Mojo Frozen Yogurt: So Many Flavors, Just One Cup

Another trendy desert place tucked among the bustle of downtown Suburbia, USA? Ya don' t say! Freestanding, independently owned ice cream stands are now the stuff of photography exhibits and daydreams for many Americans, as they have been replaced by a much more "chic" sugary outlet: the frozen yogurt shop. A few years back, the bubble tea craze took hold. Most recently, cupcakes have been the trend. And now, years after TCBY faded into airport and strip mall anonymity, frozen yogurt has been slickly repackaged as a hot, guilt-free indulgence.

Another trend? Watching your hostess/server prepare your treat. No, the drive-through window is too secretive. It's not enough for a perky hostess to emerge from beyond the cash register with a Blizzard in hand. We want to see the process behind its creation. Coldstone stakes its claim on mashing its high butterfat desert with cookies and candy bars. On a marble slab. While you watch, your poor teen server's wrists now doomed to a future of cramps and arthritis.

Mojo Frozen Yogurt presents a less taxing way to concoct a sugary treat, but you won't be watching someone else do it. The frozen yogurt chain, with locations in Arizona, California, and Nevada, believes in the "Do It Yourself" concept. Fill the cup, to your specs, all by yourself. I visited an Arizona location, where the ambiance was decidedly "hip" with its shiny red décor, clean lines, and dark lighting. Oh, and while you dig into your yogurt, you will find your eyes gravitating toward the wall-mounted televisions, where, on this trip, PeeWee Herman was starting right back at me.

As for the DIY component, my first duty was to select a Styrofoam cup. From there, things became a little more challenging, as the array of flavors overwhelmed me. On this particular trip, I sampled the dreamy coconut, caffe latte, pistachio, and pomegranate, and, oh yes, the mojo cookie monster - perhaps not the most compatible of flavors, but an opportunity to test a diverse spectrum of the company's creations.

And I wasn't even done yet, as Mojo also has a toppings station loaded with anything from fresh fruits to cookie crumbles, chocolate chips, Snickers, and cheesecake bites. It was an experience similar to that of visiting a salad bar. On the one hand, I am wary of ladling dressing (or in this case, cookie crumbles) when they have been sitting out, exposed to the elements and strangers' greasy fingers. On the other hand, I couldn't turn down the option for flavors I usually don't keep in my pantry. And as with a salad bar, where I manage to fuse Cobb with Caesar with Southwestern, I approached the cash register with such a mishmash of flavors that I wondered if I could ever accurately assess the quality.

My verdict? I should have kept my sampler cup a little simpler. Still, I was impressed by the mild and authentic coconut, as well as the caffee. The pomegranate lacked the "umph" that I had anticipated, and the cookie monster failed to leave a distinct impression...kind of like TCBY. The pistachio, which dominated the cup by virtue of its mesmerizing green hue - I just couldn't release the lever - was surprisingly tasty. I would order the pistachio again next time, and try the original tart.

The above flavors not adventurous enough for you? Additional flavors include the mango tango tart, razzberry tart, minty chocolate, birthday cake, White Boy Vanilla, and Bubblegum Pop Art. And you'd better believe I'll be returning for Great Pumpkin and Peppermint Daddy during the holiday season.

All in all, Mojo Frozen Yogurt offers a refreshing treat in a region of the country that could use the relief. The yogurt is 100% fat free, and reasonably priced at 39 cents per ounce, assuming you don't overload your cup. And as the website claims, Mojo frozen yogurt "enhances digestion, reduces inflammation, and boosts immune system."