** ~ Ice Cream Eating Now Thread -- Round 4 ~ **

[ugasar]

Ice Cream Jubilee Coffee And Doughnuts


This is another classic take on a great breakfast combo that many companies have replicated as well. Except this one steeps cold brew into all-natural cream and mixes in vanilla bean doughnuts.



Humphry Slocombe made a cold brew coffee flavor called Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee that I absolutely loved and I'm generally not the biggest fan of coffee flavored ice creams. This one is not quite as good, but very very close.



Upon first scoop, the flavor is easily recognizable as a cold brew coffee. However, the more you eat, the weaker the flavor becomes. This is due to the great amount of cream that is used in the base as well.



With that said, the base is pretty mild because the cold brew bitterness cuts most of the sweetness from the cream. However, it is still very creamy and milky. So imagine a play on coffee with cream, but the coffee portion is actually a cold brew flavor.



I was very excited for the vanilla bean doughnuts, but unfortunately, they were somewhat of a let down. The sole reason was that most of their flavor was masked by base. If you came across a huge chunk, you got a hint of vanilla bean. But for the most part, they were flavorless.



Another downside is that there were only a few of them in the entire pint. The consistency of them was enjoyable though. They were thick and dense like a cake doughnut. Each one was moist, soft and chewy as well.



Let me dumb this one down for you. If you are a coffee fan then this is an easy scoop, especially if you love cold brew. The flavor is replicated perfectly and also adds in a mix of cream. However, the doughnuts do not help this pint at all besides offering a chewy texture to only a few spoonfuls. Thanks to a great base, this pint is still able to score an average grade. B-

[AdamWW]

Do they make insulated "stay-frozen" kinds of bowls/containers that you can simply slip a pint into to reduce melting? The only ones I see are for ice cream makers.

[AdamWW]

Salt & Straw’s VEGAN Happy Birthday Elvis



Description:
“…inspired by [Elvis’] love of peanut butter, bacon, and banana sandwiches. This year we made a banana coconut ice cream…swirled in both marionberry jam and peanut butter fudge. Finally we stir in shaved coconut cooked in a mix of tamari, smoked tea, and maple syrup so it’s candied to taste exactly like bacon. It’s overwhelmingly sweet and salty at the same time…”

Disclaimer:
Before diving into this review, it should be noted that I have always loved sweet and salty flavor combinations, especially in ice cream or froyo. Furthermore, as I haven’t had the wide variety of top-end ice creams many of you have, I may have the newbie ‘basic’ bias/curve coming into play. Finally, I have not had traditional (dairy-based) ice cream (or bacon for that matter) in about 2-3 years, so take that how you will… but for the record I do remember what all the non-Vegan components tasted like 

AT FIRST GLANCE

A bit of an underwhelming start from the top view, but you can clearly see what looks like Peanut Butter fudge and perhaps the vegan bacon pieces lurking below the surface. Because the pints arrived not long ago, I did suspect some icy effect on top, so it didn’t worry me too much.

OPENING SCOOP

Started off with a pretty small pairing of just the base, a small piece of the ‘bacon’, and a small dab of PB Fudge… no Jam yet. Initially, the flavor of the ‘bacon’ and the fudge really underwhelmed me. Coconut-based bacon replacements are hard to get right, and this initial spoonful just made those taste like slightly burnt coconut and a bit of PB. Not that I’m complaining, it was delicious, but bacon? Not yet… didn’t get that at all right away. The PB fudge itself was kind of drowned out by the coconut flake, too, so I couldn’t assess based just on that.

GOING DEEPER

It didn’t take long to burst through into the meat of this operation (pun intended). Less than half an inch down, and things got interesting. The PB fudge was presented in the mixture as ribbons of rich, dense, authentic peanut butter, but it was obviously not a swirl of standard PB. It was more dense than PB, and it melted in your mouth very rapidly… so it wasn’t fudge ‘chunks’ like the kind you’d chew on, but more of a swirl you’d spread on a PB + Jam + Bacon sandwich only much richer.

The base itself was quite tasty, but to be honest I was expecting a little more banana flavor. That being said, I think it worked to this pint’s favor that it wasn’t a sweeter banana bite in the coconut base, because the Jam was very, very sweet and that probably would have overpowered it. Honestly I think I would have rather had a cream cheese or custard-like base and somehow incorporated banana pieces into the other mix ins, because I really did not detect much banana at all… just subtly in the aftertaste to me.
Still, the texture was very good… creamy, rich, dense, and no coconut flavor from the base itself that I could tell.

I guess when I think of the Elvis sandwich, I don't think Jam... I think banana, bacon, and PB... so if anything I would have thought it'd be a little more banana, a little less Jam.


As I got down, the Jam and PB Fudge swirls became far more equally distributed, and I gotta say when I landed a nice combination of fudge and Jam in the same bite, it tasted like a PB + Jam + Banana sandwich… very, very satisfying and – as you can see – most of the bites at this point were full of those swirls.

Got Bacon? Well… not exactly. Don’t get me wrong, I love coconut flakes, especially toasted, salted coconut flakes. The problem here is that the flavor of the flakes was not always the same. I’d get a flake that tasted just a coconut, then the next thing I know it I’d get one that tasted like pure bacon and maple syrup. When the flake was on point, it was awesome and really was close to a bacon-seasoning flavor… but again, it was hit or miss depending on the pieces you got.

Also, the pieces were quite small and I felt there could have been maybe 1.5x the amount and it would have added more complexity and ‘bite’ to the mix. Then there’s the texture. Again, it’s hard to do fake bacon right, and the flakes – though tasty and close to bacon at times – retained their coconut texture.


After that point, the mix-ins started to get plentiful and every spoonful was laden with jam and PB fudge, but again the notes of ‘bacon’ and banana took a back seat. The banana/coconut base being overwhelmed by the Jam and PB didn’t bother me so much, but the lack of consistency in and the amount of the bacon flecks kind of did. I was hoping to at least have the option of a piece in each spoonful, but there weren’t enough there.


A close-up of the sweet Marion berry jam. This stuff was excellent… very sweet, fresh, and abundant throughout. Even just the base + Jam combo was fantastic.


This is the coconut ‘bacon’ flakes up close. Hard to distinguish them from the fudge swirls given their brown color, and as you can see they’re very small. This particular piece was one of the ‘good’ ones, as evidenced by the specs of pepper/seasoning you can see.

SUMMARY & FINAL SCORE

I really did enjoy this flavor, and it was my most anticipated of the Vegan pints I ordered (I have 3 others to review… as I already had the Whoopie pie vegan pint last year). The base itself was quite rich, creamy, and honestly very difficult to tell wasn’t dairy-based… in fact the only hint of coconut was given by the ‘bacon’ flakes that had poor seasoning on them, which kind of tricked me into thinking the coconut base was to blame. Not much banana flavor, but tasty still.

The Jam was very sweet and well-ribboned throughout alongside the PB fudge which, when eaten as a pairing, tasted just like a PBJ sandwich with a touch of banana in the after taste. Everytime I got a huge chunk of the fudge and a gob of jam it really, really was hard to stop from just downing the whole pint in a couple spoonfuls.

But, as I said, the bacon effort was just not consistent enough. The idea of the pint being to mimic the classic Elvis sandwich, you’d expect them to showcase what I’m sure was the hardest element to match in this flavor: the bacon. I’d say about 50% of the ‘bacon’ pieces just tasted like toasted coconut, while the other half tasted like small pieces of maple-glazed bacon. When you got a perfect one along with the Jam + PB?? Oh man… it was amazing. Thing was, that didn’t happen too often and the pint ended up resting on the pairings of Base + Jam + PB Fudge.

Now, that’s an awesome equation, but it just needed more of the ‘good’ bacon pieces in my opinion. Still, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard to not eat the whole damn thing. If they had been more consistent with the bacon flavored bits, had more of them and gotten the texture a little softer, and perhaps added just a touch more banana...it would probably have been a solid A.

OVERALL Score: B+

[Tyler2106]

Legit review ^^^ All of you guys posting pictures making me look extra lazy when I don't post pics of my reviews lol

Pint looks good. Vegan isn't my thing, but they seemed to make a solid pint for those that enjoy non dairy. I like their creativity to try and replicate bacon pieces in vegan form.

[ADD61]

No pic, no detailed review gang gang here:

Midnight Munchies

Chocolate peanut butter ice cream with chocolate-covered pretzels and peanut butter cups.

Scooped Midnight Munchies from my Coolhaus shipment. Relative to quality (240 cals) it was solid. Decent base and most of the pretzel mixins were crunchy. The pint was lacking PB cups which was the biggest error IMO.

I believe they are still offering 20% off and free shipping. If you are ordering I would include this.

Again not a world beating brand relative to top tier but for those who like to try things......

[AdamWW]

Legit review ^^^ All of you guys posting pictures making me look extra lazy when I don't post pics of my reviews lol

Pint looks good. Vegan isn't my thing, but they seemed to make a solid pint for those that enjoy non dairy. I like their creativity to try and replicate bacon pieces in vegan form.

S&S's overall execution of vegan flavors is probably the best I've seen, all things considered.

They managed to use a coconut milk base and get it to not end up with the hardened Cool Whip texture that I became used to with other coconut-based options, so it stays firm longer and they do an excellent job of masking the coconut flavor. Almost indiscernible from regular dairy bases.

I think this pint was a pretty lofty goal for them, mainly because of the bacon element, which is the main reason it fell short. Had it been marketed as a PBJ & Banana Sandwich with Toasted Coconut Flake... my assessment would have been different for sure. I mean it's kind of an odd choice when you have a coconut base to ADD coconut to the mixture knowing it'll make the entire pint have some subtle note of coconut.

To be honest I think they would have been better ditching the seasoned coconut approach altogether and just adding something like a fried, maple-glazed and seasoned plantain chip item which might have even had better, bacon-like texture and added to the banana element the were going for.

As a PBJ ice cream is was great though.

No pic, no detailed review gang gang here:

Midnight Munchies

Chocolate peanut butter ice cream with chocolate-covered pretzels and peanut butter cups.

Scooped Midnight Munchies from my Coolhaus shipment. Relative to quality (240 cals) it was solid. Decent base and most of the pretzel mixins were crunchy. The pint was lacking PB cups which was the biggest error IMO.

I believe they are still offering 20% off and free shipping. If you are ordering I would include this.

Again not a world beating brand relative to top tier but for those who like to try things......

Didn't mean to occupy so much space, my bad... my future reviews will be much much shorter... frankly it's kind of difficult to take pictures and fully just sit and enjoy it.

[ADD61]

S&S's overall execution of vegan flavors is probably the best I've seen, all things considered.

They managed to use a coconut milk base and get it to not end up with the hardened Cool Whip texture that I became used to with other coconut-based options, so it stays firm longer and they do an excellent job of masking the coconut flavor. Almost indiscernible from regular dairy bases.

I think this pint was a pretty lofty goal for them, mainly because of the bacon element, which is the main reason it fell short. Had it been marketed as a PBJ & Banana Sandwich with Toasted Coconut Flake... my assessment would have been different for sure. I mean it's kind of an odd choice when you have a coconut base to ADD coconut to the mixture knowing it'll make the entire pint have some subtle note of coconut.

To be honest I think they would have been better ditching the seasoned coconut approach altogether and just adding something like a fried, maple-glazed and seasoned plantain chip item which might have even had better, bacon-like texture and added to the banana element the were going for.

As a PBJ ice cream is was great though.



Didn't mean to occupy so much space, my bad... my future reviews will be much much shorter... frankly it's kind of difficult to take pictures and fully just sit and enjoy it.

That wasn’t a shot at you at all! I’m just to lazy to take photos or give in depth reviews.

[Tyler2106]

That wasn’t a shot at you at all! I’m just to lazy to take photos or give in depth reviews.

Lol me too...and since the topic of lazy and no pictures are being talked about...

Clementine's Gingerbread Love - 9/10

Made from scratch, chocolate-covered gingerbread cookie pieces mixed into our creamy gingerbread ice cream. A full-flavored, festive favorite.

The gingerbread ice cream was one of the best "mouth feel" ice creams I've had. What I mean is that it was extremely dense, creamy, and left a perfect coating on the tongue.Slow to melt, no gumminess just pure deliciousness. The gingerbread / molasses flavoring was mild, but overall I loved the base. The "chocolate covered" cookie pieces had no chocolate taste to them. They do have a slight chocolate coloring to them, but I tasted no chocolate even when picking out just the cookie pieces. I read Lazy's review of this flavor and he said his cookie pieces were "soft, moist, and chewy." However, mine seemed dry and crumbly, but not in a bad way, just different.

Overall, I really enjoyed the pint. I'm not a huge gingerbread fan, but this is more of a mild gingerbread flavor. The molasses, ginger, cinnamon, aniseed, cloves etc all played together really well and didn't over power one another.

tl;dr + no pics: order this flavor if you can

[lazymuchacho]

Gingerbread cookies are not be the same as previous years because a different flour is being used; hence the reason for it coming out later than usual (sourcing difficulties).

Good review on S&S but it looks like Hazelnut is the move. Interested in your other reviews nevertheless: detail and pics are appreciated.

And if you don't want to write lengthy reviews or include images that's fine since any contribution is extra info for the community. When you engage in take-down mode however (like I have done on many occasions with brands/flavors), the standards of evidence are increased.

[AdamWW]

Lol me too...and since the topic of lazy and no pictures are being talked about...

Clementine's Gingerbread Love - 9/10

Made from scratch, chocolate-covered gingerbread cookie pieces mixed into our creamy gingerbread ice cream. A full-flavored, festive favorite.

The gingerbread ice cream was one of the best "mouth feel" ice creams I've had. What I mean is that it was extremely dense, creamy, and left a perfect coating on the tongue.Slow to melt, no gumminess just pure deliciousness. The gingerbread / molasses flavoring was mild, but overall I loved the base. The "chocolate covered" cookie pieces had no chocolate taste to them. They do have a slight chocolate coloring to them, but I tasted no chocolate even when picking out just the cookie pieces. I read Lazy's review of this flavor and he said his cookie pieces were "soft, moist, and chewy." However, mine seemed dry and crumbly, but not in a bad way, just different.

Overall, I really enjoyed the pint. I'm not a huge gingerbread fan, but this is more of a mild gingerbread flavor. The molasses, ginger, cinnamon, aniseed, cloves etc all played together really well and didn't over power one another.

tl;dr + no pics: order this flavor if you can

Pics or no pics, sounds delicious

[AdamWW]

Eric just posted a review of all the vegan flavors. Funny, his feedback on the Elvis flavor was almost identical to mine.

His review has me very excited about the lemon cheesecake and hazelnut ones.

[AdamWW]

Salt & Straw Vegan Candied Apricot 'Faux-yo'
Description
"frozen yogurt using coconut cream. We hit it with a little lime and let it thicken. And then we add some sugar, apricot puree, salt, vanilla, and yes, that is a little green cardamom you’re tasting. Then we fold in more pieces of candied apricot for texture and fun, for a flavor that tastes like a fresh-fruit sorbet."



This was a very unusual flavor for this January line-up, I gotta say. All of the other January Vegan flavors followed what I would consider a more winter/fall trend of rich comfort-food/dessert mix-ins and themes, whereas an apricot 'faux-yo' is something I'd consider very late-Spring or Summer oriented (after all, that's when apricots are in season anyway...). If for no other reason than it being the oddball of the group, I was interested in seeing how it turned out.

It's a good flavor, but just good. The base itself still retains a nice depth and richness but nowhere near the decadence of the fuller fat bases S&S makes for their vegan options. I don't know if it was the fruit mixed in, the lime, or the 'yogurt' element, but it was certainly both sweet and tart at the same time, though nowhere near what I'd say is a 'sorbet' like they describe in the write-up on their site. Instead, to me the base tasted like a much higher quality version of those orange push-pops I remember as a kid... you know, the ones where they sometimes made the Flinstones theme version of? Yeah those... it wasn't icy at all and indistinguishable from dairy-based froyo in my opinion.

And so, the base was good, and I did get a hint of the cardamom in their. Not an offensive amount, but it was definitely there for sure.

The candied apricot pieces were surprisingly nice and did not freeze like I thought they might... instead they were simply there as a contrasting, chewy hint of sweetness to the tart (yet creamy?) flavor that come through in the base.

Honestly, that's about all I have to say about it... pretty damn simple flavor really. I think it's definitely not what I'm looking for in a flavor this time of year but, if it were summer time and I was walking on a beach and needed something refreshing, this would probably hit the spot. Just nothing to write home about... it did it's job though.

Overall Score: B

[AdamWW]

Salt & Straw's Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge

Description

"...the perfect combination of hazelnut milk and hazelnut butter with a little salt, sugar, and really good cocoa powder. And so it’s as over-the-top delicious as possible, we fold in pieces of our homemade gluten-free brownies."




I'm nothing but smiles about this one. Wow... so freakin rich, dense, and fudgy.

For starters, this base is intense... and I mean very, very intense. It has a deep cocoa flavor with strong notes of hazelnut butter, to the point where it truly does taste like a mixture of premium chocolate/cocoa ice cream and nutella swirled together. Anyone out there with a love for Nutella would go crazy for this one.

And then the brownies... again, tasty as hell, and HUGE. Each chunk was about 1" or so in diameter, and their texture was fantastic. Perfectly chewy like a slightly undercooked, fresh-baked batch. This isn't a crazy flavor combo like they tried to go after with the Elvis option this month, but rather an extremely strong execution on somewhat of an ice cream classic... straight up amazing base chocolate/nut butter ice cream with perfectly chewy brownies (did I mention they're huge?) mixed in.

If I were to have one issue with this flavor it's that the richness and simplicity of the combination would likely get old somewhat fast. With how dense and rich it was, and how big those brownie chunks are, you REALLY need to love your nutella and brownies to go after too much of this... and for me being only pretty fond of chocolate and nutella, this is more something that I could have 1-4 spoonfuls of and be satisfied with. Hell, I could probably swap a tablespoon of this in for nutella on bread and get a similar effect.

Those brownies tho... hot damn...

Overall Score: A-

[AdamWW]

LAST OF THE JANUARY FLAVORS!!!

Salt & Straw's Vegan Heidi Ho's Lemon Cheesecake

Description

"cultured cashew chevre...blended with coconut milk and lemon to make a rich cheesecake. We swirl that into to a simple vanilla coconut ice cream that really lets the cheese taste shine, and then crumble in some almond flour crust for a super-indulgent ice cream that tastes a little bit like birthday cake."







This is the best vegan ice cream I've ever had.

Now, if you're not a huge fan of coconut flavor, lemon, or cheesecake, obviously you might not enjoy it as much as I did, but even in that case you'd be able to appreciate the execution here. From the almond-flour crust to the tart, dense lemony 'pockets' you can see in the second picture, to the smooth base ice cream, this was a homerun in my opinion.

I would have to say that the almond-flour crust pieces surprised me the most. They genuinely tasted like cheesecake crust, and because of the almond flour they dissolve a bit in your mouth in addition to being chewy. When you pair that up in a spoonful with the little lemon cheesecake pockets, it's straight-up delicious.

The other thing that was nice about this flavor was that, despite a very strong coconut flavor from the base, the lemon balanced it out extremely well. While I like coconut, the flavor can kind of overpower everything else in a pint without some strong mix-ins like the lemon in this pint. Thankfully though, there's a lot of lemon here to balance out the coconut, so instead of overpowering everything, the coconut adds a nice richness and depth to the otherwise tart lemon.

I'm not even the biggest fan of lemon-flavored desserts or treats, but the way the crust, lemon, base, and cheesecake works together here was extremely satisfying.

The only things keeping it from 10/10 territory (aka "A+"), is (1) I think the coconut flavor in the base was a little too strong and I would have preferred a BIT more of the vanilla they say was folded in... and (2) I simply don't have the strongest love of lemon flavor... I'm more of a sweet + salty guy and this was more on the sweet/tart end of the spectrum.

But then again, maybe it's saying something that I enjoyed this one that much despite not being a lemon cheerleader. Awesome, awesome job by S&S.

Overall Score: A

[ugasar]

JC's Scoops Tea & Biscuits


Once again, we are dealing with a base that isn't the densest, but certainly above average. It is lighter and a bit more airy than usual. However, it's still creamy, but does melt quicker than usual.



As far as flavor, the milk tea base is very unique and tasty. It is hard to describe, but it is basically a sweet, nutty and vanilla-like cream flavor. The milkiness is like a sweet cream base with a hint of black tea added to it. However, this isn't a bitter tea at all.



The pieces of tea biscuits have the same texture as the churro pieces in their Cinnamon Chocolate Churro pint. They are extremely soft and easily break apart, even when your spoon hits them. They are light, fluffy and airy, but do provide a dough-like texture that is chewy.



Each biscuit was full of cinnamon and brown sugar flavors. This paired perfectly with the milk tea base and provided a different type of sweetness. The brown sugar added an extra kick of sweetness, while the cinnamon added a hint of spice that allowed the flavors to build off of one another.



Unfortunately, the ribbons of cookie butter were lacking and only located around the edges of the pint. It is easy to tell when you come across it though because it has more of a gooey consistency as compared to the biscuits.



The flavor of the cookie butter isn't as strong as I would have liked, but is still noticeable. It has that typical gingerbread/biscoff cookie flavor that actually pairs quite well with the milk tea base and also the biscuits.



Surprisingly, I most enjoyed the flavor of the base in this pint. It is unique with its creaminess, milkiness and subtle tea flavor. The cookie butter had a good flavor, but was severely lacking. Soft and chewy tea biscuits full of cinnamon and brown sugar flavors brought this pint full circle. Despite a great tasting base with unique biscuit mixins, the lack of cookie butter, as well as a lighter base, brings this one down a few grades. B-

[ADD61]

You are right, first pint later this week! I will be scooping from what I think will be least like to most liked according to my preferences and taste buds.. So the S'mores may be on the back burner for a while.. I think this is my scooping order as of right now:

1) Cinnamon Apple Pie
2) Bourbon Kentucky Pie
3) Italian Butter Cookie
4) Gingerbread Love
5) Gooey Pumpkin Caramel Pecan
6) S'mores



This is also very true!!! Will the magical luck continue?!?!? hahaha

Were those flavors all on the site or did you order by email to Tamara

[Tyler2106]

Were those flavors all on the site or did you order by email to Tamara

Those aren't on the website. I know that he mentioned contacting Tamara to put in an order.

I really want to put in another order with Clementine's, but can't do it at $135

[ugasar]

Were those flavors all on the site or did you order by email to Tamara

As Tyler said, I had to email her. I was holding off until her Gingerbread flavor dropped for winter to order all of the fall pints with it.

Note for you as well: shipping is expensive AF!

[ugasar]

Salt & Straw Oregon Honey Rocky Road


The chocolate base is arguably one of the best I have ever scooped. I wouldn't say it is heavy on the cream cheese flavor, but it is certainly unique and different. It has a good, ole-fashioned chocolate flavor with just a bit of tanginess from the cream cheese.



The cream cheese also helped to thicken the base up even more, as if Salt & Straw needed a denser base. The creaminess and milkiness of their bases is hands down the best in the ice cream game.



There were plenty of candied hazelnuts throughout the pint, and they were very large as well. Most impressively, each massive chunk had a gritty texture from being candied that gave way to an extremely crunchy bite.



Since the hazelnuts were candied, it gave them sort of a praline taste. It has a rich and nutty flavor that is mildly sweet. Combined with the chocolate, I was hoping for a nutella-like flavor, but the hazelnuts were too toasty and the base not chocolaty enough. Nonetheless, these were a great addition.



The honey marshmallow fluff is one of a kind also. I was expecting more of a marshmallow flavor, but the opposite is actually true. Most of the flavor leans towards honey with its pure and rich sweetness.



On the other hand, the consistency of the fluff is much like marshmallow fluff. It is thick and sticky, but also has a light fluffiness to it. Much like the candied hazelnuts, the swirl was almost incorporated into every bite also.



I always enjoy an ice cream where expectations are high and the pint delivers. The dense base is packed full of classic chocolate richness, and the mixins only build upon the flavor. Crunchy candied hazelnuts are sugary sweet and toasty, while the swirl had a honey sweetness with the consistency of ooey-gooey marshmallow fluff. There's no other way to put it, this is Salt & Straw at its finest. A

[AdamWW]

Salt & Straw Oregon Honey Rocky Road

That honey fluff looks incredible. wow.

[ADD61]

As Tyler said, I had to email her. I was holding off until her Gingerbread flavor dropped for winter to order all of the fall pints with it.

Note for you as well: shipping is expensive AF!

I actually sent her an email back in September and she warned me of that. For some reason I never followed up until now. Hopefully she responds this week.

IF I pull the trigger then I probably can justify it being my only purchase until March S&S if the flavors are on point

[ugasar]

That honey fluff looks incredible. wow.

This is an understatement. EASILY one of Salt & Straw's best flavors!

I actually sent her an email back in September and she warned me of that. For some reason I never followed up until now. Hopefully she responds this week.

IF I pull the trigger then I probably can justify it being my only purchase until March S&S if the flavors are on point

Yeah I agree with you bud, very expensive! I will say I've dug into one pint and the base is beyond dense. I know you and your ice creams, you will definitely love her brand if you decided to purchase. Let me know what you decide!

[AdamWW]

This is an understatement. EASILY one of Salt & Straw's best flavors!

Was the fluff swirl consistent through the whole thing? it looks like there a lot of it.

[AdamWW]

I'm curious: what temperature do most of ya'll keep your freezer? I like my ice cream to be less tempered and it seems like even at -6F it's not super-firm.

[OT2000]

All Vice Cream and New Orleans ice cream was clearance at Harris Teeters. $2.50-3 per container. Picked up a couple of each, Beignets au lait and Chocolate City for NOLa and Higher Grounds and Bourbon Mash for VG. VG base was terrible last time, hopefully these are better.

[latverian41]

Fill blender with vanilla ice cream, pour in A can of Guinness, chocolate syrup, some nutmeg and blend

Pour and enjoy!

Nectur of the gods

[ADD61]

I'm curious: what temperature do most of ya'll keep your freezer? I like my ice cream to be less tempered and it seems like even at -6F it's not super-firm.

Do you have a separate freezer?

I couldn’t tell you what the temp in my chest freezer is but everything is frozen solid. Any shipped product I get usually doesn’t change from being solid on delivery to my freezer. For in store purchases I will dig towards the back of the display to get the solid pints.

[AdamWW]

Do you have a separate freezer?

I couldn’t tell you what the temp in my chest freezer is but everything is frozen solid. Any shipped product I get usually doesn’t change from being solid on delivery to my freezer. For in store purchases I will dig towards the back of the display to get the solid pints.

My freezer is simply on the top of the fridge... like this:




The ice cream isn't melted or anything but rather it seems to come out basically at a fully-tempered texture, rather than being slightly colder than that and allowing some leeway for eating/tempering which is what I'd prefer. I stuck an outdoor thermometer in there and it read it around -3 to -4...

[AdamWW]

Fill blender with vanilla ice cream, pour in A can of Guinness, chocolate syrup, some nutmeg and blend

Pour and enjoy!

Nectur of the gods

I would never dream of doing this with a top-shelf ice cream. Maybe some breyer's or something. but, i prefer to scoop it, not drink it.

[ugasar]

Was the fluff swirl consistent through the whole thing? it looks like there a lot of it.

Oh yeah! That and the hazelnuts were literally everywhere and almost in every bite. This is why S&S will always be king!

I'm curious: what temperature do most of ya'll keep your freezer? I like my ice cream to be less tempered and it seems like even at -6F it's not super-firm.

My freezer is set at 0 deg F and it works fine. Mine are always solid and I always let them temper before scooping. Depending on the density of the base, I will either let it temper in the refrigerator (if a lighter base) or straight on the counter top (if it's a premium or more dense base).

Hopefully Tyler comments on this. I know he stocks his pints for his 402 Creamery company at a much colder temperature than he does at his house just cause he likes his pints to be "softer" immediately upon pulling them from the freezer for scooping.

All Vice Cream and New Orleans ice cream was clearance at Harris Teeters. $2.50-3 per container. Picked up a couple of each, Beignets au lait and Chocolate City for NOLa and Higher Grounds and Bourbon Mash for VG. VG base was terrible last time, hopefully these are better.

I've been wanting to try NOLA ice cream for a while now, and I'm pretty sure my Earth Fare just started stocking some of their flavors. Please let me know your thoughts as I'm probably going to pick up a few pints soon!