Sunday, November 7, 2021

Van Leeuwen Earl Grey Tea Ice Cream


So I actually bought 3 Van Leeuwen pints at Stop & Shop because... well, because I wanted to. That and I don't go to Stop & Shop very often anymore. Now tea flavored ice creams are rare (only my Tea-rrific reviews come to mind), so expected are.... tempered.

Van Leeuwen Earl Grey Tea Ice Cream
(made with Rishi tea leaves and a bit of citrus oil)

oh, the clear seal I saw on honeycomb must have been the old seal(?)
(also, I guess in this case, it's not a true seal hehehe)

iunno

I take my first bite and am instantly hit with "do I love it or hate it?"   ....ok, too extreme, it was more like "do I like it or not?". It's a fairly potent and unexpected flavor and my brain was debating how to process it. Is it a little salty? Is it a little cheesy? Hey, the texture is nice, so let's keep scooping.

Definitely an interesting flavor and I want to say I like it. I kind of wish there was something to break it up though. Hmmmm, what would I mix it with to balance it? Bordeux cookies maybe? That caramel might pair well here. Wait, you know what this needs? It needs a scoop of their honeycomb ice cream, now that would be a blast! Shame I ate it already.

Anyway. Hmmmm. So texture is nice and creamy which helps transfer that tea flavor to your taste buds. I can't really quantify it very well though (I did the same thing while trying Tea-rrific's version almost seven years ago.

On Second Scoop: Having the vanilla flavor made me realize that a lot of the flavor here is actually coming from all the eggs they use. Unfortunately though, this flavor has not grown on me. It's well done and the flavor is... deep? I want to say robust but that doesn't feel like the right word to describe a tea. If you enjoy a nice hot cup of tea, I can see enjoying this, but I just don't see other people enjoying it. I went so far as to pair it will some Pepperidge Farm Bordeaux cookies and it was all still a bit too much for me. Disclaimer: I may not be the best person to review this type of flavor.

Verdict?  lots of unique flavor
Buy Again?  not my thing

click for nutrition facts and ingredients


2 comments:

  1. I've been wanting to pick up and try their ice cream. At my local Giant they keep this brand in the organic section freezers with Jeni's, and unfortunately their freezers are always on the fritz and this premium stuff invariably ends up freezer burnt and the pints themselves are encased in ice.

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  2. yeah, stop & shop (new england version of giant) isn't exactly great with their freezers

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