Fall review of Graeter’s Ice Cream

Six pints of yum!

When I tried Graeter’s black raspberry with chocolate chunks at last month’s Ice Cream & Gelato Festival, I was half-way in love. It was the best ice cream I had at that event — creamy, dense, with excellent mouth-feel and well-balanced flavor.

When I got my hands on a container and read the carton, it was no surprise why Graeter’s was so good — cream, milk, cane sugar are the first three ingredients in all their flavors. And the rest of the ingredients? Completely pronounceable. Texture-wise, there’s no comparison with the whipped or slow-churned processed ice cream “food” you find at grocery stores. I’ll take the calories and the real ingredients over that stuff any day.

Even though the weather has been cold and crappy, I’ve slowly been working my way through a stash of six flavors — more of my favorite black raspberry, a full-flavored but not over-powering mocha with chocolate chunks, whole-nutted and crunchy butter pecan, a delicate strawberry, a solid vanilla, and a mint chocolate that is as refreshing like a candy cane but without the cloying sweetness. If there’s an added ingredient like fruits, nuts or chocolate pieces, I haven’t had to hunk and peck for it. Graeter’s adds a generous amount to each container.

It’s cold, it’s rainy, it’s Fall. But in my freezer? It’s still ice cream season. You can find Graeter’s at Whole Foods.

FYI: Graeter’s recognized my ice cream fandom and sent me flavors to try. I’m on record with loving them before that, but in the interest of full disclosure you’ve been told.