READER REVIEW: Winston's Review of Jeni's Splendid Sweet Corn & Black Raspberries

During a recent visit to Jeni’s scoop shop, I tested out Jeni’s Sweet Corn & Black Raspberries, and found that I was taken aback at the flavor complexity of something that seemed so simple; I decided to buy a pint and write a review.

The base is a rich, cream base infused with a moderate, delightful corn boldness that is strangely very satisfying. Normally, I’m a big fan of all things coffee, chocolate, or peanut butter; however, this base proved so unique and soothing that I can must admit that I enjoy it as much those heartier options. You can’t deny the presence of corn with each bite, and the experience profound.

The Black Raspberry swirl is absolutely perfect: very sweet, overflowing with raspberry flavor (and some seeds), mildly tart, and a perfect compliment to the soothing, neutral base. The swirl tended to sit near the bottom and edges of the pint, so if you’re splitting the pint, I would alternate scoops between bowls and pay attention to what you’re scooping.

This is a great pint that anyone would enjoy. I’m not a huge fan of fruit-based ice creams, but this one seems to join Loveless Biscuits + Peach Jam as being an exception---another unique exception. Definitely try it if you can.

Where Winston Found It: Jeni's Splendid (Columbus, OH)
Winston's Grade: A

REVIEW: Jeni's Splendid Brambleberry Crisp

Finding it easier and easier to justify spending the loot on Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, I headed back to The Fresh Market to make another investment. After sampling the majority of the small selections available in the South, I'm down to only a few more flavors before I'll have to opt for ordering online. Judging on appearance alone, this is the most aesthetically pleasing of any Jeni's selection I've seen. The violet-colored berries create a vibrant design against the outside of the container as they cut through the off-white ice cream.

I've been trying to track down Jeni's Ugandan Vanilla Bean for some time now, so I'm hoping the honey vanilla bean ice cream can provide me with a thorough preview. Having recently cultivated some bramble bushes myself, as well as wishing I had made some jam with the fruit, I'm excited to see both blackberry and black raspberry jams have come together to create the vivid swirls inside. Knowing Jeni's, I'm sure the oat streusel will be up to the task of pushing this pint up the rankings.

Filled to the brim as usual, the first layer looks angelic. As I size up my first bite, it's really difficult to get the honey vanilla bean all by itself considering the influx of other ingredients. The complexity of these base flavors used by Jeni's always seems to catch me by surprise. Building on an already complex vanilla ice cream with visible large flecks of vanilla bean, they've also utilized an intense aftertaste of honey to finish off each bite. It's hard to avoid the lavish spread of jams and after only one bite of the base, I stop trying. This isn't your standard fruit swirl. This is real, ready to spread on toast, handmade jam that still has remnants of whole berries inside.

The freshness of the jam is evident from the beginning. The natural sweet and sour combination of the slightly tart berries is lovely, especially when combined with the sweet honey vanilla bean base. I wasn't able to really differentiate the blackberry and black raspberry jams, but I don't dwell on that problem for long. No what matter bramble bush they originated from, they're both incredible. As you can see from the picture above, the oat streusel isn't faint-hearted. The majority of the bits of sweet crumble are the size of whole berries, but some get much larger.

After enjoying my first large clump, the oat streusel fills in the taste and texture of what the other components aren't able to cover. Initially adding a slight crunch, the streusel becomes chewy as it breaks down, creating a flavor profile of a softer, chewier granola. It's way sweeter than the base ice cream and jams, so everything seems to pair perfectly. The fact that this feels hand made and hand packed is hard for me and my taste buds to ignore. You can tell the jam wasn't made by machines. The streusel was baked in house and broken up by hand, allowing some of those larger chunks to slip through the cracks. I taste the love and suggest you do the same.

Where I Found It: The Fresh Market
Grade: A

REVIEW: Breyers Real Fruit Toppings

After enjoying a few servings from my pint of Ben & Jerry’s Vanilla, I found myself looking for some of my own mix-ins to add to the equation. I immediately thought of the collection of Breyers toppings that I had sitting unused in my cabinet. Their Rainbow and Chocolate sprinkles hadn’t been half bad and I still top some of my ice cream with a few shakes of each. This time I decided to give their Real Fruit Toppings a shot.

I went through the three types in this particular order: Mixed Berry, Cherry and Strawberry. Each contained 45 calories per 2 tablespoon serving and made sure to let everyone know that these are made with “Real Fruit” and contain no high fructose corn syrup. Putting my distaste for Breyers ice cream aside, I went into this review trying to give their toppings a fair opportunity. With that said, it didn’t take long for me to find something negative to say. As soon as I opened the lid, the strange, lumpy, gelatinous mixture lacked the aesthetics of scoop-shop fruit toppings and it only went down hill from there. While the Mixed Berry was by far the worst, the cherry and strawberry weren’t much better. The mixed berry was far too tart, the cherry far too artificial, and the strawberry came off as a poor imitation of strawberry jam.

Mixed Berry

Cherry

Strawberry

As you can see from the pictures, even when spooned directly over the top of the ice cream, the “real fruit topping” ended up pooling up around the sides and bottom, but ended up being beneficial considering it wasn't able to ruin the super-premium vanilla ice cream until the end. If you’re feeling in the mood for some fruit with your ice cream, I suggest heading towards the produce section for the real thing instead of this “real fruit topping”, whatever that means.

SCOOP SHOP READER REVIEW: Winston's Review of the Graeter's 1870 Tower

One of Graeter’s signature desserts, "The 1870 tower” caught my attention during a recent visit to the local Graeter’s Ice Cream scoop shop. Described as “A fresh chocolate bundt cake filled with hot fudge, a scoop of black raspberry chip ice cream, drizzled with hot fudge, topped with whipped cream, pecans and a cherry”, how could I resist?

Upon questioning, the employee reported that the bundt cake is not actually what I would call “fresh”, but comes frozen. I watched as the employee poured a considerable amount (~3 TBSP) of chocolate fudge over the palm-sized warm chocolate bundt cake, followed by a massive (~3/4cup) scoop of their signature black chocolate raspberry ice cream; I was severely impressed.

The taste and satisfaction of the dessert proved nothing short of a masterpiece: the bundt cake oozed with moist, rich chocolate and fudge flavoring; the ice cream delivered an extremely rich base without any real tartness and melted into the gooey fudge and bundt cake; the nuts integrated a fantastic crunch and texture contrast; the whipped cream offered a light kick to the overall richness.

If you make your way to a Graeter’s, you absolutely must try this dessert.

Where Winston Found It: Graeter’s Scoop Shop
Winston's Grade : A

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Tripleberry Brownie Blizzard (August 2013 Blizzard of the Month)

My latest visit to Dairy Queen earlier today confirmed that the third time's a charm indeed. After visiting two times prior since August rolled around, both times I left empty handed since my nearest location hadn’t updated their menu to reflect this month’s Blizzard of the Month: Tripleberry Brownie. Today though, I was finally able to get my hands on this blend of strawberry, raspberry and blackberry puree, chewy brownie pieces and choco chunks in creamy vanilla soft serve. A few weeks back, one of our Dairy Queen insiders had this to say about the new creation, “I've tried just plain vanilla mixed with the triple berry purée (it's the same as the smoothies & Juliuses) and it tastes like black raspberry Ice cream! Very delicious." Not knowing exactly how much I’d enjoy this particular concept, I opted for the small size, paid my $3.39 and waited until my order was up.

My small sized cup would only set me back 640 calories, but ranges all the way up to 1230 calories for a large. After a short wait time, I was handed a heavy cup full of purple tinted ice cream with plenty of chocolate chunks poking through the top layer. Despite the vivid colors involved with the Tripleberry Brownie Blizzard, this one lacked the aesthetics of some of the other Blizzards I’d had recently; mainly because the mix-ins seemed to be over blended. As I spooned through the cup, I noticed there weren’t nearly as many brownie bits as I had found in my Choco Peanut Butter Brownie Blizzard from back in May. The trio of berry purees that were mixed with the creamy vanilla soft serve had given the simple base a refreshing, fruity feel, but didn't contain any of the tartness I had been anticipating.

Instead, the purees just bring another element of sweetness. To counteract the fruit, Dairy Queen called on the ingredient that constantly seems to make its way into Blizzard Treats: their choco chunks. These shards of chocolate give the whole cup a crunchy texture and add a rich finish to each bite. The part I was most looking forward to, the chewy brownie pieces, were shockingly sparse. Only two or three pieces made their way through the blending process without being completely disintegrated, which meant I only got a few tastes of the dense, doughy brownies. The bites that did happen to feature every ingredient were a perfect example of how well berries and chocolate can go together. Although this didn’t quite live up to my expectations, I do wish Ben & Jerry’s would bring back Magic Brownies, a flavor that did the combination proper justice. Until then, I'll keep thinking about the Reese's Choco Covered Cheesecake Blizzard of the Month for September 2013.

Where I Found It: Dairy Queen
Grade: C

Yes, Dairy Queen's site is wrong. The nutritional information for the mini is incorrect.

REVIEW: Talenti Gelato Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip

Ever since I was introduced to the combination of black raspberry ice cream and chocolate chips from Graeter’s, I’ve kept my eyes open for other companies offering the complimentary combination of tart raspberries and rich chocolate. Talenti’s recent releases of five new flavors include Banana Chocolate Swirl, Chocolate Chip Stracciatella, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup, Simply Strawberry and the pint pictured above, Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip. Talenti had this to say about their version, “We combine the pleasantly tart, floral flavor of farm-fresh black raspberries with crunchy flecks of dark chocolate to create an elegant, melodic gelato." Using words like floral, elegant and melodic, it seems like we may discussing an upcoming wedding rather than gelato, but I’m still excited to see exactly what Talenti can do when they bring raspberries and chocolate chips together in holy matrimony.

After unscrewing the lid to this 230 calories per serving gelato, the first layer is a lovely, lilac color with plenty of chocolate flecks flowing throughout. I take in the beautiful base for a few seconds before I’m hit with the robust aroma of those farm-fresh raspberries. In an attempt to obtain uniformity, Talenti has included their small shards of chocolate in each layer of the lavender gelato to ensure some in each bite. Once the pint has sat out for a few minutes, I scoop out my first bite. The black raspberry base was floral and fruity, just as Talenti describes, but remains sweet because of the sugar and milk.

The dark chocolate crumbs aren’t substantial in size, however they are ferocious in frequency. The mini-flecks give every bite a crunchy characteristic that I always look for in a frozen treat. They fill every bite with dark, decadent highlights. And when combined with that unique raspberry gelato, those descriptive words Talenti uses of floral, elegant and melodic make much more sense. No, it wasn't Graeter's good. The two companies use completely different production methods and ingredients, but end up rolling out two pretty tasty chocolate raspberry combinations.

Where I Found It: The Fresh Market
Grade: B

REVIEW: Graeter's Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip

Ever since hearing about the Ohio-based creamery, Graeter’s, I’ve been on the lookout for some of their French pot process ice cream. Fortunately for me, my Publix had a few flavors in stock, including their signature Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip. According to their website, this particular pint is, “an absolute must-try for anyone new to Grater’s. We hand select triple-washed black raspberries from Oregon’s premier grower.” Although I’m not typically a fruit-based ice cream kind of guy, I’m looking to enjoy one, black raspberries are usually the ones I’m looking for. After watching the following video I was educated on exactly how the French pot process works and how even though it yields a smaller number of pints per batch, seems to be well worth the extra effort.

Here’s exactly how it works: “Our secret recipe of fresh cream and egg custard is gently swirled along the chilled sides of a slowly spinning French Pot Freezer. As the creamy blend thickens, a blade softly scrapes the sides of the pot, folding the ice cream into itself. Then we add the fresh ingredients to complete our unique flavors. The gentle folding process prevents air from whipping into our ice cream and accounts for the extremely dense and creamy consistency. Where a typical pint of ice cream can weigh as little as 8 ounces, a Graeter’s pint weighs nearly a full pound! Graeter’s ice cream is so rich and creamy that we have to pack every pint by hand."

Due to the fact that the overrun of this super-premium ice cream is kept to a minimum and the butterfat percentage is kept high, most of the flavors from Graeter’s are calorie dense when compared to the competition. Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip comes in a respectable 270 calories per serving, but that’s pretty high for an ice cream based around berries. Like many other small-scale operations, they seem to pride themselves on high quality ingredients and putting in the extra effort if it means a more palate-pleasing product. With the top removed, the first layer of this densely packed pint is bright purple in color and even shows off a few chocolate chips poking through the surface.

The black raspberry base is delightfully dense and doesn’t share any of the dreadful qualities of some other fruit-based ice creams from other creameries. You won’t find any icy, sorbet-like qualities in a pint of Graeter’s. The richness of the cream and sugar is counteracted by the fact that the black raspberries make this base really refreshing. Without a doubt, Graeter’s has produced one of the best fruit foundations available, but the best is still yet to come. Graeter’s writes that it uses chocolate from the oldest chocolate maker in the world, developed in 1875. I'm not sure if older is necessarily better, but it sure tastes like its produced by a seasoned professional.

As you can see from the video, these aren't your typical chocolate chips, but melted chocolate that's poured in incrementally during the production process. As a result, these chocolate chips range in stature from small specks all the way up to large lumps. The chunks aren't smooth, but raw and seemingly unprocessed. They taste more of dark chocolate than milk chocolate. I mean just take a look at these colossal chocolate chunks! If these things are chocolate chips, Graeter's should consider baking. Their cookies would probably be pretty good. I'm certainly glad that Graeter's decided to expand their operation and allow people across the country to enjoy their frozen treats. And I'm certainly glad I picked up this pint. If you find Graeter’s in your area, I suggest starting with their Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip.

Where I Found It: Publix Super Markets
Grade: A

REVIEW: Friendly's Black Raspberry

Despite Friendly's inability to obtain anything over an average rating with their Coconut and Black Cherry Chocolate Chunk flavors, they had served as sensational bases to add in our own mix-ins. Keeping that in mind, it wasn't long before we were tempted enough to try their Black Raspberry as well. Graeter's Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip had shown us how amazing this purple-colored ice cream could be, so we were hoping Friendly's version could at least come in close taste-wise. Our first bite brought on that familiar flavor we yearned for, but the consistency was far inferior to that of the French pot process used by Graeter's.



Where I Found It: Ingles Markets
Grade: C

Fortunately for us, we had plenty of accoutrements to help assist Friendly's Black Raspberry. Feast your eyes on our sundae containing five scoops of Friendly's Black Raspberry, a freshly baked dark chocolate brownie, some chocolate Teddy Grahams, and a Hershey's chocolate syrup drizzle. The result was an ice cream eating experience worthy of an A.

READER REVIEW: Winston's Review of TCBY Black Raspberry Greek Frozen Yogurt

Being conscious of nutrition, I’m always on the lookout for lower calorie frozen yogurts and ice creams. While shopping at my local grocery store, I noticed that TCBY’s traditional frozen yogurt was on sale. Score! Next to the pints sat one lone Greek TCBY pint: Black Raspberry. The Ice Cream Informant recently posted about the existence of these pints, and while the fruity lineup does not necessarily sound as indulgent as flavors like Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough and English Toffee Crunch (as seen in their traditional lineup) and at a surprising 100 calories per serving and 0 grams of fat, I couldn't resist.

Lifting the lid revealed a light purple plateau of undefiled frozen yogurt with two small licks of some type of red-violet swirl. The first bite: extraordinarily smooth; remarkably rich with fruit flavor; surprisingly creamy considering there is zero fat. Very impressive. The second bite: equally velvety and delicious, but with a sweet, mildly tart berry swirl. The base honestly tasted like it contained around 5g of fat, yet contained none. Compared to the icy, brittle Oikos fat free Greek rozen yogurts I’ve had in the past, this base is remarkably rich and certainly smoother. Further, the base, even without fat, seemed to demonstrate richness and creaminess that even Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked Froyo failed to deliver with 3g of fat. However, the creaminess unquestionably pales in comparison the the richness of the base in Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia. Lastly, without mix-ins, its texture satisfaction doesn’t compare to the vast majority of premium fruit-based ice creams.

Mining my way through the pint (sans guilt) repeatedly excited my pallet. As the yogurt slowly melted and thawed, each progressively melting spoonful further amplified the berry flavor, exponentially increasing the overall dessert experience as time passed. By the end of the pint. I certainly wished for more, but felt remarkably satisfied even though I’d consumed a respectable 400 calories.

Where Winston Found It: Kuhn's Market
Winston's Grade: C

REVIEW: PET Berrylicious Cheesecake

We used to disregard PET’s boxes of ice cream as another low-quality generic option. Once we took a closer look though, we found it true once again that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. The center of these boxes consistently contain some of the most impressive swirls you’ll find in ice cream. While we’ve already seen what they’ve been able to do with chocolate and caramel, their new Berrylicious Cheesecake not only gave us the chance to taste their ice cream and cheesecake pieces, but to sample their mixed berry ribbon as well.

As you can see above, our hypothesis proved true. As we scooped out a few bowls, we soon found the center of this carton had a huge stripe of sweet, mixed berry sauce. PET doesn't designate a flavor for the base of this flavor, but it could be mostly described as sweet cream. This means the cheesecake pieces and swirl have to carry most of the weight, which they have no problem with. Small cubes of yellow-tinted cheesecake pieces add nice dose of cheesecake flavoring, encouraging the base ice cream to take on the cheesecake theme as well.

The fruity swirl wasn't necessarily a part of every bite considering it was mostly confined to the center of the carton, but its potency made up for the fact when it was involved. We had anticipated a sour taste, however this one was sweet through and through. Berrylicious Cheesecake couldn't quite make the leap to the elite level, but was still very enjoyable.

Where I Found It: Ingles Market
Grade: B