After extensively exploring peppermint themed products over this past holiday season, Front Porch brought me back to the traditional, green-tinted ice cream. Mountain Mint Chip combines creamy mint ice cream with their chocolate chips, a combination that sounds straightforward enough. After removing the top, the first layer looks much like a mint chocolate chip flavor you'd find at a local scoop shop, not really reminiscent of any of the mint flavors I've had so far in a pint. I use to load scoop after scoop of a similar looking ice cream whenever I'd pick mint chocolate chip while on vacation as a kid, so this contained a bit of nostalgia for me as well.
At 170 calories per serving, this soft, fluffy mint ice cream comes out of the carton with ease. Seeing as how the small chocolate chips are the only obstacles inside, it's simple to sample the mint ice cream all by itself. The base is light, but the consistency is more than acceptable as it slowly melts over my tongue. I had been expecting the same cooling effect found in some of the peppermint flavors I've tried recently, but this lacked the same level of intensity as some of those. This mild-mannered mint base was sweet, creamy and only contained slight hints of the herb involved. Interestingly enough, I enjoyed this mellow version just as much as the more powerful peppermint versions.
As I've tasted my way through most of the flavors available from Front Porch, I've found that the majority of their mix-ins come in a uniform size, lacking the handcrafted personality of some other flavors. Sticking to tradition, Mountain Mint Chip contains tons of small chocolate chips, much like the ones you'd find inside a chocolate chip cookie. These small, dense chips are left over after the mint base has melted away, which leaves the backend with a rich, fudge finish. The light feel and small mix-ins make this pint easy to eat and although it wasn't the best mint selection I've had, I wouldn't hesitate having this again in the future.
Where I Found It: Ingles Markets
