Sebastian Joe's - Rum Raisin

Rum Raisin - Sweet Cream with Rum-soaked Raisins

 

Today I return to the Minneapolis-based Sebastian Joe's for their Rum Raisin flavor.  I picked it up at their scoop shop in Lowry Hill.  Rum Raisin is a classic old flavor from decades past.  I have had one Rum Raisin implementation before from Häagen-Dazs and one more complex flavor which included rum raisins as a mix-in from Coolhaus.  It will be fun to see how this flavor compares.

Removing the lid, I see the light color of the ice cream base with many raisins visible right away.  Digging in, there are a lot of raisins!  These raisins are filled with rum flavor which is released every time you bit into one.  There is just enough ice cream to balance out the flavor of the raisins and keep them from becoming overwhelming.

This is an excellent implementation of a rum raisin flavor from Sebastian Joe's.  I liked it better than Häagen-Dazs.  The Häagen-Dazs is cheaper, available in grocery stores and is still pretty good, but it is good to have a premium scoop-shop version of the flavor once in a while as well.  Now, rum raisin is a bit of a polarizing flavor -- some people don't like rum and some people don't like raisins -- but if this flavor is your jam than this Sebastian Joe's flavor is very well done.

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.

Sebastian Joe's - Black Forest

Black Forest - Cherry Ice Cream with Almonds 

 

I return to Sebastian Joe's for their Black Forest flavor.  I picked up this pint at their scoop shop in Lowry Hill.  It is a cherry-based flavor.  I should have asked the exact ingredients.  Cherry and almonds for sure, but checking my archives, the ingredients are similar to their Dakota Cherry flavor (black cherry, white chocolate and almonds).  Since today's flavor is "Black" Forest, it may very well be black cherry as well which would mean that the only difference is that this flavor lacks white chocolate.  Let's check it out and see.

Removing the lid, the cherry back has the expected pink color and appears to be rather thick.  I see some speckling which may be from small cherry pieces or from the almond pieces.  Digging in, the cherry flavor is quite appealing.  The almond pieces are small but provide a bit of crunch to keep this from being a completely homogenous pint.

This is a solid cherry nut flavor from Sebastian Joe's.  I did not sample the flavors back to back, but it is quite a bit similar to their own Dakota Cherry flavor.  That kind of detail bugs me.  Next time I see Black Forest in their scooping bin, I may ask to clarify the exact ingredients so that I can update this review.  It is delicious, though!  If you are at Sebastian Joe's and in the mood for cherry, don't hesitate.

Milk Bar - Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow

Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow - Cookie Dough flavored Ice Cream with Cornflake Crunch, Chocolate Flavored Chunks, and Melted Marshmallow

 

Today I return to the New-York-based Milk Bar brand for their Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow flavor.  I bought this at the Whole Foods on Selby in Saint Paul, but I have recently seen this brand stocked at the Target in the Midway.  I am glad to see this brand spreading to more stores.  Like my previous pint from Milk Bar, today's flavor is another one that incorporated breakfast cereal in the mix.  Let's check it out.

Removing the like and peeling back the seal with the nice message from Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi, I see several of the key ingredients right away.  The cookie dough base has an off-white color, there are quite a few chocolate chunks visible and I see hints of marshmallow and maybe hints of cornflakes.  Digging in, the cookie dough flavored base is decent.  There's no actual cookie dough, but it is cookie-dough flavored which I suppose means brown sugar, butter and eggs.  It works as a good vehicle for the mix-ins.  The chocolate chunks are a lot like chocolate chips but harder and rectangular change.  They provide a lot of chocolate flavor when you bite into them.  The marshmallow swirls are fun and not overdone.  There was not as much cornflake crunch as I was expecting but a little bit of cornflake goes a long way.  This is quite good.

This is a fun ice cream from Milk Bar.  It is not as heavily cereal based on their Cereal Milk flavor.  I would call it a hybrid flavor where a relatively small amount of cornflakes is used to spice up a chocolate-chip and marshmallow pint.  Enjoy.

 

 

Dolcezza - Vanilla Bean

Vanilla Bean - Vanilla Bean Gelato

 

Today is another Dolcezza pint which I bought at Whole Foods on Selby in Saint Paul.  Today is a simple Vanilla Bean flavor.  Vanilla pint implementation do not make for very exciting reviews, but they are part of my full survey of a brand's offerings and I have learned quite about about vanilla from writing these up.  This flavor is a "vanilla bean", so I expect to see some small specks from the vanilla flower's bean pods in the mix.  Let's check it out!

Removing the lid, the flavor is quite light in color.  Some vanilla's can appear yellowish from added eggs and other ingredients, but this is a fairly white vanilla.  The bean specks are fairly small, but if I look really close I can see them.  Digging in, the vanilla flavor is quite good.  The Dolcezza website says they  beans come from Singing Dog Vanilla in Eugene, Oregon and that the Vanilla is grown in Indonesia & New Guinea.  It's a fairly standard vanilla very similar to what most brands use (not a sweet Tahitian-style vanilla).   The texture is soft.  As I eat my way down, the gelato melts a bit giving a pleasant milkiness to mix.  It's good.

This is a solid vanilla implementation from Dolcezzo.  Good flavor, good texture.  Not much else to say.  If you like Dolcezza and are in the mood for a simple vanilla, this will hit the spot.

 

Dolcezza - Swiss Chocolate

Swiss Chocolate - Chocolate Gelato with Double Dark Chocolate Stracciatella and folds of Dulce de Leche

 

Today's flavor is Swiss Chocolate from Dolcezzo Gelato.  I bought it at the Whole Foods on Selby in Saint Paul.  When I bought this flavor, I assumed this was a simple chocolate implementation, but upon closer inspection the chocolate base features a dark chocolate stracciatella mix-in with folds of dulce de leche (caramelized milk).  "Stracciatella" are shredded-style chocolate chips common in Italian-style gelato companies.  See an earlier Dolcezzo review for more information.  So there is more ingredients here than I expected, what a pleasant surprise.

Removing the lid, the base has the expected chocolate-brown color.  Many of the chocolate chips are visible right away and I can even see a bit of dulce de leche on the top as well.   Digging in, the chocolate base is quite thick and tasty.  They certainly did not scrimp on the chips.  These adds more chocolate flavor and a crunchy texture.  I taste the dulce de leche from time to time, but as an accent.  It is quite good.

I liked this pint from Dolcezza very much.  It is primarily a chocolate-chocolate-chip flavor with a bit of dulce de leche in the mix as a bonus.  It's quite good.  Gelato fans who like chocolate should enjoy this.

 

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.