First Ever Free Cone Day! - Ben & Jerry's

April 3, 2012
Ben & Jerry's, Philadelphia PA
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Blueberry Vanilla Graham Greek Frozen Yogurt
Sweet Cream & Cookies Ice Cream
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Before today, I was aware that Ben & Jerry's is quite a popular ice cream brand. I just never had the chance to try it since I'm not the kind to buy one scoop of ice cream at an ice cream shop. So I got really excited last week as I walked by Ben & Jerry's on campus and saw the poster for Free Cone Day. Finally, I get to try all their exotic flavours!

I decided since it was only one scoop at a time, I could go twice. It was such a nice, sunny day today - the perfect weather for ice cream in April. I was planning on getting their Mango Sorbet but they did not have that in the store on campus. Therefore, during lunch break, I got the new Blueberry Vanilla Graham Greek Frozen Yogurt. I was not disappointed - at all.

I have always been a fan of frozen yogurt but I need the yogurt to have a creaminess to it as well as be sweet enough to taste more like ice cream rather than acidic yogurt. This cup of purple and white blend with that sprinkle of brown was so good! The blueberry gave it a nice, fresh taste. It was light yet creamy and smooth. The sweetness was just right, not at all overwhelming. The graham cracker swirls provided a nice contrast to the yogurt. The texture was lovely. This was definitely one of the best frozen yogurts I have had. One cup was just not enough.

In the evening, I went back for a cone. This time, the line was much longer, which may be why the scoops were so large. The employees were definitely rushing but no one complained about the size, that's for sure! I decided to go with the Sweet Cream & Cookies Ice Cream this time. I chose this over Banana Peanut Butter Greek Frozen Yogurt because the ice cream was a 'scoop shop only' flavour and I was feeling up to something extra creamy with a touch of chocolate.

For a cookies and cream ice cream, it was decent. In general, this is one of my favourite ice cream flavours. However, I do not think Ben & Jerry's ice cream is distinct in any way. The best I have had of this flavour is still Häagen-Dazs' cookies and cream. The cookies were quite good. I prefer the slightly larger chunks so the texture becomes more distinct. I like that soft, slightly moist chocolate sandwich cookie. The sweet cream ice cream was more of a disappointment for me. It is still a good ice cream, just nothing special.

It was great to have a chance to sample some ice cream shop flavours. I think the fact that it was an international event is extremely cool. I wonder if there are any Ben & Jerry's back home? However, I am tempted to go to Cold Stone Creamery and Häagen-Dazs or other ice cream shops back home this summer and try the exotic offerings they may have. Maybe I'll start with Timothy's. I cannot wait for summer and froyos, that's for certain!