Choctal — A New Way to Taste Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Creams
Imagine tasting four different vanilla ice creams, each sourced with vanilla from a different country.
The same concept of single-origin that’s been applied to coffees and chocolate bars now comes to premium ice cream.
Los Angeles-based Choctal has done just that with its chocolate and vanilla ice creams. Think four different kinds of vanilla ice cream plus four different kinds of chocolate ice cream. How’s that for a surprising way to introduce variety?
The ice creams come in these flavors: Madagascar Vanilla, Mexican Vanilla, Papua New Guinea Vanilla, Indonesian Vanilla, Ghana Chocolate, Kalimantan Chocolate, Dominican Chocolate and Costa Rican Chocolate.
They are made with single-0rigin chocolate and vanilla sourced from around the world. The ice creams are made without eggs or gluten.
Recently, I had a chance to try samples of all of them. You’re probably wondering which vanilla or which chocolate one to buy, right? To be honest, the best way to really appreciate these ice creams is to buy all four varieties of chocolate or vanilla to taste them side-by-side. That way, you can really assess their differences and nuances. If that sounds like too much ice cream in the house, invite some friends over and have your own ice cream tasting. You can even do it blind like a wine tasting party.
Let’s start with the vanilla ones first. The Mexican Vanilla has a very rich, full taste with notes of cinnamon. The Indonesian Vanilla is your classic bourbon vanilla with a pleasant woodsiness and a very creamy quality. It’s the only vanilla that didn’t have noticeable vanilla bean speckles in it, either. The Madagascar Vanilla has a clean taste and a long finish. It’s the vanilla you dream about when baking. The Papua New Guinea Vanilla is the one you should really enjoy all on its own — without fudge sauce, a pie or cobbler with it. That’s because it is incredibly floral and to really appreciate it you shouldn’t mask it with anything else.
You can see clearly the Kalimantan chocolate ice cream is the darkest. For true dark chocolate lovers.
Turning to the chocolate ones, the Ghana is for anyone who’s ever loved licking a fudgsicle. The Dominican tastes like mocha with a slight astringency on the back note. The Kalimantan (sourced from Borneo) is the darkest of all the chocolate ones. As you can guess, it also boasts the most intense dark chocolate flavor of them all. My favorite might be the Costa Rican because it tastes the most complex. It’s fudgy, earthy, and with a bit of coffee and caramel going on.
You can find Choctal ice creams at Northern California Whole Foods Markets for about $8.99 a pint. You may never look at plain vanilla and chocolate ice cream the same way ever again.
Wow, that’s double the price of even the premium pints out there, isn’t it?
We definitely need more variety in the choco/vanilla ice cream selection, even if it is a lot more pricey than other premium brands.
Too bad they don’t sell sample packs with tiny servings of all four vanilla or chocolate. That would be fun.
Carolyn, I’m going to check them out! I’m particularly interested in the varietals of vanilla… yum!
Others are commenting about the price and I have to say… recently I’ve noticed all sorts of ice creams for 12 bucks a pint. I feel like an old lady, but that does feel steep, doesn’t it? Or maybe that’s the real cost of good food.
Have a good week!
xo
E
wow, these sound amazing! Its worth the drive to Whole Foods!
These ice creams look quite delicious! Something in me is willing to give them a shot, even if they might be more expensive than other selections. Quality > quantity 🙂
I was hoping to ask you a couple of questions via email, would you mind sending me a note at the address I provided? Thank you!
Ben and Erin: The publicist inadvertently provided an incorrect price. The pints are $8.99 at Whole Foods. The $11 price per pint is if you purchase it online through the Choctal site. So, it’s a little less expensive. Just a little.
$8.99 does sound a bit better than $11. I can really use the $2 for gas to get to Whole Foods. 😉
Ben: You are too funny!
My boyfriend bought the Costa Rican chocolate by accident a couple of nights ago. I say by accident because we were in a rush and didn’t pay attention to the price – I didn’t notice the $8.99 price tag until we’d already paid! Sticker shock aside, I’d say this is was worth the try. I love the smooth melt and indulgent, complex flavors. I really like how the ice cream is rich and deeply chocolatey without being overwhelming. Worth treating yourself to at least once :).
I just bought it at the .99 cent store in Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, CA lol. It was actually .50 per cup. The Madagascar Vanilla is AMAZING!