Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Review:Häagen-Dazs Sticky Toffee Pudding Ice Cream
When I reviewed Häagen-Dazs Caramelized Pear & Toasted Pecan ice cream at the end of September, I relied on a sample sent by the company's PR firm. This time my wife had picked up some Sticky Toffee Pudding, the winner of the company's 2006 flavor contest, without my knowledge and walked into the kitchen with the remnants.
She: "You should review this ice cream. It's great!"
He: "What is it?"
She: "It's got toffee and bits of cake in vanilla."
He: "OK, let me try some."
She looks darkly at He.
She: "Isn't my opinion as good as yours?"
He: "Yes, but if I'm reviewing it, I actually have to taste it."
She holds out a quarter teaspoon of ice cream.
He: "How about a little more?"
She gives me a funny look, and then holds out the spoon again - a third of a teaspoon this time. I take what I can get. She's right; this is a great flavor. Note to self: buy some and then hide it so I get at least a scoop.
She: "You should review this ice cream. It's great!"
He: "What is it?"
She: "It's got toffee and bits of cake in vanilla."
He: "OK, let me try some."
She looks darkly at He.
She: "Isn't my opinion as good as yours?"
He: "Yes, but if I'm reviewing it, I actually have to taste it."
She holds out a quarter teaspoon of ice cream.
He: "How about a little more?"
She gives me a funny look, and then holds out the spoon again - a third of a teaspoon this time. I take what I can get. She's right; this is a great flavor. Note to self: buy some and then hide it so I get at least a scoop.
Labels: Häagen-Dazs, ice cream, pudding, toffee
Friday, September 07, 2007
Review: Swiss Colony Butter Toffee Trio
Prefacing the run-up to the annual winter holidays are ads, some amount of good will, significantly more shopping, and Swiss Colony. I remember first having a taste of the company's summer sausage in a big county fair in my youth. Now Swiss Colony has become a seasonal fixture in malls and what I remember being called Beef Stick comes in a larger size called the Beef Log. But the company has added some things sweet to the meat beat. A PR rep had Swiss Colony send out a sample of the Nutty Toffee Trio: "Squares of almond butter toffee are blanketed with Milk or dark Swiss Blend Chocolate, or Swiss Creme, and then topped with almonds, pecans or white candies."
The toffee was decent enough, though the "Swiss Creme" is like a pseudo-white chocolate: not much flavor, though it would be a nice contrast to dark and milk chocolates. Unfortunately, it sat outside a bit on a warm day before we noticed the box. The freezer pack was completely melted, and so were half the toffee pieces. Nothing like prying pieces of candy glued down in a puddle of once-melted chocolate. Price is $16.95 for 9.5 ounces, which works out to about $28.55 a pound. Shipping to our little part of rural Massachusetts would have been $4.95 - not terrible, but at 5 to 7 days, I wonder if anything would have been recognizable in the box. Unfortunately, two-day shipping would have been $25, pushing the price far higher than is worthwhile. If you're considering sending something from Swiss Colony, I'd suggest waiting for real cold to set in, or, if you're in warmer climes, choosing something less subject to heat or picking up the product from a mall and delivering it in person.
The toffee was decent enough, though the "Swiss Creme" is like a pseudo-white chocolate: not much flavor, though it would be a nice contrast to dark and milk chocolates. Unfortunately, it sat outside a bit on a warm day before we noticed the box. The freezer pack was completely melted, and so were half the toffee pieces. Nothing like prying pieces of candy glued down in a puddle of once-melted chocolate. Price is $16.95 for 9.5 ounces, which works out to about $28.55 a pound. Shipping to our little part of rural Massachusetts would have been $4.95 - not terrible, but at 5 to 7 days, I wonder if anything would have been recognizable in the box. Unfortunately, two-day shipping would have been $25, pushing the price far higher than is worthwhile. If you're considering sending something from Swiss Colony, I'd suggest waiting for real cold to set in, or, if you're in warmer climes, choosing something less subject to heat or picking up the product from a mall and delivering it in person.
Labels: opinion, review, Swiss Colony, toffee
