Finally, a true second scoop of Late Night Snack

I inadvertently started a bit of a debate of whether clusterfluff or late night snack would be the break out hit of 2011. I think clusterfluff had a bit of an advantage as I was in my native environment (my car in the shaws parking lot) while with late night snack I was sitting in the NBC studio cafeteria. Now I did try to be fair by snagging a second serving of late night snack at the press release, but I just wasn't awestruck like some seemed to be. Oh, it definitely wasn't bad, it's a fine flavor, but it wasn't the best ever either.

Well, I just had my first pint sample and it's definitely growing on me, though technically I did cheat. See, as I was scooping, I saw this great big puddle of salty swirl. I immediately scooped it up and gave my taste buds a nice caramel coating. The swirl is definitely salty, but salty like chips not salty like a salt lick. This trick helped cement the caramel flavor in my mind so that it carried through my entire serving, something that did not happen at the press release. Mmmm, this second scooping definitely went better, though I seem to be stuck with a bit of a salty chip aftertaste with a hint of caramel.

Caramel? Check! Fudge Covered Potato Chips? Check!

In case you haven't had a pint yet, here are the now infamous chip clusters up close and personal. In general, they are in a ball (bottom left), but opened up you can see they almost look like rice krispies. Now I love chips, all kinds, regular, baked, kettle, etc etc etc, but I just don't love these bits. Oh, they taste fine and are fairly crunchy, but to me they just can't match a chocolate covered pretzel... or even a chocolate covered waffle cone piece. Yes, it's tasty, and yes, it's unique, but no, it is not the end all, be all to me.

To reiterate: Good job on this one. Our buddy John the flavor guru has made a nice edition to the Ben & Jerry's line up. It's a quality product that a lot of people should enjoy, but if I'm stuck on a desert island and I have to pick, I'm going with pretzels over chips --- though I am glad there is plenty of room on the cabinet shelf for both in my house.

On second Second Scoop: Well, that pint didnt last long, but it's not like it's easy to share a pint with someone anyway. This is a fine flavor, but I definitely think the best bites are when you get plenty of caramel. Those are definitely my favorite scoops.