I am really excited about this ice cream because it's one of the Haagen Dazs Reserve flavors. Lehua is a Hawaiian flower with a light, sweet flavor that blends very well with the sweet cream ice cream and dabs of honey.
Name
So I'm not 100 percent sure what Lehua tastes outside of ice cream, but I'm going to assume that it's accurately describing the floral tones of this flavor. There is visual evidence of honey in the ice cream so the name is accurate and straightforward. I like it.
Availability
Because this is a Haagen Dazs Reserve flavor, it's going to be a little more difficult to find in stores. I stumbled upon this one at a local grocery store. I don't believe Haagen Dazs Reserve flavors are available in scoop shops but I could be wrong.
Flavor
High Notes
The one word I can use to describe the flavor of this ice cream is delicate. It is a very subtle flavor that builds once it hits your mouth. It has a very sweet flavor but it's not heavy at all. It is dominated by the sweet cream and honey flavors, the previous being slightly stronger. The sweet cream is not a thick cream at all, which provides a perfect base for this flavor. The taste is very high which allows the low, floral end to really be expressed with a very natural tone. The honey itself provides optimal balance as its own independent flavor because of its sweetness and natural low notes.
Low Notes
The floral tones of the Lehua flower are so delicately balanced, yet well represented in this ice cream. Lehua's flavor is a bit similar to Chrysanthemum so it's not terribly sweet. The kind of low notes in Lehua are very unique for ice cream; I wouldn't call it heavy, but its definitely a deep, complex flavor. The natural combination of the flower and honey add a bit of sweetness to this low end, which works surprisingly well because of the lightness of the sweet cream.
Texture
As most Haagen Dazs ice creams are, Hawaiin Lehua Honey & Sweet Cream is amazingly smooth and even. The mix is consistent and tastes great from start to finish. The take-home pint keeps perfectly in a freezer at home and doesn't get icy.
Concluding Comments
The blend of creamy, natural, and sweet flavors in this exotic reserve flavor are amazing. If you are looking for something unique and light, Hawaiin Lehua Honey & Sweet Cream definitely hits the spot. It's very natural, very earthy, and a great after dinner ice cream.
Everything but the...
Everything but the... is a Ben & Jerry's flavor that I have never tried, which is very exciting. As I was browsing the ice cream freezer I noticed a flavor that had chocolate and vanilla ice creams filled with Heath bar chunks, white chocolate chips, peanut butter cups, and chocolate covered almonds. I quickly decided that each of these things are components of other wonderful ice creams so Everything but the... sounded like a delightful selection. Plus, I didn't have to decided between vanilla or chocolate!
Name
Everything but the... has a positive connotation despite the lack of accuracy. This flavor is a combination of 6 different flavors. I don't know why that sounded appealing to me at first because that's fairly gross. Everything but the... implies that it is lacking something but in all seriousness, it isn't. I would have called it something like All the Good Stuff or something like that to maintain its deceivingly tasty sounding name. What I'm trying to say is that Everything but the... is a bad name.
Availability
I have rarely seen this flavor in supermarkets although it makes an appearance once in a while. To my understanding it is unavailable in scoop shops. I guess this is a hard to find flavor, and when it's in stock it comes in pints.
Flavor
High Notes
Everything but the... is quite the anomaly for my tastebuds because there is so much strong flavor, it's difficult to tell what is what. Just looking at the mix of the ice cream I would believe the vanilla to have some exceptional sweetness along with the white chocolate chips and the milk chocolate coating. I couldn't taste any of these. The chocolate is too dominant and completely washes the vanilla ice cream. The peanut butter cups and the almonds were too strong and salty to allow the high notes to be expressed. The white chocolate chips and the Heath bar are completely lost. When I first read the flavor description I was very excited because I love all the ingredients, but it was just too much. I would say that there are traces of the light, sweet high notes but they did not pull their weight in this mix.
Low Notes
The low end of this ice cream is just way, way too strong. It's not just heavy on the robust flavors, but the saltiness as well. The only things I taste in this ice cream are the chocolate ice cream, the peanut butter cups, and the salty chocolate covered almonds. I felt like this was an awful version of a Peanut Butter & Chocolate or Peanut Butter Cup ice cream. I cannot quite express how heavy and tasteless this ice cream was. I really hate to be so critical but I had high expectations for this ice cream, but I couldn't taste any of the flavors I was hoping for. I understand the vanilla being washed because it's subtle but then again, if it's not tasted, why leave it in to dilute the chocolate ice cream. Both white chocolate and Heath bar are strong high end flavors so there's no reason why they shouldn't be evident, especially if they're the flavors that keep the ice cream balanced. The low flavors were way too strong and completely dominated the ice cream.
Texture
Everything but the... is a smooth, creamy, super-premium ice cream. It has few air pockets and it's heavy. The mix is incredibly uneven and has far too many peanut butter cups. The toppings come in large chunks making it difficult to get a normal sized spoonful. When I pulled out a large piece of candy, the ice cream came out disproportionately. I think a lot of the balance issues could be solved by the mix of the ice cream and the size of the candy pieces.
Concluding Comments
The one and only criticism I have for Everything but the... is it has severe balance issues. I really had high hopes for an ice cream that has so many wonderful concepts but it was completely bottom heavy. I am really disappointed because a lot of these problems could have been alleviated by simply changing the proportions of the flavors. This ice cream doesn't do anything well except overload strong flavor.
Name
Everything but the... has a positive connotation despite the lack of accuracy. This flavor is a combination of 6 different flavors. I don't know why that sounded appealing to me at first because that's fairly gross. Everything but the... implies that it is lacking something but in all seriousness, it isn't. I would have called it something like All the Good Stuff or something like that to maintain its deceivingly tasty sounding name. What I'm trying to say is that Everything but the... is a bad name.
Availability
I have rarely seen this flavor in supermarkets although it makes an appearance once in a while. To my understanding it is unavailable in scoop shops. I guess this is a hard to find flavor, and when it's in stock it comes in pints.
Flavor
High Notes
Everything but the... is quite the anomaly for my tastebuds because there is so much strong flavor, it's difficult to tell what is what. Just looking at the mix of the ice cream I would believe the vanilla to have some exceptional sweetness along with the white chocolate chips and the milk chocolate coating. I couldn't taste any of these. The chocolate is too dominant and completely washes the vanilla ice cream. The peanut butter cups and the almonds were too strong and salty to allow the high notes to be expressed. The white chocolate chips and the Heath bar are completely lost. When I first read the flavor description I was very excited because I love all the ingredients, but it was just too much. I would say that there are traces of the light, sweet high notes but they did not pull their weight in this mix.
Low Notes
The low end of this ice cream is just way, way too strong. It's not just heavy on the robust flavors, but the saltiness as well. The only things I taste in this ice cream are the chocolate ice cream, the peanut butter cups, and the salty chocolate covered almonds. I felt like this was an awful version of a Peanut Butter & Chocolate or Peanut Butter Cup ice cream. I cannot quite express how heavy and tasteless this ice cream was. I really hate to be so critical but I had high expectations for this ice cream, but I couldn't taste any of the flavors I was hoping for. I understand the vanilla being washed because it's subtle but then again, if it's not tasted, why leave it in to dilute the chocolate ice cream. Both white chocolate and Heath bar are strong high end flavors so there's no reason why they shouldn't be evident, especially if they're the flavors that keep the ice cream balanced. The low flavors were way too strong and completely dominated the ice cream.
Texture
Everything but the... is a smooth, creamy, super-premium ice cream. It has few air pockets and it's heavy. The mix is incredibly uneven and has far too many peanut butter cups. The toppings come in large chunks making it difficult to get a normal sized spoonful. When I pulled out a large piece of candy, the ice cream came out disproportionately. I think a lot of the balance issues could be solved by the mix of the ice cream and the size of the candy pieces.
Concluding Comments
The one and only criticism I have for Everything but the... is it has severe balance issues. I really had high hopes for an ice cream that has so many wonderful concepts but it was completely bottom heavy. I am really disappointed because a lot of these problems could have been alleviated by simply changing the proportions of the flavors. This ice cream doesn't do anything well except overload strong flavor.
Cherry Garcia
Cherry Garcia is a staple of the Ben & Jerry's brand so I thought it would be appropriate to post about it early on. Cherry Garcia is a cherry based ice cream with pieces of bing cherries and fudge flakes.
Name
Cherry Garcia was first released in 1987 as a tribute to Grateful Dead lead vocalist and guitarist Jerry Garcia. The word "Cherry" is cleverly used in place of the name Jerry in order to hint at the base flavor of the ice cream. Ben & Jerry's loves witty names and puns and its flagship flavor fits perfectly in line with the rest of its super-premium partners.
Availability
Cherry Garcia, being the most popular flavor in the Ben & Jerry's line, tends to be widely available in any scoop shop and any market that carries Ben & Jerry's ice cream (available in 3.6 ounce servings, pints, and quarts). The take-home version doesn't keep too well as it becomes a bit icy and gritty over time, although the flavor is unaffected. It probably has about a 2 week freshness life.
Flavor
High Notes
Cherry Garcia does not have an overbearing high tone. The cherry base flavor is creamy but not heavy like most artificial fruit flavor bases. Its lightness allows for flavor that is simple, yet evident. This is one of Cherry Garcia's most remarkable points: the subtleness of its creamy, cherry flavor. The chunks of bing cherries is the perfect complement to the creaminess of the base. The actual cherries are a bit sweet but they have a redeeming natural quality that does not get lost in the artificial flavors of ice cream. Overall the high notes are wonderfully sweet and subtle with the right balance of creaminess and natural structure. I am impressed with how well the base flavor and the cherries balance each other without overlapping flavors. Together they create a much fuller cherry flavor staying true to the name Cherry Garcia.
Low Notes
The key to the beauty of Cherry Garcia as a flavor lies in its balance, and considering the fragility of the sweeter tastes in this ice cream, the low end also needs to remain light. Cherry Garcia is able to create this balance with its very even low end, drawing a majority of its heaviness from the fudge flakes and the natural flavor of the cherries. Both of these flavors are subtle, complementary, and long. The flavor of the thin fudge flakes beautifully fills in the gaps in the lightness of the cherry ice cream. The fudge is a bit bittersweet making it heavy but because it is cut so thin, it is still a bit loose. The cherries, although sweetened, retain a bit of their natural acidity. This airy tartness is an unnoticed counter-flavor to the otherwise balanced sweetness of Cherry Garcia. The complexity of Cherry Garcia is often overlooked simply because it is so popular and so sweet; however, the balance of high and low notes, along with the counter-flavor, are what really contribute to the beauty of this ice cream.
Texture
Ben & Jerry's is, by definition, a super-premium ice cream. It is a fairly thick, heavy ice cream with little air in the mix. Cherry Garcia, however, is a little bit icy in the take-home variety but the texture grew on me. It is not a typically icy ice cream and as I ate it, the creaminess became more and more evident. The distribution of the cherries and the fudge is fairly consistent and I got a little bit of both in each spoonful.
Concluding Comments
As I said earlier, Ben & Jerry's most popular flavor achieved its reputation because if its beautiful, modest mix of complexity that is often overlooked. I have no real criticism of this ice cream except that it is good, not great It is simple, sweet, and full of subtle fruit flavor and there is no doubt why it has become such a staple in the American ice cream market.
Name
Cherry Garcia was first released in 1987 as a tribute to Grateful Dead lead vocalist and guitarist Jerry Garcia. The word "Cherry" is cleverly used in place of the name Jerry in order to hint at the base flavor of the ice cream. Ben & Jerry's loves witty names and puns and its flagship flavor fits perfectly in line with the rest of its super-premium partners.
Availability
Cherry Garcia, being the most popular flavor in the Ben & Jerry's line, tends to be widely available in any scoop shop and any market that carries Ben & Jerry's ice cream (available in 3.6 ounce servings, pints, and quarts). The take-home version doesn't keep too well as it becomes a bit icy and gritty over time, although the flavor is unaffected. It probably has about a 2 week freshness life.
Flavor
High Notes
Cherry Garcia does not have an overbearing high tone. The cherry base flavor is creamy but not heavy like most artificial fruit flavor bases. Its lightness allows for flavor that is simple, yet evident. This is one of Cherry Garcia's most remarkable points: the subtleness of its creamy, cherry flavor. The chunks of bing cherries is the perfect complement to the creaminess of the base. The actual cherries are a bit sweet but they have a redeeming natural quality that does not get lost in the artificial flavors of ice cream. Overall the high notes are wonderfully sweet and subtle with the right balance of creaminess and natural structure. I am impressed with how well the base flavor and the cherries balance each other without overlapping flavors. Together they create a much fuller cherry flavor staying true to the name Cherry Garcia.
Low Notes
The key to the beauty of Cherry Garcia as a flavor lies in its balance, and considering the fragility of the sweeter tastes in this ice cream, the low end also needs to remain light. Cherry Garcia is able to create this balance with its very even low end, drawing a majority of its heaviness from the fudge flakes and the natural flavor of the cherries. Both of these flavors are subtle, complementary, and long. The flavor of the thin fudge flakes beautifully fills in the gaps in the lightness of the cherry ice cream. The fudge is a bit bittersweet making it heavy but because it is cut so thin, it is still a bit loose. The cherries, although sweetened, retain a bit of their natural acidity. This airy tartness is an unnoticed counter-flavor to the otherwise balanced sweetness of Cherry Garcia. The complexity of Cherry Garcia is often overlooked simply because it is so popular and so sweet; however, the balance of high and low notes, along with the counter-flavor, are what really contribute to the beauty of this ice cream.
Texture
Ben & Jerry's is, by definition, a super-premium ice cream. It is a fairly thick, heavy ice cream with little air in the mix. Cherry Garcia, however, is a little bit icy in the take-home variety but the texture grew on me. It is not a typically icy ice cream and as I ate it, the creaminess became more and more evident. The distribution of the cherries and the fudge is fairly consistent and I got a little bit of both in each spoonful.
Concluding Comments
As I said earlier, Ben & Jerry's most popular flavor achieved its reputation because if its beautiful, modest mix of complexity that is often overlooked. I have no real criticism of this ice cream except that it is good, not great It is simple, sweet, and full of subtle fruit flavor and there is no doubt why it has become such a staple in the American ice cream market.
Welcome
Hi. My name is Michael. And I enjoy ice cream. I created this blog to both give me an entertaining outlet to passionately discuss ice cream and to help you find your favorite flavors.
I will evaluate an ice cream based on the following criteria:
Name- originality, sound, and its accuracy in describing the flavor
Availability- who makes it, where you can purchase it (scoop shop, market, chain, local, etc.), and how it keeps in the freezer for the take-home ice cream
Flavor- there are two components to flavor, high notes and low notes, both of which must be present and balanced in a quality ice cream
Texture- the quality and feeling of the ice cream, the grade of the ice cream (economy, premium, super-premium), and the consistency of its composition throughout the sampling
Concluding Comments- I will make comments about the overall opinion I have of the ice cream as well as any possible combinations, toppings, or critique of the flavor
Tags- I will tag each post by manufacturer, quality (economy, premium, super-premium), base flavor (chocolate, vanilla, fruit, etc.), availability (store, take-home, local), and recommend/not recommend
I will sample the ice cream, both in-store and take-home, in the same fashion. Prior to the tasting I will rinse my mouth with lukewarm water and then eat a salt-free cracker or other starch followed by another lukewarm water rinse. I will then use a tasteless spoon (either gold or plastic) and distribute the spoonful of ice cream to every area of the tongue with a consistent air supply. I will continue this procedure by taking spoonfuls from all identifiable layers of the ice cream, totaling at least 2 ounces.
I feel qualified to create this blog because of my lifelong passion for and experience with ice cream. Since childhood I have consumed an estimated 500 different ice cream flavors in scoop shop, take-home, and local variations. Eating and trying new ice cream is a particularly enjoyable activity for both myself and my close friends. I worked at a local Baskin Robbins through high school and a year of college, although I have no bias towards Baskin Robbins. I love to eat and I am clearly passionate about great ice cream.
I will try to update this blog at least once a week with a new flavor, as long as health permits. I will also promise to keep these reviews strictly to ice cream and not frozen yogurt, despite the recent trend of frozen yogurt consumption. Some of my future plans for this blog will include guest reviews from my close friends whose palettes I trust, blind taste tests between various brands, as well as reviews on flavors you suggest. Go out and try the flavors I review and let everyone know what you think, whether you agree with me or not. It is my sincerest wish that you enjoy yourself while reading my blog and you contribute to this community. I believe that every human being must give in to indulgence to maintain happiness so allow yourself to express your joie de vivre through taste. I hope you share my passion for ice cream and please comment or contact me with any information you would like to see here. Happy tasting!
I will evaluate an ice cream based on the following criteria:
Name- originality, sound, and its accuracy in describing the flavor
Availability- who makes it, where you can purchase it (scoop shop, market, chain, local, etc.), and how it keeps in the freezer for the take-home ice cream
Flavor- there are two components to flavor, high notes and low notes, both of which must be present and balanced in a quality ice cream
Texture- the quality and feeling of the ice cream, the grade of the ice cream (economy, premium, super-premium), and the consistency of its composition throughout the sampling
Concluding Comments- I will make comments about the overall opinion I have of the ice cream as well as any possible combinations, toppings, or critique of the flavor
Tags- I will tag each post by manufacturer, quality (economy, premium, super-premium), base flavor (chocolate, vanilla, fruit, etc.), availability (store, take-home, local), and recommend/not recommend
I will sample the ice cream, both in-store and take-home, in the same fashion. Prior to the tasting I will rinse my mouth with lukewarm water and then eat a salt-free cracker or other starch followed by another lukewarm water rinse. I will then use a tasteless spoon (either gold or plastic) and distribute the spoonful of ice cream to every area of the tongue with a consistent air supply. I will continue this procedure by taking spoonfuls from all identifiable layers of the ice cream, totaling at least 2 ounces.
I feel qualified to create this blog because of my lifelong passion for and experience with ice cream. Since childhood I have consumed an estimated 500 different ice cream flavors in scoop shop, take-home, and local variations. Eating and trying new ice cream is a particularly enjoyable activity for both myself and my close friends. I worked at a local Baskin Robbins through high school and a year of college, although I have no bias towards Baskin Robbins. I love to eat and I am clearly passionate about great ice cream.
I will try to update this blog at least once a week with a new flavor, as long as health permits. I will also promise to keep these reviews strictly to ice cream and not frozen yogurt, despite the recent trend of frozen yogurt consumption. Some of my future plans for this blog will include guest reviews from my close friends whose palettes I trust, blind taste tests between various brands, as well as reviews on flavors you suggest. Go out and try the flavors I review and let everyone know what you think, whether you agree with me or not. It is my sincerest wish that you enjoy yourself while reading my blog and you contribute to this community. I believe that every human being must give in to indulgence to maintain happiness so allow yourself to express your joie de vivre through taste. I hope you share my passion for ice cream and please comment or contact me with any information you would like to see here. Happy tasting!
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