Hello, Mr. Sweet & Salty checking in. Usually I can look at a list of ingredients on a product and figure out the intended profile for myself. Habanero chips are gonna be spicy. Blue cheese flavored pretzels are gonna be funky. Chocolate covered Oreo’s are gonna be sweet. Yet sometimes, even when we know what we’re getting into, a bag of chips will push the narrative and boldy state SPICY! As common as that may be with with savory snacks, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen it with ice cream. That all changed with one of the newest flavors from Coohaus, which proudly proclaims, quite literally in a speech bubble, that this pint is in fact “sweet & salty!” Milkshake & Fries combines salted Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream with shoestring french fries and milk chocolate malt balls.

I’ve had Coolhaus’ Salted Tahitian Vanilla base before and enjoyed it and still like it here. It’s very smooth with a bold vanilla bean flavor that’s much more sweet than it is salty. The ample amount of beans freckled throughout give it an incredibly authentic vanilla essence, but unlike the execution in the s’mores pint, there’s an undertone of malt as well. The flavor of the malt balls have seeped into the ice cream and made a much more complex and interesting and profile. I think I actually taste the malt more than the salt, and it’s a nice surprise.

The shoestring fries are one of the more unique mix-ins you’ll find in a ready made pint and while I don’t hate them, I don’t really love them either. They remind me of eating cold french fries, which is a texture I’m not that fond of, and unlike potato chips or another fried potato that’s been coated in chocolate, there’s no barrier to maintain any crunch. That being said, the flavor is a nice compliment to the smooth sweet dairy, although they also aren’t really that salty either.

The milk chocolate malt balls were something I was really looking forward to to deliver some much needed crunch, and unfortunately they didn’t really come through. The malt balls are broken up into very small pieces, and while there were some nice shards of smooth milk chocolate, I never got a pop of malty goodness or crunch that I anticipated. The malt flavor is very present throughout the base, but the absence of textural contrast holds it back.

As much as I love sweet and salty, this pint is probably my least favorite of the newer releases from Coolhaus. I love the concept, but ultimately it’s more cute than it is delicious, and not one I’m super eager to scoop again.

Rating: 7/10

Found at: http://www.cool.haus