Ben & Jerry's Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream

 
It's a dreary Saturday, but it's alright, Stephen Colbert is coming to the rescue. Ok, i don't know exactly how much input he had into the design of the ice cream ...but it's really good! The base is a nice vanilla, but you're going to be too distracted to notice it with the wonderful caramel swirl going through the entire pint. Mixed with that is a very generous helping of fudge covered waffle cone pieces. These are great little crunchy chunks coated with fudge. Really hits the spot. With the cinnamon bun flavor, I really just wanted to go slow and enjoy every cinnamon bun dough chunk. With this flavor, I just want to down the whole thing in one sitting. You know, maybe it's the cone chunks, they trigger that part of your brain that tells you you're almost at the end of your ice cream, so you need to enjoy (and finish) every bite.

So, AmeriCone Dream is really good and kind of reminds me of Nestle Drumsticks, those tasty individually wrapped ice cream cones you find in the freezer section. You know the ones, terribly good ...and terribly unhealthy (well, not that B&J isn't high in fat either)

Ok, as an added bonus, click this link to see Stephen debut the ice cream on his show.

Nutrition: 280 / 130-10 / 0 / 4

Ben & Jerry's ONE Cheesecake Brownie

 
You know how a cheesecake can sometimes attract non-cheesecake lovers? we once had a peanut butter cup cheesecake that was out of this world. Well, this new flavor from Ben & Jerry's isn't breaking any boundaries and I only recommend it for cheesecake lovers. It's kinda weird but the cheesecake flavor doesnt hit you on every bite, just now and then. However, take a break, and the only taste you are left with is cheesecake. I guess the problem is that upon seeing the container, you expect to open it up and find cheesecake ice cream swirled with chocolate and brownie bites. Instead, there is no swirl and you just get an occasional chocolate covered cheesecake bite. At the very least, I expected a much stronger brownie taste, but it's almost non existant. I'm really disappointed, I guess I set my expectations way too high on this one.

On the positive side, this flavor is trying to help bring attention to the ONE movement which is trying to end poverty.

Nutrition: 250/130/0/4

Freezer Burn = Sadness

Freezer Burn....oh, how I scorn thee! Such wonderful tastes crushed by your insidious spread over the half gallon in front of me. Why must ye taunt thou? The spoon goes in with such grand expectations, but comes out so hebetudinous ....ok, that word was just uncalled for, I cheated and used a online thesaurus for that one.

So much for my review of Breyer's Cookie Dough ice cream. Usually a delightful treat...but last night, it was nothing but disappointment.

Topping of the Week: Dark Chocolate Syrup

So, I've been on a dark chocolate kick for awhile. Never really liked the stuff as a kid, but now I can't get enough of good dark chocolate. Dark chocolate M&Ms are good, though dark chocolate peanut M&Ms just don't taste right. Quality dark chocolate bites are also good, that includes the little Hershey special dark mini bars. So, I decided to try Hershey's Dark Chocolate Syrup. It's a fine syrup, but in general, I think regular chocolate syrup is the way to go. I've added it to several flavors and it just doesn't hit the pallet quite right. The one exception is when I added it to Breyer's Double Churn Peanut Butter Fudge. If you add just the right amount, the whole thing tastes like a giant Reese's Pieces Peanut Butter Cup, it was fantastic. Hmmm, I'll have to try Breyer's Peanut Butter Cup ice cream again and do a comparison.

Thinking of a new flavor: Cherry Pie

As I was typing the Cherry Garcia review, I started thinking about a nice slice of cold Cherry Pie (I like my ice cream frozen and my pie cold). Basically, while I don't like Cherries, I do love Sugars & Cherry. I grew up on a Cherry Pie with a nice thick sugary crumb topping, mmmm, good stuff any time of day (yeah, that includes breakfast).

So, for your mental taste buds, I would like to suggest Cherry Pie ice cream with chunks of sugar crumb topping. Now I don't have a lab to work out the exact ratios, but I think it could work. I did a quick search and back in 2004, Good Humor released a Cherry Pie Ice Cream Bar, but there is no mention of it on their site anymore.....ok, browsing Coldstone Creamery website, they do have a cherry pie filling mix in. Hmm, no sugar crumb topping, but they have graham cracker. Not sure which ice cream to mix in, whether it would be sweet creme, french vanilla, or maybe on a rogue choice cheesecake, but I don't know. Hmmm, sounds like I need to go on a field trip.

Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia

 
Oh Cherry Garcia, what to do with you ...I just can't write you an outstanding review, because I just don't really like cherries that much. Don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker for Cherry Coke and I could probably polish off a nice cold Cherry Pie with a sugar crumb topping, but I never eat plain cherries. Don't bother putting a cherry on my sundae because I'm not going to eat it.

With that in mind, Cherry Garcia is as well made as the rest of the Ben & Jerry flavors. The cherry ice cream is very mild and well made, the cherries are fresh, and the fudge flakes are top notch. So, while I actually bought this for my wife (one of her favorites, if not her very favorite), I wouldn't buy this for myself.

Nutrition: 240/120/1/4

Treat of the Week: Hoodsie Cups

Let's be honest, Hood is not know for top notch ice cream. Now if for some strange reason that you've never seen a Hoodsie Cup, it's a 3 ounce paper cup for ice cream, half vanilla, half chocolate. It's a low grade ice cream, but at a party on a warm/hot summer day, they always hit the spot. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough for the parents at the particular party we were at, but when offered, I never turn down a Hoodsie Cup.

Nutrition: 100/50/0/2

My New Hero: John Harrison

There is a new section on Edy's website. It involves John Harrison, Edy's Ice Cream tester for the last 40 years. Not only does he have the best job on the planet, the man invented cookies & creme ice cream!!! Check him out at their website. He's a fourth generation Ice Cream man and answers all kinds of questions. Seems like a nice guy who appreciates the great job he has. Rock on John!

side note: Blue Bell Ice Cream of Texas also claims to have invented cookies 'n creme back in 1978. At the very least, the Edy's version was probably the first with nationwide availability.

On Second Scoop: If you prefer Turkey Hill, you can also contact Ernie Pinckney from Turkey Hill. He's been there a long time and really knows his stuff.

What the frak? 1.5 Quarts!!

I've been on the planet long enough to know that a dollar doesn't but you what it use to. You could buy a loaf of bread, 4 candybars, 2 ice cream sandwiches ...all kinds of things. Think a $1.50 bought you a half gallon of low end Hood ice cream.

Well, it was kind of late when I went to Walmart last night, so at first I thought my eyes were deceiving me. I looked closer. Man, that container of Edy's sure looks short. Oh Man! it is! it's a mere 1.5 quarts! Over $4 for 1.5 quarts, that's just wrong! I went back to the left and started examining Breyer's. Oh no. Some of them are still 1.75 Quarts, but the specialty ones are now down to 1.5 quarts (though both were $2.98).

we may make more and more money, but it always seems to buy us less and less...

Ben & Jerry's Cinnamon Buns Ice Cream Review

Caramel Ice Cream with Cinnamon Bun Dough & a Cinnamon Streusel Swirl

Let me start off by saying I am a huge fan of Cinnamon. Cinnamon cereals and treats for breakfast, cinnamon applesauce, and "grandpa's oven" cinnamon swirl bread from super Walmart, mmmm, good stuff ...but cinnamon in ice cream? It seems like everyone is releasing various incarnations of cinnamonny goodness in their ice cream right now.

Now keep in mind that it's been a long time since I bought Ben and Jerry's, and I even waited until I was at Walmart so that it would only set me back $3 for a pint. Also keep in mind, had I looked at the nutrition label, I probably wouldn't have bought this. At 290 calories for a half cup, 140 calories from fat, this stuff isn't even remotely healthy ....but man is it tasty!! yes, pick up your spoons and dig into this pint of cinnamonny goodness.

The base is a an excellent caramel ice cream. I was afraid it might be too sweet, but it's super mild and oh so creamy. There's a nice cinnamon streusel swirl blended in just right. And then, the best part, wonderful chunks of fresh cinnamon bun dough. My only concern is that when dabbling in this area of flavorings, the taste may get a little old after awhile, but I'll let you know after I have some more tonight.

On Second Scoop: Wow, this ice cream really is good. I was still kind of full from dinner, but I snuck a few bites and oh they were tasty. I just can't get over the Cinnamon bun dough chunks, absolutely fantastic!

Cinnamon Buns is Caramel Ice Cream with Cinnamon Bun Dough and a Cinnamon Streussel Swirl.

Second Opinion over at Crazy Food Dude

Nutrition Info: 290 cals, 140 of them from fat. 15g of fat, 9 of them saturated. 1% fiber, 4 g of protein.

Topping of the Week: Strawberry Syrup

Ok, we didn't buy this stuff for me, we bought it for my little daughter who briefly thought she wanted strawberry flavored milk :) Anyway, it's been sitting in the fridge for awhile, seems a shame to waste it ...at least, all of it ...time to get creative. Well I have a bit of the Double Churn Cookies & Creme left, mix in some Strawberry ...and hey, Strawberry Cookies & Creme ...and it ain't that half bad. Shame, the cookies & creme is light on the cookies. Granted, it does have that added strawberry flavor rather than a true flavor (like Breyer's or Turkey Hill's all natural), but still, it's respectable. Hmmmm, have to keep this flavor on the list for my future ice cream company.

Treat of the Week: Skinny Cow Mini Fudge Bars

Ok, technically they aren't ice cream, but all the ingredients are pretty much the same, so it's all good in my book. My wife's sister introduced us to her stash of these in her extra freezer and we've been fans ever since. Now at 50 calories, I wouldn't call them filling, but sometimes that's all you need. Plus, a serving is actually two of them, so there's no guilt running back to the freezer to get your chocolaty fix. Give 'em a try!

Nutrition: 100/20/1/3

Turkey Hill All Natural Neapolitan

You know, when I was a real little kid, I remember being able to only pick ice cream from 3 choices: chocolate, vanilla, and neapolitan. Back in those days, if you wanted cookies or chips or anything else in your ice cream, you had to add it yourself. Now Neapolitan doesn't visit my freezer to often anymore, but when it does, you can be sure it will be the Turkey Hill version.
Originally released as Philadelphia Style Neapolitan, it is now known as All Natural Neapolitan with Philadelphia Style on a smaller second line. It's hard to beat all natural (that's why I like Breyer's so much), but in my humble opinion I believe Turkey Hill's version is better than Breyer's. So rich, so creamy, and all the flavors are spot on. This really is the best Neapolitan around.

So now that you have a bowl of this tasty Neapolitan, how do you eat it? One flavor at a time? take scoops from 2 or 3 flavors at a time? or, do what I do. Dig into it for a bit, making sure to eat all the vanilla, leaving some chocolate and a bit of strawberry (it's been awhile since I've tried it, but let's say a 3:1 ratio). Now, mix it together and make yourself a nice chocolate cream with a strawberry tang. Mmmmm, good stuff.

Nutrition: 140 / 60 / 0 / 3

Edy's Grand Ice Cream Sandwich

"All the taste of an ice cream sandwich...and no sticky fingers!" -Edy's(Dreyer's)

To be honest, I can't really argue with Edy's self diagnosis, this ice cream really does taste just like an ice cream sandwich. Who doesn't remember ice cream sandwiches being a staple of your childhood diet, long before we had frozen snickers and a never ending supply of Dove Bars and Häagen-Dazs. Oh, so many times I remember having just a few coins in my pocket and being hungry, but knowing I could always afford an ice cream sandwich. If you've never had it, give it a try and take a stroll down memory lane. Great idea Edy's!

Nutrition was 150/60/0/3

Sept 2008 Update: This is now known as the Nestle Vanilla Sandwich Fun Flavor. That mean's it's gone from grand ice cream to a frozen dairy dessert. Nutrition now clocks in at 130/35/0/2. I like the line "This is a New and Exciting Fun Flavor". Sure, take out the ice cream, slap on a new label, and you have a fun new product ....funny how that works. Can you tell I'm a little miffed they messed with one of my favorite Edy's flavors?

Treat of the Week: Carvel Ice Cream Cake

Oh, perfection...why must you be so unhealthy? You usually find this tasty treat at birthday parties, and who can argue. You don't have to bake and you don't have to risk getting a store bought cake that just doesn't cut it. A layer of chocolate and a layer of vanilla separated by a layer of chocolate crunchies. No, it may not be the best chocolate or the nicest vanilla, but they are both respectable and come together great in this treat. Oh so tasty, but remember, try not to eat too much (that, or don't read the nutrition label)

Breyer's Black Raspberry Chocolate An Ice Cream Review

Besides Cookies & Cream in the fridge, we also have Breyer's Black Raspberry Chocolate ice cream. While my wife may endorse this flavor, I'm afraid I can not. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a nice Black Raspberry (Friendly's makes a fine one), I just don't enjoy Breyer's take on it. It's a very mild Black Raspberry, but it's swirled with this hideous raspberry syrup and small chips of chocolate. To me, the syrup doesn't even smell good, let alone taste good. Maybe it's the beet juice, but I assume that's for coloring, not for flavoring (or odor). So back in the freezer it goes, spoons down on this one!

Nutrition: 150 / 60-4.5 / 0 / 2

Ice Cream = Happiness

Ask yourself: When's the last time you saw a sad person eating ice cream? Can't think of one can you, unless it's some sappy scene in some random movie. Ice cream makes you happy, nothing wrong with that. You might say "I can't eat ice cream, too many calories" Who said you have to eat the whole container? Read the side of the box, a serving is a half a cup. Doesn't sound like much? Stuff a half cup full of ice cream and eat slowly with a small spoon. Still tasted good, didn't it?

We live in a stressful time of information overload and two income families. My question is, why are you waiting in line at McDonald's to choke down some unhealthy fast food. Just Relax. Roll down the windows and take yourself to the nearest ice cream shop (Friendly's, DQ, local place, it doesn't matter). Now order yourself something nice. It doesn't have to be huge ...get a small, get a medium, get a large, just get something. Now, take your treat and find a nice spot to sit. Slow down, enjoy the breeze, and take a break from your crazy day.

Now, don't you feel better? Remember, Ice Cream = Happiness.

Breyer's Double Churn Cookies & Cream A Light Ice Cream Review

There's nothing like taking the wrapper off a fresh container of ice cream (I'd say half gallon, but no one wants to make those anymore). Anyway, last night I opened a fresh container of Breyer's Double Churn Cookies & Cream. You have to be careful with Breyer's because there are several variations: I had the regular old double churn which uses some skim milk to cut the fat in half but still leave you with a respectable taste (I believe they also call this the Light version). There is also the fat free version which uses no regular milk, just skim (comes in the Chocolate Cookies & Cream flavor and Chocolate Fudge Brownie). The third double churn style is No Sugar Added, which comes made with my arch enemy, the evil SPLENDA. I'm sorry, but I don't buy things with Splenda, end of story.

So, do I endorse double churn? ofcourse! while not as great as Breyer's All Natural varieties, it is very close, and the difference is easy to accept when you remember that it's only half the fat. The flavor is still good (not great), and the cookie pieces where nice and crisp. And while there are some artificial ingredients, there is no nasty aftertaste. [Edy's has some decent slow-churned varieties as well, but that review will have to wait til another purchase]

on second scoop: hmmm, the cookies to ice cream ratio has not remained consistant ...ok, it's actually kind of embarrassing. I think I had better luck on the last container, but keep it in mind.

Nutrition: 120 / 35-2 / 0 / 2

Rocky Road Rocks

Ahhhh, my old friend Rocky Road, we've had so many good times together. After moving to New England, I remember many a warm summer day of heading to Friendly's with my mom. My choice? a double scoop of the mighty Rocky Road. A nice chocolate blended with peanuts and a quality marshmellow. Ratios are important ofcourse. Mmmmmm, always good stuff.

Well it's not exactly the same as buying a fresh scoop, but Breyer's makes a nice all natural Rocky Road (I've always said Breyer's makes the best chocolate of the main stream brands). What I refuse to buy ever again is Edy's (Dreyer's) brand of Rocky Road, what an embarrasment that is. It's an OK chocolate with low grade peanuts and these tiny plastic-like mini marshmellows. A disgrace to the Rocky Road name.

UPDATE: HAHAHAHAHAHA. I just learned that John Edy invented Rocky Road! Not only that, but Edy's manufacturer's the most popular rocky road there is. Wow, maybe I need to try it again ...nah, I'm good.

Nutrition: 150/70/1/2

Best Milkshake Ever

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for milkshakes ...real milkshakes, you know, milk + ice cream = real milkshake. My favorite milkshake flavor is a Cookies N' Creme milkshake (long along they were also called black and white milkshakes). You can try an excellent one at Cold Stone Creamery, but the best one ever was done at the SCi-Fi Dine-In Theater Restuarant at Disney Hollywood Studios in Florida. I couldn't resist ordering one when I saw it on the menu (intrigued, my wife got one as well). The very nice waitress went out and came back with the coolest looking milkshakes ever, oh I wish I had taken a picture. It the middle was a layer of white shake, and in the middle of that was a layer of crushed cookies. Oh, it was so good. My wife and I both agreed this to be the most perfect milkshake ever. If you're ever in the area, give it a shot! (Since the milkshakes counted as our meal plan beverage, we also picked out desserts, both of which were excellent)

Turkey Hill Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup

For a long time, my favorite flavor was Turkey Hill's Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream.
It's a nice chocolate between layers of peanut butter. and I don't mean little wussy layers, I mean real LAYERS, the kind where if you put your spoon under some of them, a huge chunk of peanut butter covered in chocolate comes out. Great peanut butter to chocolate ratio as well. It's been awhile, but I remember the peanut butter also having a nice texture, slightly salty, to give it a nice overall balance with the chocolate. If you've never had it, give it a try.

Nutrition: 180 / 90 / 1 / 3

Worst Flavor Ever

To me, it's wrong on so many levels to waste ice cream, never does it go in the trash.....except once. Yes, I committed the gravest of ice cream sins, I tossed the Ice Cream away and tried to wash away the experience as quickly as possible.
The culprit: Turkey Hill's Party Cake Ice Cream. One mine as well shove their face in a bucket of cheap cake frosting. This flavor was not only disappointing, but it was insulting. Who at Turkey Hill thought this could possibly taste good to all but a small portion of the population? Don't get me wrong, I believe that in general that Turkey Hill ice cream is up there with the rest of the mainstream ice creams (Breyer's, Dryer's/Edy's, etc), but man this was disgusting. I couldn't finish my bowl, let alone the container ...oh so sickenly sweet.

side note: I had an in depth discussion with Turkey Hill when this flavor came out (back in 2000 I believe). In return, I got some coupons and added to their calendar mailing list which I'm still on all these years later.

Nutrition: 160 / 80 / 0 / 2

Companies

Here at the Scoop, I try to focus as much as possible on the national brands. If you ask me, here is how I currently see the world of Ice Cream, at least from my perspective here in New England.


Top Tier Brands
Ben & Jerry's: I'm going to have to give the top spot to B&J. They make top notch ice cream in all kinds of wonderful flavors, plus they're tree huggers, so it's all good! (I tend to be a little hard on Ben & Jerry but it's only because I expect perfection in every pint)
Favorite flavor: Milk & Cookies
Owned by: Unilever

Haagen-Dazs: B&J's very worthy competitor. H-D flavors tend to be a bit more "classic"...sorry, best word I can think of, but these guys are neck in neck in my mind.
Favorite flavor: Rocky Road (or Caramel Cone)
Owned by: Nestle


Middle of the Road Brands
Breyers: I was raised on Breyers, so I may be a little biased on putting them on top, but hey, they make great products, many of them all natural.
Favorite flavor: hmmm, tough call
Owned by: Unilever

Turkey Hill: Turkey Hill continues their expansion westward as the #4 producer of ice cream. They make a lot of great quality flavors.
Favorite flavor: Gertrude Hawke's Box of Chocolates
Owned by: Kroger

Friendly's: Friendly's may serve terrible food, but they make good ice cream (and even better sundaes). I don't cover it a ton because of limited distribution (I'd be curious as to how many states they deliver too since I'm not sure they've made it off the east coast)
Owned by: Friendlys

Blue Bunny: Around here, Blue Bunny can only be found at Walmart, but I think things are different in other parts of the country. I don't eat their ice cream much, but I am a fan on their every growing line of novelties.
Favorite Flavor: Bunny Tracks
Owned by: Wells' Dairy Inc.

Kemps is a rather recent addition to the ice cream scene here in New England. I first spied it at Walmart but it has been slowly spreading to other stores (like Market Basket). According to them: "[Kemps is] the leading marketer of frozen desserts, milk and other dairy products in the Upper Midwest". I don't care for their tart frozen yogurts, but I've had some success with their sweet yogurts.
Favorite Flavor: Denali Froyo
Owned by: HP Hood LLC (since 2004)

Dreyer's (Edy's): Man, the #1 ice cream producer probably won't be amused that I put them on the bottom of my list. I'm not sure what happened to these guys, but the quest for unimpressive frozen dairy desserts has been a very chewy adventure. They are also responsible for making Healthy Choice ice cream.
Favorite Flavor: Caramel Cone Crunch
Owned by: Nestle


Entry level brands:
Stone Ridge Creamery: Owned by the conglomerate that runs a bunch of grocery stores. It's not super fantastic, but it's quite good, especially when considering the price point. (Stone Ridge is made at the same facilities as Kemps, but Kemps is not SR). Whatever store chain supervalu owns near you, that is where you will Stone Ridge products.
Favorite Flavor: Phillip's Truffle Shuffle
Owned by: Supervalu

Hood: Among it's collection of dairy products, Hood makes cheap ice cream...which is good if you're in college and can't afford anything better. They have operations throughout the country, own several other brands like Kemps, and have over 2 billion in sales annually. I don't cover them much because no one ever comes looking for them.
Owned by: HP Hood LLC

Flavor King: Found this at a Price Rite -- do not eat this stuff.

Low Fat Brands:
Skinny Cow
Owned by: Nestle

Weight Watchers
Made by Wells' Dairy Inc. since 2004

Healthy Choice
Owned by: ConAgra (but made by Edy's)


Local Brands:
Brighams: It's only served in New England. They were sold to Hood in the summer of 2008 and the plan then was to keep the status quo. They make good ice cream, but I don't cover it much since their market isn't that big (not that we don't love our ice cream in New England).
Owned by: HP Hood LLC


Non-Local Brands:
Pierres Ice Cream Company: Pierre's products are sold in 10 states. They also own Hola Fruta and Yovation. It's very possible you are eating Pierre's ice cream, but under a private label name.
Owned by: Pierres ICC

Blue Bell Creameries: While Blue Bell creameries is available in 17 states, I don't happen to live in one of them, which is a shame, I've heard it's excellent.
Owned by: Blue Bell Creameries

Perry's Ice Cream: Based out of New York, they should finally be arriving in my area in fall 2011.
Owned by: Family Owned - 4 generations

Non-Dairy Brands:
Tofutti :

Purely Decadent & So Delicious from Turtle Mountain




Brands I'm still trying to place:
Walmart also has their own brand of Great Value ice cream, though I've only tried it twice so far (the reviews don't get many hits)

Got a recommendation to add SheerBliss ice cream, but I don't believe I've seen them around here yet, nor do I know how big they are. I'll keep my eyes open.

Starbucks ice cream is basically limited to coffee based flavors (produced by Unilever).

Walgreens makes their own ice cream, but are they top-tier or middle-tier?

There is Green's and Hagan in the Pennsylvania area, but they are run by Kemps, which is run by HP Hood LLC.

Magnum is ice cream bars only and is owned by Unilever.

I'm not sure who manufactures ice cream for Mars.

hmmm, did I forget anyone? other places might carry "store" brands, but deep down these are probably rebadged ice creams. As time goes, I will place them were I can. Feel free to leave a comment.

Blizzard of the Month: April 2008: Tin Roof Sundae

What can I say, I'm a sucker for DQ. My old job was about 2 minutes from a DQ and I've been an addict ever since. It started off simple with the hot dog special chased by a chocolate sundae, but eventually I became a Blizzard addict who tries hard to test every blizzard.

side note: for those who don't know, most DQs close in New England during the wintertime due to low demand. April is when they open back up.

So my first trip to DQ in 2008, and this blizzard looks to be one of the best ever. I was excited, plunked down my $3.35 and dug in. After a few bites I was hooked, this was one good Blizzard, well mixed, brownie chunks and chocolate peanuts hitting the spot. I ate about half and headed back to work. On the way, an awful thing happened... a bad aftertaste.... ewwww.... tastes like artificial sweetener. Now I remember, frozen DQ brownies aren't that good. While the initial blizzard experience was enjoyable, in the end, it was regrettable. I even wrote to DQ asking if there were any artificial sweeteners in the blizzard, but they said no......so what in the world is that aftertaste?

About

About this Blog
My very first blog post was on May 8th, 2008. I had been trying to think of what to blog about when I realized that the world of ice cream is not fairly represented in our digital life. We had adailyscoop.com followed by twodips.com, but that was it for any meaningful kind of blog dedicated to reviewing widely available ice creams.

I started a blog creatively titled "the ice cream blog". After blogging for a few months, and after some consultation, I bought the domain name onsecondscoop.com. The first scoop is about what you might expect if you just randomly bought a product. On second scoop (as in on second thought), is about what happens when you've had time to think about what you bought and you go in for that second tasting. This can involve lowering expectations, being less critical, or sometimes just getting a better sample since not every scoop is the same.

I try to be as fair as possible, but seeing as how I buy most of the ice cream with my own money, I tend not to buy multiple samples to verify if I got a bad batch or not. To be more specific, I do not work for a food company. My job has nothing to do with food and I'm in an industry that has nothing to do with food. This blog is all about my love of ice cream and getting you to try something new so we can bump vanilla from the top spot on the nation's flavor list. Ok, that probably won't happen, but I do hope that this blog encourages you to try new products, new brands, and new flavors. It has now been over a year of posting 4-5 times a week and I'm still finding new and diverse products to keep me excited and into blogging.

One other thing: I know there are places out there were anybody can review pretty much any food product, but it's hard to trust a stranger's opinions if I don't know how their tastes resemble mine. The checkout guy can tell me he loved the new Star Trek film, but I don't know anything about him. I'd rather here it from Roger Ebert or another well known critic since his tastes are well established. So I may be hard on a flavor of Turkey Hill, but if you click for other Turkey Hill flavors, everything comes in context and hopefully becomes a more useful review to you.

FCC requires truth in blogging, check out my thoughts here.

About Me
I am Dubba and I don't really talk about myself much on the blog. I know, I don't even give my real name (and no, Dubba has nothing to do with our former leader Dubbya). I love what I do for a living, and when the day is at end, I happily head home to my wife, my daughter, and my new son. My age? let's just say I've made more than a few trips around the sun and I've been surfing the internet for...a very, very long time.

So what qualifies me to be an ice cream blogger? Does eating ice cream every day of my life count? When I was real little, ice cream was a rare treat. I want to say we got a half gallon once a month. After we moved and the food budget loosened up, ice cream was always in the freezer. Whether I was making myself a milkshake or maybe a sundae topped with freshly crushed cookies, I was always enjoying a frozen treat. I blame my parents really, even my grandparents. Everyone was into enjoying a quality meal as a family. I don't mean we were eating steak at every meal, I just mean that we always ate as a family, and no one went to bed hungry.

I met my wife many moons ago and she too is an ice cream addict. Our food budget was tight in college, but there was always 2 containers of ice cream in the freezer (we each got to pick one). More than a few times we had ice cream for dinner on a hot summer day. We got married and made a little ice cream addict who will eat just about any frozen treat. We love to stop for ice cream, but most of the time we try to stretch our dollars by digging something out of our very full freezer.


More Info
Most of the products here on the blog are purchased with my own money, though I'll never say no to free handouts. The blog still has a lot of room to grow, but it's moving into the territory where a post here can be good for business. New products are some of the most visited topics on the site, so if you have a new product, let me know, I'd be more than happy to try some free samples. If I like something, I love sharing my excitement for the product and encouraging people to go try it. If I dont like something, well...you've read the blog, you know what happens.

If you are interested in me covering new products, feel free to send me an email to onsecondscoop at gmail dot com. Also feel free to email me (or leave comments on posts) if you feel I've missed a treat, or even if I've been too harsh. It's always great to see comments from other people who've tried some of the things listed on the blog.

Technically, I should mention advertising. I don't have any, though I'm not opposed to it either (within reason ofcourse). If you think this is the spot for you, let's talk about it.


Age: between 20 and 50
Location: New England
Status: happily married, two great kids
Occupation: Jack of all trades, master of none (sorry, old joke)
Email: onsecondscoop at gmail dot com

I LOVE Ice Cream

Hey!
We all have our vices. Last year we were having a discussion and my new acquaintances wanted to know what my vice was. Drink? nope. Smoke? nope. Drugs? nope. Something? Anything? someone chimes up and says "he loves ice cream, bring on the cookie puss!" I do enjoy good food, and if you ask, then yes, I'd probably have to say that Ice Cream is my favorite dessert. How can you go wrong with so many flavors? so many additions? so many ways to enjoy the most versatile dessert on the planet: nothing like cold ice cream on a hot day! ice cream at a birthday party...better yet, ice cream cake! share an ice cream with a special someone! when does eating ice cream not make you feel better? (well, unless you eat too much)