done implementation of a standard vanilla ice cream from Milkjam.  I did not personally notice a strong effect of the vanilla being roasted but perhaps you may.  It is pretty good, but Milkjam is known for having for having bold and unusual flavors so a simple vanilla seems to go against their type.  Maybe that's the point.  Still, my reaction to this is similar to what I said in my recent review of their C.R.E.A.M. sweet cream flavor.  It's good, but their namesake Milkjam flavor fills this part of their ice cream menu in a much bolder and unique way.