Best Served Cold

A tasting of seven organic ice cream flavors 15

This is part one of a two-part series on organic ice cream; look for our review of select non-dairy brands later this month.

In my four-plus decades on this planet, I’ve gone through many transformations. One constant has been a devotion to ice cream.

ice creamTastes like heaven.Somewhere, there exists a photo of three-year-old me with an ice cream cone rammed into my face, which is marked with splotches of Rocky Road. My expression is focused, beatific, like a religious fanatic at prayer. To this day, I remember howls of adult laughter echoing around me. I didn’t give a damn—what mattered was getting that creamy, crunchy, sweet stuff into my mouth.

I try to play it cooler these days, but the joy I take in the famed cold confection has changed little. Thus when my editor approached me with the assignment of tasting organic ice creams, I pretended to be put upon, before “reluctantly” agreeing. Inside my brain, I indulged a thunderous “Yes!” [Editor’s note: What? You pitched me this topic!]

Given the broad variety of flavors available in store-bought brands, practical considerations forced me to choose a single one for comparison. I was sorely tempted to pick chocolate, which I think would have given a wide diversity of flavor profiles. But I settled on vanilla, a delicate flavor that wouldn’t mask flaws in the product. To spice things up a bit, I threw in two variations on the plain-vanilla theme: Stonyfield Farms’ Crème Caramel (caramel swirl) and PJ Madison’s Southern Butter Pecan.

Now, I’m a devotee of full-on, full-fat ice cream, made with real dairy and eggs. (I love beans and rice, but find them best served hot with salsa, not extruded into liquid, sweetened, and then frozen. Look for a forthcoming product tester—by another author—on non-dairy ice “creams.”) To see if I really needed all of that fat to enjoy a frozen dairy dessert, I added Stonyfield’s no-fat vanilla frozen yogurt into the mix.

Then I assembled a tasting panel of six ice cream-loving friends—plus a lactose-intolerant seventh who served us samples and kept us from knowing which was which. Everyone brings his or her own agenda to a blind tasting. What I was looking for were smooth, rich-but-not-too-rich, not overly sweet ice creams, yellow from the yolks of real farm eggs, dotted with flecks of real vanilla seeds, and delivering a pronounced vanilla flavor.

Here’s what we found.

Julie’s Organic Vanilla
Vanilla seeds or extract: Extract
Price: $3.69/pint
Eco-claim: Virtually free of pesticides, preservatives, chemical additives, food coloring, or genetically engineered ingredients

I found this pale ice cream well-made and satisfying, delivering a nice round vanilla flavor, but a little on the sweet side. I ranked it second-best. One taster declared it “yummy,” with tapioca notes, while another liked it generally, but found an “oily” aftertaste. Its most enthusiastic taster found it “smooth and rich ... more complex than the others.” One critic found it “dull ... really cheap commercial dairy ... almost plastic.”

Alden’s Vanilla Bean
Vanilla seeds or extract: Seeds
Price: $3.69/pint
Eco-claim: Our milk comes from healthy cows not raised on hormones or antibiotics

Oddly enough, this one turns out to be made by the same company as Julie’s, an entity known as Oregon Ice Cream Company. It was my favorite of the lot, offering a restrained but well-rounded vanilla flavor and a light-cream texture. Bonus: not overly sweet. Two tasters praised the level of vanilla flavor but found an oily aftertaste; a fourth found it a “little chewy in texture.” “Upscale” and “a little plain” were other reactions.

Stonyfield Gotta Have Vanilla Non-Fat Frozen Yogurt
Vanilla seeds or extract: Seeds
Price: $4.19/pint
Eco-claim: We use farm-fresh milk from family farms

This ringer—the only non-fat product in the lineup—landed with a thud. Can’t believe it’s not real cream? Not our panel. I found it thin, oversweet, and artificial-tasting, despite the vanilla-seed flecks. One person dismissed it with one word: SWEET. Another found it “medicinal—not in a good way.” Another found it “very low” in vanilla flavor and “watery.” Still another judged it was “trying too hard ... mediocre.” It did find one defender, who ranked it number one: “great texture ... [vanilla-]bean flavored.”

Stonyfield Gotta Have Vanilla Ice Cream
Vanilla seeds or extract: Extract
Price: $4.19/pint
Eco-claim: We use farm-fresh milk from family farms

This one neither particularly pleased nor offended. I was encouraged by its rich yellow color, suggesting the presence of good farm eggs. I liked the light, smooth texture, but the flavor was oversweet and the vanilla muted. Several tasters concurred; others disagreed. “More robust and stronger vanilla,” wrote one, adding, “something you’d find in a cute ice cream shop (in a good way).”

PJ Madison Southern Butter Pecan
Vanilla seeds or extract: N/A
Price: $3.99/pint
Eco-claim: Changed business models to focus on the research and development of organic ice cream after learning about the harmful effects of organophosphate pesticide levels in humans

I feared the non-vanilla ice creams would gain an unfair advantage, because of their contrast with the others. The opposite happened—people generally disliked this one. I detected an artificial vanilla taste (the ingredients lists no vanilla, just “organic flavors”).  And the texture, not so creamy. Other folks found it oversweet and unappealing. “Nothing to write home about, even if it is pecan,” declared one. “Tastes like Splenda,” said another.

Stonyfield Crème Caramel Ice Cream
Vanilla seeds or extract: N/A
Price: $4.19/pint
Eco-claim: We use farm-fresh milk from family farms

Full disclosure: This is typically my favorite store-bought ice cream these days. Of course I picked it out right away. Oddly—perhaps because I had tasted five ice creams previously—it didn’t appeal as much as usual. I wanted more of a caramelized punch. Others liked it; “sweet and creamy,” “smooth,” and “full, not overbearing” were among the comments.

PJ Madison Bourbon Vanilla
Vanilla seeds or extract: Extract
Price: $3.99/pint
Eco-claim: Changed business models to focus on the research and development of organic ice cream after learning about the harmful effects of organophosphate pesticide levels in humans

Grist\\'s Pick: Alden\\'s Organic Vanilla BeanThis one failed to impress. I found it pale, with a faint-vanilla flavor and a decently creamy texture. Others were even less excited. “Boring,” declared one panelist. “Tastes gross,” opined another. “Too sweet,” judged a third. One did find it had “good texture, not yogurt-y.”

The Bottom Line: These ice creams, despite their similarity, drew a wide variety of responses. But two drew positive responses from enough panelists to stand out: Alden’s and Julie’s, both made by Oregon Ice Cream Company. When all the votes were tallied, Alden’s took the crown by a nose. The real bottom line: Ice cream rocks.

 

Grist food editor Tom Philpott farms and cooks at Maverick Farms, a sustainable-agriculture nonprofit and small farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Follow my Twitter feed; contact me at tphilpott[at]grist[dot]org.

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  1. mihan's avatar

    mihan Posted 10:17 am
    17 Jun 2009

    Sibby's Organic Vanilla.
    Or make your own. This weekend, I'm gonna make vanilla custard and honey custard. Yay for ice cream season!

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  2. cathschuy Posted 5:12 pm
    17 Jun 2009

    Julie's also does super yummy chocolate covered chocolate ice cream pops and amazing sorbet pops -- mango passion is our favorite so far, but we'll give a few others a chance soon, just because we're open-minded like that.  Nothing like eating ice cream in the name of science and fair play!

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  3. appalachiantransplant Posted 9:05 pm
    17 Jun 2009

    Are you kidding me?  You're not even going to bother including at least ONE non-dairy ice cream?  Alright, Grist, just keep your fatheads in the sand and continue making excuses as to why you can't (read: won't) go vegan.  Ignore the research regarding the environmental impact of animal agriculture and continue to pat yourselves on the back for eating organic happy meat and driving your Priuses.
    For readers who care, Temptation Soy Ice Cream from Chicago Soy Dairy is wonderful, as is Good Karma "rice" cream.  I've also heard great things about the new hemp-based "ice cream" from Living Harvest called Tempt.

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    1. RyanMc Posted 6:02 am
      18 Jun 2009

      Read the first sentence of the article. It's coming later this month.

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    2. RyanMc Posted 6:02 am
      18 Jun 2009

      Read the first sentence of the article. It's coming later this month.

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  4. frannypro's avatar

    frannypro Posted 8:40 am
    18 Jun 2009

    For dairy consumers, Straus Family Creamery ice cream will make yo' mouths water (I was pretty shocked it wasn't one of the 7, to be honest): http://www.strausfamilycreamery.com/?title=ice cream
    For vegans and lactose-intolerant folks, Coconut Bliss is where it's at: http://www.coconutbliss.com/

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    1. Tom Philpott's avatar

      Tom Philpott Posted 5:35 am
      19 Jun 2009

      Believe me, I'd be all about some Strauss, but I've never seen it outside of Cali and did not find it here in NC for this tasting.

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  5. John Fish Kurmann Posted 9:31 pm
    19 Jun 2009

    I'm surprised that Alden's was your favorite, Tom, and that it was ranked second. It has significantly more air whipped into it than the Julie's, Stonyfield, and PJ Madison's ice creams, all of which are super-premium ice creams. That extra air makes the Alden's brand easier to scoop straight out of the freezer (because it's less dense), lower in fat (because there's less actual ingredients present in each serving), and less expensive per serving. I hate to buy a container of ice cream that's largely air, though.Personally, I prefer vanilla ice cream recipes that do not have eggs in them because I think the egginess interferes with the crisp, clean vanilla taste. My favorite of those you tested is Stonyfield's Gotta Have Vanilla, but by far my favorite organic vanilla frozen dessert of all time was Howler brand Organic Vanilla Bean Gelato. It was made with Mexican vanilla extract and vanilla bean specks, giving it the most wonderful clean, strong vanilla taste. It also had a luscious dense texture because no air is whipped into gelato. Unfortunately, Howler Products went out of business 4-5 years ago. Howler donated 1% of its profits to Conservation International to fund rainforest preservation, too, all the more reason to bemoan their demise. Their other gelato flavors included Mayan Blackberries & Cream, Chocolate Hazelnut, Dark Forest Chocolate, Mocha Chocolate Chip, Aztec Cappucino, and Chocolate Orange Passion, and they made multiple sorbet flavors, too. Man, I miss that Vanilla Bean Gelato. I've tried other vanilla bean flavored gelatos at gelato shops but none of them lived up to my memory of the Howler recipe, and none of them were organic, either.

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    1. John Fish Kurmann Posted 10:52 am
      21 Jun 2009

      Oh, and in addition to donating 1% of their profits to Conservation International, Howler sourced flavorings from the rainforest to use in their gelatos and sorbettos, including the Mexican vanilla beans that made that gelato so faboo.Stonyfield Farm's Gotta Have Vanilla is the only organic vanilla ice cream I know of that's not made with eggs, which must explain why I prefer its flavor over the other brands. 

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  6. solargroupies's avatar

    solargroupies Posted 5:23 am
    22 Jun 2009

    Ben & Jerry's mooooooo-ve over! Cherry Garcia would turn over in his grave if he ever saw this. But alas, organic, and better yet, home made ice cream is here, moving us closer to whirled peas!

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  7. John Fish Kurmann Posted 7:53 am
    22 Jun 2009

    Ben & Jerry's actually debuted a line of four certified organic ice creams about 5 years ago, but they seem to have quietly discontinued it because those flavors are no longer on their site. I'm betting they ended their organic line due to poor sales. Their organic flavors (Vanilla, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Sweet Cream & Cookies, and Strawberry) weren't the sort of creative and unusual combinations B&J's has come to be known for, and all but one of those flavors is also available from 100% organic brands that are well-established in the freezer cases of health food stores. Julie's Organic Ice Creams makes Vanilla and Strawberry (and they used to sell a Cookies n' Cream), and Stonyfield Farm makers Gotta Have Vanilla and Cookies 'n Dream. Moreover, Ben & Jerry's had been selling a conventional Chocolate Fudge Brownie for years, so that wasn't a new flavor, just an organic version of an existing flavor.I also wonder whether the execs at B&J's and/or Unilever (B&J's parent company) were uncomfortable with selling organic ice creams, fearing that this drew unwanted attention from committed organic buyers to the fact that the great majority of B&J's flavors are conventional.

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  8. HeathAshli's avatar

    HeathAshli Posted 6:15 pm
    25 Jun 2009

    Boulder Organic Ice Cream is my favorite. They have some really great flavor combos! http://www.bouldericecream.com/

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  9. John Fish Kurmann Posted 6:33 pm
    25 Jun 2009

    Hi, HEATHASHLI. I don't see any organic ice cream flavors on the Boulder Ice Cream site. Am I missing something?

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  10. HeathAshli's avatar

    HeathAshli Posted 7:30 pm
    25 Jun 2009

    We bought their ice cream at Whole Foods in Texas. They are certified organic, if you look close enough you can see the USDA Organic seal on it. One of the flavors was Coconut Crunch. However their website doesn't have any info on it about organic, looks like they need to update their website. http://www.ecofriend.org/entry/boulder-ice-cream-goes-organic/ & http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/12/boulder_ice_cre_1.php

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  11. John Fish Kurmann Posted 5:41 am
    26 Jun 2009

    Ah, I see. Boulder Ice Cream is currently in the process of transitioning to an organic line. A few of their flavors are sold in my local store so I'll check 'em out.

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