Here's a Reader Review much longer than our standard submissions. Dan was recently reimbursed by McConnell's for purchasing a freezer-burnt pint of their super-premium ice cream. He shared his story over on the ICI Forums, but I thought I'd share it here as well. It's nice to see yet another ice cream company coming through with some top-notch customer service. I'd be willing to say they've secured a customer for life after reading the experience below:
Wednesday rolled around and I opened up my package:
Always a good sign when there's dry ice coming your way.
Review of McConnell's Salted Caramel Chip:
Okay, so the base is a top-tier caramel base. I still don't quite understand the hybrid French Pot process, but they're doing it right. This base is right up there with Talenti's Sea Salt Caramel for smoothness, and it almost seems like a gelato. The taste is just what you want in a caramel. The mix-ins are a little weak only because they're so very dark, but by the end you get a really nice balance between the light, fluffy caramel base and the rich, dark chips. The flavor works really well and gets a solid A-.
Dan's Grade: A
Review of McConnell's Dark Chocolate Paso Brittle:
The weakest of the three flavors I tried, but still one I would have any time. The base is good, better than Ben & Jerry's chocolate bases by far, but not quite as good as, say, Dessert Trio from Blue Bell. It is dark though, and if that's what you want, this flavor delivers. Again, very creamy base - almost unbelievably so. The mix-ins are good pieces of some buttery almond brittle, but there's not really that many. Nevertheless, I started this pint and thought it would take me a couple days to finish but I refinished it later that same day. This flavor is my definition of a B- it's not handicapped by anything about it, it just needs to be more of what it is. On a side note, this is my wife's favorite and she loves chocolate.
Dan's Grade: B
Review of McConnell's Double Peanut Butter Chip:
Okay, I'm spoiling this and telling you the grade: A+. Fantastic ice cream. Amazing base. It's perfectly creamy and is tied for my number one peanut butter ice cream with Jeni's Buckeye State. Not that it tastes like it, the two couldn't be more different, but it is just that good. I am a huge fan of whatever the Hybrid French Pot process is and recommend that other ice cream companies step it up a bit. Ridiculous peanut butter mix-ins that are reminiscent of Haagen Dazs Peanut Butter Pie (not as big, but the quality of the peanut butter is better) that pepper the entire pint. The chips are great, too - I think they're the same chips as in the Salted Caramel Chip but don't suffer from the slight bitterness that those seem to have, possibly because of the difference in the textures of the bases. The Salted Caramel Chip is more like a gelato, the Double Peanut Butter Chip is more of a creamy base. Who knows? I don't, and I especially don't care because this ice cream is in my top 3, if not #1. I am really struggling to think of an ice cream I'd rather eat than this one and coming up blank.
Dan's Grade: A
I decided to skip the Black Coffee Chip and focus on the three I ate (again, don't drink coffee and don't enjoy the taste/smell regardless). McConnell's was pretty dang good. Still some points to hit, but definitely a brand that deserves a mention up there with Graeter's, Ben & Jerry's, Blue Bell, Haagen Dazs, etc.
Overall, my experience with McConnell's has been great. Fantastic customer service and a great response to a person who got a bad pint. I have to respect that in a company and the fact that their product is actually good makes this review so much easier to write. If you see McConnell's, give it a chance. They've definitely won me over as a customer.