For the Love of Blue Bell

As Texans, there are certain queries that significantly define our culture.  You know the ones I'm talking about- life altering mysteries, like "Who shot J.R.?"  "How DOES she get her hair that big?"  "WILL THE AGGIES AND LONGHORNS EVER PLAY THE GAME AGAIN?????" 

It seems that every so often, we are faced with a cultural conundrum of sorts- a question that, while left unanswered, completely affects the very fiber of who we are as a people.  That question right now, my friends, is this: 

"WHEN WILL BLUE BELL BE BACK ON SHELVES?"

It's been months since I have had the joy of seeing that beautiful little farm girl leading her dairy cow across the rows of colorful cartons with gold rimmed covers lined throughout my local grocery store's freezer section. Months since I last tasted its perfect blend of sugar and rich flavors and felt its creamy, smooth texture melt on my tongue.  Blue Bell, in my house, is truly the only ice cream that we eat, and although we don't have it all the time, there is a lot to be said for the comfort that comes with knowing it is there. 

But the fact is, it's not.

And it's summer.

And I still want ice cream.

So, as I spent this week with my uncle, a fellow Blue Bell lover and ice cream connoisseur, I decided to see if there was another ice cream out there that could fill the void Blue Bell has left in my stomach until the day comes when it is once again stocked on the shelves.

I decided to focus on the flavor mint chocolate chip, and took a short trip with my uncle to the local H.E.B. to pick up pint size cartons of three different brands: 

Dove Mint Chocolate Chunk ($2.50)
Nada Moo! ($4.50)
H.E.B. Creamy Creations Mint Chocolate Chip ($1.47)

My taste test was based on three factors: flavor, consistency, and appearance. To conduct my research, I took one simple spoonful from each pint, swishing water around in  my mouth between tasting each brand to make
sure I got the full effect of each individual flavor.  Ice cream, in my opinion, should be creamy, but not too runny or milky, with a good balance of flavors and a smooth appearance.  I began my tasting with the Dove brand. 

Between the three, the Dove packaging was definitely the most attractive.  The bright, minty green color mixed with the different shades of brown and the smooth shapes of the letters gave me the idea that it would be minty and creamy before I ever tasted it.

The look of the ice cream itself was incredibly smooth, almost feathery, and the color was a very pale green, unlike the bright, minty green on the packaging.


The flavor of the mint in the Dove brand was present, but not overpowering.  There was a good balance between the mint and the chocolate, and the chips were more like light shavings dispersed very generously throughout, assuring a hint of chocolate in each bite. Its consistency was very soft and airy, almost gelatin like while at the same time, very thick and filling.  I really enjoyed this brand, but my uncle, who likes a stronger minty flavor was ready to move on.  Next up was the H.E.B. Creamy Creations.



The thing I really liked about the H.E.B. packaging was the familiarity of it.  If I can't have the little farm girl and her dairy cow, at least H.E.B. is another Texas staple.  Otherwise, its appearance was pretty basic, with a simple bowl of ice cream on the front that didn't necessarily whet my appetite.

The ice cream itself was the brightest green color of all three brands, but appeared to be very thin. 

It offered a much stronger mint flavor, but the watery consistency took away from that and caused it to lack the creaminess that I like.  The chocolate flavor was sort of secondary with the mint being the first one to hit my senses, but the chips themselves were actually quite large, chunky, and soft.  It was easy to dip my spoon in to, but not because it was creamy; it was more like dipping in to melted chocolate chips.   As much as I wanted to, I did not enjoy this one very much, but my uncle really did because the mint flavor was what he was looking for.


This left the Nada Moo which was packaged in a very bland,
green and white carton that was simply not very attractive to me. 

This ice cream was the lightest green of all three brands, almost white in appearance, and was definitely thick.

The mint flavor was stronger than the Dove, but not as strong as the H.E.B. brand, and there was  a very apparent coconut taste that overpowered the chocolate.  There were not as many chocolate chips in the Nada Moo, and what were there were a little chalky in flavor.  The consistency of the Nada Moo, however was the best of all three, in  my opinion.   Not too hard, not too soft with a pudding like texture that was creamy without being too milky.  Even with that though, the flavor just wasn't appealing to me or my uncle, so I have to rank Nada Moo in last place.

So, there you have it.  For me, the big winner here is the Dove Mint Chocolate Chunk.  While the mint flavor is not quite as strong as the H.E.B., the balance between that and the chocolate creates a good taste that is not overpowering.  The consistency, while not as fluffy and thick as Nada Moo was much creamier than H.E.B.'s, and both the packaging and appearance of the treat itself made my mouth water.

While nothing will ever quite take the place of the beloved Blue Bell, I suppose Dove will work until it's back.  Until then, I guess any ice cream in the summertime is better than none- it's just that, to me, Blue Bell is better than them all.