Milkjam Creamery - Ruby Rose

Ruby Rose - Bergamot & Lavender Ice cream with Ruby Grapefruit Marmalade and Ruby Chocolate Freckles

 

Milkjam Creamery in South Minneapolis has four flavors available for February (instagram link here).  I have reviews two of these flavors -- XOXO and I ♥ You -- in previous years, so that leaves two left for me in 2021.  The first of those two is called Ruby Rose (instagram link here).  It is a bergamot and lavender flavored ice cream with a ruby grapefruit marmalade swirl and ruby chocolate pieces as mix-ins.  Bergamot is the orange flavoring added to Earl Grey tea, but this is the first time I have seen it outside of that blend of tea.   I have had grapefruit only once before from McConnell's and ruby chocolate only once before from Häagen-Dazs.  This sounds like an eclectic mix of ingredients.  I am curious to see how this turns out.

Removing the lid, the base ice cream has an off-white yellowish color.  I don't know if it is the bergamot that is giving it that color as some sweet creams have a slight yellowish tinge due to the presence of egg yolks.  I also see some pink splotches which I am guessing is the ruby grapefruit swirl.  Digging in, it is quite tangy.  I taste the bergamot first.  I notice a little bit of lavender with bergamot right away but the effects of the lavender fade as I continue to eat the pint.  The ruby grapefruit swirl is even more tangy.  Then I notice the small 'freckles' of ruby chocolate.  These are tart as well which matches my impression from the Häagen-Dazs pint I had last year.  It is amazing how many different flavors they can get out of the cacao plant and separating the processing it different ways.  Here, the tart ruby chocolate does go well with the ruby grapefruit and the mild citrus base.  It all goes well together.

This is a very interesting and unique mixture of tangy ingredients in an ice cream by Milkjam.  You have the tangy bergamot in the base balanced by a twist of lavender.  You have the tart ruby grapefruit swirl and the ruby chocolate freckles are tangy-tart as well.  It works.  It is different, but after having so many different ice creams these past few years, I appreciate interesting new flavor combinations.  Check it out.

 

 

Sebastian Joe's - Chocolate Coyote

Chocolate Coyote - Chocolate Ice Cream flavored with Cinnamon and Cayenne Pepper

 

I stopped Sebastian Joe's on Franklin & Hennepin a couple of weeks ago on one of my ice cream runs and picked up a couple of pints.  That area of Minneapolis is also home to Bebe Zito and Milkjam Creamery so it's convenient to visit all three in one trip.  Today's flavor is Chocolate Coyote.  They actually didn't have enough for a full pint, so one of my pictures is missing below, but I was able to eat enough to write a review.  This is a chocolate ice cream flavored with cinnamon and cayenne pepper.  This type of spicy chocolate is often known as "mexican chocolate" and I have had several versions of this from brands like McConnell's, Steve's and Häagen-Dazs plus more complex variants from Izzy's (with orange), Jeni's (with rosé) and even a previous Sebastian Joe's flavor (with pretzels).  Let's see how this flavor compares.

Opening the container, the chocolate ice cream is a fairly dark brown color.  Digging in, I taste the cinnamon right away.  It is a strong and hot cinnamon -- like what is found in red hot candy or a stick of Big Red chewing gum.  Then I taste the chocolate which is quite delicious.  The cayenne pepper blended quite well with the cinnamon.  This is the hottest cinnamon-chocolate pint that I have had, but it still feels like the flavor of cinnamon and not hot pepper. So, the pepper here serves to amplify the cinnamon in the mix.

This is a delicious and hot implementation of a spicy chocolate from Sebastian Joe's.  As I mentioned above, this is like a very spicy cinnamon without feeling like super-spicy hot pepper.  I really enjoy this blend.  This is for those that like their mexican chocolate on the spicy side.

 

 

Jeni's - White House Chocolate Chip

We have a new president and he likes ice cream!  To celebrate, Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream of Columbus, Ohio made a limited batch flavor called White House Chocolate Chip to celebrate Joe Biden's favorite ice cream order: two scoops of chocolate chip on a waffle cone.  Jeni's is no stranger to politics and ice cream.  Last April, Nancy Pelosi was on the Late Late Show with James Corden and showed off a freezer filled with Jeni's Ice Cream (and sorbets) (twitter link here).  To be fair, Trump likes ice cream too, here is Obama at the local Grand Ole Creamery in 2014, and an article about presidents in general liking ice cream -- dating all the way back to Thomas Jefferson's own ice cream recipe.  Jeni's makes great ice cream, so I jumped at the chance at ordering this limited batch flavor online.  I did get my order in, but the flavor sold out before it was even shipped to me, so it's not available anymore.  I am still eager to check it out for myself, though.

On to the ice cream!  The pint somes in this nice baby blue colored carton with the flavor name in this all-caps serif font.  It reminds me a bit of the color and typeface used for Air Force One.  After removing the lid, I see the white vanilla base with lots of small chocolate chip speckles visible.  It looks like a typical vanilla chocolate chip pint at this point.  Digging in, the chocolate chip and chocolate-covered waffle cone mix-ins are larger and more dense than I would originally guess.  I can still taste the vanilla in the base, but the mix-ins deliver a lot of chocolate flavor.  The waffle cone pieces are quite crunchy as well.  This is very dense.  I find myself chewing a lot.

This is an amazing pint of ice cream.  I was just expecting vanilla chocolate chip, but Jeni's went overboard with the mix-ins.  There are packed in very densely and they are delicious. But, alas the flavor is gone already.  I am very happy that I was able to get my order in before they sold out, but I think this should be a regular flavor.  Even if they had to rename it to make it less 'presidential'.  Whatever your politics are, this is good stuff.

 

 

 

Pumphouse Creamery - Bing Cherry Chocolate Chip

Bing Cherry Chocolate Chip - Bing Cherry Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

 

I returned to the Pumphouse Creamery in south Minneapolis to pick up a couple of pints of flavors that I have not yet tried.  Today's flavor is Bing Cherry Chocolate Chip.   The Bing cherry is a crossbreed of black cherry which was first grown in Oregon in 1875 by horticulturalist Seth Lewelling and his Manchurian foreman Ah Bing (for whom the cherry is named).  Checking my archives, I found three flavors which are relatively close to this one:  the famous Cherry Garcia from Ben & Jerry, Graeter's Black Cherry Chocolate Chip and Sweet Science's Cherry Chocolate Chip.  It will be fun to see how this one compares.

Popping off the top, the ice cream has a pick color to it and I see a few decent-sized chocolate chips beneath the surface.  Digging in, the bing cherry flavor is quite good.  It does taste like 'black cherry' to my palate.  I will tag both 'cherry' and 'black cherry' on this article.  The chocolate chips are of variable size.  Some of the chips are chunky enough to deliver quite a bit of chocolate in one bite.  The chocolate goes well with the cherry.

This is a simple and solid implementation of a cherry chocolate chip flavor.  Of the flavors above, it is most similar to Graeter's flavor, but it does not have Graeter's signature chips.  It's still pretty good though.  I just checked Pumphouse's website and it has been rotated out already (but Rhubarb is back!).  This flavor is still worth checking out if it gets rotated back in at some point and you are a fan of simple cherry flavors.

Cheesecake Factory - Key Lime

Key Lime - Premium Key Lime Cheesecake with a Signature Cream Cheese Blend, Sour Cream and Graham Swirls

 

A few days ago, I tried my first pint of Cheesecake Factory Ice Cream and was pleasantly surprised.  That first flavor was just their Original (plain) flavor, and I am curious to see how their flavored pints turn out.  Today's flavor is Key Lime.  I like key lime flavors and have had them from Talenti, Graeter's and Izzy's.  Let's see how this flavor compares.

Popping off the lid, the key lime has and off-white greenish-yellow color to it.  I can see the graham cracker crust swirl, but it is not as pretty as the swirl in the Original pint I had last week.  There's also a fair amount of air pockets near the edges of top of the pint.  I am sure this is just a random fluke, but I may have gotten cheated out of an ounce.  Digging in, the flavor lime is quite delicious.  As a 'finish' flavor, I also notice the sour cream.  It adds tanginess.  I noticed this in the previous Cheesecake Factory as well.  It is looking like this is going to be a signature trait of this brand.  I do like it.  It is unique and distinctive and keeps the cheesecake from feeling too heavy.  The graham cracker swirl is nice and gritty as it was before.  It acts as the 'crust' in this slice-of-cheesecake flavor.

I enjoyed this key lime flavor from the Cheesecake Factory.  It's simple, yet that tangy sour cream makes it unique and distinctive.  Good key lime flavors are hard to find -- they tend to be late-summer seasonal flavors.  This flavor is available year round.  Check it out.

 

 

Talenti - Madagascar Vanilla Bean

Madagascar Vanilla Bean - Vanilla Gelato with Madagascar Vanilla Beans

 

I am still waiting to find Talenti Gelato's new flavors for 2021 to show up in my local grocery stores.  In the mean time, I will continue to survey their main menu of flavors.  Today is Madagascar Vanilla Bean.  I do not race to try a brand's vanilla flavor, but I do eventually get to them when I am nearing a complete survey of their menu.  I have written about different types of vanilla before, but here is a favorite link of mine as a refresher.  To sum up, although vanilla is originally native to Mexico, the islands of Madagascar and Réunion are now the places most associated with its production.  So, this is just regular (but natural) vanilla.  Let's check it out.

Unscrewing the lid, the vanilla gelato has a good off-white color.  I can see some of the bean specks even on the top.  Digging in, the gelato has a good easy-to-scoop texture and it has a good vanilla flavor.  I continue to see the bean specks throughout the pint but they do not provide any difference in texture as I am eating it.

This is pretty good vanilla.  I am never sure what to say about pints of vanilla.  I have tried simple vanillas from several other brands including Ben & Jerry, McConnell's, Coolhaus, Sweet Science, and side-by-side vanilla/vanilla-bean reviews for Häagen-Dazs and Izzy's.  It is quite good and will satisfy your vanilla cravings, but I am never sure if a simple vanilla is worth it when buying premium ice cream or gelato by the pint.  I often prefer the flavor with a twist, like Coolhaus uses Tahitian Vanilla or Sweet Science has a separate Vanilla Cardamom flavor.

 

Cheesecake Factory - Original

Original - Premium Cheesecake Ice Cream with a Signature Cream Cheese Blend, Sour Cream and Graham Swirls

 

Today I am trying a new brand!  The Cheesecake Factory has a line of pre-package pints.   I got mine at Target in the Midway, but I have also seen them at Cub and Hyvee.  I must admit that I hesitated before trying this brand.  Sometimes a brand like this is a gimmick based on name recognition, but I had heard some good things so I will try them out.  The Cheesecake Factory is chain of restaurants that started in the Los Angeles area in the late 1970s.  By the mid-1990s, they had expanded nationwide.  You may know them as the place where Penny and Bernadette first worked on the Big Bang Theory.  I have actually been to that Cheesecake Factory!  It looks much different in real life because of course they use a set for something like that when they film a television show.  Today's flavor is called Original which I think is a good place to start.  It's a plain cheesecake ice cream with a graham cracker crust swirl.  The flavor description also mentions sour cream which I think is intriguing.  Let's check it out.

Opening the pin, the cheesecake base has a bright white color and there is a beautiful swirl of graham cracker visible right away on top.  I like when you can see the swirl on top like this.  Digging in, I can taste the cheesecake, but I also taste the sour cream right away.  It's a bit tangy and it keeps the cheesecake having too heavy of a flavor.  The graham cracker swirl is quite good.  It has a very gritty texture and provides a good contrast to all the cheesecake.

This cheesecake ice cream from The Cheesecake Factory is quite good.  This "original" flavor is pretty basic but the blend of cream cheese and sour cream is quite appealing.  I am looking forward to trying more flavors.