Monday, April 15, 2013

Round 3: Ben & Jerry's New Greek Frozen Yogurt Flavors

Though Ben & Jerry's knows how to bring on
the summer, it does not how to spell "passion fruit."
Last year, when Ben & Jerry's unveiled their new froyo product line, I scoffed. I scoffed and I scoffed until I actually tasted it. Then I shut up. And while I haven't purchased any of the products since my original tasting, I didn't hesitate in buying two of this year's new flavors.

Liz Lemon - Lemon Greek Frozen Yogurt with a Blueberry Lavender Swirl
No false modesty here: it was hilarious when I griped about the hype surrounding the unveiling of a "new flavor" they "created" that was "inspired" by 30 Rock. But after the smoke cleared, I still wanted to try it, hype or no hype. Though Ben & Jerry's once created the mouth puckering Key Lime Pie, the sweet-tasting Liz Lemon FroYo just isn't sour enough to be satisfying. (Perhaps because lemon oil is the third-to-last ingredient?) And while the blueberry swirl does add a dimension to the flavor, it's not enough to remove the feeling that something is missing. This isn't a bad flavor, but it could use some tinkering to make it more lemony.

Pineapple Passion Fruit - Pineapple Greek Frozen Yogurt with Chunks of Pineapple & a Passion Fruit Swirl
Passion fruit has long been an outlier of fruit. Common enough to be recognizable, yet exotic enough to be exciting, it's name is rarely featured on the marquee. Even here, it's given second billing. For some reason, passion fruit hasn't been successful in the frozen dessert section. This hasn't kept it from being tried out, though. For example, this flavor actually echoes a Ben & Jerry's creation that now sits in the flavor graveyard, Island Paradise. (Passion Fruit was also one of the original flavors in Haagen-Dazs' recently discontinued Five collection, though it was quickly replaced with a more common fruit.) As for this flavor, the sourness of the froyo perfectly compliments the tartness of the tropical fruits. It is both refreshing and bold. Here's hoping it isn't discontinued as fast as its ancestors were.

Also new this season is Vanilla Honey Caramel, Vanilla Greek Frozen Yogurt with a Honey Caramel Swirl.

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This round's winner: Pineapple Passion Fruit.

The AICM (April Ice Cream Madness) Tournament continues with Round 4: Häagen-Dazs Class of 2013...

2 comments:

Molly O said...

I LOVE the strawberry shortcake and the blueberry one too! I have been tricking myself into thinking I'm being healthy by getting Greek fro yo's instead of ice cream!

Brad @ IceCreamUScream said...

Enjoying yourself now and again sounds perfectly healthy, Molly!