No matter how cold it gets outside, I will always enjoy a pint of ice cream. It’s below freezing and snowing outside? Ice cream still sounds good to me. And in my opinion, there is no better ice cream than Talenti. Yes, technically it is gelato, but gelato is just ice cream with less cream and no egg yolks. While Talenti is on the more expensive side of frozen dessert options, I find a few spoonfuls of Talenti Gelato such a rich, dense, frozen treat to be more satisfying and filling than an entire bowl of ice cream.
Since this semester has started I have spent probably around $100 on the stuff. Recently it was on sale for $2.50 at Star Market, so the only logical thing for me to do was buy a dozen pints. I took it as an opportunity to try flavors I wouldn’t usually go for. There were some surprising favorites along with waste of money disappointments.
Surprisingly Good
Pumpkin Pie: I was taken aback after the first taste. I had my roommate try a spoonful to double-check it wasn’t just me that thought it tasted exactly like pumpkin pie, or at least the pie my family makes. After confirming with several other people, pumpkin pie does in fact taste exactly like an actual slice of pumpkin pie. If that is one of your favorite fall desserts and you also love ice cream, I suggest getting a pint while they are still in season.
Dairy-free peanut butter fudge: To preface this, I grew up in a mostly dairy-free household and dairy-free desserts were the norm, so my opinion is a little skewed. I am a peanut butter fiend and a sucker for some good fudge and this delivers on both. It is one of the best dairy-free desserts I’ve had in a bit. And while I am not dairy-free, I will be going back for another pint of this.
Sea Salt Caramel: The sea salt blends perfectly with the caramel creating a silky smooth rich flavor. I honestly don’t know what else to say except I will be buying it again very soon.
Disappointments
Hazelnut Chocolate Chip: If you really like hazelnut then this is for you because the flavor really hits you. However, that’s about it. I found it underwhelming and it’s the one I’ve eaten the least of and will probably be what stays in my freezer the longest.
Caramel Cookie Crunch: Not enough caramel. Not enough cookies. Not enough crunch. The name makes it sound amazing. Crunchy cookies mixed with caramel swirled into vanilla ice cream. But nothing redeeming was there. Not even the vanilla base was good.
Key Lime Pie: This one I hesitated putting on the list. The best part of it was the little bits that tasted like the soft and sweet crust that usually comes with key lime pie. When I got a spoonful of the perfect ratio of gelato to cookie it was pretty decent. Unfortunately, there weren’t enough cookie bits to be able to enjoy the whole pint. Once I finished all the cookie bits I found it hard to finish the rest. There’s currently a third pint of lime gelato sitting in my freezer.
Since I have a budget just for Talenti, I figured I would find the best places to buy it near campus. Below I’ve included several stores, their price, and their selection. While Star Market has the best selection, Wholefoods is surprisingly the cheapest place. Buy it at your own risk, it can get addicting.
Places to Buy in Boston
CVS:
Price: $6.79
Flavors: 6
Whole foods:
Price: $5.49 for normal and $6.49 organic and layers
Flavors: 10
Wollastons:
Price: $5.99
Flavors: 8
Symphony Market:
Price: $5.99 or $6.99
Flavors: 14
Star Market:
Price: $6.39 for normal and $7.49 for organic and layers
Flavors: 25+ flavors