Ciao Bella Gelato Malted Milk Ball Review

[Discontinued for the 2014 rebranding/reformulating]
There's only one way to say this: Ciao Bella just put a smile on my face. Not to ruin the end of the story, but this is a very cool flavor and I can't say enough about it.  Nice job Ciao Bella, very nice.

Let's start from the beginning, not of the treat, not of the day, but from way back in the day when I was just a wee little whippersnapper. I remember malted milk balls very fondly. I want to say it was my dad who got me hooked, and I want to say he use to stash these in the cabinet, but it was so long ago I just don't remember when it all started. No matter, I loved those little treats. It was possible to have them too often though, and at some point we grew apart.

Flash forward to the new millennium and you'll find me strolling down the aisle and spotting those little yellow Shaws tags that let me know what's on sale. Ciao Bella is on sale, but I'm not really excited ...wait ...what's that light brown colored one? I haven't seen that one before. MALTED MILK BALL??? Are they serious?? Oh yeah! I gotta try that!!!

Wait, before we get too far, I need to finish my side story first. I've actually been in the mood for malted milk balls for a few weeks now. In fact, I was at the "other" grocery store a few days later and picked up a one dollar box of WHOPPERS, the "original malted milk ball". Like I mentioned, I have found memories of Whoppers but it's been years and years since I've had any. I took the box to work and was ready for the good times to roll again, but, sadly, they didn't. Something just doesn't taste right. They're too potent. I know that's not the best description, but I remember them being a bit more mellow. I was disappointed, and with 7 grams of saturated fat per serving, I didn't even bother finishing the box.

Ciao Bella Malted Milk Ball Gelato

Back to the cold stuff! Let's crack this pint open and see what's up. I can admit I didn't even read the description on the side of the container 'til after I was shoving spoonfuls of this stuff in my mouth. After reading just the front, I thought it would just be malted milk ball flavor, but the side of the container reads "Irresistible morsels of Malted Milk Ball emerge from a pool of rich malted cream. Instantly, notes of vanilla, blonde toffee and chocolate meld in an addictive crunch. Smooth and creamy, made with all natural, pure ingredients." I'm glad I didn't read it first because I would have been totally confused by the "morsels of malted milk ball" comment. How could you possibly make a morsel out of that?

I'll show you! It's not a morsel, it's an entire milk ball, and there are lots and lots of them! Oh my fear of disappointment has suddenly turned into an urge to grab the nearest spoon and dig in. (The ones you see sliced in the picture are from me slicing into the pint to show you what's up).

I dig in, and oh yeah! this is awesome! I love it! Now this is how I remember malted milk balls. It's about the malted insides, not the overpowering chocolate shell that I found in Whoppers. I'm getting a milk ball with every big bite of gelato and I'm loving the combo. The consistency of the gelato is just adding to the fun too. Rather than waiting for a thick, super premium ice cream to melt before I go diggin' for treasure, the gelato is already starting to melt and scooping is super easy. I'm like a kid in a candy store! Man I'm having fun.

The MMBs with the gelato are really working for me. I was having trouble placing the exact flavor of the gelato, and I was going to say a mild caramel flavor, but the container says toffee. Either way, it's mild and does an excellent job complimenting the MMBs.  The gelato also provides a nice texture difference too. You have the slightly melted gelato going oh so well with the crunchiness of the MMB. Mmmmm, boy this hit the spot!

Do I have anything bad to say? No, not really. My only compliant is that I was so excited that I ate too much and gave myself a stomach ache. I haven't done that in months. I will admit I was a little confused the first time I tried Ciao Bella, but they have definitely got my attention with this one. Good job!