Van Leeuwen - Vanilla Bean

Vanilla Bean - Vanilla Bean Ice Cream 

 

Today I return to the Brooklyn-based Van Leeuwen brand for their Vanilla Bean flavor.  I bought this at Kowalski's on Grand in Saint Paul.  I don't get too excited about Vanilla reviews -- people here usually buy bulk vanilla for serving with pie or cake at parties -- but I do get to them because as a completist, I want to survey all of a particular brand's offerings.  Van Leeuwen is the "French-style" ice cream -- meaning extra eggs for a custard-like feel -- so perhaps this will be like a "French Vanilla"?  Checking my archives, I have not had a flavor billed as French Vanilla, so I don't have anything to compare it to.  Anyways, let's check it out.

Removing the lid and peeling back the foil, the vanilla base is a yellowish white color.  The yellowish tint is not unexpected as Van Leeuwen uses extra eggs in their base flavors.  They brand flavor as "vanilla bean" and if I look really close I see some specks, but this is not a particularly bean-y pint.  The vanilla flavor is quite good.  The extra eggs add a scoopable softness to the texture -- almost custard-like.

This is a solid vanilla flavor from Van Leeuwen.  If you like the texture of Van Leeuwen's French-style bases and you like vanilla enough to get it in pints, then go for it.