Talenti has treated me well with the flavors I have tried in the past (Sea Salt Caramel, Southern Butter Pecan, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup), so I've heard that Coffee Chocolate Chip is a good pick up and with that said, I wanted to give it a whirl as pints were on sale for $3.00 at my local Giant Eagle (which stocks Talenti).
Upon cracking the lid its a very smooth gelato base and has tons of flecks of small chocolate chips dispersed all over the place which is always a pleasing sight. Just holding the pint in your hand you notice the shaved chocolate chip pieces which remind me of the fudge flakes in the many Ben & Jerry's Pints (think Nutty Caramel Swirl).
Upon digging into the first few bites you are overloaded by a very rich coffee flavoring. The only two other coffee ice creams I have had were Ben & Jerry's Coffee Coffee, BuzzBuzzBuzz! and I've sampled Coldstone's Coffee Ice Cream. I would have to place this at the top of those 3 after trying it. This is unique because it tastes like they took fresh beans and put the grounds right in the base. It seems as if there is a small compliment of chocolate as well that hits in the base in every bite you get.
As you work through the base, you do not really get large specs of chocolate chips like you may experience in a Graeter's pint. My only complaint is to make them a touch larger or more profound in the pint. While the small flecks are nice you really don't get a good chunk of chocolate chips since they are so small and very hard to pick up. Overall its a solid pint for a gelato, and the flavoring in the base is very good which gives it a good score. It would just be nicer if the chocolate chips were a bit thicker or had a better texture/bite to the pint.
Where Bob Found It: Giant Eagle
Bob's Grade: B