Who scoops up the best when it comes to coffee ice cream? Find out as I get a little help taking a few for a test drive.

If you’re reading this, it means I’m on vacation. My husband Blake and I left home last night to visit some friends out of state, and right about now you can bet I’m sleeping in or plotting a full day of relaxing near the ocean.

I don’t know about you, but for me, vacation often means letting myself enjoy some things I don’t normally get to try in my work life. Like ice cream. To me, no vacation is complete without at least one trip to the local ice cream parlor. So today, in the spirit of embracing all that summer vacation has to offer, I thought we’d have some fun looking at various coffee ice creams out there right now.

Much like my foray into rating the best frappuccino/blended coffee drinks for their individual awesomeness, there’s no real science here. It’s just me and Blake picking out our faves from the multitude of choices out there. Hopefully I can shed some light on one you might like. See you in the freezer section!

Wendy’s Coffee Toffee Twisted Frosty

Not something you’d find in the freezer section, but it’s new and worth noting nonetheless. It’s a concoction of vanilla ice cream with toffee-coated coffee crumbs.

I didn’t taste or smell anything coffee-like initially, but the toffee gave it a nice, rich flavor. You can’t go wrong with soft serve ice cream though, so despite the fact that I wasn’t a fan at first, I found myself really enjoying it later.

Blake didn’t care for it at all as he’s of the opinion that Frosties aren’t meant to come in vanilla. I guess we all have our standards. For me, it was nice, but definitely didn’t hit the spot on the coffee cravings.

Starbucks Java Chip Ice Cream

A while back, we told you that Unilever had partnered with Starbucks to create a line of ice creams close to the flavors you’d find at any Starbucks location. This ice cream, which shares its name with one of Starbucks popular Frappuccino flavors, is one of the first out on the market.

The flavor? Definitely the most intense of the bunch. It’s exactly like taking a big swig of a Starbucks’ Java Chip Frappuccino. Very, very strong espresso and chocolate flavor, almost in the extreme. If you like rich flavors, this one is for you. Blake and I split the tiniest size they make — a mini 3.6 ounce size that comes with its own equally tiny plastic spoon/paddle thingy — and it was still too rich for either of us to finish.

This one gets points for cuteness, though. The packaging resembled the classic white Starbucks cup, complete with x marks in the appropriate boxes on the side.

Haagan-Dazs Coffee

Blake and I made the mistake of trying this one immediately after diving into the Java Chip. With our taste buds overly saturated with the intense flavor, the Haagen-Dazs tasted like cream with a touch of coffee.
Oh, how wrong we were. We came back later and tried it again. This one gets the crown. The flavor is subtle and smooth, the kind of taste that reminds you why you fell in love with coffee in the first place. Amazingly, as the ice cream melted, it actually tasted better, making us both believe that Haagan-Dazs has pulled the rug out from under Wendy’s for that trademark melted-Frosty slurry that collects on top of the ice cream that you have to slurp to fully enjoy.

According to Haagan-Dazs website, the recipe blends fresh Brazilian coffee with cream to achieve the flavor. For that fact alone, I have a new favorite.

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