More From Bassetts : an Ice Cream and a Sorbet

[By Nick] I know you guys are wondering what flavor of ice cream I got instead of Bassett's Vanilla in my free shipment (first two reviews here). Well, technically I didn’t get an ice cream. Don’t ask me how, but Bassett's managed to sneak a pint of their Lemon Sorbet into the container. Having such a good experience with G.S. Gelato’s sorbetto, I was in no means disappointed in seeing this slip up.

Bassett's Lemon Sorbet

You can tell this one was hand-packed. It kind of resembles Italian ice at first but when scooped it shows that it is in fact a smooth product.  While not as creamy as G.S., Bassett's manages to create a dairy free flavor without any bit of iciness. No matter how many times I experience this, I’ll always remain amazed. As for taste, well they weren’t holding back with this one. This one bashes you over the head with the tart lemon flavor. While having no artificial qualities to it, it’s way too tart for my liking. That said, it’s alright in small quantities and really helps to refresh you especially with these hot days we’ve been having these last couple of weeks.

Verdict? Too tart for me but I can see others enjoying it.
Recommend? If you enjoy tart things, go for it.

The Lemon Sorbet wasn’t the only unexpected flavor I received either. I was supposed to get a pint of their Dark Chocolate Chip but after digging into my pint, I realized there were no chips to be found. So it seems that I actually got either their Chocolate or Double Chocolate flavors seeing as they’re both base only flavors. All that said, this was a respectable chocolate ice cream. It’s not too sweet and has a bit of bitterness from the cocoa flavor. The ice cream is also pretty dense and creamy. It can't really compare to Jeni’s Dark Chocolate but I’d say it falls just below the quality of Ben & Jerry’s. Speaking of B&J’s, while I think their chocolate base is too overpowering and one-note for me, this one is exactly what I would want in a chocolate base featuring mix-ins. I can imagine the inclusion of dark chocolate chips would enhance the chocolate profile of this flavor and make it pretty remarkable. Sadly, I didn’t get that pint though so I guess I’m just going to have to add my own chips to the mix.

Verdict?  A respectable chocolate base
Recommend?  If you’re looking for a chocolate base only flavor, you could do a whole lot worse.