Thursday, September 14, 2017

Aldi's Version of Ben & Jerry's, but for half the price! - Swirlin' Strawberry ($1.99)

Swirlin' Strawberry -  Aldi $1.99
For someone who doesn't like cheesecake, I'm sure eating a lot of it. 
Swirling' Strawberry seems to be an Aldi-fied version of Ben & Jerry's (surprisingly un-funly-named) "Strawberry Cheesecake." This was released, along with Peanut Butter Cup, and I'm not entirely sure what do make of these, are they just seasonal offerings? or new permanent additions?
As we saw earlier this week, I wasn't a fan of the new "Peanut Butter Cup," and to be honest, I'm not too thrilled about the idea behind this one either. Originally I was really scared that these two new flavors would phase out one, or all, of the previous flavors which I absolutely love, but now these flavors seem to be disappearing without being restocked. So I guess these were seasonal switch ups? 
That's the problem with Aldi, you never know what's coming, going, and if something will never see the light of day again. (I lovingly refer to products like these as "Aldi Unicorn items." They're rare, and elusive, and you aren't sure if you'll ever see them again or if they even existed in the first place.)
Seasonal offering or not, I couldn't resist trying both of the new ice creams, I mean they're only $1.99 a pint! So, frugal curiosity wins again! Will this flavor balance out the disappointment of the previous pint?
Touching on the graphics, this one is little less ugly than the peanut butter cup, but it's still not going to beat Ben & Jerry's great graphics teams. This time around the sheep is in a "daze" with stars around it's head, and that's pretty much it. Nothing overly on-theme. Then we have the lovely ice cream scoop imagery, and even though the name is cheese-y, I'll give it points for being far more playful than the Ben & Jerry's variety. It's a garish, clip-arty, looking pint, but it's what's inside that counts. (And hey! Look how cool my shiny spoon mirror-reflection looks!)

Once the safety seal is removed, the ice cream inside is surprisingly dull. The pint's artwork shows a bright pink strawberry color, but this is more peach-y-beige. There is a hint of strawberry mix-ins and graham cracker swirls under the surface, and it smells like bright, refreshing, strawberry ice cream, but it looks a little...sad? Fleshy? Not the most delicious looking, but...
It tastes awesome. The strawberry base is bright, creamy, and a little tangy. The tanginess comes from a slightly tart cheese cake flavoring, but it's not bold or obnoxious, like other cheesecake flavored sweets. Thanks to that, this comes off a a more complex strawberries and cream type of flavor with lots of graham cracker swirls and microscopic strawberry pieces. 
If you're looking for a bold, decadent, cheesecake flavoring, you're going to be disappointed. The cheesy base in this is rather weak, giving this more of a strawberry shortcake profile, but that is why I like it! I can't even remember the last time I ate plain on' strawberry ice cream, and this pint made me realize what I've been missing. (With the added bonus of yummy, gritty, graham cracker swirls giving me texture and adding a honeyed biscuit flavoring.)
At first, I scared, and a little angry, that this flavor might be permanent. Now I'm scared that it isn't! It's a nice, bright, fruity flavor that brings something to the flavor-table that the other three flavors lack. Again, this doesn't taste like cheesecake. It's a slightly dressed up, classic, strawberry with plenty of graham cracker swirls. I appreciate it for what it is, and I really enjoyed it. This flavor renewed my love for strawberry ice cream.
If I'm not too late, I'll try to grab another pint or two before it disappears. I wouldn't want this to replace any of the other three flavors, but I would welcome it as a fourth option with open arms, and an empty belly.  
All My Aldi Premium Ice Cream Pint Flavors & Reviews So far:  

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