Van Leeuwen - Vegan Chocolate Covered Strawberry

Vegan Chocolate Covered Strawberry - Vegan Cashew Milk flavored with Chocolate and Strawberry and with an In Bloom Brain Flow Boost
 

Today's flavor is the last from my recent online shipment from Van Leeuwen's Ice Cream of Brooklyn.  This is a non-dairy flavor called Vegan Chocolate Covered Strawberry (instagram link here).  A note to local readers that although Kowalski's carries Van Leeuwen, I don't think they carry this flavor.  I bought this flavor online.  Ok.  Here, the non-dairy base is made with cashew milk and it features chocolate, strawberry and a nutritional boost from a company called In Bloom.   I don't know if I have had a nutritional boost added to ice cream before.  Reminds me of Jamba Juice.  This boost includes gingko, ashwagandha root, some mushroom extract.  A full list with discussion is available on their website here.  I am more interested in the ice cream.  Chocolate is a common non-dairy base because if it includes its own cocoa butter, it supplies its own creaminess.  Let's check it out.

Opening the pint and peeling back the protective foil shows the chocolate has the expected deep brown color.  Do I see a hint of red in there from the strawberry?  I am not sure.  Digging in, it does taste chocolatey and I do taste a bit of strawberry in the mix right away.  The strawberry has a weird taste to it, though.  It feel bit mediciney?  Is that the boost?  I am not sure.  The texture was decent.  Not as creamy as their egg-rich French-style dairy bases, but not icy like some non-dairy flavors.  Eating my way down, there are occasionally small chunks of chocolate in the mix which provide some bit of textural variation.

Hmm... I did not particularly like this flavor.  A rare miss from the usually reliable Van Leeuwen.  Was it the non-dairy cashew milk base?  I guess I would have to try other non-dairy flavors.  Was it the strawberry flavor (more of an accent to the chocolate-chocolate chip here)?  I am not sure.  Was it the boost?  I am not sure.  Anyhow, I recommend sticking to their dairy line until I collect more information.