Talenti Peppermint Bark Gelato #23

So you guys know by now that I'm a huge Talenti Gelato fan boy, but I don't always have access to all of their flavors. In particular, I was pretty bummed to miss their limited edition Peppermint Bark gelato last year. Well, guess who got lucky at lunch today? wait, strike that, guess who found a grocery store with an early supply of seasonal talenti on sale?   >> this guy <<

Talenti Peppermint Bark Gelato #23

(peppermint gelato with chocolate chips)

It doesn't smell really minty at first, and it looks an awful lot like their chocolate chip flavor.

Right from the very first scoop, I'm taken back to their Mediterranean mint gelato, but have no fear (Nick), I think you're going to like this one a lot more. The flavor is familiar, but not as strong, and that butter cream mint flair seems turned down as well. The mint is pleasant, controlled, and, well, more importantly, he brought a friend.

How's that for a lot of chocolate chips? It's practically a swirl! They've taken the "chips" from their other flavors, turned the flow control up to 11, and I love them for it. Technically, my pint could be a fluke, but hopefully every pint has this much chocolate inside. The thin chips still have that trademark crisp texture, but now it seems more abundant then ever. Very cool.

If I had to force myself to make just one small complaint, it would be that the traditional side of me is lost without some kind of red visuals here. I know it's dumb, but almost every other frozen peppermint treat has red in it somewhere, but this one does not. Ofcourse, this is probably milder than most peppermints you've had, so technically it still makes sense. "Bark" is used in the loosest sense here, but as always, talenti is doing their own spin on things, and I'm still digging it.

On Second Scoop: Do you know the sign that tells you when you have a winner? It's when you can't wait for the second scoop. I just barely managed to avoid polishing off the second half of this pint yesterday, and now I finally get to dig back in. Within seconds, I've gone through another delightful serving (saving one for later!). I just love the way talenti's texture plays off the chips. I also think people will dig the moderated peppermint flavor. It's there, but not crazy and that suits the texture profile well. Too strong a peppermint would have distracted from the texture. Nicely done.

Verdict?  Love the "chips"
Buy Again?  Yes