Ben and Jerry's may be the best thing since sliced bread. Packed with a variety of mix-ins and rich, creamy bases, each pint has the power to make any day a good day. The curious, self titled "flavor gurus" are always coming up with original concoctions, the most recent being Urban Bourbon, Oat of this Swirled, and Truffle Kerfuffle. As self proclaimed ice cream enthusiasts, Spoon Vassar decided to perform a taste test and determine which of these new flavors reins supreme.
Urban Bourbon
Before even opening the pint, our Marketing Director declared "I'm so hype for this one". She captured the feeling of the entire chapter; Urban Bourbon sounds like one of those ornate flavors you find at the hipster eatery downtown. The color of the ice cream resembled caramel, giving us hope that it would live up to it's "Burnt Caramel Ice Cream with Almonds, Fudge Flakes & Bourbon Caramel Swirls" description.
You could definitely taste the burnt flavor in the ice cream, someone said that it reminded them of cracker jacks. One member commented that the almonds gave a nice nutty after taste. However, this is where the positive comments end. "It's a little plain", "It reminds me of salted caramel", "I'm a little confused eating it" floated around the room.
We decided that Urban Bourbon was semi-original, only a disguised version of more commonly found caramel flavors. After averaging everyone's ratings out of 10, Urban Bourbon came in last with a score of 6.6.
Truffle Kerfuffle
This pint definitely has one of the more interesting names Ben and Jerry has come up with. Described as "Vanilla Ice Cream with Roasted Pecans, Fudge Flakes & a Salted Chocolate Ganache Swirl", we were all itching to try it. The first comments were positive; "a perfect balance of salty and sweet", "Is not overwhelming amount of ganache", "texture is nice".
Then, things went downhill. Again. "Not very original", "I thought it would be more chocolatey", "It's reminds me of moose tracks" all were critically muttered. Again, the title of the pint masked the mostly unoriginal flavor combination. Granted, you do not get salted chocolate at any old ice cream shop.
After another round of rating, we decided that Truffle Kerfuffle came in second with a score of 7.15.
Oat of This Swirled
The final punny flavor we sampled is described as "Buttery Brown Sugar Ice Cream with Fudge Flakes & Oatmeal Cinnamon Cookie Swirls". There were some skeptics in the crowd, but members commented that it definitely sounded like an original flavor, unlike the other two.
As soon as everyone dived in, positive comments were abound. "It tastes like a homemade oatmeal cookie", " the fudge flakes are hearty and definitely add flavor", and "I can taste the brown sugar". I waited for the negative comments, but the only thing I heard was chocolate lovers may be disappointed. Overall, Oat of this Swirled was a great success.
After careful deliberation, it was decided that Oat of This Swirled, the underdog, came out on top with a score of 8.9.
Be sure to run to your nearby supermarket to grab these flavors (or any Ben and Jerry's pint) a try as soon as your next ice cream craving hits!