Pierre's Mocha Mud Pie Ice Cream Pierre's Banana Fudge Chunk Ice Cream

Remember last fall when Pierre's was nice enough to send over a carton of goodies to try (like the excellent Emerald Necklace flavor)? Well, there were two pints that I put to the side and kind of forgot about because one had nuts and the other is coffee based. Now had I left these in a regular freezer, they would be toast by now, but since it's a deep freezer that doesn't have an auto-defrost cycle, these should still be good enough for sampling.

Pierre's Signature Mocha Mud Pie Ice Cream

Pierre's Signature Banana Fudge Chunk Ice Cream

Pierre's Holé Molé and Croppy Road Ice Creams

[By Nick, New for end of 2014] When Pierre's offered to send samples of their new collaboration flavors with Crop Bistro, Hole Mole and Croppy Road, I was all over them. I mean, Dubba hates spicy so we all know Hole Mole wouldn't be for him. Croppy Road has a smokey caramel swirl and after my experience with Tea-riffic, I feel obligated to review all smokey flavors from here on out... for science. Let's go with Hole Mole first just because toffee is involved.

Pierre's Hole Mole and Croppy Road Ice Creams

Pierre's Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream Have a Great Thanksgivings Everyone!

Alright, one last pumpkin review to wrap up the fall season (side note: this is a lie, there'll be one more next week). Now I've spent the last several weeks thinking about writing some nice heartfelt post about how we should appreciate every moment of holiday family time. Sure the holidays can seem like a chore but some day you'll be looking back going "remember when grandma cooked that" or "remember when the kids did that" or whatever. Ahhh, I'm too tired to be sentimental, just try to enjoy Thanksgiving and we'll leave it at that. Let's get to the ice cream!

Pierre's Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

Pierre's Cherries & Chocolate Chunks Ice Cream

Ok, we've already covered two flavors from Pierre's mainstream line up, so now let's dig in to their signature collection. Created in 2012 to celebrate their 80th anniversary, the signature collection is made up of seven super premium ice creams meant to compete with the likes of B&J's and H-D.

Pierre's Cherries & Chocolate Chunks Ice Cream

cherry ice cream, filled with plump, sweet, juicy cherries and chunks of chocolate

Pierre's Cinnamon Ice Cream

I was worried this ice cream might be gritty like that annoying Batch version I had, but that's not the problem here. The texture is that of a fine mainstream ice cream. No no, we have a much bigger problem my friends. See, I have one question for you... do you like Atomic Fireballs?

Pierre's Cinnamon Ice Cream

cinnamon flavored ice cream

Pierre’s Emerald Necklace Ice Cream

[New for 2014] Do you guys remember when I use to review Pierre's products? They're yet another ice cream company out of Ohio (that makes 4 we cover!) and they make my beloved Hola Fruta sherbet and the fun Yovation product line. Well, on a whim, I decided to see if my old contact at Pierre's was still around, and sure enough, he was! We chatted about their new signature collection which we'll review soon, but you guys know I have a soft spot for charity inspired flavors, so we're going to start with a limited edition flavor from their premium line up.

Pierre’s Emerald Necklace Ice Cream

mint ice cream, chocolate cream cookies and trails of thick fudge

Pierre's Black Cherries & Chocolate Chunks Yovation A Frozen Yogurt Review

Just like Pierre's Hola Fruta, I haven't seen Yovation since... ok, technically I never saw Yovation in a store now that I think about it. Thankfully in 2010 Pierre's was nice enough to send a care package. I was a big fan of the flavors I tried and so I kept waiting and waiting to find Yovation sitting next to some Hola Fruta at Shaws some day, but instead they both disappeared from my life... until now! Yay for Wegman's!

Welcome back to the blog Yovation! You've remembered your Live & Active Yogurt Cultures, very nice. Our green little pint here is Black Cherry Frozen Yogurt with Cherries and Chocolaty Chunks.

Hola Fruta Black Cherry Lemon A Sherbet Review

Never seen Hola Fruta? I feel bad for you

Seen it but haven't boughten it? shame on you!

Get to eat it all the time? OOOh I'm jealous of you!

It's been a long time since I've praised my love of Hola Fruta but that's because no one carries it around here. Shaws did carry it long enough for me to get hooked, but then it disappeared never to be found again, until now... at Wegman's! YAY!

I had four pint-sized flavors to choose from and it was this newer looking black cherry lemon sherbet that really got my attention. ($2.49 a pint) Oh it's so nice to have an all natural pure fruit sherbet in my grasp once again.  I'm so excited!!

New to Me! Pierre's Yovation Vanilla Pomegranate Blueberry

The last tasty Probiotic Yovation I got to try was the Vanilla Pomegranate Blueberry flavor, and it's got a special surprise for us.
The surprise is that the pomegranate blueberry flavor comes from Hola Fruta! Nice way to work in the cross branding (or whatever you call it). Basically one half the container is vanilla yogurt, the other half is Hola Fruta. Sounds like a killer combo.....

...until I actually went to eat it. I love Hola Fruta, and I'm digging Yovation, but I just don't want them together. It's not that it's bad, I just don't want to mix my potent P-B Hola Fruta with the mild Vanilla Yogurt. I guess it seems contradictory since I like fruit flavored yogurt. Maybe I should have blended the two rather than scooping them... Maybe I'm getting too picky!

Oh, just ignore me on this one and make up your own mind.

New to me! Pierre's Probiotic Yovation Toasted Almond

2012 Update: this flavor below has been discontinued

With the tasty Cookie Fudge Crunch and even more amusing Vanilla Honey Granola having been tested, it's time to move on to the curious case of Mr. Toasted Almond. I only say curious because almonds just don't get a lot of love in the ice cream community. Sure, they get added in now and then, and occasionally someone like Breyers or H-D makes an almond flavored ice cream, but peanuts sees 10x the action that almonds do. Sure, technically it could be a cost issue, but I'm guessing it's a flavor issue and when you only have 6 flavors to offer, why risk one of them on almonds?

Pierre's Toasted Almond Yovation

Pierre's Probiotic Yovation Vanilla Honey Granola

2012 Update: this flavor has been discontinued

This is the other flavor that caught my eye Thursday night: Vanilla Honey Granola. I just hope the honey flavor isn't as potent as the Haagen-Daz version.

So we have another tasty looking probiotic Yovation with live and active yogurt cultures. I don't know any specifics about how the cultures in a serving of frozen yogurt hold up against a serving of regular yogurt, but what ever it is, it should be good for you.

New to Me! Pierre's Probiotic Yovation Cookie Fudge Crunch

2012 Update: 3 of the 4 flavors below have been discontinued

Geez, I can't decide how to start this post. Ok, try this: During the State of the Freezer address, I talked about wanting to expand the blog (via frozen treat samples). It's not easy trying to have national appeal when you are stuck in just one state. Unfortunately I'm not a big fan of traveling, and the ice cream of the month club has done a good job of bringing us treats from places like the upper midwest, but I think it's time to start reaching out to try and bring the great treats of other states to the blog for all to enjoy. I should have know that Pierre's, the fine folks who brought us Hola Fruta!, would be cool enough to hook me up with their latest creation.

Behold Yovation! Pierre's released Yovation in 2008, but since I just found out about it last week, and since distribution isn't quite national yet, I'm going to call it new to me! They have six tasty looking flavors, and of the four before you, can you guess which one I tried first? Oh wait, I already said which one I opened in the post title.

Hola Fruta Margarita Sherbet Review

The unthinkable has happened!! I hate to say it, I really do, but I've discovered a flavor of Hola Fruta I don't like. Sure it's still top notch quality, but the flavor is OHHHH so potent. I guess the problem is that I've only had cheap green lime flavor before, I've never had quality stuff.

Don't be fooled by the Margarita name, there's nothing in here for flavor except lime puree. The first bite was the most shocking, but the following bites we're still quite potent. I don't know what flavor they could mix it with (like they did with blueberry and pomegranite), but I can only recommend this to people who love lime.

Nutrition: 140 / 10-0.5 / 0 / 1

Hola Fruta Strawberry Sherbet

It's Hola Fruta Time

It's Hola Fruta Time

YEEEE HAAAAA!

Ok, this is my third Hola Fruta review and I'm enjoying it thoroughly. I'm down a little bit further in the container so I keep hitting tasty strawberry (fresa) chunks. MMMMMM, oh I'm addicted to Hola Fruta, it's gotta be the best sherbet out there. Tastes like frozen strawberries and fresh strawberries at the same time, and in a good way. Do what I do, wait til it's on sale, then try a new flavor! MMMM, oh I want more now.

Nutrition: 130/10-0.5/0/1

Hola Fruta! Pomegranate & Blueberry Sherbet

I was very excited to see Hola Fruta! on sale this week, and if the freezer wasn't full, I would have bought a couple, not just one. It's $3.99 a quart at Shaw's this week instead of the usual $5.49. Sure, it's a lot for sherbet, but I was pretty confident I would enjoy whatever I picked. Well, I had a half dozen choices in front of me, but after the first test, I knew I wanted to go with the Pomegranate & Blueberry next. Why? Because I've never had a sherbet in either flavor, and if I was going to try a new sherbet, this brand is the way to go.

For whatever reason, I assumed the flavors would be mixed, but you actually get a nice clean, mild pomegranate on one side, and then a nice fruit chunk filled blueberry on the other side. Not big chunks mind you, these are very finely blended pieces well scattered throughout the sherbet. Both taste real nice, and you can put them together in whatever ratio you want. My only odd thought is that for whatever reason, this flavor gave me a massive urge to grab a salty snack.

Mmmmm, the Hola Fruta! website shows this flavor with a big slice of angel food cake, I bet that's good!

On Second Scoop: MMMMMM, so good

Nutrition: 150/10-0.5/0/1

Hola Fruta! Raspberry Sherbet

The freezer is very full, but I wandered through the ice cream section anyway. I saw a couple of sale containers I wanted to pick up, but then I spied Hola Fruta! I do get a sherbet craving now and then, and so I somehow I convinced myself to spend $5.49 for a quart of this "All Natural" sherbet. Dinner was going to take a while to cook, so I went in for the sampling.

It's good! I like it. It does have a smidge of that salty flavor that hits you with some sherbets, but overall is it well made. I enjoyed it so much, I had some more after dinner as well. I like the texture too, kind of reminds me of the time when I mixed some vanilla ice cream with my cheap sherbet. It's funny, because if I had to describe it after my first serving, I'd say the aftertaste was like eating a Raspberry Tootsie Roll. On second scoop, I realized just how natural the flavor was. If you let it melt just a bit, you really are hit with that real raspberry flavor. I was really impressed at how it hits you more like fruit than as a frozen treat.

If you don't mind spending a bit extra on sherbet, and you want something a bit more real, give it a try! --Nice: there website shows their sherbet with a slice of Angel food, oh I bet that's good.

Nutrition: 140/10/0/1