Along with Satsuma Dreamsicle, this pint certainly stands out in a crowd. Incorporating a New Orleans flair and stunning colors, the design provided by local artist, Lionel Milton, is aimed at raising awareness for a local cause. New Orleans Ice Cream Company has teamed up with the Make It Right movement to help rebuild the Lower 9th Ward by contributing a portion of their profit on any pint of Mint Chocolate Cookie sold. After much of New Orleans was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, this charity has provided safe, sustainable and affordable homes to working class families.
It's nice to see a company giving back to the same community that has provided them with so much inspiration, and judging from their Facebook page, a healthy fan-following. Incorporating some serious alliteration into the description, I'm looking forward to the multiple mix-ins crackling through their mint ice cream. My experience with Ben & Jerry's Mint Chocolate Cookie was better than I had anticipated, so I'm hoping the duo of mint chocolate cookies and chocolate flakes can do the same. Like other mint flavors I've had, this lacks the green hue I was expecting.
The off-white base is riddled with shards of chocolate and cookies. It isn't nearly as pungent in smell as the Ben & Jerry's version, but since I found their base overbearing, I'm hoping this is a bit more mild. A few seconds into my first bite confirms that this ice cream definitely sways towards sweetness. They downplay the strong tendencies of the mint and only allow subtle hints of the herb to come through. Despite their downplay of mint, they make up for it with complexity. In every bite you can expect to host a battle between mint and sugar on your palette.
It isn't long before I run into these cannonballs of chocolate covered cookies. After the coating of rich chocolate melts away, you're left with a crunchy cookie that adds tremendous texture. After a while it seems these crispy balls can't seem to avoid my spoon. Three full-sized globes finding their way into a bite was a normal occurence, but New Orleans Ice Cream Company wasn't willing to risk a bite without a healthy dose of mix-ins. They've also included chocolate flakes to fill in the remaining space.
These were more along the lines of the sandwich cookies in Ben & Jerry's version, providing a soft and chewy texture that added to the crunch of the cookie balls. When these mix-ins are combined with the mint ice cream, which gets better as I go, their attention to detail really pays off. You'll be looking a long time if you're going to find a flavor of mint ice cream that excels above this one.
Where I Found It: Ice Cream Source
Grade: C
