After having a Hazelnut Gelato from Graeter's, I went right back to Ben & Jerry's and wanted to compare to see what i would find similar in the base and seeing which one dominated because Hazelnut is not a very common base/theme when it comes to ice cream (even though I wish other companies would take note). Hazed and Confused Core is "hazelnut and chocolate ice creams with fudge chips and a hazelnut fudge core." Upon opening the lid I got to see all aspects of everything listed on the label which is a good thing. Sometimes you are left with just a top layer and nothing to note, but as you go down in the Core series you notice the core does get thicker/deeper/richer as you continue to indulge in the pint.
For my first bite I went right for the Hazelnut Core to see just how much density and flavor it packed. The Hazelnut Core was more of a chocolate/fudge kind of taste and not a pure hazelnut fudge. Also, the vanilla looking side of the ice cream is the hazelnut, which when I had Graeter's it looked like a light coffee base. So you can see the color variation between the two pints. In my opinion, the hazelnut flavoring was on the weaker end in the Ben & Jerry's (more buttery and mild), but did not have a slight after taste that Greater's did provide (comparing the two). The chocolate chips are only found in the chocolate side making it a chocolate of chocolate but are more along the lines of flake rather than real chips. Something you would find in a Graeter's may be half an inch thick.
As I continued to work down the pint, the combination of the hazelnut and chocolate is a great combination. Ben & Jerry's did well with that, but my only gripe with the pint is that the chocolate chips should be a bit thicker like in some of their previous pints. The core should have a hazelnut fudge flavor instead of a chocolate/fudge that I picked up on. It's good, don't get me wrong, but the title is a bit misleading. I think the pint was confused by labeling the core a Hazelnut Fudge Core when it has the density and creaminess of a true Dark Chocolate Fudge. Ben & Jerry's should touch up the flavoring on that core with the base they provided (which was a good mild and buttery hazelnut), enhance the chocolate chips, and it would knock this up to an A ranking.
Where Bob Found It: Wegman's
Bob's Grade: B