Salt & Straw has finally landed in grocery stores. OK, it's only Portland-area stores, but perhaps it’s a testing ground for a wider-scale launch? As of Wednesday, the brand is offering up six flavors in half pints — for 6 bucks each (compared with $12 full pints at my scoop shop) — at the New Seasons Market chain. If nothing else, I love the format. These 8-ounce containers, while still pricey, make it a lot easier to gamble on a flavor. To make it sweeter, all flavors are on sale for the launch, so I got in early to snag them all. (New Seasons also carries the Taco Bell collab novelty item, the Tacolate.)

Look for the full flavor descriptions below, but four appear to be the same recipes as the scoop shop (luckily I had never tried any of those), and another is very similar. Coffee & Love Nuts, which I have tried, features smaller nut pieces than the new version, but it’s basically their coffee base with chocolate-coated pecans. The sixth, Strawberry Pretzel Cheesecake, is described as a new flavor, though it nods to a pretzel salad flavor they’ve done in the past. I haven’t tried that one, but this did remind me of the disappointing berry cheesecake in their Valentine’s Day collection. This one is better, more pared down, still not great — too sour on the fruit base, not enough cream cheese tang.

That flavor so far is the miss for me, though I only tried a couple bites of each, so I’m not ready for a full critique. I will say the two that I really like off the bat are their cookie dough flavor (fudge sauce elevates it beyond a traditional one) and the salted caramel (one of my favorite flavors done right; you have to like the salt, as this one is salty indeed). I could see those pairing nicely together. I think the coffee one might be slightly better than their scoop shop version (certainly no worse) with bigger praline pieces. The freckled mint is nice and refreshing, but note the dairy-free coconut base is coming in strong. You better like coconut. The chocolate brownie is basic but good. Since I’m not a chocoholic, an all-chocolate flavor like this will never be my first choice, but I could see it being others’ favorite.

Are any of you other Portland-area folks planning to try these?

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THE FLAVORS

Chocolate Gooey Brownie: A replica of the scoop-shop classic featuring rich chocolate ice cream and dense brownie chunks. Instead of separate white marshmallow ripples, the fluff is whipped directly into the chocolate base during churning to give it an ultra-fudgy, underbaked texture.

Strawberry Pretzel Cheesecake: A new flavor created specifically for this grocery lineup. It pairs a distinctly sour strawberry ice cream base with hand-rolled white chocolate cheesecake truffles, sweet fruit ribbons and salty pretzel pieces.

Coffee & Chocolate Pecan Praline: A new retail format that serves as a direct nod to their cult-favorite Coffee & Love Nuts flavor. It features the same deep espresso profile but upgrades the texture with much larger, crunchier praline pieces.

Freckled Mint Chocolate Chip (Vegan): A smooth, dairy-free option built on a coconut cream and pure Oregon mint oil base freckled with dark chocolate flakes. The coconut flavor here is front and center.

Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons: One of the brand's definitive, top-selling core classics made with a Guatemalan fleur de sel ice cream base. It features thick, heavy ribbons of a dark, deeply toasted house-made salted caramel.

Salted, Malted, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: A multi-layered take on cookie dough that uses amber ale malt to add a warm, toasted depth to the vanilla base. It comes packed with chunks of homemade cookie dough and thick ribbons of malted fudge.

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The Tacolate: Their upscale, permanent revival of the nostalgic Choco Taco, created in partnership with Taco Bell. It features a hand-pressed, crunchy waffle cone shell stuffed with a subtly spiced cinnamon-ancho chili ice cream, dunked in rich dark chocolate, and studded with toasted puffed quinoa. (It comes with separate Mango Jalapeño and Wildberry Cinnamon sauce drizzle packets to mimic Taco Bell hot sauce.)

This is the third collection I've bought from Caffe Panna, and I'd rank it in the middle — a little better than this year's Valentine's pack but not as good as the excellent cookie collection I got last summer. Since it's expensive, you expect every flavor to be something a little more special than your average grocery store pint. By that standard, a couple of these proved a bit boring. But I did enjoy all of the flavors, especially the four with creative mix-ins.

Carrot Cake: If Sloan’s is a carrot cake ice cream a bunny would love, Caffe Panna’s is for the squirrels. The Sloan’s version is dense and vegetal. It would fit nicely on a Thanksgiving table, but this interpretation is perfect for Easter. While still premium, this lighter base, with a singular cinnamon focus (it’s the perfect amount), works to take attention off itself and shift the spotlight to the mix-ins. By not trying to load the base with additional spice or carrots, the cake pieces — from Lloyd’s Bakery in NYC — can stand out even as they sort of melt into the base a bit, becoming fudgy rather than mushy like the smaller cake pieces most ice cream makers use. You get a bit of amazing cream cheese frosting here, but it is scarce. I could have used more cake. Thankfully, we have a lot of nuts: pecans coated in butter, tossed in a burnt sugar mixture and candied in house. These might be the best nuts I’ve ever had in an ice cream and help make this the collection’s standout pint. 8.9/10

Lemon Meringue Pie: Who knew you could candy pie crust? But after the magical dough transformation here and the pecans in their Carrot Cake, I’m down to have them candify anything and everything. That crust is kept large enough to really enjoy and paired with a light lemon custard base. A lot of lemon frozen desserts focus on the juice, bright and sharp. Caffe Panna is targeting those fruity essential oils in the zest. This isn’t for fans of a pucker. To top it off, we have a meringue swirl — not just the basic version destined to weep in your dairy, but a specialized Italian version that’s like the best marshmallow fluff imaginable. There might have been too much meringue — it overpowers the mellow lemon slightly, making this the sweetest pint in the collection. Otherwise, this is a delicious interpretation of a vintage lemon pie with a tall cloud of meringue. 8.8/10

Cruncher Nutter: Creative mix-ins I would not have imagined come easily to the Willy Wonka brain of founder Hallie Meyer. Here the base is almost an afterthought. It’s more of a savory experience built — similar to Ben & Jerry’s sweet cream — with the rationale of being a peanut butter vehicle to bring balance to each bite of salty-sweet mix-in. And it’s a lot: There’s Reese’s Pieces to start. The Crispy Marshmallow Peanut Butter Swirl starts with the same fluff from the Lemon Meringue Pie. Into this goes peanut butter and puffed rice cereal. The crunch factor is next level. It’s all probably too much actually. For a truly spectacular pint, I’d probably dial back the mix-ins by 25% and go with a more traditionally delicious peanut butter base, as that’s the balance I prefer. But it’s still a proper tribute to Reese’s world of peanut butter confections. 8.7/10

Cookie Dough Mudslide: This one can’t help but pale a bit in comparison to Bob’s Dream from their Valentine’s Pack, the best flavor I’ve tried from Caffe Panna. A peanut butter base allowed each element in a crowded pint to shine: the silky fudge sauce, the innovative Oreo brittle, and the best-in-the-business cookie dough. Here, that trio must compete with a rich coffee base with a dark-roasted espresso blend. It still works. After all, the goal here is a mudslide. That name promises a dark, decadent experience and you get that with the messy mocha collusion that happens when the coffee base starts soaking in the fudge and Oreos. They sacrifice themselves to the overall anarchic mudslide experience. Luckily, nothing can hide that cookie dough, which can feel like boulders compared with the tiny pellets we're used to. They are so salty and satisfying in taste and texture. 8.5/10

Creamsicle: In comparison to the love that lemon got, this treatment of orange feels like a bit of a cold shoulder. But even if this does have a phoned-in quality, it’s quite tasty. Unlike the standard half-and-half swirls we usually see with this duo, the dense vanilla serves as the canvas while the icy sorbet acts as mix-in. This is the brand’s classic vanilla using Heilala paste to steep their base. I would have liked more vanilla punch. And I wanted more orange, too. The sorbet has nice citrus flavor, there just isn’t enough of it — a 2-1 vanilla-orange balance would have been nice, but mine is hitting 20% at most. There’s a nice contrast between the smooth ice cream and the icy crunch of sorbet, but it won’t be for everyone. A crunchy element would have livened things up — maybe a shortbread or vanilla sugar cookie? — but it’s refreshing enough for warmer days. 7.3/10

Malted Black & White: This one feels more like a checkbox next to chocolate rather than an innovative addition to a spring collection. I guess after putting together a quartet of labor-intensive pints with innovative baked goods, the staff needed a breather. Unfortunately, that well-deserved break shows up at our doorstep as Malted Black & White, which is just a fancy way of saying vanilla and chocolate. Is it bad? No, just disappointing. This vanilla is a bit different from their standard vanilla used in the Creamsicle flavor. And you can taste a bit of the promised malt. That’s something. Instead of going with their dark chocolate from the Classics Pack they used a milk chocolate with a little salt. Both bases would be pretty boring alone. They are slightly less boring together. Some kind of mix-in — even malt balls — would have helped. 6.7/10

Jeni’s is known for their whimsical, frozen takes on treats outside of the ice cream world. For their first round of spring flavors in March, they reimagined a trio of restaurant desserts: tiramisu, key lime pie and Basque cheesecake. For their April follow-up, they have tackled one of the most popular items in your supermarket’s bakery: the Frosted Sugar Cookie. While Jeni’s sometimes misses the mark on these interpretations — Gooey Butter Cake, while delicious in its own right, does not really resemble its inspiration — this one does not. In fact, this pint not only captures the joyous, sugary spirit of that cookie but improves it. 

Along with this brand-new flavor — which you can find at Whole Foods as part of its ice cream freezer refresh last month — Jeni’s has rereleased two spring favorites in Lemon & Blueberries Parfait and Sweet Cream Biscuits & Peach Jam. I think all three are worth trying, depending on whether you want sweet (sugar cookie), tart (parfait) or something in between that’s also a little salty (biscuits). Let's take a look at the spring trio (and if you want to dive even deeper, click the scores for the full reviews).

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Frosted Sugar Cookie

They don’t use the cookie brand’s name, but we know the one: Lofthouse (even if it’s just the store’s copycat version). Jeni’s usually uses an egg-free base, with tapioca syrup, starches and milk solids providing the stability. But I love when she goes for a custard. We get one here, and it’s flavored to resemble a sugar cookie with notes of butter and vanilla. The richer texture nods to the thicker-than-average sugar cookie. Jeni’s baked mix-ins sometimes get mushy, but here the cakey cookie pieces are just right to give that soft bite. And without a floury aftertaste. But what really elevates this pint are lovely pink cream cheese frosting swirls. Most ice cream brands have no clue how to use cream cheese. Jeni’s does. The one thing I miss is the sprinkles that I always remember on those cookies. If she transported the ones used in the Buttercream Birthday Cake here, it would complete the cookie to perfection. 

Speaking of that flavor, what would a new Jeni’s release be without widespread disagreement online? Many felt Frosted Sugar Cookie was coming for Buttercream Birthday Cake’s crown and felt the immediate urge to put them in competition, as if we couldn’t have two ice creams inspired by the simple pleasures of a Walmart bakery. After seeing quite a few comments that the new flavor is boring, I tempered my expectations. So I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it, as I imagined this cracking my Jeni’s Top 10 right out of the gate. I think Sugar Cookie and Birthday Cake can live side by side in the grocery freezer in harmony, but if I had to choose sides I’m going for the cookie. 9/10

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Lemon & Blueberries Parfait

This flavor is based on founder Jeni Britton’s early days. Back in ’96, when she ran a stand at a farmers market in Columbus, Ohio, she offered a signature Lemon Buttermilk Frozen Yogurt and would often walk around the market in search of whatever berries seemed appealing. So it’s not surprising this homage to her formative years focuses on that zesty lemon foremost. Today it’s technically an ice cream, but it still has the soul of a frozen yogurt, with a bit of an elevated sherbet vibe, too. It’s a hybrid treat with a memorable texture. Jeni’s website calls it “almost chewy texture and beyond tart tang.” That’s thanks to both the choice of dairy — fresh cultured buttermilk and yogurt — and the choice of fruit. After years of impromptu berry whimsy, Jeni’s has settled on the perfect partner for its lemon with a sweet-tart blueberry sauce. 

Many of Jeni’s flavors have that bright edge that Britton likes. Sometimes it’s too much for me, sometimes not. This one toes the line. It’s tasty and refreshing for a few bites, but I don’t think I could eat a full scoop. While we do get some of the aromatic essence (listed as lemon oil), I’d have appreciated a heavier hit from the fruity zest to go along with the bright acidity of the juice. As far as the name goes, parfait does seem to promise more than a marbled pint. I’d have preferred a mix-in (something like the shortbread crust pieces from the Lemon Bar flavor) but you could complete the parfait vibe at home by sprinkling on some almonds or granola. 6.8/10

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Sweet Cream Biscuits & Peach Jam

I snagged this one on clearance back in January, but it’s now returning to stores. File it under oddly enjoyable. I have seen people online rave over it, and others call it trash. It has a love-it-or-hate-it vibe, and I can see why. The first time I tried this last summer it wasn't the peach ice cream I was looking for. The one I craved was sweet and fruit-forward. That's why it's sometimes important to come to a flavor for what it's offering and not what you want it to be. The second time around I really got the flavor. Jeni's is going for more of a sweet-and-savory Sunday brunch vibe (this would have been perfect for Mother’s Day). Specifically, buttermilk biscuits piled high with whipped cream and swirls of sweet-tart peach jam. 

My favorite part is the jam, even if I'd prefer more sweet, less tart. And I want more, but it's punchy and casts a large spell. The buttermilk base is dense and creamy, though I wish I could get a bit more of that tang. The mix-ins are a bit small, but they're advertised as crumbled biscuit, so that concept does come through. Despite my grumbles, it somehow works well together — when you have all three elements on the spoon it's an equal partnership of sweet, tart and salty. I'd love a seasonal peach from Jeni's that's fruitier, but in the meantime this one does enough to satisfy my stone fruit craving. 8.1/10

After 10 weeks, the buzz is starting to wear off. I’m wrapping up my ice cream journey that saw me taste dozens of coffee flavors, reconnecting with some old favorites like Haagen-Dazs and Graeter’s and discovering new standouts from McConnell’s, Snoqualmie and others. We’ve looked at various premiums, regional brands, store brands, some that were close to home for me in the Northwest. Today, I’m ending Coffee Talk on a handful of brands farther from home — those that through the magic of the modern world and dry ice I’m able to ship cross-country to my door. For way too much money, I can enjoy legendary regional brands like Bassett’s and Leopold’s and newer trend-setters such as Sloan’s and Bona Bona. When I order a brand for the first time, of course I go for signature flavors or things that seem more unusual. But I also look for a coffee option — it’s the standard flavor I like to use to help assess an ice cream maker. 

In today’s roundup I have four brands that I’ve tried over the past year (some I reviewed already months back, and some were tasted before I started this series), plus one that I tasted just this past week. I figured Cookie Dough Mudslide — from Caffe Panna’s new Spring Forward collection — would be the perfect coffee flavor to end on, as the inclusion of Oreos and cookie dough set the stage for my next fun project. Over the summer, I’m planning to explore the wider world of cookie-related ice creams. That could be cookie dough, cookies & cream or other baked cookies. While I will use a looser format rather than a weekly recap, keep an eye out if you’re a fan of baked goods in your ice cream.

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Caffe Panna, Cookie Dough Mudslide + I Love You a Latte

Looking at the Spring Forward pack online, the Cookie Dough Mudslide felt like the No. 1 draft pick. The winning trio of cookie dough, Oreo brittle and fudge also propelled Bob’s Dream to clear victory in the Valentine’s pack, the previous collection I shipped from Caffe Panna. Oddly, this is a case where it ends up being the third or fourth best player on this particular team. That’s no slight. This still ranks fairly highly, but some of those other flavors really surprised (I’ll have reviews of those over the next week if you’re curious). This also just can’t help but pale a bit in comparison to Bob’s Dream, the best flavor I’ve tried from the buzzy New York brand known for Italian-meets-American ice cream in Instagram-ready flavor combinations. A more mellow but still delicious peanut butter base there allowed each element in a crowded pint to shine: the silky, bittersweet fudge sauce, the innovative caramelized Oreo brittle, and the best-in-the-business cookie dough. Here that trio must contend with a heavy-hitter base that has serious main character syndrome.

This is a dark, slightly bitter coffee coming in on a rich base. It left me wondering how this might have played with the ice cream that I tried in the coffee flavor from the Valentine’s pack, I Love You Latte. In my review, I noted that the milky, milder coffee was tasty but could use another mix-in to pair with the espresso caramel. I think it could have found those mix-ins here. Yet I judge by the pint I’m given, not the one I really want. And despite the darker coffee punch — courtesy of a dark-roasted espresso blend from long-standing NYC partner Joe Coffee Company — this works well. After all, the goal here is a mudslide. That name promises a dark, decadent experience and you get that with the messy mocha collusion that happens when the coffee bases starts soaking in the fudge sauce and the Oreo brittle. They sacrifice themselves to the overall anarchic mudslide experience. Luckily, nothing can hide that special cookie dough, which can feel like boulders compared with the tiny pellets you might be accustomed to. They are so salty and satisfying in taste and texture.

If you get a special pack from Caffe Panna, a coffee flavor is optional, but the cookie dough is not. But if you end up opting for the classics collection instead, you not only get the Oreo brittle in its own showcase (Caffe ’n Panna) but also their standard coffee offering, which I have yet to try. Caffe Bianco Stracciatella is described as “Joe Coffee beans cold-steeped in sweet cream, resulting in a bright white coffee flavor with layers of fruity Amano Chocolate shards.” That sounds like a bright solo while Bob’s Dream played as a harmonious quartet. This Cookie Dough Mudslide, by contrast, is like a chaotic jam band at a rainy musical festival — just get lost in the mud and enjoy it.

I Love You Latte • Coffee level: 5; overall score: 7.7/10
Cookie Dough Mudslide • Coffee level: 8; overall score: 8.5/10

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Sloan’s, Coffee & Doughnuts

With a global reach from its home base in Florida’s West Palm Beach to Vegas and the Mideast, Sloan’s is known for the Instragram-ready pink walls of its scoop shops, lit by candy-colored chandeliers and drenched in shades of bubble gum. Sloan’s also brings a maximalist energy to its super premium ice cream flavors brimming with name-brand candy and other treats (I did a roundup of flavors earlier). This flavor is fairly simple in comparison, but has some star power. Instead of generic dough pieces — a sin in the otherwise great Powdered Jelly Donut from Jeni’s — Sloan’s turns to Krispy Kreme, a doughnut shop I remember drawing crowds from hundreds of miles around amid deafening buzz when it hit SoCal 25 years ago. I didn’t try one of their Original Glazed Doughnuts till years later, but it provided delicious simplicity and this pint does, too.

Here, Sloan’s audacity comes not from an extravaganza of inclusions, but the gamble to go big with just one: Huge chunks of those Krispy Kremes. While most brands would opt for cake-style baked bits that often disappear into the base, these fried yeast chunks surprisingly maintain their spongy integrity, and flavor. If I hadn’t read the description, I’d know they were Krispy Kremes. The coffee base is a pleasant, mid-intensity French Roast that meshes well with the glaze. The problem comes with a slightly oily aftertaste. Did a bit of the fryer grease that transformed the yeast batter into an airy delight sweat into the frozen dairy? This is a pairing that feels like a cop’s dairy fever dream, but could leave some who are sensitive to greasiness reaching for the Pepto Bismol.

Coffee level: 6; overall quality: 7.2/10

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Bona Bona, Coffee with Caramel Turtles

I wrote a taste test on this brand earlier in the year. This New York brand’s gimmick is to use toasted meringue on top of each pint. Think of it as a tastier version of Ben & Jerry’s sundae. However, that campfire marshmallow vibe goes better with some flavors than others — adding to a peanut butter fudge but not as much as with something like animal cracker. It felt neutral here, neither adding much or detracting, other than you get less ice cream, and I know that’s a deal-breaker for some. The ice cream is good, too — a hybrid between American-style ice cream and gelato (and not surprisingly this brand does well with Italian American flavors like cannoli and rainbow cookie).

Due to a bit more air, it’s fluffier than your standard dense gelato. This flavor is made with an espresso concentrate, and it comes off a bit stronger than the mid-level coffees I gravitate toward. While it doesn’t hit the buzz levels of Trader Joe’s Coffee Bean Blast, it reminded me a bit of that one. It’s pretty good overall. My main complaint is the caramel turtles. They could have really elevated this one, but were far too sparse.

Coffee level: 8; overall quality: 7.7/10

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Bassett’s, Coffee Fudge Truffle

Until about five years ago, this one used to be called Guatemalan Ripple to pay tribute to the source of its Central American coffee beans. But I understand why they decided to refocus on those truffles. They are really something special that makes this flavor stand out in the crowded coffee field. While these ones feature a coffee filling, they use a similar fruit-filled chocolate for Raspberry Truffle. Those two proved to be highlights when I ordered last year from this iconic Philadelphia brand (established in 1861, it’s America’s oldest ice cream company).

Like you’d expect, they use a Philadelphia-style ice cream, which means no eggs. While I prefer the custardy nature of a French style, this one was solid — and fairly dense, using 16.5% butterfat (it’s classified as super premium). While they use stabilizers, which aids their national shipping, you don’t feel it in the ice cream. That Guatemalan coffee has a nice platform to shine, but it’s the other elements here— those coffee truffles and a gooey mocha ripple infused with dried coffee that weaves throughout — that make this a tasty, three-pronged coffee attack.

Coffee level: 7; overall quality: 8.6/10

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Leopold’s, Coffee Chocolate Chip

Like Bassett’s, Leopold’s has a proud tradition, dating back to 1919 in Savannah, we get to enjoy thanks to modern shipping. While Bassett’s exemplifies Philadelphia style, Leopold’s clings to the old French Pot ways. As far as texture goes, it’s about even. Bassett’s has the butterfat (this is 14% in comparison), Leopold’s has the egg yolks. Neither is top tier compared with some premium heavy-hitters (like Graeter’s, another French Pot classic).

But what makes these two fun to try is their nostalgic approach to flavors. I enjoyed some of my Leopold’s haul so much — Rum Bisque, Tutti Frutti, Lemon Custard, Butter Pecan, flavors with decades of history — that this coffee offering felt sort of pedestrian in comparison. It’s a safe choice for a coffee chip — mid-roast coffee flavor (from a proprietary blend), average chocolate chips (with a firm snap), but not much wow factor compared to the others. This was the rare case where the coffee in a six-pack proved my least favorite. That said, there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s a reliable flavor, but not one that needs to travel a continent.

Coffee level: 6; overall quality: 6.1/10

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COFFEE TALK
Follow along each week as I explore the wide world of coffee ice creams.

WEEK 1 • Graeter’s
WEEK 2 • Jeni’s
WEEK 3 • Haagen-Dazs
WEEK 4 • Talenti
WEEK 5 • Ben & Jerry’s
WEEK 6 • McConnell’s
WEEK 7  • Northwest coffee roundup
WEEK 8 • Grocery store pints
WEEK 9 • Store brands
WEEK 10 • Online artisan brands

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Artisan & Boutique Coffee Flavors: At a Glance

• Bassett’s Coffee Fudge Truffle
  • Coffee Level: 7 • Overall Score: 8.6 / 10
  • Final Word: A super-premium triple threat; coffee-filled truffles are the star.
• Caffe Panna Cookie Dough Mudslide
  • Coffee Level: 8 • Overall Score: 8.5 / 10
  • Final Word: A chaotic pint where everything melts into the tasty mocha mud.
• Caffe Panna I Love You A Latte
  • Coffee Level: 5 • Overall Score: 7.7 / 10
  • Final Word: Tasty, milky nostalgia that could have used more mix-ins.
• Bona Bona Coffee w/ Caramel Turtles
  • Coffee Level: 8 • Overall Score: 7.7 / 10
  • Final Word: Nice, strong coffee, but needs more turtles to find its balance.
• Sloan’s Coffee & Doughnuts
  • Coffee Level: 6 • Overall Score: 7.2 / 10
  • Final Word: Bold inclusion of real Krispy Kremes, with a slightly greasy finish.
• Leopold’s Coffee Chocolate Chip
  • Coffee Level: 6 • Overall Score: 6.1 / 10
  • Final Word: A reliable, if not memorable, middle-of-the-road coffee flavor.

Van Leeuwen Review 2: This beautiful pink-hued pint from Van Leeuwen feels like a strawberry ice cream designed by Coco Chanel. The French designer known for simplicity famously said, "Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.” In that vein, this feels as if someone gazed upon Haagen-Dazs’ iconic strawberry and decided the frozen berry pieces studded throughout were just too much — a superfluous accessory. While H-D keeps its ice cream fresh and clean with a five-ingredient ethos, the Van Leeuwen pint seems austere in comparison despite two more ingredients (just a bit of salt and beet juice for color). There’s not a speck of berry in sight here, just creamy minimalism.

What I liked: Let’s start with the inviting pink. You eat with your eyes first, but luckily you eat with your tongue second because the berry base tastes as good as it looks. This, like H-D and many other premium ice cream makers, uses Oregon strawberries. Unlike the California berries grown big and durable for grocery stores, the berries of the Willamette Valley feel tailor-made for their frozen destiny — intensely sweet and fragile, nearly impossible to ship fresh. The berries, described as a European varietal, come from Stahlbush Island Farms in Corvallis. They have a higher natural acidity, which helps cut through heavy fat. And VL is bringing the fat. They use about twice the standard amount of egg yolks in their French custards, and VL also has more butterfat than H-D (17-19% vs. 14-16%). That said, V-L usually eats lighter than H-D due to one of the biggest factors in determining quality of texture — overrun. While H-D is very low at 20-25% added air, V-L generally opts for 35-40% air. I’m wondering if they went a bit lower on this one, or perhaps it feels more dense than other V-L flavors due to the lack of mix-ins here? Whatever the case, this eats very lush and creamy.

What could be better: It’s a little boring. That’s the other side of minimalism. One person’s impeccable simplicity is another person’s snooze. And while this is a very nice strawberry flavor, it doesn’t pop as much compared with some amazing ones I tried for this series. Perhaps this would have rated higher had I tried it first instead of after top-notch flavors from Graeter’s, Straus Family Creamery and Trader Joe’s for this series. It’s laudable that we have a perfectly smooth blended berry ice cream available in a premium pint, but I couldn’t help but wonder what Van Leeuwen — who usually does well with mix-ins — might have changed here. Actually, I don’t have to wonder too much — they sometimes use this berry base in seasonal and limited pints. Recently, it’s featured in the Strawberry Matcha flavor and their Dr. Seuss collaboration, swirled with white chocolate and accented with chocolate chips for Double Trouble Berry Thing. Surely Ms. Chanel would not have approved of that colorful chaos. I thought it was decent, but they could probably do better with a classic swirl-and-chunk format — maybe their fudgy brownie bits and a deeper mixed berry swirl. 

Home mix-in ideas: This might be the perfect strawberry to dress up at home: I’d do shortbread or butter cookies, fresh strawberries or a homemade berry topping, maybe some kind of chocolate mix-in, from chips to (my favorite) mini peanut butter cups. But here are some more ideas: Chopped pistachios? Graham cracker pieces? Crushed pretzels? If you must get Salt & Straw, how about some balsamic and black pepper? 

How it compares: Coming back to the Haagen-Dazs comparison, it’s more than just aesthetics. While Van Leeuwen is higher in fat, H-D uses more sugar, quite a bit more. It’s not just whether you prefer creamy vs. sweet, though that’s part of it. There’s some science here. While the high fat can mask flavor, sugar is a flavor enhancer. So in the H-D Strawberry, that extra sugar puts a spotlight on the berries, making them brighter and fruitier like a high-quality jam. In VL, we have multiple factors — the extra eggs and butterfat, the lower sugar content, the hint of acidity, a bit of salt — all make this lean slightly savory like a foodie’s strawberry ice cream to serve with a cheese board for dessert. If you are looking for a less-sweet fruit flavor, pick this one up.

Possible pairing: Buttermilk Berry Cornbread. This pairing could give you a bit of a deconstructed Southern berry shortcake vibe. 

Final thought: In the Haagen-Dazs pint, the berries really sing sweet and loud. In Van Leeuwen’s, they share the spotlight with heavy cream. But for the right occasion, it’s a duet that works.

Score: 8.3/10

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SPRING STRAWBERRIES

Part 1: McConnell’s Strawberries & Shortbread Cookies (4.8/10)
Part 2: Straus Strawberry (9.3/10)
Part 3: Graeter's Strawberry Chip (9.8/10)
Part 4: Trader Joe's Strawberry (9/10)
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PINT SNAPSHOT: Van Leeuwen Strawberry

>The Look: The perfect pink hue from berries and a bit of beet juice  
The Facts: 397g • ~18% Butterfat • 730 Calories (280 per 2/3 cup)
The Feel: A dense French custard with high butterfat and double the egg yolks
The Theme: Delicate European varietal by way of Oregon, blended simply with cream
The Flavor: The berry is nice, but a bit muted by fat and lower sugar; a bit of acidity and salt have this one leaning almost savory — a foodie’s strawberry ice cream
The Verdict: A minimalist strawberry ice cream for those who want creamy simplicity or a fruity canvas for home mix-ins
The Score: 8.3/10

Some ice creams are better than they have any right to be. The coffee flavor from Kroger’s Private Selection fits that bill. On the flip side, some ice creams are a lot worse than you’d expect. The Java Chip from Safeway’s usually reliable Signature Select was an unpleasant surprise. Welcome to the world of store-brand ice creams, where the quality can range from the equivalent of frozen dairy dessert up to premium pints. Today in Coffee Talk, our sweet spectrum runs from pleasant pints and dense delights to a dark-roast curveball and an all-nighter caffeine fix.

As far as the average store brand goes, it feels somewhere right above stabilized economy foam in a “just meets the legal definition of ice cream” way. If you need a big tub of something sweet and cold for a few bucks, they can hit the spot. That’s not my jam. I’d rather pay a little more for less (quantity) and get more (quality). Luckily, store brands want to capitalize on consumers like me, too, so many offer a more upscale option in pints to go along with their cheaper, higher-air tubs (and Trader Joe’s keeps it interesting with the quart format). Think of Kroger Deluxe and Private Selection or Walmart’s basic Great Value and more bougie Bettergoods. Sometimes the difference is just the vessel: Whole Foods’ 365 pints will likely serve you better than the 48-ounce vessels if you prefer a higher-quality option (some flavors for each are organic and some aren’t, for what it’s worth).

Side note: Can we talk about the personality-free branding of some of these store brands for a minute? At least Walmart goes with some truth in advertising (Good Value would be a little more truthful), but Signature Select, Private Selection and Specially Selected (alas, I can't buy Aldi, but I can poke fun of its marketing)? They all sound nondescript but fancy — an executive-approved beige that presents the mystique of exclusivity when I don't even need a rewards card to shop in their freezer aisles. And they come in these dark, brooding containers that aim for sophistication but come off funereal. Private Selection's presentation feels more like a casket for calories than a celebration of the sweet life. At least Target's Favorite Day dares to have some fun with bright packaging (if only the had as much fun crafting high-quality ice cream, but I digress). Oh, and Kroger Deluxe is ironic, right? Anyway ....

With all that in mind, there were plenty more store brand ice creams in 1.5-quart containers I could have tasted for this series, but my freezer and stomach space wouldn’t allow it. You usually know what to expect there with a fairly mellow but acceptable coffee flavor and a fluffier base. I made an exception for one that promised to be something different, and it certainly was. I’m talking about that Safeway Java Chip. That one is the aforementioned dark-roast curveball that goes to show store brands occasionally take an unexpected risk. This one didn’t pay off to me, but might for others. And for those who just want the biggest caffeine fix of them all, we’ll be discussing Trader Joe’s Coffee Bean Blast.

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Private Selection, Coffee (Kroger)
The thing that stands out most here is the rich, dense, velvety texture. But make sure you buy the pint. The 48-ounce tub version gives you more ice cream, true, but from what I have read online you also get more air to go along with it. That’s a concession to economics you don’t need to make as the price on Kroger pints isn’t a huge ask, especially as they often go on sale. I always buy pint over tub when available so I have not compared the texture, but I’d love to hear from anyone who has. This texture truly is among the best in this series, even compared to more expensive brands. It’s a Philadelphia style, but there’s a trifecta at work with low air, high butterfat and just the right use of gums. They take it to the line. Any more and it might feel rubbery or stretchy. Note that if you're not a fan of stabilizers, this isn't the brand for you — compared with H-D and other clean brands, this is a triumph of science, not nature. What’s curious is it seems different from other Private Selection flavors I’ve tried like New York Style Strawberry Cheesecake, Amaretto Cherry Cordial and Wedding Cake. It’s like they were specifically looking at the numbers Häagen-Dazs’ basic coffee was pulling and thought let’s take our own run at it. And that texture is on par with H-D. How about the flavor? Not quite, but good. By using a liquid coffee concentrate rather than grounds or instant powder, Private Selection keeps the texture smooth while getting that rich brewed flavor. I first tried this one a couple of years back after seeing a YouTube coffee ice cream taste test in which a barista and coffee expert picked it best among a bunch of other ice creams, including many in this series. On that first tasting, I liked it quite a bit, too, but not as much as our barista in handing it top honors. After tasting many coffee ice creams since then, I feel about the same. It goes to show we all have different preferences when there are so many diverse coffee flavor profiles — both in the cup and in the pint. Kroger doesn’t specify bean origin, but this is a middle-of-the-road roast—dark enough to be bolder than average, but sweet enough to ward off any burnt and bitter notes. While it’s close, this one overall doesn’t quite reach the elite 9+ company of some of my favorite coffee ice creams in this series. On texture alone, it’s up there close to the top and definitely worth a third visit at some point. Speaking of tubs, Kroger Deluxe — Kroger’s standard ice cream line — offers the larger-format Cookies N’ Cream Latte: I didn’t try this one, but a mix of vanilla and coffee ice creams with Oreos seems like a fun mash-up. Coffee level: 7; overall score: 8.9/10 

Signature Select, Java Chip (Safeway)
Most of the brands that have ranked low in this series — and not many have as I like a range of coffee ice creams — had serious textural flaws or were so bland it was hard to taste the coffee. The texture here isn’t awful, at least in comparison to other store-brand bases that are low butterfat and high overrun. I can really taste the coffee here, too. That’s the problem. It’s burnt and bitter on my palate, similar to the toffee in Ben & Jerry’s Toffee Bar Crunch. It appears to be a polarizing flavor online, too, as some enjoy the sharp, smoky flavor of the dark, heavily roasted beans. The dark chocolate chips add to that overall effect. While I enjoy a good coffee level, I still lean toward milky and sweet and this one is a world away. It is notable for a store brand, which usually aims for a crowd-pleasing middle, to take such an aggressive approach. I saw someone compare it online to eating burnt popcorn, and I definitely get that vibe. I had to give up pretty quickly. But if you like a strong black coffee, this might be the one for you. They have a second offering that I didn’t try, and I imagine is a lot more mild — a reduced fat Mocha Almond Fudge that’s part of their light, slow-churned line. Coffee level: 8; overall score: 3.9/10

365, Coffee Chip (Whole Foods Market)
If you’re looking for an affordable organic ice cream, this one is very pleasant. There’s nothing particularly unusual or memorable about it, but it’s an easy-eating pint with a good, medium roast coffee flavor. The chips are irregular “chocolatey” chunks, meaning they have coconut oil (a style I enjoy because it makes them soft and chewy). The texture, too, is a nice middle ground. It’s not a dense premium style made with eggs. While it has some gums, it’s not too airy, just fairly light and creamy, so it goes down quickly without much complaint. Whole Foods’ 365 also offers a tub version of plain old coffee, though it’s not organic if that’s a concern. I imagine it’s also closer to taste and texture to a standard store-brand coffee, so export more air. Coffee level: 6 overall quality: 7.8/10

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The Cold Brew Archives
While I couldn’t taste these flavors anew for this series, they are worth mentioning …

Trader Joe’s, Coffee Bean Blast
For those java junkies who want the biggest punch imaginable with their coffee, they tend to worship at the altar of this caffeinated ice cream god. For my money, Trader Joe’s offers the strongest coffee widely available. I haven’t tried it in a few years and when I went looking for a quart a couple of weeks back, they were sold out (I got a delicious strawberry pint instead). That’s no doubt testimony to the flavor’s continuing popularity. I’m not sure when I first tried this one, but feels like 30 years ago. Over multiple decades, I’ve tried it at least a dozen times and it never seems to change. I don’t think it could change, due to its legion of fans. Unpopular opinion: I think it would be better if they did revamp it and made it all coffee — no bean blast. But I know that’s blasphemy to many who crave that dual intensity of the coffee action here: brewed Colombian coffee is mixed into the base, which is then studded with bits of finely ground French Roast Colombian beans. For me, it’s all a bit too much. The strongest coffee for me isn’t necessarily the best. I obviously can enjoy it once in a while, but it’s something I’d buy when I shopped regularly at Trader Joe’s, get a vivid reminder of how strong it is, then wait a couple more years to learn the same lesson. Removing the grounds would not only dial down the flavor intensity to a more enjoyable level, but make for a very smooth texture. Because this is a lovely French-style custard, high butterfat, low air, just the way I like them. Rumor has it this is made for Trader Joe’s by the San Francisco brand Double Rainbow, which offers a couple interesting coffee flavors of its own online. It’s a brand I hope to try at some point, but if they do make Coffee Bean Blast I have to hand it to them for decades of helping college kids with sweet tooths stay up all hours studying. Coffee level: 10; overall quality: 7/10

Bettergoods, Cold Brew Coffee
Like the Private Selection flavor, this felt like a big player in the grocery biz looking at how popular Häagen-Dazs’ coffee was and wanting to do their own version as part of their upscale line. And they do a good job. Just not as good as P-S. The flavor isn’t quite there, the texture isn’t nearly as good but it’s better than your average store brand. Bettergoods uses Colombian coffee. When I was looking that up, I learned this pint is actually made for them by Turkey Hill, known for its own highly regarded mainstream tub using Colombian coffee. That’s one of the most highly recommended flavors I have seen in comments on Coffee Talk posts, though sadly I couldn’t get it here. So is this really more of a Turkey Hill dupe than H-D? Someone who has tried it should fill us in. Because Walmart is fairly far out in the suburbs, I can only get there once or twice a year when I hitch a ride (my main transit to most ice cream is my feet). I did get a chance to try a handful of the Bettergoods pints last summer. My favorite was probably the pistachio salted caramel, but this might have been the runner-up. It’s not something I would go out of my way to get again, but my sister and I found it fairly enjoyable in our mini Bettergoods taste test (their chocolate came in last, the cherry and strawberry flavors in the middle). Since this is made with cold brew it’s a smooth, slow-steeped flavor that’s not overly aggressive or acidic. I found some brands with high fat and egg yolk content didn’t have enough flavor. This one did an OK job, either by concentrating that cold brew or just having a lower fat profile to hide behind. Coffee level: 6; overall quality: 6.2 /10

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COFFEE TALK
Follow along each week as I explore the wide world of coffee ice creams.

WEEK 1 | Graeter’s
WEEK 2 | Jeni’s
WEEK 3 | Häagen-Dazs
WEEK 4 | Talenti
WEEK 5 | Ben & Jerry’s
WEEK 6 | McConnell’s
WEEK 7 | Northwest coffee roundup
WEEK 8 | Grocery store pints
WEEK 9 | Store brands

Coming up:
WEEK 10 | Artisan brands: Coffee flavors from boutique shops or online stores.

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☕ Store-brand coffee flavors: At a glance

Brand & Flavor	Coffee Level	Overall Score	The Final Word
Private Selection Coffee (Kroger)	7	8.9 / 10	The flavor is good, but it's the dense, rich texture I'll remember most.
365 Coffee Chip (Whole Foods)	6	7.8 / 10	A reliable, pleasant organic option with nice "chocolatey" chunks.
Trader Joe’s Coffee Bean Blast	10	7 / 10	The heavyweight champ of coffee intensity (that's good and bad).
Bettergoods Cold Brew Coffee (Walmart)	6	6.2 / 10	An elevated budget pick, but nothing too memorable.
Signature Select Java Chip (Safeway)	8	3.9 / 10	Polarizing curveball that's too burnt and bitter for me.