When it rains, it pours. (And I’m not talking about the weather in DC this week.) It’s pouring mini ice cream containers. I went to a café around the corner from my office this afternoon and found out that they carry mini Haagen Dazs. These are a little bigger than Ben and Jerry’s minis (4.23 ounces v. 3.6 ounces). But, they don’t have the really cool tops/spoons that Ben and Jerry’s has– just plain old wooden spoons. The flavors that mini Haagen Dazs comes in are chocolate, vanilla, and dulce de leche (aka caramel). I chose the Dulce de Leche; even though the shop also had a Haagen Dazs brownie sandwich that looked excellent. In hindsight, I should have had that. The dulce de leche was very good, but it wasn’t great. The flavor was subtle and the smoothness was excellent. I’m just not sure I would get it in the future. The flavor just didn’t stand out as something I’ll ever want again.

• Flavor: 3.5
• Flavor Intensity: 2.5
• Texture: 5
• Originality: 4
• Overall: 3.5
• Cost: $1.97

According to the website, Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie is one of the most popular flavors. I understand why. This ice cream is awesome. It is extremely fudgy in flavor and brownie-like in texture. The texture is rich and dense, yet still creamy. (It’s very hard to describe; but trust me, it’s good.) I had the mini sized container and like yesterday’s mini chocolate chip cookie dough, the pieces were tiny. I’m now convinced that these miniature sized brownie pieces are cut small on purpose—exclusively for the mini ice cream containers. Very cute. Also, did I mention that the miniature ice cream containers also have a secret compartment on top that holds a miniature spoon? And this isn’t a crappy flat wooden “spoon.” This miniature spoon actually has a spoon shape and can hold melted ice cream in it. I’m impressed.

• Flavor: 5
• Flavor Intensity: 5
• Texture: 4.5
• Originality: 4
• Overall: 5
• Cost: $1.00 at Safeway

Today I picked up 3.5 ounces of Ben and Jerry’s Cookie Dough ice cream. That’s less than a half a cup. The package is extremely cute and it even comes with a mini spoon. I don’t know why there aren’t more brands and flavors available in single serving sizes because really this is the greatest idea ever. If I were in charge of an ice cream company, I would sell “variety packs.” Just like you find with cereals, variety packs of ice cream would be easy to grab on the go and would have enough flavors to satisfy any craving. It would even solve family disputes when the kids are fighting over which ice cream to buy at the store. Finally, the ultimate American reason for ice cream variety packs: controlled portions. That’s right, market to the 85% of the American population who are on a diet. Wow, I didn’t even realize what a great idea it is; maybe I should try to sell it…

I was very pleased with my choice today. Not only was it the perfect size, but it tasted great too. The vanilla ice cream was vanilla bean-y and the cookie dough was really cookie dough-y. I’ve come to realize that Ben and Jerry’s ice cream isn’t the smoothest ice cream. It’s pretty smooth, just not as smooth as Haagen Dazs, for example. But, it more than makes up for that in flavor. If I had to complain about one thing in Ben and Jerry’s Cookie Dough ice cream, it would be the size of the cookie dough pieces. They are tiny. We are talking pea sized, maybe even smaller. This is good in that there is some cookie dough in almost every bite. But it’s bad because there is no excitement when you discover the chunks. In my mini sized serving, I didn’t find one giant chunk. Personally, I always love finding that big chunk.

• Flavor: 4.5
• Flavor Intensity: 4
• Texture: 4
• Originality: 3
• Overall: 4
• Cost: $1.00 at Safeway

Since Edy’s slow churned thing has created such excitement, it seems everyone wants a share.  After trying Breyers Double Churned Chocolate, I’m not so convinced that it’s anything special.  The only thing I can really say about the consistency is that it is softer.  This ice cream wasn’t as hard as I expected it to be.  It was softer and a little fluffier (not a lot, just a little fluffy).  The flavor was good.  A hot coco milk chocolate flavor.  I just wasn’t left feeling like Breyer’s double churned was anything different.

• Flavor: 4
• Flavor Intensity: 4.5
• Texture: 4
• Originality: 2
• Overall: 4
• Cost: $1.79 on special at Safeway

There’s nothing quite like ice cream to soothe a sore throat and tonsillitis. Who needs chicken noodle soup when you have Breyers Natural Vanilla? Continuing with the saga of super cheap Breyers ice cream on sale at Safeway, today I went for the “pure” stuff: just milk, sugar, cream, and vanilla bean. It is this simplicity that lends the “natural” to Breyers Natural Vanilla. (Breyer’s Natural Vanilla now contains additives.  See discussion below). The vanilla flavor isn’t extremely strong, it’s more of a plain flavor (like when you buy plain instead of vanilla yogurt). It was still quite good, but there is something about the texture that makes it different from other vanilla ice cream. I think it’s maybe that they use skim milk. Like the Breyers Cookies and Cream, it’s just tastes a little watery. But overall, it’s a light tasting, not too vanillay, vanilla ice cream that I really enjoy.

• Flavor: 4.5
• Flavor Intensity: 3.5
• Texture: 3.5
• Originality: 1
• Overall: 4
• Cost: $1.79 on sale at Safeway

I wouldn’t call it Rocky Road, I’d call it Chocolate and Almonds. But, who am I to decide what to name Breyers ice creams? This is day two of four in my taste tests of Breyers ice creams. It’s not that I was dying to try any of the Breyers flavors, but the Safeway down the street had its grand re-opening this weekend and half gallons of Breyers were $1.79; down from their usual price of $5.99. I would have purchased more than four, but there’s not enough room in my freezer for all of this ice cream…

The Breyers Rocky Road looked particularly “gourmet” and so I decided to give it a shot. It is chocolate ice cream with marshmallow twirls and chocolate covered almonds. The difference between a “twirl” and a “swirl” is unknown to me, but either one wouldn’t have replaced real marshmallows in my ice cream. The twirls of marshmallow had no distinctive flavor or consistency and I think the ice cream would have been better off without them. However, the chocolate covered almonds were amazing. The chocolate covering was on the sweet side and was about the thickness and texture of the chocolate that covers chocolate covered raisins. And, there were a lot of them. Truly, the chocolate covered almonds were good. While it was littered with these wonderful “accessories”, the chocolate ice cream still stood its ground. It was rich and flavorful and even creamy. Overall, though Breyers Rocky Road wasn’t really deserving of the “rocky road” title, it was still quite scrumptious.

• Flavor: 4.5
• Flavor Intensity: 4.5
• Texture: 4
• Originality: 3
• Overall: 4.5
• Cost: $1.79 on sale at Safeway

Very Mediocre. That’s the way I’d describe Breyers Cookies and Cream. The cookies don’t have a very strong, or tasty, cookie flavor. I mean what we are really going for when we say “cookies” is Oreo cookies, right? All cookies and cream ice cream uses cookies that try to taste like Oreos. But they never seem to measure up. That is especially the case with the cookies in Breyers Cookies and Cream. They are almost flavorless and very mushy. But there are a lot of them in there, and the ice cream itself is pretty good. My only complaint about the ice cream itself (as opposed to the stuff in the ice cream) comes from a general feeling about Breyers ice cream: it’s kind of watery. I’m not sure what it is, but Breyers has always tasted a little less than creamy. It’s more like drinking skim milk when you’re used to 2% or maybe even whole. When it comes to ice cream, I usually prefer the 2%.

• Flavor: 3
• Flavor Intensity: 2.5
• Texture: 3.5
• Originality: 2
• Overall: 3
• Cost: $1.79 on sale at Safeway

This was good ice cream. Tasted just like chai tea. I haven’t had chai tea in awhile, a least 6 months or so, but I think it tastes like this. Kinda like pumpkin pie without the pumpkin. Anyway, excellent flavor. Sweet and spicy. And the texture was smooth, but not in the thick heavy way. It was actually almost fluffy. When I was in Ireland I had “whipped ice cream” outside the Kilkenney Castle. That’s what the chai tea ice cream and Sweet Licks on R Street tastes like—whipped.

• Flavor: 5
• Flavor Intensity: 5
• Texture: 4.5
• Originality: 4
• Overall: 4.5
• Cost: $3.12

My brother is in town visiting and so we all went out for a nice dinner at one of my favorite Italian Restaurants in DC- Galileo.  We ate in the “Osteria,” which is cheaper and in the bar area.  After some great sea bass, I ordered the only ice cream listed on the menu: Caramelized Banana.  I’m not a big fan of banana flavored things, but I thought I’d give it a try.  The ice cream (and it was called ice cream, not gelato) came out in a large cone shaped dish that looked like a waffle cone.  I honestly thought it was a waffle cone for a minute, but it was just colored glass.  The ice cream was also presented with a spoon shaped cookie/pastry in it.  I used the “spoon” to taste a little of the ice cream and I said, “Oh, the spoon is made of coconut.”  Then I tried the ice cream with normal silverware and realized that it was the ice cream itself that was coconut, not banana flavored as it said on the menu.  The coconut ice cream was exactly what I’d expect from nice restaurant.  It had really good and intense coconuty flavor, with small bits of coconut in every bite.  But, the texture was just a little icy.  I’m not complaining, because the flavor was excellent; but restaurants never seem to produce really smooth ice cream.  Interestingly enough, we also ordered profiteroles, which our Italian waiter described in broken English as being puff pastries with cream inside.  When he served them he jokingly told us that he hoped we didn’t like them so he could eat the leftovers.  Well, he didn’t get any leftovers.  The profiteroles turned out to be two puff pastries with ice cream sandwiched in between them—kind of like mini ice cream sandwiches.  Only better.  They too were made with the coconut ice cream and were even better than the ice cream by itself.  We never quite figured out why the Profiteroles were made with ice cream and not cream (like a cream puff), but I think they were better that way.

• Flavor: 5
• Flavor Intensity: 5
• Texture: 4
• Originality: 3
• Overall: 4.5
• Cost: $5.00

Need more proof that Ben and Jerry’s caters to the young adult population? Ben and Jerry’s Dave Mathews Band “Magic Brownies.” This ice cream flavor name employs a popular band, a good cause, and of course, the mood altering dessert to gain attention. The ice cream is good and the cause is even better. Who needs a better excuse to eat ice cream than knowing that you’re doing it for a good cause? A portion of the sales of this ice cream goes to help fight global warming, that is- “lick global warming.” You can read all the details here.

The ice cream itself is pretty decent. It actually reminds me of a flavor Ben and Jerry’s used to carry, I think it was Black Raspberry Frozen Yogurt. I used to get it every so often, but I haven’t seen it in awhile. There’s not much plain vanilla ice cream in Magic Brownies. The raspberry swirls are fairly well integrated with the vanilla for an overall intense raspberry flavor. The brownies were good, as Ben and Jerry’s brownies usually are. But, I thought that the flavor could have been better. Maybe the brownies were too much, or maybe brownies and raspberry just don’t mix. In any event, I enjoyed Ben and Jerry’s Dave Mathews Band “Magic Brownies” and would get it again. Especially knowing that I was eating ice cream to save the environment.

• Flavor: 3.5
• Flavor Intensity: 4.5
• Texture: 4
• Originality: 4.5
• Overall: 4
• Cost: $3.00 on sale at Safeway

I’ll be honest here. When something is called “Very Chocolate Cherry” I expect it to be “very chocolate” with some cherry; not very cherry with a little chocolate. But that’s what this is: very very cherry. If you like cherry flavored things, than this is for you. If you don’t stay away. Personally, I love Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia. It was the first ice cream I ate when I came home from Ireland. Why? Because it’s practically one of my comfort foods. However, I don’t like all cherry flavored things, say Cherry Runts. Not a fan. Regardless, I could have gone either way with the cherry part of Breyer’s Very Chocolate Cherry. Well, turns out I didn’t like this cherry. I don’t know what it was about it, maybe it tasted too much like real cherries to me. It was intense. It was also smooth and the chocolate chunks weren’t too bad. But, I didn’t like it. It might be good in an ice cream sundae or maybe in a malt, but not on it’s own.

• Flavor: 2
• Flavor Intensity: 5
• Texture: 4
• Originality: 3
• Overall: 2.5
• Cost: $5.99 at Safeway

I’m not sure why this flavor jumped out at me when I was browsing the freezer section at Safeway tonight. I actually had Breyer’s ice cream in my freezer that I was planning on eating, but we had to make an emergency run to the store since the dog was out of food and her “prescription dog food” for kidney disease doesn’t get in until Thursday. So, as I usually do when I’m at a grocery store these days, I went to the ice cream section to see if anything was on sale. Haagen Dazs wasn’t on sale, but the mint chip looked too good. And it was. I’m usually not a big fan of mint chip. When I was little both my mom and brother would usually order mint chip when we went for ice cream, while my dad and I would get some sort of chocolate. However, I’m glad I picked out mint chip tonight. It was some of the most refreshing ice cream I’ve ever had. It was almost like the middle of a York Peppermint Pattie. It was extremely cool. And it was smooth. And the chocolate chunks were high quality chocolate. And it wasn’t flavored with gross green coloring. All in all in was a perfect choice. My only complaint: because it’s not heavy tasting, I ate a lot more than I should have…

• Flavor: 5
• Flavor Intensity: 4.5
• Texture: 5
• Originality: 2
• Overall: 5
• Cost: $3.99 at Safeway

Apparently it doesn’t take much to persuade me to go out for some ice cream. Despite the fact that I had been there only two days ago, when Kim suggested we go to Larry’s Homemade Ice Cream I didn’t even hesitate. As I said in my previous post about Larry’s, they serve a flavor called “Libido.” This time I couldn’t pass it up. Bailey’s Irish Cream and pistachios are the two flavors that make up “libido,” possibly the creamiest, smoothest ice cream I’ve ever had. Besides the name, the reply you might get from the scooper makes the ice cream even more fun: “I’ve been giving out my libido all day long.” While all the jokes one could make about “Libido” make getting a scoop well worth it, I’m not sure I was totally sold on the flavor. Maybe the flavor wasn’t strong enough or maybe Libido just wasn’t what I was in the mood for tonight; I’m not too sure. However, as I said before, the texture was truly amazing. If I’m ever sick with a sore throat, get my tonsils out, or just plain want the smoothest ice cream out there, I would definitely get Libido again.

• Flavor: 3.5
• Flavor Intensity: 3
• Texture: 5
• Originality: 5
• Cone: 4.5
• Overall: 4
• Cost: $3.50

Tonight I decided to try something different, frozen yogurt. To put it lightly: it was a terrible idea. I’ve had Ben and Jerry’s frozen yogurts in the past, at least a half dozen times. So, I expected to enjoy Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked frozen yogurt at least a little bit. But, I didn’t. First, it was extremely icy. While ice build-up sometimes occurs from improper freezing by the store, I don’t think I’ve ever had ice cream (or frozen yogurt) this icy. Moreover, there just weren’t enough chunks of cookie dough or brownie. I dug around in the container, but I ended up with only eight or nine chunks and a pint of ice cream that looked like a plowed up field. However, the cookie dough and brownie chunks that I did find were very tasty; possibly the only redeeming things about it. Oh, and I like the colors of the container too.

• Flavor: 3
• Flavor Intensity: 2.5
• Texture: 1
• Originality: 3.5
• Overall: 1.5
• Cost: $3.00 (at Safeway)

So, today I ate my 21^st “scoop” of ice cream.  Granted it’s probably been more than a scoop a day, so maybe I should say today I tried my 21^st flavor of ice cream today.  I wonder if there’s a world record for longest number of consecutive days eating ice cream.  I’ll have to look it up.  I’m guessing it’s much longer than a year.  But the question is, did they try a different kind everyday?
Anyway, tonight I went to Larry’s Ice Cream on Connecticut Ave just north of Dupont Circle.  I’ve only been there once and was excited to go back.  “Key West Chocolate Decadence” was the flavor I chose.  They also had other interesting named flavors including “Libido” (which happens to be Bailey’s and pistachios.  I may have to try that next time.)  When I saw the name of the flavor I thought that it might be chocolate key lime; it turned out to be orange and chocolate.  I haven’t had anything orange and chocolate flavored in a long time.  I used to love the Toblerone orange balls I would get at Christmas.  They were the kind that you had to smash on something to get the pieces to break apart.  I’m not sure what I liked more, the smashing or the chocolate itself.  I also used to eat those chocolate covered sticks.  (I have no idea what they’re called, but they come in lime and lemon and orange and something red/pink.)   So, I have always been a fan of chocolate and orange flavored things.  “Key West Chocolate Decadence” only solidified that fondness.  It was very smooth and creamy, except for the chunks of chocolate.  In all honesty, I didn’t care much for the chocolate chunks.  They gave it an texture that was more “fun,” but I guess I’d rather have plain, boring, smooth ice cream.  Regardless, the ice cream itself was incredibly smooth.  It wasn’t too intensely flavored.  The orange was more than subtle, but it wasn’t overpowering.  Now, to what made the ice cream so incredible: THE CONE.  That’s right, it was by far the best cone I’ve had in three weeks.  It had good flavor and was CRUNCHY.  (My only complaint—the very top was ever so slightly burned tasting.)  For awhile I was starting to doubt that they even made crunchy sugar cones anymore.  I’ve had so many that were stale that I was beginning to think the cone making people were only delivering them to ice cream shops after letting them sit in a warehouse for a year.  When you have a good cone, it makes eating the ice cream that much more enjoyable.  I love the last bite of the cone, with a little bit of partially melted ice cream sitting perfectly in the bottom, and you can just shove the whole thing into your mouth.  Mmmm.

• Flavor: 4.5
• Flavor Intensity: 3.5
• Texture: 4
• Originality: 4
• Cone: 4.5
• Overall- 4.5
• Cost: $3.50