Ben & Jerry - Mint Chocolate Chance

Mint Chocolate Chance - Mint Ice Cream loaded with Fudge Brownies

Ben & Jerry's has new flavors for 2022!  The first new flavor is called Mint Chocolate Chance which is a partnership with Grammy-winning recording artist Chance the Rapper.  More links on this flavor collaboration are here.  Profits from this flavor will be donated to Chance's Chicago-based charity SocialWorks.  I also found a fun interview with Stephen Colbert where Stephen ribs Chance about trying to compete with his own flavor Americone Dream.  I bought this flavor at the Ben & Jerry's scoop shop on Lake & Excelsior in Minneapolis, but since then I have seen this at almost every grocery store in the Twin Cities.  It's in full circulation now. 

What flavor ice cream is it?  It's a mint ice cream with fudge brownie mix-ins.  Ben & Jerry's does not have a simple Mint Chip flavor so this is a mint-and-chocolate variant similar to their popular Mint Chocolate Cookie flavor.  Double-checking my archives, this flavor looks very close to a special limited batch flavor in 2016 called Empower Mint.  That flavor had an extra fudge swirl.  Today's flavor contains only brownie mix-ins.  Enough talk, let's get to the ice cream!

Removing the lid, the mint ice cream has a white color (Ben & Jerry's does not use green coloring) and I see a couple of the brownie pieces already.  Digging in, the peppermint flavor is good as always.  Soon, I encounter the chocolate brownies.  These are soft, chewy and chocolatey as always.  Ben & Jerry's helped popularize brownie mix-ins in the mid-1980s and they still do it very well.

This is a fun new flavor from Ben & Jerry's.  Mint chip was my favorite ice cream flavor when I was a kid, so I welcome more mint-and-chocolate combinations.  If I had a complaint it would be that there are not as many brownies as I expected.  The mint-chocolate balance is weighted more on the mint side than I am used to.  I think the extra fudge swirl of the old Empower Mint flavor I liked above was a good idea.  That's something they could tweak later (or maybe I got a mint-heavy batch?).  But it is still delicious and peppermint fans will want to check it out.

 

Pumphouse - Lychee Citrus Sorbet

Lychee Citrus Sorbet - Lychee Lemon Orange and Tangerine Sorbet

Today I return to the Pumphouse Creamery of south Minneapolis for a Lychee Citrus Sorbet.  I checked the website and the citrus flavors used are lemon, orange and tangerine.  Sorbet's are non-dairy by design.  Fruit sorbets are just fruit juice, sugar mixed with crushed ice which is then churned to give it as scoopable of a texture as possible.  Checking the lychee flavor tag on the right sidebar, I have had lychee in ice creams and sorbets several times before.  It is a watery fruit with a very sweet tropical flavor.  It will be interesting to see how it blends with the citrus.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, the sorbet a creamy yellowish off-white color to it.  Digging in, you can definitely tell that it's a sorbet.  But it's not too hard to get the spoon through it.  It was churned pretty well.  The flavor is mainly lemon but it is not too tart.  I am guessing that the orange,  tangerine and sweet lychee are helping to remove the tartness.  The best blends are when it's hard to describe the effect of each individual flavor and that is what is happening here.

This is a fun and refreshing citrus blend sorbet from Pumphouse Creamery.  It is a bit of a sweet and tropical flavor to brighten up everyone's winter.  I tried to imagine that I was at the beach instead of inside escaping the cold.  I hope this flavor becomes part of Pumphouse's "sorbet rotation".

2 Scoops - Banana Cream Pie

Banana Cream Pie - Banana Ice Cream with Marshmallow Ripple and Nilla Wafers

 

Today is another pint from the 2 Scoops scoop shop on Selby & Milton in Saint Paul.  See an earlier review for more background on 2 Scoops which opened in 2020.  I picked up three pints there on my first visit and this is the third pint:  Banana Cream Pie.  I selected this flavor because Banana Cream Pie is my favorite pie!  Banana ice cream is the base Nilla Wafers are the mix-ins and there is a 'ripple' of marshmallow to represent the cream.  I have had Banana Cream Pie flavors from Sweet Science, Graeter's and a banana pudding and wafers flavor from Milkjam Creamery.  Let's see how today's flavor compares.

Removing the lid, I see that the banana base has off-white speckled yellow color -- not a super-bright yellow like some banana puddings.  I can see quite a bit of the marshmallow ripple on top as well.  It is almost marbled with the base.  Digging in, it is a delicious, banana flavor -- sweet like a banana pudding and not earthy like a banana bread.  The marshmallow ripple adds overall creaminess to the pint.  The effect is excellent.  It does remind me of banana cream pie.  Throughout the pint are the occasional Nilla Wafers which provide some pie-crust-like crunch into the mix.  Yum.

This is an excellent banana cream pie implementation from 2 Scoops.  This holds up really well against Sweet Science and Graeter's which are top brands.  Plus, I think this is part of the regular menu of flavors for 2 Scoops so it is available for more than one month of the year.  I could be biased because Banana Cream Pie is my favorite pie, but this is definitely my favorite of my first three pints from 2 Scoops.  I should have reviewed this flavor first so that I started of this brand with the best review possible.  Anyhow, if you're in the Selby neighborhood and you like banana cream pie, then check this flavor out.

Dreyers - Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Cinnamon Toast Crunch - Cinnamon Light Ice Cream with a Cinnamon Graham Swirl and Cereal Pieces

I was at the local Speedway gas station the other day and found some fun novelty flavors using name-brand mix-ins in the freezer case.  I looked at the label and Dreyer's is the one making the ice cream.  I had done a similar pint before with their collaboration with Hostess a few years ago so I figured I would try a try a couple of more of these.  Today's flavor is Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  So, an ice cream based on the cereal from General Mills.  I always liked this flavor when I was a kid.  Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Honey Nut Cheerios were the most sugary of the cereals that my parents would buy when I was a kid, so it was always a treat having it.  Here, the base ice cream is a "light" cinnamon ice cream and there is a swirl of cinnamon graham cracker and some cereal pieces.  I did not realize that this would be a 'light' ice cream.  Checking the container, there are only 450 calories in the entire pint. Interesting!  Well, let's check it out.

Opening the lid, I see the 14-ounce container has some air pockets on top -- that's one way to keep the calorie count down -- and I see some of the graham swirls right away.  Digging in, the cinnamon is good.  It is not a strong or hot cinnamon, but it matches the flavor of the cereal quite well.  The fact that it is light does not bother me at all.  It is not at all thick, but it is quite reminiscent of cereal milk.  The cinnamon graham swirl tastes quite good and provides a bit of gritty texture into the mix.  The cereal pieces were not that distinct from the swirl which is fine because it was all quite delicious.

This was a fun and surprisingly good light ice cream based on Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal from Dreyer's.  I don't usually survey all the light-ice-cream offerings in the freezer case so I don't know how this compares to other brands but this tasted quite good.  It's kind of weird thinking of this as a light ice cream because this cereal was the most sugary that my parents would buy, but I guess breakfast and dessert have different healthiness scales.  This is cheap convenience store ice cream, but it is quite good for that.  Check it out.

2 Scoops - This $&@! Just Got Serious

This $&@! Just Got Serious - Salted Caramel Ice Cream with Sea Salt Fudge and Salted Cashews

 

Last week, I tried my first pint from the relatively new 2 Scoops scoop shop on Selby & Milton in Saint Paul.  Today, I try my second flavor which is called "This $&@! Just Got Serious" -- which is a great name for an ice cream flavor!  I have several place and they do consistently spell the second word dollar-sign-ampersand-at-symbol-exclamation point.  I applaud their consistency and I hope to reproduce the spelling accurately here as well.  What is in this flavor?  It is a salted caramel base with a swirl sea salt fudge and salted cashew mix-ins.  Looks fun!

Removing the lid, I see a big chunk of fudge right away!  Fun!  The salted caramel base has the expected light brown color (like that of brown sugar or cookie dough).  I see one of the cashews right away as well.  Digging in, the base has good caramel flavor like a caramel candy (slopoke, etc).  It is not overly salty.  The fudge chunks are large and generous.  The fudge is a bit sweeter than I expected, but it is still quite good.  The cashews are distributed throughout the pint providing more to chew on.

This is a fun pint from 2 Scoops -- a fun name and a fun flavor.  Checking my archives, I was surprised not to see this combination anywhere.  I think most of the caramel-fudge-nut flavors use almonds or pecans instead of cashews.  I found it more sweet than rich, so smaller servings than a full pint might be more apt -- this is hand-packed from a scoop shop after all.  If you are in the neighborhood and want chocolate-and-caramel, give this flavor a try.

Milkjam Creamery - Marshmallow Sunrise

Marshmallow Sunrise - Orange-colored Marshmallow Ice Cream

 

Today is a bonus flavor from the Minneapolis-based Milkjam Creamery.  It is called Marshmallow Sunrise.  It is not one of their regular menu flavors and it is not one of their monthly specials.  I asked what was in it and the scoop shop employee said "That's just marshmallow ice cream and food coloring".  I don't think I've had plain marshmallow ice cream before.  Let's see how it turns out.

Removing the lid, the base ice cream has a nice orange-ish yellow color.  Digging in, the texture is soft and creamy.  The marshmallow flavor is evident, but it is not overwhelming.  I suppose that was a good choice as eating marshmallow creme right out of the jar would not be appealing -- at least not for a full pint.  So, this is ice cream first and marshmallow flavor second.  It is like a sweet cream with a twist of marshmallow flavor.  I am able to eat the entire pint in one sitting.

This is a decent marshmallow-flavored ice cream.  It is just the right amount of marshmallow flavor.  It is a bit unusual that this is a 'surprise' extra flavor on their menu.  I wonder if they had plans for a more complex flavor with mix-ins and changed their mind.  This would make a decent base ice cream -- perhaps to accompany fresh fruit or something.

2 Scoops - Blue Moon

Blue Moon - Fruit Loops Cereal Milk Ice Cream

 

I am trying a new brand today.  2 Scoops is scoop shop on Selby and Milton in Saint Paul.  A friend of mine had recently picked up a couple of pints from there, so I figured I would give them a go.  2 Scoops opened in May of 2020 by the White family (Brian Sr., Brian Jr, Rdella & Cheryline Elliott).  A couple of articles telling their story are here and here.  I had three pints hand-picked and got them to go.  Today, I try the first of those pints called "Blue Moon".  This is a cereal-milk-based pint with the cereal in question being Fruit Loops.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, the ice cream is bright blue!  Maybe they only used the blue Fruit Loops?  Or they just altered the color because blending all the colors would look a brown mush.  It is beautiful!  Digging in, the ice cream is quite sweet.  There are no chunks of fruit loops in the mix -- this is a homogeneous pint with no mix-ins.  This is more of a cereal milk flavor.  As I continue to eat my way down the pint, the sweetness built up a bit.  This might be a better flavor for one or two scoops at a time instead of a whole pint.

This is a fun cereal-based flavor from 2 Scoops.  I found it a bit on the sweet side for my middle-aged taste-buds but with the beautiful blue color and sweet flavor, I bet it is a big hit with children visiting the shop.  I am looking forward to checking out other flavors that I got from 2 Scoops.