Breyers Tiramisu Gelato Indulgences

[By Nick, 2014-2017] So this is really happening right now? You’re telling me that Breyers, the company who can barely produce ice cream is now making gelato? I can sense my Grandfather rolling over in his grave. When you think about it though, it actually makes a lot of sense. Unlike ice cream, gelato doesn’t have a set definition or standards that have to be met to use that name. I don’t know about you but the term gelato sounds a heck of a lot better than frozen dairy dessert. Dubba has already covered the other three flavors and wasn’t all that positive about them. I was finally able to acquire a container of their Tiramisu so let’s see if they’ll be able to impress me.

Breyers Tiramisu Gelato Indulgences

Mascarpone gelato with espresso sauce,
ladyfinger cookie pieces & gourmet cocoa

I definitely like the look of the cocoa dusting. Upon removing the protective seal, you’re hit with a strong cheesy smell. Thankfully it’s more on the sweeter side like a cheesecake than the traditional smell you’d associate with cheese. Since this is a layered dessert, I dug my spoon all the way down to get a piece of all of the components. The taste of the mascarpone gelato is strong like the smell but in a good sweet kind of way. The flavor is definitely stronger than what you get from Haagen-Dazs version. It allows for it to holds its own against the espresso sauce swirled throughout. The espresso sauce adds a robust coffee flavor as well as some chocolate bitterness to help cut the bases sweetness. This meshes perfectly with the slight bitterness you’re already getting from the cocoa dusting.

Lastly, the lady fingers (hiding on the bottom) are executed properly. They’re soft and add just a little chew to switch things up texturally. Interestingly enough, Breyers uses, for lack of a better term, lady finger medallions. They’re basically little circles of lady fingers about the size of a dime. I’ll give Breyers some props for that idea. It makes things a lot easier form an eating standpoint since you don’t have to worry about taking a full size cookie up with you when you’re digging out of the bottom. While not as good as Haagen-Dazs Tiramisu, this product is well executed from a flavor standpoint.

Now if you haven’t noticed, I’ve yet to make any mention of the texture of the gelato itself. Well there’s a good reason for that. I’m not even sure what to make of it. It’s nowhere near traditional gelato or even ice cream. Heck, it doesn’t even remind me of a frozen dairy dessert. I can’t even tell if I like it or not. Sure there’s a slight gumminess to it but nothing off putting. The denseness is almost on par with super premium brands but at times it feels light. I kind of feel like it actually sort of works in this application. I think I’d be less conflicted if they weren’t to have called it gelato to be honest. If it was called Breyer’s Dessert Indulgences, I could see me being less critical on the texture. Half the container is now gone and I still have no idea my feelings towards it. I guess the second scoop will have to confirm things.

On Second Scoop: Well like I said, this product has a really good flavor. I’d go as far as to say it could give Ben & Jerry’s Coffee Coffee, BUZZBUZZBUZZ for #2 in my rankings. I still can’t figure out that texture though. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad but it just feels like something is off. I’ve never been so irritated/intrigued/confused by a texture of a dessert before in my life. The container is empty and I’m just sitting here trying to type down my thoughts to no avail. All that said, if you like coffee flavored products, I say give this one a shot and let me know your thoughts. I think I need to go try the other flavors out to see if I have the same reaction to their texture as well.

Verdict?  Enjoyable flavor but with an odd texture.
Buy Again?  I’ll give the other gelatos a shot first.

Dubba's Scoop: When I was buying the other flavors, I did actually buy this one as well but I wanted Nick to take the lead since I'm pretty biased against coffee ice cream. The funny thing is, I think he wound up with the least offensive of the 4 products. The gelato itself is mildly flavored overall, plus the mild coffee flavor is contained to the swirl, so it's easy to avoid for coffee loathers like myself. To me, the lady fingers look (and kind of taste) like mini nilla wafers. I just don't get why they made these gelatos so chewy and gummy. I know the texture works for some, but it just seems so fake to me.

3 other 2014 flavors:  Vanilla Caramel, Triple Chocolate, Raspberry Cheesecake

Note: Thanks to reader Eve, we now know that these Breyer's gelatos seem to bare some relationship to various Carte D'or flavors from across Europe.