Thursday, June 23, 2016

Vice Cream Breakfast in Bed Ice Cream


[New for 2016] Time to get a new ice cream company on the blog, and when I say new, I mean that they just came to market this month. Their name is Vice Cream and it sounds familiar right? I thought so too and did a search but only dug up that wacky Licktators product from last year (look up at your own discretion). Vice Cream is based in Boston and makes "unapologetically indulgent ice cream". They have started off with five flavors available at Roche Bros and Tedeschi. I took a few minutes to decide which one I wanted to try first and then plopped down $5.99 for...

Vice Cream Breakfast in Bed Ice Cream
maple ice cream, sticky bun dough, pecan praline,
maple syrup and cinnamon cream cheese ripple

Not much going on at first.

I take a bite and it's definitely maple, but in a more complex way. I take a few more bites and I'm having trouble deciding something. The base either tastes like it has a strong, brown sugar undercurrent to it or a very mild alcoholic complexity to it. Not a typical burn or bitterness mind you, but this certain small note that reminds me of the occasional alcohol inspired flavors we have had on the blog now and then. I don't see any "special" ingredients listed, so I think it's just the way everything has come together.

Now it's not just the base we bought this for, it's the "promise" of mix-ins and a swirl (ripple) that we have to dig for. The problem is that I didn't hit the mix-ins until I was basically done with my first serving. I did get one sticky bun dough bit which seemed nice, and I got one nice flavorful pecan bit, but that was it. The good news is that I've set myself up nicely for round two.

On Second Scoop: See, I told you I set myself up nicely, except for the swirl maybe, so let's start digging. I liked this yesterday and I like it even more now that the mix-ins have kicked in. The sticky bun dough is pretty good (though it could use a little more sweetness in my opinion) and the pecans are nice if not particularly huge. Yesterday I thought my pint might be a little freezer burned but I realize that it's actually tiny puddles of the ripple praline that have a little bit of texture to them, something akin to still being a little frozen.



Anyway, I do like this, but I had a thought. I realized this is very similar to the new B&J's Pecan Sticky Buns flavor. The technical difference is that vice cream has added maple in to the mix. The real world difference is B&J's uses larger pecans and has a more noticeable cream cheese factor. This translates to the B&J's version having more of a butter pecan vibe while this has more of an air of a breakfast treat to it. So is it really "Breakfast in Bed"? I say mission accomplished.


Parting notes: I'm not really sure how I feel about the marketing on this one. On one hand, it's trying to be bold and clever and aim for a particular crowd. On the other hand, it feels like something out of the 80s... or even more specifically it looks like a webpage I designed in mid 90s. Yes it stands out on store shelves (unless they sell it at Walgreens at some point), but I'm not sure it clicks with me yet though maybe I'm just being an old fuddy duddy. Maybe it's about time we have a marketing campaign that's a bit more brash in my area. I will definitely keep my eyes on Vice Cream and try a few more flavors as the year goes on. Let me know your thoughts in the comments and which flavor you would try first: this one, choc of shame, higher grounds, bourbon mash or afternoon delight. (for some reason their website lacks flavor descriptions, but you can see them in this tweet)


Final Scooping: I found the swirl! I big ol' puddle of goo at the very bottom of the pint. I take a spoonful and it's got a bit of fireball kick to it. Eating it with a few dough chunks does help balance it out, but it's still fairly strong. I don't even know what to do with all of it, there's just not enough ice cream left to mellow it out (but I eat it anyway). It basically looks like a grayer version of cookie butter. Oh, for the record, it doesn't taste like cream cheese, at least not very much.

If this was an established company, I would pick on them for the settling of the swirls and mix-ins, but I get that they just started production and they need time to work out the kinks. We can't expect perfection on day one. It's not like that have the budget to throw out an entire run of ice cream. That said, I don't know how to feel about this flavor anymore. The existence of the potent swirl changes things. I don't think I would have enjoyed this flavor as much if the cinnamon had been constantly messing with the other components.

Sept 2016 Update: Dan from Vice Cream left a nice long update over on my Choc of Shame review. They are very much aware of the sinking mix-ins and are addressing the issue!

Verdict?  fun interesting morning flavor
Buy this brand Again?  sure


17 comments:

  1. It took me like 5 minutes while Googling them to get the "joke". My first thought was "80s" and (v)ice cream.

    Either way, frustrated that I can't find descriptions of their other flavors. May have to take a ride to a Tedeschi

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  2. added a link to the descriptions in the post, they really need to update their website though --- my services are available if they need help :)

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  3. If they added bacon it would be a game changer.

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  4. I want to add or remove something from each flavor before actually thinking one is above the others to try.

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  5. Do you know where there's a description of the flavors? I can't seem to find them anywhere

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  6. I added a link at the beginning and near the end of the review as requested a few days ok... maybe I'll just embed the list to make it easier.

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  7. Made it halfway thru my pint..no fillings yet! Thought I got a bad pint until I read your review and realized it's prob all at bottom. Maple ice cream has decent flavour but def a little icy,grainy and leaves residue on spoon. Similar to some home ice cream batches I have had.

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    1. I had the same issue. It was grainy and I just didn't enjoy that:(

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  8. Check the made on date on the bottom of the pint, mine was like May 25 or 26

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  9. PEOPLE: STIR YOUR ICE CREAM -- MIX IT UP. This is a rule of true ice cream worshippers. Helllllooooo !!!! thank you.

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  10. Says you. Rule #1 of On Second Scoop: Don't tell other people how to eat their ice cream. You are welcome to make suggestions, but only that.

    Also, many people don't let an entire pint melt and then eat the whole thing. For many people that would be the majority of their calories for the day.

    I shouldnt have to melt an entire pint to get at the mix-ins. That's just silly.

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  11. I apologize...Everyone has freedom & equality of Ice Cream ... I guess I was trying to be helpful, but i now realize . . . I was being BIASED !
    YOU ALL EAT YOUR ICE CREAM THE RIGHT WAY -- FOR YOU !!!
    -my eyes are opened

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  12. Have you noticed that both of your comments are absolutes (and involving YELLING) while I offer the option that there are multiple ways to eat ice cream. Hmmmm, who made the better point...

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  13. Are you confused that using all caps is considered yelling on the internet?

    or are you confused that you are telling others what to do rather than offering a suggestion. A better way to make your point would be "I prefer to let the whole pint temper and then mix it all up so I get a better balance of mix-ins in every bite". Does that not make more sense?

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  14. I thought this one was fun to eat; B&J doesn't make the Pecan Sticky Buns, so this sounded good to try -- and it is!! If it doesn't sound like something you'd like, then u probably won't. The Maple ice cream is definitely interesting & the cinnamon cream cheese ripple was delicious. MY pint was all well-mixed, which i appreciated, b/c i got the whole 'breakfast in bed' experience. I prob wouldn't buy again, b/c there are a lot chocolate flavours out there ! (This one's super-sweet*)

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  15. I just tried this for the first time. My first bite I was so confused by the texture. It seemed icy and freezer burnt, and I think it was also overchurned. Like small chunks of butter on my tongue. The flavors were good, and I kept eating, but I've never experienced an ice cream like that

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