The dreadful heat and humidity of DC in the summer brings lines to whichever ice cream shop you go to. Tonight I went to Sweet Licks and even had to wait in a long line there. I’ve never had to wait behind more than two people! One woman in front of me ordered a cone that looked particularly good: mocha fudge brownie. I also ordered one and was quite pleased. It had a subtle hint of mocha, not overpowering at all and the brownies were amazing. They were fudgey in the severely-undercooked-brownie sort of way. Unfortunately, like my previous experiences at Sweet Licks, the cone was stale. If you ask me, ending your ice cream with bites of stale cone is not the best way to keep your store’s lines long.

• Flavor: 4.5
• Flavor Intensity: 3
• Texture: 5
• Originality: 3.5
• Cone: 1.5
• Overall: 4
• Cost: $3.12

I’m in Minneapolis this weekend for my mom’s birthday. Tonight we went to a nice restaurant in Eden Prairie called Wildfire. After stuffing myself with too much “regular” food, it came time for dessert. Among the desserts we ordered were ice cream sandwiches. These weren’t ordinary ice cream sandwiches, but sandwiches made from Ghirardelli brownies, snickers, and vanilla ice cream. The ice cream was homemade from a catering place (Diana’s?) in Bloomington. Overall, it was an excellent dessert (and restaurant) that I would highly recommend if you ever are in Minneapolis.

• Flavor: 5
• Flavor Intensity: 4
• Texture: 4.5
• Originality: 4
• Overall: 4.5

This ice cream is awesome.  It’s everything you’d want in an ice cream: rich, creamy, dense, intense.  It doesn’t get much better than this.  But, it does.  It’s extremely easy to make.  There are only a few ingredients, it’s quick and it’s difficult to mess up.  This recipe comes from Hershey, though I actually used Ghirardelli.  I will make this ice cream again and again.

• Flavor: 5
• Flavor Intensity: 4.5
• Texture: 5
• Originality: 1.5
• Overall: 5
• Ease to make: 2

Picturing a skinny cow makes me feel a little ill. Honestly, can cows get skinny without being starved and tortured? I’m not sure. But, the cute logo seems to have kept my image of a skinny cow from consumers’ minds as this brand has really taken off. After trying this ice cream I understand why. It’s not terrible. It’s not the greatest or even close to the greatest tasting ice cream in the world, but for a good sized ice cream treat with only 140 calories, it’s pretty decent. The flavor of the ice cream is probably the best thing about it. I had chocolate. The outside of the sandwich wasn’t anything special. The texture of both the outside cookies and the sandwiched ice cream were a little grainy. Not a consistent grainy, but an uneven graininess. I would eat one again (and I will since I got a variety pack with both chocolate and vanilla), but I’d have to be pretty desperate to give up eating fat cow ice cream for these.

• Flavor: 3
• Flavor Intensity: 2
• Texture: 3
• Originality: 2
• Overall: 3.5
• Cost: $2.99 for a box of 6

German chocolate cake has always been a favorite of mine. Chocolate, coconut, pecan; what else do you need? Take those ingredients and put them in ice cream and it’s just as good (if not better) than the cake. This recipe from Spaghetti Ice Cream was not as easy to make as some other recipes since it requires melting chocolate and cooking the mixture. But, it was worth the extra effort. I liked the hint of cinnamon and the chunks of coconut and pecan. The ice cream came out of the ice cream maker smooth and creamy. After hardening in the freezer it was even smoother. The only thing I would do differently? Have some German chocolate cake to put the ice cream on top of.

• Flavor: 4.5
• Flavor Intensity: 4
• Texture: 4.5
• Originality: 4
• Overall: 4.5
• Ease to make: 4

“Chocolate ice cream with chocolate and vanilla ribbon” is how this flavor is described at Larry’s Ice Cream in Dupont Circle. But, “Decadence” was a little bit of a disappointment. Not because it wasn’t good, but because it wasn’t what I expected. There was a very little “ribbon” of vanilla something in the ice cream, but not much at all. I’m not sure if the ribbon was supposed to be vanilla fudge, but it had a fudge consistency to it. The chocolate ice cream was really good. If it had just been chocolate ice cream I think I would have enjoyed it more because I wouldn’t have expected something extravagant. But there wasn’t any “decadence” to this ice cream. It just tasted like good chocolate ice cream.

• Flavor: 4
• Flavor Intensity: 4
• Texture: 4
• Originality: 2
• Overall: 3.5
• Cost: $3.50

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

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

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

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

Can’t decide between a pint of Guinness and a pint cup of ice cream? Try a pint Ben and Jerry’s new Black and Tan. While the name is extremely offensive to the Irish, Black and Tan cream probably wouldn’t offend their tongues. (As a side note, Ben and Jerry’s did issue an apology and it’s not clear as to whether they will discontinue/rename the ice cream) You can read much more about the controversy in the comments here.

Tasting Black and Tan brought me straight back to my trip to Ireland two weeks ago. The stout tasted just like Guinness. Seriously, I don’t know how they did it. Maybe I was so impressed just because I was extremely skeptical, but the stout flavored ice cream tasted just like a stout beer. Now, I will say that this did not taste like any Black and Tan beverage (Guinness and Bass Ale) I’ve ever had. Quite frankly I think they should have just stuck to the stout. The “black” was chocolate ice cream and the two just didn’t seem to go together. So, while the flavor was good, it was not great. A better word to describe Black and Tan ice cream would have been interesting. Impressive would describe the “stout” part of it. It was about what you would have expected from B&J’s in terms of texture: smooth, but not the smoothest of their ice creams. In terms of flavor intensity, I wasn’t overpowering, but strong enough.

Back to deciding between Guinness and ice cream. I’ve always felt that since there are root beer floats, there should also be beer floats. Never have I thought of an ice cream flavor that would work well in a pint of beer though. I think I’ve found it. If you happen to really want both Guinness and ice cream I suggest creating your very own “beer float,” then let me know how it tastes…

• Flavor: 3.5
• Flavor Intensity: 3.5
• Texture: 4
• Originality: 5
• Overall: 3.5
• Cost: $3.99 at Whole Foods

Any disappointment I felt after our kickball team lost tonight vanished with one bite of Maggie Moo’s Chocolate Peanut Butter. I have never been to a Maggie Moo’s before, though I recently learned that they are a growing franchise and have a number of locations other than the one I went to in Adam’s Morgan. Like Cold Stone Creamery, MaggieMoo’s does “mix-ins,” one free mix-in per cone. Tonight I opted for just plain ice cream though and I’m glad I did. MaggieMoo’s Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream was some of the best I’ve had since I started eating an ice cream a day over two weeks ago. Unlike other brands’ chocolate peanut butter ice creams, MaggieMoo’s is completely smooth. The smoothest, creamiest ice cream I’ve had in the past two weeks. The flavor was an excellent mix of chocolate and peanut butter, neither overpowering the other. It was extremely rich and had a more intense flavor than I expected. The only disappointment was the cone. I don’t know what the deal is, but no one seems to be able to get their cones right. My sugar cone was definitely stale. It tasted really good in terms of flavor, but the crunchiness was almost like chewing on Styrofoam. (Ok, it wasn’t quite as bad as Styrofoam, but I’m growing bitter at companies’ inabilities to have fresh cones.) Maggie Moo’s also offers cake cones for the same price as a sugar cone, but I have always preferred sugar. Maybe next time I will give the cake cone a whirl, or better yet, just play it safe and stick to the ice cream.

• Flavor: 5
• Flavor Intensity: 4
• Texture: 5
• Originality: 3
• Cone: 1
• Overall: 4.5
• Cost: $4.95

I promise after today I will start eating more “real” ice cream. There have been too many ice cream bars and other non-ice cream ice creams for my liking. This site is about ranking real ice cream. Not ice cream bars or Wendy’s Frosties (is that the plural of “Frosty”? I don’t know). So, I will be traveling less and eating, making and rating ice cream more. Also, since several people have asked how I plan on not gaining weight during the next year, I am going to start exercising everyday and cutting most meat and processed food out of my diet.

But, back to the Wendy’s Frosty. On the drive home from the conference today we made a stop at Wendy’s. I haven’t been there in awhile and I’ve always been a big fan of the Frosty. So, I ordered one and wasn’t disappointed. The Frosty in at the Wendy’s somewhere on I-95 in VA tasted just as I had remembered. Frosties (or is it Frosty’s?) aren’t known for their smoothness. They are textured with small grains of ice evenly spread throughout their thick mass. But, they melt quickly into runny pools. I love the bites where some of the Frosty is completely melted and some is still frozen. The flavor is good, nothing spectacular; possibly just good because it is familiar. It isn’t an intense chocolate flavor, though it isn’t subtle either. Overall, just as Wendy’s new slogan says, it “tastes right.”

• Flavor: 4
• Flavor Intensity: 2
• Texture: 3.5
• Originality: 2.5
• Overall: 4
• Cost: $1.12

Today’s issue of USA Today (which is, of course, the only “newspaper” my hotel carries) features an article in the Money section about the rapid expansion of Cold Stone Creamery. According to the article “Cold Stone doesn’t just sell sundaes and sorbet, it sells sizzle.” I kept the article for future reference for the day when I would give Cold Stone a try. I didn’t expect that day to be today.

At the information desk in the Student Commons of VCU I asked the student working at the desk if there was an ice cream shop near by. The only place he could point to was a Cold Stone Creamery a few blocks away. At the store I picked out “Delicious Dirt”, which according to the marketers at Stone Cold, leaves me with only 11,499,999 flavor combinations left to try. Delicious Dirt is chocolate ice cream with Oreos mixed in. Unlike the USA Today article indicated there was no:

“raucous show of plunking, dunking and stuffing made-to-order ice cream creations and slamming them with gummies, M&Ms and Oreo bits. As they serve up the high-calorie concoctions, they juggle their ice cream spades, wiggle their hips and sing off-the-wall songs.”

Also, unlike the what the article said, there was no line out the door(despite it being a hot sunny day) nor did it take the employee ten minutes to scoop the ice cream. But, the article was right about one thing, the ice cream was good. It was very very chocolaty, fudgy even. I had to look to see if they had also mixed in a ribbon of fudge by mistake. The ice cream was thick and creamy, almost a malt consistency. The Oreos complimented the ice cream and were evenly distributed. They only disappointment was that the only cone they offered was a waffle cone, for an additional price. So, I stuck with Styrofoam.

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