[New for 2023] I know I waited too long on the last Van Leeuwen review, so take this as me trying to make up for it. There are five new* Van Leeuwen flavors at Walmart (and two returning flavors), so let's take a pair of them home. Let's try the more unique flavor first.
Van Leeuwen Idaho Potato Malted Milkshake & Fries Ice Cream
malted milkshake ice cream with French fry bites
Hmmmm. Debating how I feel about this look.
I'll be honest, the smell kind of reminds me of wet dog food...
or maybe just an old bag of french fries...
The look doesn't change much as you dig down.
On my first tiny bite I thought "wait, is this going to be too salty?" After a few bites, I answered myself with a "nope". It's 6% sodium per serving if you are curious.
So is it malty instead of salty? Well, the malt flavor is there, but I think I expected it to be stronger. I would argue that this is fries then shake instead of shake then fries.
Am I dancing around the "do I like it?" question? Yes, yes I am. I didn't fall in love, but I don't hate it either. It's pretty unique so my brain is deciding what it wants to do with it.
Since I've kind of fallen in love with Tillamook's Malted Moo Shake, I decided to mix the two together to see if I could elevate the malt component. It technically worked, but I don't know if it helped. It did make me wonder if maybe this flavor needs a chocolate component.
One final note. Because of all of the French Fry bits, I can't tell if this one is freezer burned or if this is just it's natural texture. Based on a few instagram comments, it might be it's natural texture (at least to some degree).
On Second Scoop: It does take me a few bites to get going with this one because there's some initial shock because of the texture, the smell, and the overall taste. That probably sounds negative, but let me add some context by saying that this one is interesting enough that I first tried it this morning and am now second scooping it in the afternoon. Oooo, I just had a thought. This one kind of randomly reminded of that pretzel flavor that Turkey Hill used to have (review here). Ok, make what you will of all my random comments, then go try this one yourself if you think it's going to amuse you.
*Disclaimer: This is "new" to Walmart, but some tried it at the beginning of the year when it was available in scoop shops and online. (press release here)
Verdict? I've had much worse
Buy Again? probably not
Buy Again? probably not
Interesting flavor. Reminds me of dipping fries into a Frosty.
ReplyDeleteDidn't Coolhaus attempt this flavor? I still see something fries and milkshake Coolhaus related at the grocery stores. Did you try it, and was it any good?
ReplyDeleteSorry, I meant to link back to that review:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.onsecondscoop.com/2018/06/coolhaus-milkshake-fries-ice-cream.html
I didn't love it, but part of that was because I don't love coolhaus pints in general.
Is coolhaus even still around? Haven't seen them recently and their website is showing no products; this flavor reminded me they existed, never actually tried them but given the quality inconsistency I never took the plunge (by the way thank you so much for these reviews; first time writer!)
ReplyDeleteOk, it took some digging, and there is definitely a rumor going around that coolhaus has shut down. However, I'm not sure this rumor is true. Coolhaus' parent company was bought by another company less than a month ago with the plans of expanding the brand. Part of the deal included bringing back the founder. That doesn't sound like they are shutting down to me, but as with all things, only time (or an updated press release) will tell.
ReplyDeletehttps://superlatus.com/news/superlatus-agrees-to-acquire-the-urgent-company-inc-and-its-portfolio-of-consumer-brands-from-perfect-day-inc
(same anon from before) Interesting, thank you! And this is the sort of thing that makes this blog top notch; hopefully coolhaus ends up turning around after all of this, some of their ideas were certainly interesting
DeleteThis flavor tastes like a bowl of cornflakes with milk and sugar.
ReplyDelete