Tea-rrific Chunky London Mist Ice Cream

Look, I had no intention of having ice cream for lunch yesterday, I just havent been in the right frame of mind for it lately. The plan was to go to whole foods, grab a few things for my son, and then grab one of those pre-assembled lunches they have with the rotisserie chicken, veggies, and mashed potatoes... but they were out! Ugggg.... but wait, seasonal stuff in the freezer aisle... and sales... and look, Tea-rrific is on sale!

What is Tea-rrific you ask? Well, it's tea infused ice cream out of Connecticut actually. I spied 3 of their flavors back in May and got some positive feedback about it on facebook. The problem was justifying $5.99 for a pint of something that I was afraid I would hate. I actually wound up talking with Mario (who I didn't realize was their president and founder) but I just couldn't mange to get to one of their free summer tastings.

Tea-rrific Chunky London Mist Ice Cream

The malty and citrusy notes of Earl Grey tea with a hint of vanilla, 

rich semi-sweet Belgian chocolate flakes and buttery roasted pecan chunks

So originally my local Whole Foods only had the choice of ginger matcha, chamomile, or masala chai, but after checking their website, I really had my heart set on this Chunky London Mist. (oh man, they have a Brown Butter Sticky Toffee limited batch out right now!)

Anyway, sorry, I'm going on and on, let's take that first bite... whoa, I don't know how I feel about that. There's no denying the tea flavor here, it's quite strong. I take a few more bites and start to settle in to this very unique flavor. Yeah, whoa, it's different, but there's definitely a sense of quality here. There's a nice density to the product and just the right amount of scoop resistance for a flavor like this.

I wish I knew my teas better. While having an affinity for Snapple Lemon Ice Tea during my college years, I've rarely touched the stuff in the last decade... but I did have a tea over the summer, I don't remember if it was Gold Peak or Pure Leaf, but I'm definitely having flashbacks to that rich brewed tea flavor.

The chocolate chips and the pecans? It seems like most scoops have one or the other in it and I think they are helping to keep my interest. Now unfortunately the tea is strong enough that it's burying any kind of real flavor from bursting from the mix-ins but the textural change is both pleasant and welcome. I'm just too far out in to uncharted territory and they are giving me the confidence to keep going.

Whoa, and now two thirds of the pint is gone. I just found myself trying more bites and looking for more buried pecan treasure. There's no denying the uniqueness of this brand, it's tea from start... to finish... to aftertaste.

This will probably sound dumb, but I'm kind of proud of myself for manning up and trying this one. Just like FoMu, I was way out of my comfort zone but yet again I was pleasantly surprised. Well done Tea-rrific, may your quality product take you to new markets.

On Second Scoop: Alright, the last third of the pint is gone now and part of me will miss it. I had fun taking a scoop, letting in melt on my taste buds, and then chomping on the pecans. While it is weird enjoying tea this way, I really dig the overall combo here. It's a quality product and I'm glad I worked up the nerve to try it. No I won't be feasting on it everyday, I'm too simplistic for that, but I will be back to try the others!

Verdict?  different, in a good way
Buy Again?  when the mood hits, I will try the other flavors