If you're looking through the novelty ice cream freezer at Aldi, you're likely to see a lot of chocolate and vanilla, maybe the occasional seasonal item shaped like a snowman or whatever with a hint of fruit, but for the most part they play it safe. Lidl's offerings seem to lean more towards their European roots, and they don't shy away from nutty offerings like hazelnut or pistachio. They actually offer two different pistachio themed items, an ice cream bar covered in a layer of chocolate, and white chocolate, with pistachio pieces, and these chocolate pistachio cones. As a pistachio-lover, I had to give these a try. You know, for science.
First off, the box art. The food imagery is nice, but the solid green background makes it feel unfinished, even though it is a rather eye catching shade. I actually think the glowing around the center logo weakens the overall design significantly, if it were removed the whole design feels slightly more purposeful, although still a bit sparse.
Inside, each cone has individual wrappings with a similar design to the box, and while the top is very easy to remove, I always found removing the outer paper a bit clunky. At the time I am writing this review I have already consumed all 6 cones (spoiler alert, I like them) and every single one I opened was a struggle. Not terribly so, but just enough to be annoying. I think the material just doesn't lend itself to being removed in larger pieces. It always tore off into tiny bits instead of one long strip.
So the box doesn't give a clear description of the product itself, just a lot of photos, so from what I can tell the cone is lined with chocolate, like most novelty cones, filled with a half-and-half mixture of pistachio and chocolate ice cream, topped with a bit more chocolate and some kind of...toffee? And a few crushed almonds. But that's just me guessing based on the visuals.
Taking a bite, the chocolate is a pretty standard chocolate-shell mixture, melts quickly in your mouth, decent flavor, the toffee bits add a nice buttery caramelized flavor, and the almonds add a nice crunch. The ice cream inside the cone isn't the best quality, pretty standard light novelty texture and richness, but the flavor is pretty darn great. You get a light, creamy, pistachio mixed with a fairly standard chocolate, all with a crunchy chocolatey sugar cone. It's a combination I don't often see in American markets, which is a pity because it's delicious.
Those who expect this to be gourmet, you'll be disappointed, but when you compare this to similar novelty products from Aldi or Walmart, the pistachio makes it really unique and more decadent. I already spoiled this earlier, but I love these.
They are really light, and well portioned, so it's a great after-dinner treat that won't leave you feeling like you over indulged, but I also feel like I could destroy half the box in one sitting. (If not the whole box.)
Now for the downside, I don't know if this is a year-round item. I saw these at my local Lidl, and then on my next visit they disappeared. Other flavors of the same style were still there, like chocolate and mint, but not pistachio. Is this the Lidl-equivalent of a Special Buy item? I hope it makes a comeback because I really enjoyed it and if I do manage to find it again, I plan on stocking up.
Fans of these would also like: Pistachio Oreo Thins, Aldi Pistachio Gelato, Pistachio Cherry Meltaways, a different Aldi Pistachio Gelato, Nonni's Pistachio Thins, or Dunkin Pistachio Ice Cream Coffee.
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