Van Leeuwen - Sicilian Pistachio

Sicilian Pistachio - Pistachio Ice Cream

 

The next pint in my recent shipment from the Brooklyn-based Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is called Sicilian Pistachio.  This appears to be a simple pistachio ice cream.  The Sicilian label is because Sicily is a common source for pistachios.  For a while, Talenti's pistachio flavor was called Sicilian Pistachio, but they've change their sourcing and now call it Pacific Coast Pistachio.  A note to readers that I bought this flavor online, so I am not sure if it is available locally in the Twin Cities.  Kowalski's does carry this brand, but I don't think I have seen this flavor.

Before I proceed, this is my 900th pint review!  With that I like show a collage of the previous hundred flavors:

Pints 801-900

For previous collages, see the reviews for pints 100, 200, 300, 400, 500,  600, 700 and 800.  I just had an idea, with nine "century" collages, I can actually make a collage of collages:

Mmmm... 900 pints of ice cream... 

That's a lot of ice cream!  I did not eat it all at once, though, so don't worry.  Unless I am on vacation, I don't eat ice cream on consecutive days and I try to eat a lighter dinner on ice cream nights.  A lot of local brands this year.  This started off as primarily a Ben & Jerry's blog and Ben & Jerry's is still my most reviewed brand, but a couple of the local shops will likely pass it soon as they are coming up with multiple new flavors each month.

OK, on to today's Sicilian Pistachio flavor.  Removing the lid, the color is very muted.  It is more of a khaki green than other brands of pistachio that I have had.  Digging in, this pistachio has a fairly "earthy" flavor which I take to mean that it is not as sweet as other brands.  Perhaps this in conjunction with the color means that it is going for more of a 'natural' implementation.  It is a homogeneous pint with no mix-ins. So, no nuts.

This is a decent implementation of pistachio.  I found it a bit earthy and unsweetened which is not my personal preference, but that combination may appeal to some.  Checking the pistachio tag in my reviews, I liked Sweet Science (local, seasonal & premium) and Ben & Jerry's (easier to find) the most.