Island Ice Cream: What Ben & Jerry's Used to Be

Ben & Jerry's ice cream has made its way into many people's homes, fictional stories, restaurants, businesses and more. I'm a Vermonter. I've grown up with Ben & Jerry's and have eaten my share of many a pint throughout the past couple of decades. It is the quality of the ice cream as of late that leaves me cold and wishing for more.

As a teen, Ben & Jerry's Dastardly Mash was a mainstay for myself and my friends. The dark chocolate ice cream, huge chunks, and raisins created a perfect combination that took us to a level of euphoria that didn't have us addicted to drugs, booze, and the likes. For years, Ben & Jerry's was rich, creamy, and sinful. Then I reached adulthood and something happened, Ben and Jerry, the founders, wanted some time off so they sold their company to Unilever in 200 for the whopping sum of $326 million. While the ice cream plants in Waterbury and Saint Albans, Vermont have remained, the ice cream itself is not as creamy and rich as it was in the 1980s and 1990s.

Enter a new, small company called Island Ice Cream. I had the pleasure of sampling their ice cream for the first time last month. Upon the first bite, my tongue and lips were immediately coated in a rich, slick feeling of heavy cream. There is no taste that compares. Island Ice Cream is certainly not good for you, but then who eats ice cream for the non-existent health benefits?

We happened to be in an area Italian restaurant sharing their Spumoni, which happened to be made by Island Ice Cream. The pistachio was the first ice cream I sampled. The pistachios were still crunchy, the salty tang was there, and the ice cream itself was perfectly balanced with sweetness and the dense creamy taste. This is what Ben and Jerry's used to be! Next up was the Sour Cherry ice cream. The taste of fresh cherries was immediate and incredibly satisfying. The chocolate tasted like a bite of bittersweet chocolate, just sweet enough to be dessert, but the rich flavor of the cocoa was not drowned out by the chocolate.

Since then, I've been on a quest to sample all of Island Ice Cream's pints. Each pint that I have sampled has left me stunned that someone has gotten it down. Ice cream should taste of fresh cream. It should be dense and definitely have a hint of sweetness that isn't overpowering and syrupy. Their ice cream contains heavy cream purchased here in Vermont, sugar, egg yolks, and stabilizers for shipping (carob bean gum, locust bean gum, and carrageenan.)

Island Ice Cream makes their ice cream in small batches. They want the product to fly off store shelves quickly so that consumers are eating it at its freshest. The Butter Pecan and Vermont Maple Walnut are amazing. Because the product is not stored for months, the nuts do not have time to become soggy. There are a number of flavors, including sorbets. Flavors like Black Forest, Cake Batter, Strawberry Cheesecake, Coffee, Chocolate Almond, Cookies N' Cream, and Chocolate Supreme are amazing. Their Vanilla and Strawberry ice creams have won awards. For sorbets, hungry shoppers can purchase Key Lime Mint, Strawberry, Peach and White Grape, Blueberry-Raspberry, Mango, Lemon, Plum, and more.

Located in Grand Isle, Vermont, out-of-staters are not going to be able to try this delightful ice cream without traveling here. At the current time, Island Ice Cream does not ship out of state. Their website contains information on their ice creams and contact information. With time and demand, they may start shipping their ice creams farther out and then people can experience what Ben & Jerry's used to be!