Sebastian Joe's - Marion Berry D.C. Nut

Marion Berry D.C. Nut - Marionberry Ice Cream with Almond Pieces

 

Back to the Minneapolis-based Sebastian Joe's today for their Marion Berry D.C. Nut flavor.  I have written before about how the marionberry is a caneberry hybrid descended from varieties of blackberries and raspberries which was developed in Marion County, Oregon in the 1940s.  To be honest, though, the first time I bring up marionberries to a friend or a family member, they assume I am making a bad joke about Marion Barry, the crack-smoking mayor of DC from the 1980s.  Well, Sebastian Joe's has decided to work this amusing homophone into their flavor name by calling this flavor "Marion Berry D.C. Nut".  A marionberry base is used and the 'nut' here is almonds.  Previously, I have had marionberry flavors from McConnell's, Tillamook and Van Leeuwen.  Let's check it Sebastian Joe's flavor!

Removing the lid, the marionberry base is a beautiful dark purplish pink color.  They overfill the cartons when you order a pint at Sebastian Joe's and this looks very dense.  Digging in, the marionberry flavor is quite potent, yet still quite delicious.  The flavor is a lot like that of it's caneberry cousins the raspberry and blackberry, sort of like a deeper flavored black raspberry.  Soon I encounter the almonds.  These are almond pieces -- perhaps quarters of almonds.  They supply a decent crunch which gives good textural variety to the pint.  As I continue to eat my way down the pint, I admit that the strong marionberry flavor can be a bit overwhelming at times.

This is a delicious, yet very strong implementation of a marionberry flavor from Sebastian Joe's.  It is hard to complain about something so delicious, but it took effort to eat so much of a strong flavor in one sitting.  I'd still reccomend it, but maybe not a whole pint in one sitting.  Try a scoop of this with a scoop of something like lemon or vanilla.  Or share the pint with a friend.