Best Ice Cream in the U.S. / Best Ice Cream in America / Ice Cream Statistics

Best Ice Cream in the U.S. 
Best Ice Cream in America

- REVISED: 5 Oct 2018, 23 July 2020


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The list below has 47 flavors we tested at a cost of over $18,000.

Below are the grades for the best brands of those 47 flavors sold with large region or national distribution - for Superpremium, Premium, and regular ice creams.

PLUS, statistics on best-selling flavors and best-selling brands (at the very end, below).

Note: We tested these flavors the only right way - SIDE BY SIDE - all brands TOGETHER in the same tests.

Introduction
Included in this test are Super Premiums (higher butterfat - 14-16% - and less air), Premium (12-14% butterfat), and regular ice cream (10-11% butterfat with much more air). Lower fat ice creams were not included. Some small creameries around the U.S. rate high as well, but do not have national distribution as all the ice creams on this list have. Gelato has less air, but less butterfat, and is served at a lower temperature, best eaten at the restaurant where it is served. Some are now sold in the frozen section of grocery stores, such as Talenti and a cheaper version of Haagen Dazs they call Gelato, simply because it has less butterfat. Note that Ben & Jerry's used to be superpremium but dropped their quality rating years ago. 

The only remaining nationally distributed superpremium ice creams we are aware of are Haagen Daz, Trader Joes (made by Double Rainbow), Graetor's, Maggie Moo & Marble Slab (same company, different flavors), Cold Stone, Baskin Robbins (some flavors), Blue Bell (which most call a "Premium," but it fits the def for "Superpremium," with same weight and fat as Baskin's) and Steve's (at Sprouts). The very best one of all, Stonyfield Farms, recently went off the market and now sells only other dairy products. 

Some great superpremiums are available only in the area where you live. Most states have one or two local superpremiums that are sold only in their states, in health food stores and sometimes in regular grocery stores. 

Some superpremiums you can get only by mailorder - such as Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream in Wisconsin - our favorite from a mailorder test we did years ago.

BTW, 1/3 of ice cream in the U.S. is sold in ice cream parlors, the rest in grocery stores. Also, 6.7% are distributed locally only and 66.7% regionally only (73.4% total, close to home). Most of the great brands - the superpremiums - are sold only locally. Only 16% of ice cream is sold nationally, and of them, only a handful are superpremiums, as listed above.

* Want to know the Top 9 selling brands? Go to the bottom of this long page of ratings, and you'll learn. Also see the top selling flavors.

Here's the list of flavors we graded BY BRAND NAME, with the actual grades further below. 
(This "table of contents" is in no particular order:)
1. Chocolate

2. Raspberry Chocolate
3. Chocolate plus Chunks
4.  Vanilla
5. Strawberry
6. Peach
7. Mint & Mint Chocolate Chip
8. Peanut Butter- Vanilla
9. Chocolate Peanut Butter
10. Maple Nut
11. Coconut
12. Banana
13. Lemon & Lime
14. Ginger
15. Watermelon
16. Passion Fruit
17. Mango
18. Orange 
19. Tropical Fruit 
20. Cinnemon
21. Ginger
22. Cherry
23. Black Cherry
24. Blackberry
25. Raspberry
26. Black Raspberry
27. Combined 5 berries  
28. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
29. Birthday Cake
30. Bubble Gum
31. Cotton Candy
32. Cake Batter
33. Cookies and Cream
34. Sweet Cream
35. Caramel & Dulche DeLeche
36. Amaretto
37. Cheesecake - plain flavor
38. Cheesecake - combination (with Plain, Oreo, Strawberry, and Raspberry)
39.  Praline
40. Butter Pecan
41. Black Walnut
42. Coffee
43. Avocado
44. Rocky Road, Burnt Almond Fudge
45. Pina Colada
46. Pistachio
47. Buttery Brown Sugar

Note: This $18,000 test originally took in the best super premium and premium ice creams flown in on dry ice from coast to coast and compared to each other, at our headquarters in Utah.

We were professional taste-testers, testing for a California investment bank that owned an ice cream co. Since then, on our own, we have kept up this fun and crazy hobby, flying in hundreds of more samples from dozens of different brands.

Further, we have sampled all brands of ice cream we found when traveling from coast to coast - but only if they were "super premium" ice creams (the best type available - higher in butter fat, with less air, than Premium).

The results shown below are of a more recent test - without the "small creameries" from around the U.S. (with the exception of one that is available in most cities if special ordered through a health food store - Stonyfield Organic - because they do have national distribution for another product they make, frozen yoghurt.) For ice cream it is #1 below.

Best Chocolate Ice Cream
rev. 30 Sep 2018

These brands were tested SIDE BY SIDE, and have been since 1992 about every two years, adding new brands as they were introduced to the marketplace.


Over 100 varieties and brands tested, most of them together for an accurate rating. 

3 most disappointing brands because of their changes:
1. Dreyer's/Edy's. Once a very good premium ice cream, it has dropped in quality and butterfat every few years for the past 20 years: from 11 grams of fat (per 1/2 cup serving), to 9, to 7. Also, they removed molasses, which gave it a nicer flavor, in the most recent change. Recently, it has dropped  from 20th to 37th.
2. Ben & Jerry's regular chocolate (now only in their scoop shops, but also used in a number of their other flavors such as Chocolate Fudge Brownie and Karma Sutra): their first nose dive from high quality began about 1992 when they sold to a major corp; the second came in the 2000's when they switched from their great cocoa (Bensdorp of Holland) to some fair trade source that lacks great flavor. At least it's still low in air and high in butterfat. It once was #1 for chocolate ice cream with national distribution but has dropped to 12th.

3. Breyer's uses a much worse cocoa and recipe than it did when it was great until it changed in the 1990's.

Biggest improvement: Blue Bunny, the ice cream giant of Iowa. In the late 90's it was near dead last on the list (at about 100th), and tasted like insect repellent. But it has jumped up to a B-, at 65th, a third of the way up the list.


A
1. Haagen Dazs (superpremium)- sold at most grocery stores  

2. Trader Joe's (probably Double Rainbow brand, but not organic version of DR)

3. Straus Dutch Chocolate (Whole Foods Market, Sprouts)

A- 
FITTING ABOUT HERE, BUT NOT TESTED WITH THESE OTHERS, IS HANDLE'S iCE CREAM chain's chocolate. 

4. Double Rainbow Organic (possibly can order at Whole Foods Markets)

5. McConnell's Dutch Chocolate 

6. McConnells's Dark Chocolate Paso Brittle CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

7. Baskin Robbins  World Class

A - -

8. Baskin Robbins regular (premium)

9. Ben & Jerry's Shake It (malted milk chocolate, light chocolate)

B+
10. New York Super Fudge Chunk. CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM. See note below about their chocolate ice cream base.  The advantage of this is the nuts added. The disadvantage is the hard candy pieces.

Note: All those above are "super premium" ice creams. Many below are, as well. However, among the following - Schwann's and Blue Bell - are the best two "premium" ice creams with national distribution we've found.

11. Ben & Jerry's regular chocolate (superpremium) - Their chocolate-only is sold only in B & J "scoop shops" currently, no longer in Utah (but you can get some if you dig it out of the New York Super Fudge Chunk available in grocery markets).  

(Per the note higher up this page: They were #1 for chocolate ice cream that had national distribution many years, but B & J has steadily gone downhill since about 1992. Even after cheapening it, they still remained #1 until the mid-2000s. One of the big reasons for their fall from the top spot is their changing their brand of cocoa. Through some detective work of sorts we learned their great cocoa they used for their first few decades was "Bensdorp" out of Holland. Then they got the current cheaper one in the mid-2000s, causing B & J to slip out of First Place.)

12. Marble Slab Swiss

13. Maggie Moo Dark Chocolate

14. Graetor's, sold at Smith's/Krogers. They have some better flavors than chocolate; overall they're very high quality, and have improved each of the last several times we tested it since 2014.

Note: This Cincinnati based company of a couple dozen parlors in the greater Cincanatti and northern Kentucky area has been distributed nationwide at Krogers/Smiths for several years now. It is a strange one to rate because it has a strong Swiss flavor - we guess they use Nestles commercial cocoa powder - which some rate in the B's and others in the C's. Black Raspberry Chip is their best flavor, and we've tried many, even flying in over a dozen flavors on dry ice before they obtained national distribution.  Overall we like the chocolate. 

15. Blue Bell Milk, currently not available in Utah. It was selling in Utah only at I Like Ike's scoop shop at the Riverwoods Mall in north Provo at the Provo Beach Resort, but no more. 
Note: A little background about them - they are an iconic brand out of Texas and famous through the South and Midwest. The company began in 1930 but sold ice cream under the company's original name beginning some time after 1910, having started in 1907 making butter. Blue Bell claims to be in 26% of the nation's super-markets. An independent source actually puts them as the number one seller in the country, after private labeling ice cream companies (such as those sold in grocery stores with their own store names). 

16. Blue Bell Dutch 

17. Haagen Dazs Rocky Road. CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM. Their reg choc is #1 above, but the nuts and marshmallows lowers the Road.

18. Baked Bear Dessert Parlors, western states 

19. Haagen Dazs Midnight cookies and cream, using their dark choc ice cream

B/B+

20. Baskin Robbins Rocky Road. CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

21. Baskin Robbins Chocolate Almond. CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

22. Baskin Robbins Chocolate Oreo. CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

(Note: Baskin Robbins Vanilla based ice cream with Oreos goes here. Since it is not chocolate-based ice cream, it receives no official ranking on this list.)

23. Baskin Robbins Fudge

DISCONTINUED FLAVOR, RATED HERE: Haagen Dazs dark chocolate chip gelato mousse. CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

24. Cia Bella Mascarpone Gelato. CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM  

25. Schwanns. Available only via home delivery. Light milk chocolate, has lasting power - folks don't get tired of it compared to most others above that taste stronger and richer. 

26. Humboldt


27. Baskin Robbins Chocolate Mousse 

28. Mora, a mostly western chain (rated below Baskin Robbins Mousse and above Villa Dolce, below, but not tested with many other brands below here.)

29. Villa Dolce Italiana Gelato, sold at Pizza Parlors nationally. Dark Chocolate.  ONLY TESTED WITH THOSE ABOVE and Dreyer's below:

OCCASIONALLY AVAILABLE:  Baskin Robbins Mississippi Mud. Unlike Ben & Jerry's they don't seem to permanently retire old flavors. CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

30. Tillamook regular Chocolate. (Note: their inferior chocolate ice cream, "Udderly Chocolate," with chunks, is available lately more often than regular, but rates further down the list below, as the chocolate flavor is not as good.) CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

31. Steve's Brooklyn Blackout 
Note: This Cincinnati based company of a couple dozen parlors in the greater Cincanatti and northern Kentucky area has been distributed nationwide at Krogers/Smiths for several years now. It is a strange one to rate because it has a strong Swiss flavor - we guess they used Nestles commercial cocoa powder - which some rate in the B's and others in the C's. Black Raspberry Chip is their best flavor, and we've tried many, even flying in over a dozen flavors on dry ice before they obtained national distribution.  Overall we like the chocolate.  (of Brooklyn, NY, was sold at Sprouts, but the ice cream brand was bought out by Dean Foods in Dallas and is being re-vitalized) 

     Note: A little history for you -  The original Steve's started in Boston in 1973, which sold to another owner in 1977 and another in 1983. In 1990 we first tested it as straight chocolate ice cream in Miami. That original Steve's went out of business in about 1998 after a 25 year run. But in 1980 the original owner of Steve's, Steve Herrell, began opening a few franchises of Herrell's in the Boston area, with the same flavors as the original company he had started and sold, and they are still in business today. [Why is this company important to bring up? This was the original co. to have mix-ins! And the idea was later cloned by Cold Stone and Marble Slab.] Unfortunately Herrell's is not sold in pre-packaged pints for grocery store distribution. Meanwhile, in 2009 the old Steve's brand name was bought by a former employee, and the company launched in 2011 with New York stores and packaged pints for national distribution, which is available at Sprouts and elsewhere. The new Steve's offers 15 creative flavors only, all different than the original Steve's company (Only Herrell's now has the original Steve's flavors.) The new Steve's has no basic flavors. This chocolate BKLN is the closest thing to a basic chocolate ice cream they have. That new owner, Dean Foods, took over summer of 2017.

32. Three Twins Bittersweet (at Whole Food Markets sometimes, and perhaps one can special order it) 

33. Three Twins Brownie Batter (ditto) CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

B
34. Ben & Jerry's Half Baked (tested with some above and below, but not all, so we estimate it fits here). CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

35. Turkey Hill All Natural 

36. Three Twins choc malt (at Whole Foods Markets sometimes, but if not in stock, can perhaps be ordered). CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

NO LONGER MADE: Dreyer's Frozen Custard Chocolate Malt

37. Dreyer's. Has slipped from #20 by 2018, per the note above. Its texture is also not as creamy as before.

38. Ben & Jerry's Tonight Dough (has caramel in it) - CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

39. Ben & Jerry's Everything But the . . . CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

40. Ben & Jerry's Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Core CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

41. Ben & Jerry's Karmal Sutra CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

42. Haagen Dazs Peanut Butter Chocolate. CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

43. Ben & Jerry's S'mores CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

44.  Ben & Jerry's Phish Food CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

45. Sprouts Rocky Road Ice Cream (not their gelato, down below)

46. 365 organic ice cream (at Whole Foods Markets) (their gelato is rated much farther below, as it has less butterfat)

47. 365 (Whole Foods Brand) regular ice cream

48. Jeni's Darkest Chocolate

49. Alden's Organic

50. Julie's Organic

51. Culver's Frozen Custard (at their burger shops)

52. Haagen Dazs Belgian Chocolate

53. NOT TESTED WITH OTHERS, BUT ESTIMATED TO GO HERE ON THE LIST: Maxine's organic from Three Twins

B-/B
53a. Yetti (possibly belongs below after Ben and Jerry's Choc Fudge Brownie)

53b. Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM  

54. Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Therapy CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

55. Ben & Jerry's Brownie Batter Core CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

56. Sprouts Gelato (low fat, which gelato is)

57. Schwann's Gelato (if still even made)

58. Figo (whole foods market)

59. Tillamook chocolate fudge brownies frozen custard CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

60. Chocolat (brand name) - Dominican

61. Tropical Dreams Fudge, Hawaii chain, perhaps still sold in California also 

NO LONGER SOLD: Ben & Jerry's Roasted and Toasted Dark Chocolate CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

62. Tillamook's Udderly Chocolate CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

63. Tropical Dreams Nutella. CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

B-
64. Meadow Gold 

65. Blue Bunny (used to be the worst ice cream in America in 1999, now is not bad, they've made improvements - maybe reading this website with its many hits yearly(!)

66. Breyers (most stores) (Used to be better than Dreyers, then went steadily down hill since 1992, when it was at its best. Never have we seen a brand change its chocolate ice cream so much over the past 25 years as Breyers.)

67. Hemisfares

68. Western Family (most stores in West)

69. Leatherby's (small chain in the West) 

70. Private Selection chocolate ganache (Smith's/Kroger's own upscale brand)

71. Simply Balanced - for low fat it's surprisingly decent tasting (at Target)


72. Cold Stone regular chocolate

73. Simply Organic (not tested with these others but fits about here)

C+ 
74. Freddy's Concrete (Frozen Custard)

75. Boulder Chocolate Pudding ice cream - at Whole Foods Market

76. Archer Farms (Target) - reg chocolate

77. Archer Farms - chocolate with brownies CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

78. Marble Slab Fudge (in fairness, this was tested at one of their shops gong out of business, and it didn't seem to taste as good as when we had tried it previously, as they may have been skimping on the ingredients or the process - therefore, it could rate higher than here).

79. Forte (at Whole Foods Markets)

80. Clemmy's (at Whole Foods Markets)

81. Sub Zero Milk choc (at their own shops)

82. Sub Zero dark fudge (not on menu, at their own shops)

C
The following 6 were tested separately from all the others on this list, but rated about here as C's: 

83. Turkey Hill (tested in 2015 but not with the others above) C-

84. Igor Frozen Custard. Sold at their shop in Layton, Utah. (tested in 2011)

85. Sunnyland (tested in 2011)

86. Deluxe (tested in 2011)

87. Country Rich. In stores. C (tested in 2011)

88. Blue Bell Triple chocolate. CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

89. Sam's Choice (at Walmart)

90. Agave Dream (at Whole Foods Markets)

91. Whole Foods Gelato - (Whole Foods Markets; note that their "365 Ice Cream" above is better)

92. Umpqua (at Winco)

93. Cold Stone dark truffle

94. Chocolat's Kalimantan - too dark for most folks

95. Chocolat's Ghana - too dark for most folks 

96. Marble Slab dark. As with their flavor above, this was tested at one of their shops gong out of business, and it didn't seem to taste as good as when we had tried it previously, as they may have been skimping on the ingredients or the process - therefore, it could rate higher than here.

97. Sam's Choice Chocolate Hazelnut

D 
98. ABOUT HERE, NOT TESTED WITH OTHERS ON THIS LIST: Red Button, Associated Food grocery store family 

99. Rita's gelato (at their own shops, using their original recipe of egg; before the recipe changed in late summer 2015 due to rising price of eggs; we haven't tested the egg-less version)

100. CoolHaus Molten Chocolate Cake (at Harmon's).- not tested with many on this list, but it rated C- and lands here or below by a bit.

101. Talenti Belgian Milk chocolate (better than their other chocolate flavors) - at most stores

102. Snoqualmie Mukilteo Mudd (at Winco)

103. Talenti Double Dark Choc

104. Talenti Fudge Brownie (at most stores)

105. Choctal Costa Rican - too dark for most 

106. Cold Stone choc cake batter 

107. BLVD (at Whole Foods Markets)

END OF LIST of Chocolate Ice Creams.

Note: Light ice creams are essentially diet ice creams - Dreyer's "Country churned" and others are similar. Few would rate any higher than a D.) One brand we tested was Halo Top Light. 

DISCONTINUED FLAVORS (of still-existing brands):
Haagen Dazs Dark Chocolate.This one seemed much better in 1991. C
Haagen Dazs "Five" chocolate B+
BYU Bronco Cocoa Bean D (note: their regular choc is good to very good)
Schwan's super premium pints - chocolate B+
GS Gelato Triple D
Sorano double chocolate gelato (made by Boulder) C
Turkey Hill All-Natural (their higher grade version commonly found in stores in the East) (tested in 2015 in the East, but not with the others above) B-

Brands and Flavors NO LONGER SOLD IN UTAH:
Maggie Moo - reg choc B+
Maggie Moo - dutch choc (grading slightly lower) B+
Maggie Moo - mallo C-
Marble Slab - Swiss Choc (very top of list of B+ category) B+
Marble Slab - Dark Choc (in middle of D category) D
Marble Slab - Fudge (near bottom of C- category) C-
Marble Slab - mallo C-

DISCONTINUED BRANDS:
Yummies frozen custard, Springville B
(Was #1 chocolate: Stonyfield Farms / Stonyfield Organic -"After Dark Chocolate" - - from New Hampshire - now only sold as frozen yoghurt - You may contact them at this address IF YOU WANT TO REQUEST IT TO COME BACK: http://www.stonyfield.com/contact-us)

Ice Cream Notes:

Years ago we tested all the non-Premium Ice Creams like those sold in national chain grocery stores such as Smiths/Kroger, (as well as in Utah's grocery stores - Macey's, Harmons, etc. made by third party manufacturers. None rated higher than C. These are usually the cheapest priced ice creams. The dead giveaway is if they don't list "milk and cream," on their ingredients list, but rather "non-fat milk and milk solids." Run from them!

We have tested every gelato place in northern Utah - over a dozen gelato bars, including Italian restaurants that serve it PLUS we have sampled every flavor at every place. For chocolate, none are as rich as super premium ice cream because they lack as much butter fat. Some of the flavors however are amazing.

Gelato is Italian Ice Cream with less butterfat to be considered ice cream, but low air, like super premium ice cream has, which makes it denser and heavier for the same amount of volume as regular and premium ice creams (in ice cream parlance, it's called "over-run" and is based on a semi-complex formula); however, super premium ice cream has much more fat.

Our favorite gelato bars - Spin Cafe, Heber City; Settebello Pizza, downtown SLC; Gloria's Little Italy, Provo, and Terra Mia's in the Orem University mall, outside near movie complex. Also Tropical Dream in SLC. There are other good ones as well. Most however are mostly mediocre, making their gelato from mixes.

Best Raspberry Chocolate Ice Cream
a. sub Zero B
b. Cold Stone B
c. Ben & Jerry's (Raspberry Core) B
d. Maggie Moo B-
e. Baskin Robins B-
f. Marble Slab D

Best Chocolate plus Chunks Ice Cream
1. Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk
2. Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie
3. Ben & Jerry's Cheesecake Fudge  
4. Ben Jerry's Fair Trade
5. Baskin Robbins Chocolate Almond
6. Baskin Robbins Rocky Road
7. Haagen Dazs Rocky Road
8. Colt Stone German Chocolate
9. Maggie Moo's Destinaton Dark Fresh Escape (almonds, strawberry, fudge)
10. Maggie Moo's Chocolate Banana
11.Maggie Moo's Red Velvet Fresh Escape
12. Cold Stone Fresh Escape Peanut Butter
13. Marble Slab White Chocolate
14. Cold Stone Chocolate Hazlenut.

Note: Former #1 chocolate:. NO LONGER MADE. Stonyfield Farms / Stonyfield Organic -"After Dark Chocolate" - - from New Hampshire - available by special order only through the Good Earth Natural Foods locations throughout Salt Lake and Utah Valleys and in health food stores in other states. (Most grocery markets sell only Stonyfield frozen yoghurt - don't mess with that - get the ice cream!). 
You may contact them through this WEBSITE PAGE IF YOU WANT TO REQUEST IT TO COME BACK: http://www.stonyfield.com/contact-us

Best Chocolate Ice Cream

99 varieties and brands tested, most of them together for an accurate rating, taking over a year. If you're having a party, test the Top 7 below plus Schwann's for variety:
- rev. 19 Aug 2018

A
1. Haagen Dazs (superpremium)- sold at most stores  

2. Trader Joe's (probably Double Rainbow, but not organic version)

3. Straus Dutch Chocolate (Whole Foods Market, Sprouts)

A- 
4. Double Rainbow Organic 

5. McConnell's Dutch Chocolate (also great: McConnells's Dark Chocolate Paso Brittle)

6. Baskin Robbins  World Class (premium)

A- -

7. Baskin Robbins regular (premium)

8. Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Shake It (malted milk, light chocolate)

B+
9. Ben & Jerry's regular chocolate (superpremium) - Their chocolate-only is sold only in B & J "scoop shops" currently, no longer in Utah (but you can get some if you dig it out of the New York Super Fudge Chunk available in grocery markets.  

(Note: They were the #1 for chocolate ice cream that had national distribution many years, but B & J has steadily gone downhill since about 1992. Even after cheapening it, they still remained #1 until the mid-2000s. One of the big reasons for their fall from the top spot is their changing their brand of cocoa. Through some detective work of sorts we learned their great cocoa they used for their first few decades was "Bensdorp" out of Holland. Then they got the current cheaper one in the mid-2000s, causing B & J to slip out of First Place.)


10. New York Super Fudge Chunk. See note above. The advantage of this is the nuts added. The disadvantage is the hard candy pieces.

11. Baked Bear dessert shops, dark chocolate (NOT TESTED WITH NEXT 6)

12. Blue Bell Milk. 
Note: A little background about them - they are an iconic brand out of Texas and famous through the South and Midwest. The company began in 1930 but sold ice cream under the company's original name beginning some time after 1910, having started in 1907 making butter. Blue Bell claims to be in 26% of the nation's super-markets. An independent source actually puts them as the number one seller in the country, but they are probably #3, including private labeling ice cream companies (such as those sold in grocery stores with their own store names). 

13. Blue Bell Dutch  

14. Marble Slab Swiss

15. Maggie Moo dark chocolate

LIKELY DISCONTINUED: Haagen Dazs dark chocolate chip gelato mousee

16. Cia Bella Mascarpone Gelato - If not in stock, special order it at Whole Foods Markets

17. Schwann's (see their website sign up for home delivery)
     Note: This is the most remarkable brand of all. In taste tests, it comes at this spot when compared to other brands, but due to the fact it is very light MILK CHOCOLATE, with a creaminess to it from buttermilk and cream, rather than the usual milk and cream, it produces a LONGEVITY for kids and adults, such that they don't get tired of it as with other brands that even taste better. It's made in Minnesota, with hundreds, if not thousands, of food trucks nationwide for home delivery.

B/B+
18. Humboldt

19. Baskin Robbins Mousse 

20. Mora (expanding Western chain)

21. Villa Dolce Italiana Gelato, sold at Medici Pizza Parlors, Dark Chocolate (tested with those above, but not below here)

22. OCCASIONALLY AVAILABLE:  Baskin Robbins Mississippi Mud 

23. Tillamook (not always available, sometimes their choc with chunks version, "Udderly Chocolate," which grades further down this list, is the only chocolate available)

24. Steve's Brooklyn Blackout Cake (of Brooklyn, NY, sold at Sprouts, was bought out by Dean Foods in Dallas and is being re-vitalized) 

     Note: A little history for you -  The original Steve's started in Boston in 1973, which sold to another owner in 1977 and another in 1983. In 1990 we first tested it as straight chocolate ice cream in Miami. That original Steve's went out of business in about 1998 after a 25 year run. But in 1980 the original owner of Steve's, Steve Herrell, began opening a few franchises of Herrell's in the Boston area, with the same flavors as the original company he had started and sold, and they are still in business today. [Why is this company important to bring up? This was the original co. to have mix-ins! And the idea was later cloned by Cold Stone and Marble Slab.] Unfortunately Herrell's is not sold in pre-packaged pints for grocery store distribution. Meanwhile, in 2009 the old Steve's brand name was bought by a former employee, and the company launched in 2011 with New York stores and packaged pints for national distribution, which is available at Sprouts and elsewhere. The new Steve's offers 15 creative flavors only, all different than the original Steve's company (Only Herrell's now has the original Steve's flavors.) The new Steve's has no basic flavors. This chocolate BKLN is the closest thing to a basic chocolate ice cream they have. That new owner, Dean Foods, took over summer of 2017.

25. Three Twins Bittersweet (at Whole Foods Markets)

26. Three Twins Brownie Batter 

27: NOT TESTED WITH MOST ON THIS LIST BUT RATED B/B+: Blue Bell Triple Chocolate  

28. Turkey Hill All Natural

29. Dreyer's. Has slipped from #18 by 2018, when they made a couple changes sometime in previous two years: a) butterfat slipped down from 7g of saturated fat to 4g (not many years ago it was 9g - and thus much tastier). b) they removed molasses, which had made it taste better. Seems they've also added more air, as the carton is now "mushy" when squeezed, compared to other brands, when it comes out of the freezer.

29. Three Twins choc malt (at Whole Foods Markets)

DISCONTINUED FLAVOR: Dreyers Frozen Custard Chocolate Malt

30. Ben & Jerry's Half Baked - CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

31. Ben & Jerry's Tonight Dough (has caramel in it) - CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

32. Ben & Jerry's Everything But the . . . CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

33. Ben & Jerry's Karmal Sutra CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

34. Ben & Jerry's S'mores CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 


35.  Ben & Jerry's Phish Food CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

36. Sprouts Rocky Road Ice Cream (not their gelato, down below)

37. 365 organic ice cream (at Whole Foods Markets) (their gelato is rated much  farther below, as it has less butterfat)

38. 365 regular ice cream

39. Jeni's Darkest Chocolate

40. Alden's Organic

41. Julie's Organic

42. Culver's Frozen Custard, at their burger shops

43. Haagen Dazs Belgian Chocolate 

44. Maxine's organic, from Three Twins - ABOUT HERE ON THIS LIST, BUT NOT TESTED WITH OTHERS

B-/B

45. Yetti 

46. Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie - CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

47. Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Therapy - CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

48. Ben & Jerry's Brownie Batter Core - CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

49. Sprouts Gelato (low fat, as gelato is)

50. LIKELY NO LONGER AVAILABLE: Schwann's Gelato

51. Figo (at Whole foods market)

52. NOT REGULAR CHOCOLATE: Tillamook chocolate fudge brownies frozen custard

53. Chocolat (brand name) - Dominican

54. Ben & Jerry's Roasted and Toasted Dark Chocolate - CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

55. Tillamook's Udderly Chocolate - CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

56. Farr frozen custard (western distribution)

B-
57. Meadow Gold 

58. Blue Bunny (used to be the worst ice cream in America in 1999, now is not bad, they've made improvements - maybe reading this website with its many hits yearly(!)

59. Breyers (most stores) (Used to be better than Dreyers, then went steadily down hill since 1992, when it was at its best. Never have we seen a brand change its chocolate ice cream so much over the past 25 years as Breyers.)

60. Baskin Robbins Fudge

61. Hemisfares

62. Western Family (many independent grocery stores in West)

63. Private Selection chocolate ganache (Smith's/Kroger's own upscale brand)

64. Simply Balanced - for low fat it's surprisingly decent tasting (at Target)


65. Cold Stone reg choc

66. Turkey Hill All-Natural (this is their higher grade version commonly found in stores in the East) (tested in 2015 in the East as a B-, but not with the others above) 

67. Simply Organic (not tested with these others but fits about here) 

C+ 
68. Freddy's Concrete (Frozen Custard), at their burger shops

69. Boulder Chocolate Pudding ice cream - at Whole Foods Market

70. Archer Farms (Target) - reg chocolate

71 Archer Farms - chocolate with brownies

72. Marble Slab Fudge

73. Forte (at Whole Foods Markets)

74. Clemmy's (at Whole Foods Markets)

75. Sub Zero Milk choc (at their own shops)

76. Sub Zero dark fudge (not on menu, at their own shops)

C
The following 3 were tested separately from all the others on this list, but rated about here as C's: 

77. Turkey Hill (tested in 2015 but not with the others above) C-

78. Sunnyland (tested in 2011)

79. Deluxe (tested in 2011)

C- 
80. Marble Slab Mallo - CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

73. Country Rich. In stores. 

74. NOT REGULAR CHOCOLATE: Maggie Moo Amaretto (Super Premium. This is not a true chocolate - we just added it to this spot on the list if compared with true chocolates.)

75. NOT REGULAR CHOCOLATE: Cold Stone Chocolate Cake Batter. Another non-true-chocolate ice cream, but this is where it lands on the chocolate chart.


76. Sorano double chocolate gelato (Super Premium)

77. Sam's Choice Chocolate (at Walmart)

78. Agave Dream (at Whole Foods Markets)

79. Graeter's (at Smiths) (they have some better flavors than chocolate; overall they're very high quality)
Note: This Cincinnati based company of a couple dozen parlors in the greater Cincanatti and northern Kentucky area has been distributed nationwide at Krogers/Smiths for several years now. It is a strange one to rate because it has a strong Swiss flavor - we guess they used Nestles commercial cocoa powder - which some rate in the B's and others in the C's. Black Raspberry Chip is their best flavor, and we've tried many, even flying in over a dozen flavors on dry ice before they obtained national distribution.  Overall we like the chocolate. 

80. Whole Foods Gelato - (Whole Foods Markets; note that their "365 Ice Cream" above is good, however)

81. Umpqua (at Winco stores in west and northwest)

82. Cold Stone dark truffle

83. Chocolat's Kalimantan - too dark for most (at some health food stores)

84. Chocolat's Ghana - too dark for most (at some health food stores)

85. Marble Slab dark

86. Sam's Choice Chocolate Hazelnut - CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

D 
87. ABOUT HERE, BUT NOT TESTED WITH OTHERS ON THIS LIST: Red Button from Associated Food Stores, a regional grocery store supplier, D+

88. Rita's gelato (at their own shops, using their original recipe of egg; before the recipe changed in late summer 2015 due to rising price of eggs; we haven't tested the new egg-less version)

89. CoolHaus Molten Chocolate Cake - not tested with many on this list, but it lands here or below by a bit.

90. Talenti Belgian Milk chocolate (better than their other chocolate flavors) - at most stores

91. Snoqualmie Mukilteo Mudd (at Winco stores in the west)

92. Talenti Double Dark Choc

93. Talenti Fudge Brownie (at most stores)

94. Choctal Costa Rican - too dark for most (at some health food stores)

95. Cold Stone choc cake batter 

96. BLVD (at Whole Foods Markets)

NOT TESTED WITH OTHERS BUT RATED IN THE D'S SOMEWHERE: 
97. GS Gelato Triple 

END OF LIST of Chocolate Ice Creams.


DISCONTINUED FLAVORS (of still-existing brands):

1. Haagen Dazs Dark Chocolate.This one seemed much better in 1991. C

2. Haagen Dazs "Five" chocolate B+
`
3 Schwann's super premium pints - chocolate B+

4. Stoneyhill Farms (now only making frozen yoghurt and other dairy items) (the best ice cream ever available in Utah) A+

DISCONTINUED BRAND:
(Was #1 chocolate: Stonyfield Farms / Stonyfield Organic -"After Dark Chocolate" - - from New Hampshire - now only sold as frozen yoghurt - You may contact them at this address IF YOU WANT TO REQUEST IT TO COME BACK: http://www.stonyfield.com/contact-us)

Notes:

Years ago we tested all the non-Premium Ice Creams like those sold in national chain grocery stores made by third party manufacturers. None rated higher than C. These are usually the cheapest priced ice creams. The dead giveaway is if they don't list "milk and cream," on their ingredients list, but rather "non-fat milk and milk solids." Run from them!

When traveling in various cities we also test gelato bars. However, for chocolate, no gelato is as rich as super premium ice cream because they lack as much butter fat. Some of the flavors however are amazing.

Gelato is Italian Ice Cream with less butterfat to be considered ice cream, but low air, like super premium ice cream has, which makes it denser and heavier for the same amount of volume as regular and premium ice creams (in ice cream parlance, it's called "over-run" and is based on a semi-complex formula); however, super premium ice cream has much more fat.

(end of regular chocolate tests)

Rocky Road, Burnt Almond Fudge ice creams

A-/A

Haagen Daz Rocky Road

B+

McConnell's Chocolate Almond Brittle

B/B+

Ben and Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk

Baskin Robbins Rocky Road

Baskin Robbins Chocolate Almond

B

Baked Bear Rocky Road

Tillamook Rocky Road

B-/B

Dreyer Rocky Road

C-

Meadow Gold Rocky Road

C - - 

Breyer's Rocky Road

Raspberry Chocolate
a. sub Zero B
b. Cold Stone B
c. Ben & Jerry's (Raspberry Core) B
d. Maggie Moo B-
e. Baskin Robins B-
f. Marble Slab D

Best Chocolate plus Chunks Ice Cream
1. Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk
2. Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie
3. Ben & Jerry's Cheesecake Fudge  
4. Ben Jerry's Fair Trade
5. Baskin Robbins Chocolate Almond
6. Baskin Robbins Rocky Road
7. Haagen Dazs Rocky Road
8. Colt Stone German Chocolate
9. Maggie Moo's Destinaton Dark Fresh Escape (almonds, strawberry, fudge)
10. Maggie Moo's Chocolate Banana
11.Maggie Moo's Red Velvet Fresh Escape
12. Cold Stone Fresh Escape Peanut Butter
13. Marble Slab White Chocolate
14. Cold Stone Chocolate Hazlenut.

Best Vanilla Ice Cream in the U.S.
Best Vanilla Ice Cream in Utah 

All below have national or large regional distribution.

We tested these all side by side in 2016, 2014 and 2011.
We have other tests before that which include over 30 additional brands not listed here, all in the Cs and Ds, many of them private label brands for grocery stores. 

These ice cream were all tested side by side except where indicated below.

ALL THESE ARE 'SUPER-PREMIUMS' except for a few premiums. Of the top 18, only Tillamook is a premium, but holds its own against super-premiums.

A's 
1. Madagascar Vanilla from Choctal, made in Pasadena, CA, available at Good Earth stores in Utah A+
Also made by this company:
West Indonesian A-/A
Papua New Guinea B+
Mexican (with cinnemon) B
2. Jeni's N. Dali Estate vanilla (at Whole Foods Market)
3. Beachy Cream (from Santa Monica)
4. Agave Dream
5. Sam's Choice (at WalMart)
6. Trader Joe's (made by Double Rainbow)
7. McConnell's  RR Lochhead Vanilla Bean 
8. Schwann's French Vanilla (Premium, not Super Premium as the above all are. Sold only November - December each year in decorative one gallon holiday tins, with stock left over usually to February. This company  delivers to people's homes.) (NOT TESTED ALL WITH ON THIS LIST)
9. n/a

B+
10A. TESTED ONLY WITH #1 ABOVE AND #14 BELOW, LANDING ABOUT HERE: Humboldt Organic at Trader Joes
10. Snoqualmie (like Haagen Dazs) at Winco
11. Freddie's Steakburgers and Concretes (national chain)
12. Tillamook "Old Fashioned Vanilla" (not their other varieties of vanilla, which are not NEARLY as good)
13. Ben & Jerry's (used to be #1 for over 20 years, but they have lowered their quality and likely changed their vanilla source. They were #1 until 2014.) 
14. Three Twins "Madagascar Vanilla" (available at health food stores; if they are out, get it by special order through their distributor). 

B's
14A. 3 Twins Madagascar (NOT TESTED WITH MOST ON THIS LIST, BUT FITS ABOUT HERE)
15. Tropical Dreams (based out of Hawaii with some western shops)
16. Graeters (at Ohio ice cream shops plus nationally and locally at Smiths/Krogers)
17. Haagen Dazs Vanilla Bean (better than reg. vanilla, below)
18. Culver's 
19. Meadow Gold
20. Blue Bell 
21. Blue Bunny (a huge improvement in quality since their dead last position for most flavors among 40+ brands we began testing in 1999)
22. Turkey Hill
23. Sub Zero
24. Dreyers (Edy's, east of the Mississippi River) plain vanilla (they have a couple other vanilla varieties that we did test over the years this is their best)
The next 5 rate about here, but were not tested in 2016:
25. Breyers
26. 365 - from Whole Foods Markets
27. Private Selection (Kroger/Smiths) - regular vanilla
28. Baskin Robbins
29. Schwann's reg. vanilla (see above French Vanilla, under A's)

C+
Baked Bear dessert shops
C 
THESE NEXT 5 WERE TESTED TOGETHER BUT NOT IN 2016:
30. Chocolat's Mexican Vanilla (beside #1 regular vanilla above). 
31. 365 Organic - at Whole Foods Markets
32. Haagen Dazs - regular Vanilla 
33. Double Rainbow's Organic 
34. Sprouts Honey Vanilla ice cream (not gelato)

C-'s
35. Boulder
36. Yeti
37. Figo
38. Private Selection (at Smiths/Krogers) Double Vanilla
39. Straus - available at health food stores, who can order from their distributors if not in stock

D
40. Julie's
41. Western Family French Vanilla (in the western United States)
42. BLVD - at Whole Foods Market
43. Cold Stone regular vanilla
44. Western Family Vanilla Bean
45. Cold Stone French vanilla
46. Maggie Moo
47. Marble Slab (same company as Maggie Moo)
48. Talenti Tahitian
49. NON DAIRY: Steven's Burnt Vanilla

Note: When making milk shakes, the order is changed because many vanilla ice creams taste considerably better or worse when made into a shake!

Note: a top 3 was Stoneyfield Organic's  "Gotta Have Vanilla."

LEARNED May 2014: their ice creams were DISCONTINUED (but not their frozen yoghurts).. You may contact them through the following WEBSITE page address IF YOU WANT to request one of the 3 Best Vanilla ice Creams we ever tested TO COME BACK: http://www.stonyfield.com/contact-us

Best Strawberry Ice Cream
 A
1. Maggie Moo A
2. Marble Slab A
3. Ben & Jerry's A 
4. Haagen Dazs A

A-
5. Graeters (usually only available with choc chips, but sometimes as pure strawberry ice cream, as in 2013.  Available at Krogers/Smiths nationwide, and in their own shops in southern Ohio and northern Kentucky) A- 
B+
6. Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla with Strawberries B+ (DON'T CONFUSE WITH BLUE BUNNY)
7.  Meadow Gold
B
8. Schwann's
9. Tropical Dreams B
10. Western Family (tested 2013) B
11. Baskin Robbins B
12. Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake B
B-
13. Blue Bell Strawberry B-
14. Tillamook B-
15. Dreyers B-
16. Breyers B-
C+  
17. Blue Bunny C+ (DON'T CONFUSE WITH BLUE BELL ABOVE)
18. Cold Stone C+
19. Turkey Hill C+
20. Double Rainbow (at Whole Foods Markets) c+
C
21. Whole Foods Market brand C
22. Organicville - in Health Food Stores C
C-
23. Sub Zero C-
C - -
24. Simply Organic (not tested with these others but fits about here) 


Best Peach Ice Cream in the U.S.
A's
1. Sub Zero
2. Ben & Jerry's Willie Nelson's Country Peach Cobbler
3. Marble Slab
B's
4. Private Selection (Premium) (at Smiths/Krogers)
5. Cold Stone
6. Graeters
7. Blue Bell (Premium)
8. Tropical Dream

  
Best Mint Ice Cream 
Best Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream in the U.S.
A+
1. Beachy Cream (from Santa Monica, Ca): Mint brownie - fresh mint leaves, pricy! At Good Earth stores
A
2. Tropical Dreams, Salt Lake City
A-
2a. Humboldt (not tested with most others but it fits about here)
3. Ben & Jerry's (both as mint and as mint cookies and cream )
4. Dreyers Custard
5. Trader Joes
6. Haagen Dazs
B+/A-
7. Graeters (at Smiths)
8.. Blue Bell (Premium) (to be resumed at I Like Ike's, Provo)
B
9. Baskin Robbins (Premium)
B-/B
Baked Bear
C/C+

Snowqualmi


Best Peanut Butter -Vanilla Ice Cream in the U.S.

A+
1. Marble Slab
A
2. Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter cup (uses peanut butter ice cream)
B

3. Boulder Peanut Butter cup (uses vanilla ice cream)
4. Baskin Robbins (Premium)
C
5. Cold Stone
C-
6. Alden (Premium)
7. Private Selection (Premium)
8. Western Family (Premium)
9. Breyers (Premium) 
10. Sub Zero



Best Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream in the U.S.
A+ 
1. Ben and Jerry's Peanut Butter Fudge Core
2. Haagen Dazs chocolate peanut butter
3. Ben & Jerry's Peanut butter cup
4. Blue Bell (Premium)
A
5. Schwans (Premium)
6. (Somewhere in top 5 is Sam's Choice, from WalMart, not tested with others on this list)
B+
7. Tillimook (Premium)
B
8.Basking Robbins (Premium)
9. Dreyers (Edy's east of the Mississippi) (Premium)
10. Farr's Peanut Butter Cup (western reason)
11. Ben and Jerry's Peanut Buttah Cookie Core
B-
12. Marble Slab
C's
13. Turkey Hill (Premium)
14. Cold Stone
15. Farr's (Premium) Choc peanut butter
D

16. Soreno

Best Maple Nut Ice Cream in the U.S.
 (with national distribution)

A
1. Umpqua (at Winco)
B+
2. Ben & Jerry's (comes without nuts), This was a maple ice cream now discontinued, but some flavors they bring back.
B
3. Schwans (Premium) (if no nuts: C+)
B-
4. Meadow Gold (Premium). B-/C+
C+
5-6. n/a
7. Western Family  (Premium) (in Western U.S. only). Tested 2011.
C - 
8. Private Selection (Premium) (Smiths/Kroger)
9. Sub Zero
D -
10. Arctic Zero Vanilla-Maple (diet ice cream - no fat)

Best Coconut Ice Cream in the U.S.
Best Coconut Ice Cream
(Also available in Gelato at many Gelatarias, which are also often found in Italian Restaurants, but this list is Ice Cream only:)
A+
1. McConnell's - at Whole Foods Markets

A
2. Ben & Jerry's (has nuts and chips)
3. Sub Zero
4. Snowqualmie, rates about here, above Graetors; available at Winco; another test placed it at B-
5. Graetor's with chocolate chips
6. Tropical Dreams (strong)

A-
7. Talenti

B
8. Baskin Robbins Coconut with almonds

C+

9. Java Cow

C
10. Sorano

C-
11. Marble Slab
12. Dreyers Pineapple Coconut  

D

13. Tropical Dreams Coconut with almond (see the version WITHOUT almond above)


Best Banana Ice Cream
A-
1. Cold Stone
2. Beachy Cream (of Santa Monica)
2. Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey
B-
3. Tropical Dreams
C-
4. Steve's Banana Pudding C-


Best Lemon & Lime Ice Creams
A
1. Figo gelato
2. Three Twins - lemon cookie
3. Tropical Dreams (Hawaii, Utah, and CA)
4. Sprouts Lemon Merange ice cream
5. Snowqualmie
A- 
6. Sub Zero - lemon
7. Sorano 
B-
8. Haagen Dazs Five (discontinued sub-brand: "Five")
9. Sprouts Lemoncelo gelato
C++ 
10. Baskin Robbins Key Lime Pie C++
C
11. Baskin Robbins Gold Rush (strong, like lemon candy) C
12. BLVD
D+
13. Marble Slab key lime

Best Watermelon Ice Cream
1. Sub Zero A-
2. Maggie Moo C+

Best Passion Fruit Ice Cream
1. Tropical Dreams C- (bitter)

Best Mango Ice Cream
Best Mango Ice Cream
A
Haagen Dazs

B
Tropical Dreams
Magnolia

B- 
Sub Zero

C++

NO LONGER IN UTAH: Maggie Moos C++ (faint flavor)


Best Orange Ice Cream
1. Tropical Dreams - Blood Orange B+
2. Sub Zero C++ (tangy)

Best Tropical Fruit Ice Cream
(only in Hawaii, California, and Utah, sold at Tropical Dreams store only)

1. Lava Flow (only in Utah: A-
2. Blood Orange B+
3. Passion Fruit B
4. Pina Colada
5. Strawberry Coconut B-

Best Cinnemon Ice Cream
A
1. Tropical Dreams
A-
2. Maggie Moos
3. Ben & Jerry's
4. Sub Zero
C+
5. Boulder (strong flavor)   

 Best Ginger Ice Cream
A-
1. Boulder
 B++
2. Tropical Dreams 


Best Cherry Ice Cream 
Best Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream in the U.S.

A
1. Sub Zero
2. Schwans Sweet Dark Cherry (makes 3d best shake: B)
3. Baskin Robbins Cherry Jubilee (makes best shake: A-)
A-
4. Haagen Dazs Cherry Vanilla (makes 2nd best shake: B+)
5. Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia (it used to be the best before they added marachino cherries to the mix and/or changed it in other ways)
6. Somewhere in top 6 is Haagen Dazs' Banana Split, which has dominant cherry flavor. Tested separately from others on this list.
B-
7. Cold Stone
8. Dreyers (the cherry part of their Spumoni ice cream)
C+
9. Breyers Cherry Vanilla (makes 3rd best shake in this flavor)
D
10. Blue Bell Cherry with chocolate bits
11. Private Selection Cherry Cobbler (2014 introduction)
F
12. Private Selection (Premium) (In Smiths/Krogers). Cherry with chocolate bits
13. Blue Bunny  Bordeau Cherry

Best Black Cherry Ice Cream
A
1. Marble Slab
2. Tilamook (2014 - the other brands were in 2011)
3. Sub Zero
B-
4. Maggie Moos
D+
5. Tropical Dream 
D
6. Graetor's (was B- in 2011, they seemed to have added marichino cherries to it - yuk!)

Best Blackberry Ice Cream
B
1. Sub Zero 
2. Tillamook
3. Sam's Club Blackberry Crumble
D
4. Alden
5. Julie's

Best Raspberry Ice Cream
A
1. Haagen Dazs White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle
A-
2. Marble Slab Raspberry
B
3. Sub Zero
4. Straus
5. Tropical Dreams
B-
6. Tilamook (with white chocolate)

Best Raspberry Ice Cream
A
1. Graetor's Raspberry
2. Haagen Dazs White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle
A-
3. Marble Slab Raspberry
B
4. Sub Zero
5. Straus
6. Tropical Dreams
7. Talenti's raspberry and cream gelato
B-
8. Tilamook (with white chocolate)


Best Black Raspberry Ice Cream

A
1. Blue Bell (2014 test)
B+
2. Graeter's (with chocolate chips, but we tested it minus the chips and with the chips - same grade)
B's
3. Sub Zero Black Raspberry
4. Private Selection Black Raspberry
5. Turkey Hill Black Raspberry


Best Berries COMBINED 5-FLAVOR TEST
(we tested them all side-by-side).
In summary we found the best berry ice creams in this order (in comparing the best brands of each flavor below):
1. black cherry
2. black raspberry
3. cherry
4. raspberry
5. blackberry
(strawberry is in a whole different category)

A's
1. Marble Slab Black Cherry - their best kept secret
2. Tillamook Black Cherry 
3. Blue Bell Black Raspberry 
4. Graeter Black Raspberry 
5. Sub Zero Cherry
6. Haagen Dazs Cherry Vanilla
7. Schwans Dark Sweet Cherry
8. Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia (it used to be so much better without marachino cherries added in more recent years; a mistake Graeter's has also made with their Black Cherry ice cream)
9. Hagen Dazs White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle
A-
10. Marble Slab Raspberry
B+
11. Baskin Robbins Cherry Jubilee
B's
12. Sub Zero Raspberry
13. Sub Zero Black Raspberry
14. Sub Zero Blackberry
15  Tillamook Blackberry (2014 - about here)
16. Sam's Club Blackberry (2014 - about here)
17. Private Selection Black Raspberry
18. Straus Raspberry
19. Turkey Hill Black Raspberry
20. Marble Slab Raspberry
21. Maggie Moo Black Cherry
22. Tropical Dreams Raspberry Cream
B-
23. Cold Stone Cherry
24. Tillamook Raspberry in white chocolate (2014 - about here)
25. Dreyer's / Edy's (cherry in the Spumoni)
C+
26. Breyer's Cherry Vanilla
D's
27. Alden Blackberry
28. Julie's Blackberry
29. Tropical Dreams Black Cherry
30. Blue Bell cherry with chocolate bits
31. Graeter's Black Cherry (used to be B+ till they added marichinos): 2014 - about here
F
32. Private Selection Cherry (Smiths/Krogers). Cherry with chocolate bits
33. Talenti Black Raspberry (with chocolate flakes) 2014 - about here
34. Blue Bunny Bordeau Cherry


Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream
1. Ben & Jerry's 
(Note: They are the inventor of this flavor, which put them on the map and got them national distribution, although Cherry Garcia is now their #1 seller while this is #2.)
2. Baskin Robbins
3. Sub Zero
4. Haagen Dazs
5. Cold Stone 


Best Birthday Cake Ice Cream
1. Marble Slab
2. Baskin Robbins  

Best Bubble Gum Ice Cream
1. Baskin  Robbins (pink)
2. Marble Slab
3. Sub Zero
4. Maggie Moo's

Best Cotton Candy Ice Cream
1. Ben and Jerry's B+
2. Baskin Robbins B
3. Marble Slab B -
4. Sub-Zero B+
5. Maggie Moo C-/D+
6. Cold Stone D
Note: This is an odd test. The first bite rates differently, yet after a few chews it goes to the list above, when the "after taste"settles in. The "First Bite Test" winners are below:
1. Sub Zero
2. Ben  and Jerry's
3. Marble Slab
4. Baskin Robbins
5. Maggie Moo
6. Cold Stone

    
Best Cake Batter Ice Cream
1. Sub Zero
2. Ben & Jerry's ("Cake Batter with Chocolate")
3. Tropical Dreams
4. Maggie Moo
5. Cold Stone

Best Cookies and Cream
1. Baskin Robbins
2. Ben & Jerry's ("Milk and Cookies")
3. Ben & Jerry's ("Cookies and Cream")
4. Cold Stone (in their "Signature Creations")

Sweet Cream
1. Sub Zero
2. Cold Stone
3. Maggie Moo
4. Marble Slab 


Caramel & Dulche De Leche
A+ 
1. Ciao Bella Caramel and Brown Sugar Gelato (special order at Whole Foods Market)
2. Marble Slab (at one location that was going out of business it tested at #7, likely from not being made correctly)
3. Graetor's Caramel and Truffle
A -
4. Maggie Moo (in their own shops, diminishing in numbers, less than 50 left)
5. Ben & Jerry's Spectacular Speculoos (dark caramel on one side, vanilla on the other, with bits of cinnamon cookie in it) 
6. Ben & Jerry's Karmel Sutra (note: one side of this is chocolate ice cream, one side caramel ice cream) 

B
7. Haagen Dazs chocolate carmelized oat (Artisan line)
8. Haagen Dazs caramel cone
B -
9. Ben and Jerry's Rockin' Blondies
10. Blue Bell dulche de leche (co. is currently in recall with no sales till about 2016)
11. Graetor's Caramel Truffle Gelago (at Smiths/Krogers and their own Ohio store chain)
12, Haagen Dazs dulce de Leche - a 2013 release 

C
13. Three Twins Butterscotch Pecan (at Whole Foods Markets)
14. Talenti Caramel Cookie Crunch
15. BLVD (at Whole Foods Market)
16. Ben and Jerry's Scotchy Scotch Scotch
17. Sub Zero, national chain

SALTED CARAMEL BELOW - all are Cs and Ds:
C, cont.
17. Ben and Jerry's Salted Caramel
18. McConnell's salted caramel (at Whole Foods Market)
C -
19. Haagen Dazs Gelato Sea Salt Caramel 
20. Sam's Choice salted caramel (Walmart stores)
D+
21. Tropical Dreams sea salt caramel (western chain, from Hawaii)
D
22. Steve's Dark chocolate (non dairy - coconut milk) 
23. Jens sea salt caramel (note that their chocolate ice cream is good)
24. Whole Foods (store brand)

DISCONTINUED Caramel FLAVORS:
1. Ben & Jerry's Dulche Delish - a 2013 release, now gone
2. Haagen Dazs Caramel Apple - a 2013 release, now gone

(end of Caramel ice creams)

Amaretto
1. Maggie Moo
2. Marble Slab
3. Cold Stone
4. Tropical Dreams Coconut & Almond with Amaretto (also see under coconut above)
5. Sub Zero 


Cheesecake - plain flavor
1. Sub Zero
2. Ben & Jerry's with Brownies (minus the Brownies)
3. Cold Stone
4. Marble Slab

Cheesecake combinations (including Plain, Oreo, Strawberry, and Raspberry) 
1. Sub Zero

2. Ben & Jerry's with Brownies (minus the Brownies)
3. Cold Stone
4. Tropical Dreams with Strawberries
5. Ben & Jerry's with Strawberries
6. Ben & Jerry's with Raspberry's
7. Marble Slab
8. Baskin Robbins with Oreos  

Praline
1. Baskin Robbins
2. Marble Slab    


Butter Pecan
a. Baskin Robbins A- (it used to be A+ as a pecan ice cream base; but they changed it perhaps about 2010 to a buttery pecan base - not as good and lighter in color)
b. Haagen Dazs B
c. Ben and Jerry's B
d. Blue Bell B-
e. Sub Zero C
f Talenti D
g Private Selection (Smiths/Krogers) D
h Haagen Dazs Bourbon Pecan
All others ratedin the C's and D's. We've tested over 20 other brands of Butter Pecan, including Schwans, Maggie Moo, and others.

    
Black Walnut
a. Baskin Robbins (not sold in Utah anymore - it did not sell well enough here) B+
b. Kroger Deluxe (sold in Smiths and Krogers) B-
b. Schwanns C


Coffee ice cream
Tested side by side 2015 and 2016, all except where one noted below.

Note: Very best is actually Barts, once available by mail order only, but now only for sale in their few shops near their headquarters in Massachusetts. A+ 
Items 1-5 are clearly the best of this flavor, and 5-9 are very decent.
A
1. Marble Slab (in their own stores, only 49 remaining) (both coffee and espresso)
2. Baskin Robbins (MILD)
3. Cold Stone 
4. Tillamook Stumptown Cold Brew (STRONG) (super- premium; they also have a standard premium blow) 
5. Ben and Jerry's regular coffee ice cream only (not Buzz Buzz or Coffee Heath Bar)
Note: This flavor is a standard at the company Scoop Shoppes. Occasionally the regular coffee ice cream flavor is released by the company to grocery stores - it comes and goes.
A-
6. Turkey Hill Columbian
7. Gelato Fiasco (Whole Foods Markets) (STRONG)
8. McConnell's Turkish (STRONG)
9.  Haagen Dazs Coffee Cream Caramel 
B+
10. Umpqua (with chips) (MILD) TESTED ONLY AGAINST SUB ZERO BELOW AND THOSE ABOVE.
11. Sub Zero (MILD)
12. 365 (Whole Foods Markets' brand) (MILD)

B
13. Ben and Jerry's Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz (STRONG)
14. Trader Joes (Double Rainbow) (STRONG)
B-
15. Haagen Dazs coffee
16. Boulder Espresso Choc chip (STRONG)

17. Haagen Dazs java chip
 B
17a Ben and Jerry's Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz (STRONG)
17b. Trader Joes (Double Rainbow) (STRONG)
B-
17c. Haagen Dazs coffee
17d. Boulder Espresso Choc chip (STRONG)
17e. Graetor
17f. Maggie Capacino
17g. Schwanns
17h. Double Rainbow
17i. Haagen Dazs java chip 
17j. NOT TESTED WITH MOST ON THIS LIST, BUT IT GOES ABOUT HERE: Tillamook (Premium line) Express Madness
C
17k. Private Selection - Cafe con Leche
17l. Tillamook - coffee almond fudge (coffee part alone)
C-
17m. Sam's Choice (at Walmart)
18. Dreyer's
19. Yeti (at Whole Foods Market) (Yeti has great chocolate ice cream)
20. Talenti
D
21. Archer (at Target)
22. Ben and Jerry's coffee toffee
23. Steve's cinnemon coffee

NOT TESTED WITH 17-23 ABOVE:
1. Agave Dreams (STRONG) D
2. GS Giramasu (not tested with others on this list in 2015, but in 2012) C
3. Baskin Robbins Coffee and Donuts D
NOT TESTED WITH SEVERAL ABOVE, TESTED IN 2011:
3. Maggi Moo Capacino B
4. Swans - POSSIBLY STILL HERE, STILL TO RE-TEST
5. Graetor's - POSSIBLY STILL HERE, STILL TO RE-TEST

DISCONTINUED COFFEE FLAVORS - or we could no longer find:
1. Haagzen Dazs Five
2. Haagen Dazs vanilla bean espresso 
3. Starbucks coffee B (STRONG)
4. Starbucks java chip B (STRONG)

(end of coffee ice creams)

Avocado
a. Magnolia (from Hawaii) B++

Pina Colada
A-
Haagen Dazs
B
Sub Zero (weak)
B-
Marble Slab (strong)
C
Sub Zero pineapple
C
Baskin Robbins

Pistachio
6 Aug 2018
B
Haagen Dazs
B- 
Mora
C-
Ben & Jerry's


Buttery Brown Sugar
6 Aug 2018
B/B+
Gelato Fiasco, Sweet Resurgam
Ben & Jerry's Pecan Sticky Bun
B
Ben & Jerry's Oat of this World


* Top 9 selling ice cream brands.
(Private label brands sell the most - grocery stores that put their own name on ice cream that is made for them by manufacturers.) Then:
1. Blue Bell
2. Breyers
3. Haagen Dazs
4. Ben & Jerry's
5. Dreyers (lower fat version they call "Slow Churned)
6. Dreyer's/Edy's Grand (regular ice cream)
7. Wells Blue Bunny
8. Turkey Hill
9. Breyer's Blasts

Top selling flavors: 
According to:

Food Network, a list several years old.
1. vanilla 29%
2. chocolate 8.9
3. butter pecan 5.3
4. strawberry 4.3
5. neopolitan 4.2 (containing 3 of the above 4)
6. chocolate chip 3.9
7. cookies and cream 3.6

Dairy Reporter (2013), reporting International Ice Cream Association members' votes, which make and sell 85% of the world's ice cream. 
1. vanilla
2. chocolate
3. butter pecan
4. neopolitan
5. rocky road

International Dairy Foods Association (2013)
1. vanilla
2. chocolate
3. butter pecan
4. three way tie: neopolitan, rocky road, and coffee

Statistic Brain / Harris Interactive (2014) - all those with double-digits sales nationwide:
1. chocolate 28% (in the West: #2 at 21%)
2. vanilla 26% (West: #1 at 22%)
3. cookie dough / cookies and cream (if separated out, they both might drop out of the top 5) 22% (West: 19%)
4. butter pecan / swiss almond (ditto on drop out) 19% (West: 15%)
5. mint chocolate chip 15% (West: 15%)
6. strawberry 12% (West: 12%)
7. Rocky Road 11% (West: #3 at 19%)

BEST Ice Creams Ever – by flavor AND brand - Editor’s Picks: Tested side by side

28 June 2015

A

1. Maple Nut - Java Cow, Park City, Utah (note national distribution)
2. Butter Pecan – Baskin Robbins (the only A or A- brand of butter pecan)

3. Chocolate - Haagen Dazs

4. Caramel with brown sugar – Cia Bella

5. Mocha (technically mocha has choc syrup; but at Baskin Robbins it seems to be straight coffee ice cream) - Baskin Robbins

NOT TESTED WITH THIS GROUP, BUT FITTING ABOUT HERE:

5a. Bart's coffee ice cream (note national distribution)
5b. Marble Slab coffee ice cream

5c. 2nd BEST CHOCOLATE: Ben & Jerry's coffee ice cream (only in their few scoop shops)

6. Coffee – Cold Stone

7. New York Super Fudge Chunk – Ben & Jerry's (tied is regular chocolate, only in their scoop shops)

8. 3RD BEST CHOCOLATE: Organic Chocolate – Double Rainbow

9. Caramel (Karmel Sutra: the caramel half) – Ben & Jerry’s

10. Banana – Cold Stone 
11. Banana, second best: Chunky Monkey from Ben & Jerry’s
12. Strawberry – Haagen Dazs

13. Lava Flow (pina colada base ice cream with mixed in bananas and strawberries) -
Tropical Dreams (only in 3 western states)
14. Pina Colada – Tropical Dreams 
15. Pina Colada, second best - Sub Zero

16. Coconut – Tropical Dreams 
17. Coconut, second best - Sub Zero

18. Cherry – Sub Zero
19. Cherry, second best: Cherry Garcia, Ben & Jerry's

20. Peach – Sub Zero

A-/A
21. Mango – Sub Zero 
22. Mango, second best - Tropical Dreams gelato 

A-

Mocha Almond Fudge – Baskin Robbins

Columbian Coffee – Turkey Hill

Lemon – Three Twins

Mocha – Sub Zero

Lemon – second best: Sub Zero

Orange – Sub Zero

Espresso Chocolate Chip (strong) – Gelato Fiasco

Mint with chocolate cookies – Ben & Jerry’s

Oreos in vanilla – Ben & Jerry’s

B++

Raspberry (with white chocolate) – Haagen Dazs

B+

2ND BEST RASPBERRY: Sub Zero
10 of A- and B+ grade chocolate ice creams go here: A-: Trader Joes, Yeti's; and B+: Cia Bella Marscapone Gelato, Bule Bell Milk, Baskin Robbins World Class chocolate, Blue Bell Dutch, Baskin Robbins chocolate mousse royale, Baskin Robbins reg. chocolate, Haagen Dazs dark choc chip gelato, Schwans, Straus, Talenti Belgian Milk, McConnell's reg chocolate, McConnell's dark chocolate paso brittle, Three Twins Bittersweet chocolate

2 of B grade coffee ice creams go here (7th and 8th BEST COFFEE ICE CREAMS): Ben & Jerry's Buzz Buzz and Trader Joe's

Vanilla (BEST VANILLA of over 60 brands tested) – Chocolat (brand)

Black Raspberry – Graetors

B/B+
the final 2 of B/B+ grade chocolate ice creams go here: Three Twins chocolate malt and Tropical Dreams fudge
B

Lime – Sub Zero

then 4 of B rated chocolate ice creams go here: 365, Figo, Jen's, Choctal Dominican

B-
3 of B- coffee ice creams go here: Haagen Dazs coffee, Boulder Espresso Choc chip, (STRONG), Haagen Dazs java chip 

Blackberry

Watermellon

C+

Pomegranite – Haagen Dazs gelato’s swirl

Blueberry – Sub Zero

Marionberry – Tillamook

C

Peanut Butter Fudge Core – Ben and Jerry’s (best of all peanut butter ice creams)

Huckleberry – Sub Zero

Cinnamon – Tropical Dreams / Sub Zero








1. Ben & Jerry's regular chocolate (superpremium) - Their chocolate-only is sold only in B & J "scoop shops" currently, no longer in Utah (but you can get some if you dig it out of the New York Super Fudge Chunk available in grocery markets.  

(Note: They were the #1 for chocolate ice cream that had national distribution many years, but B & J has steadily gone downhill since about 1992. Even after cheapening it, they still remained #1 until the mid-2000s. One of the big reasons for their fall from the top spot is their changing their brand of cocoa. Through some detective work of sorts we learned their great cocoa they used for their first few decades was "Bensdorp" out of Holland. Then they got the current cheaper one in the mid-2000s, causing B & J to slip out of First Place.)

12. New York Super Fudge Chunk. See note above. The advantage of this is the nuts added. The disadvantage is the hard candy pieces.

13. Wasatch Creamery, Heber, at Farmers markets in Park City and SLC, plus various shops

14. Baked Bear, Lehi and West Jordan

LONGER IN UTAH, but rated here: 
Blue Bell Milk, currently not available in Utah. It was selling in Utah only at I Like Ike's scoop shop at the Riverwoods Mall in north Provo at the Provo Beach Resort, but no more. 
Note: A little background about them - they are an iconic brand out of Texas and famous through the South and Midwest. The company began in 1930 but sold ice cream under the company's original name beginning some time after 1910, having started in 1907 making butter. Blue Bell claims to be in 26% of the nation's super-markets. An independent source actually puts them as the number one seller in the country, after private labeling ice cream companies (such as those sold in grocery stores with their own store names). 

NO LONGER AVAILABLE IN UTAH: Blue Bell Dutch 

DISCONTINUED FLAVOR, RATED HERE: Haagen Dazs dark chocolate chip gelato mousse

NO LONGER AVAILABLE IN UTAH: Cia Bella Mascarpone Gelato 

15. Schwann's (see their website to sign up for home delivery)
     Note: This is the most remarkable brand of all. In taste tests, it comes at this spot when compared to other brands, but due to the fact it is very light MILK CHOCOLATE, with a creaminess to it from buttermilk and cream, rather than the usual milk and cream, it produces a LONGEVITY for kids and adults, such that they don't get tired of it as with other brands that even taste better. It's made in Minnesota, with hundreds, if not thousands, of food trucks nationwide for home delivery.

B/B+

16. Humboldt

17. Baskin Robbins Mousse 

18. Mora (rated below Baskin Robbins Mousse and above Villa Dolce, below, but not tested with other below here.)

19. Villa Dolce Italiana Gelato, sold at Medici Pizza Parlor Ice Cream, Orem and nationally, Dark Chocolate. . ONLY TESTED WITH THOSE ABOVE and Dreyer's below:

20. OCCASIONALLY AVAILABLE:  Baskin Robbins Mississippi Mud. Unlike Ben & Jerry's they don't seem to permanently retire old flavors. 

21. Tillamook regular Chocolate. (Note: their inferior chocolate ice cream, "Udderly Chocolate," with chunks, is available lately more often than regular, but rates further down the list below, as the chocolate flavor is not as good.)

NOT CURRENTLY IN UTAH STORES, but has been, and the company is alive:  
Steve's Brooklyn Blackout Cake (of Brooklyn, NY, sold at Sprouts, was bought out by Dean Foods in Dallas and is being re-vitalized) 

     Note: A little history for you -  The original Steve's started in Boston in 1973, which sold to another owner in 1977 and another in 1983. In 1990 we first tested it as straight chocolate ice cream in Miami. That original Steve's went out of business in about 1998 after a 25 year run. But in 1980 the original owner of Steve's, Steve Herrell, began opening a few franchises of Herrell's in the Boston area, with the same flavors as the original company he had started and sold, and they are still in business today. [Why is this company important to bring up? This was the original co. to have mix-ins! And the idea was later cloned by Cold Stone and Marble Slab.] Unfortunately Herrell's is not sold in pre-packaged pints for grocery store distribution. Meanwhile, in 2009 the old Steve's brand name was bought by a former employee, and the company launched in 2011 with New York stores and packaged pints for national distribution, which is available at Sprouts and elsewhere. The new Steve's offers 15 creative flavors only, all different than the original Steve's company (Only Herrell's now has the original Steve's flavors.) The new Steve's has no basic flavors. This chocolate BKLN is the closest thing to a basic chocolate ice cream they have. That new owner, Dean Foods, took over summer of 2017.

22. Three Twins Bittersweet (at Whole Food Markets sometimes, and one can special order it at Good Earth) 

23. Three Twins Brownie Batter (ditto)

B
24. Hatch's Chocolates, SLC (not tested with others side by side on this list, but fits about here).

25. Turkey Hill All Natural 

26. Dreyer's. Has slipped from #17 by 2018, when they made a couple changes sometime in previous two years: a) butterfat slipped down from 7g of saturated fat to 4g (not many years ago it was 9g - and thus much tastier). b) they removed molasses, which had made it taste better. Seems they've also added more air, as the carton is now "mushy" when squeezed, compared to other brands, when it comes out of the freezer.

27. Three Twins choc malt (at Whole Foods Markets sometimes and Good Earth, but if not in stock, can perhaps still be ordered) 

NO LONGER MADE: Dreyer's Frozen Custard Chocolate Malt


34. Sprouts Rocky Road Ice Cream (not their gelato, down below)

35. 365 organic ice cream (at Whole Foods Markets) (their gelato is rated much  farther below, as it has less butterfat)

36. 365 (Whole Foods Brand) regular ice cream

37. Jeni's Darkest Chocolate

38. Alden's Organic

39. Julie's Organic

40. Culver's Frozen Custard

41. Haagen Dazs Belgian Chocolate 

42. ABOUT HERE ON THIS LIST, BUT NOT TESTED WITH OTHERS: Maxine's organic from Three Twins

B-/B

43. Yetti (possibly belongs just below B&J's Choc Fudge Brownie)

44. Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM  

45. Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Therapy CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 


46. Ben & Jerry's Brownie Batter Core CHOCOLATE BASED BUT NOT A TRUE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 

HANDEL'S ICE CREAM PARLORS

notes: 18 Nov 20

(not in order within each grade; tests were Sep 2019 except where noted as 2020)

B+

Banana cream pie (but has aftertaste)

Mint oreo

black cherry (2020, but B- n 2019 test)

B/B+ (not in order), Sep 2019

Vanilla

Praline with caramel and pecan

Chocolate (15 Aug B + a 3^rd test in 2020) (as a shake: B-/B)

Graham central station

Caramel pretsel crunch

B-/B

black raspberry chunk (fake fruit flavor) – also 2020 test

butter pecan

B-

Black cherry (B+ in 2020)

dark chocolate

french silk

B- -

Strawberry (2020)

D+/C-

cherry cordial