Happy summer! Yes, despite the fact that s’mores flavored products have already been circling about for months and rumors of new pumpkin spice treats are already surfacing, today marks the actual first day of the longest and warmest days of the year. While I do appreciate a nice long evening, summer is one of my least favorite times of the year. It’s hot, there’s no basketball, and cinnamon is so far on the back burner from the holiday’s I start to have withdrawals. That being said, it’s still a marvelous time to be alive, especially because graham crackers are everywhere, including in Dreyer’s Limited Edition S’mores, which combines toasted marshmallow and chocolate light ice creams swirled together with a graham cracker ribbon, mini marshmallows, and chocolaty chips.

The double base action of toasted marshmallow and chocolate combine for a nice light milk chocolaty flavor that reminds me of packaged hot chocolate. The mellow milky cocoa notes are nothing mind blowing but not in any way offensive either. I’m not sure if it’s because of the inclusion of the chocolate chips as well but this ice cream feels and tastes less light than with other recent Dreyer’s products. It’s not heavy or ultra rich, but if I didn’t know it was a light ice cream clocking in at only 4 grams of fat per serving, I’m not sure I would be able to tell. I wish the “toasted” marshmallow had more roasty flavor to it, but as it stands it’s got a fluffier sweeter presence to it than vanilla and it’s perfectly passable for what it is.

In the wonderful world of ice cream swirly gobs of gooey marshmallow fluff are always better than actual mini marshmallows, but sometimes they’re really awful. I’m happy to report that in this big ‘ole container of summery delight they’re actually pretty successful. The marshmallows are soft and squishy without any hints of unpleasant stiff or dryness at all. They have a lovely almost gooey bounce to them and classic vanilla sweetness that compliments the light flavors of the base. The ‘mallows remind me so much of a well-executed classic Rocky Road that I find myself searching for pieces of almonds to combat the chewiness, but I just end up with another little chocolate chunk instead – not a bad substitution.

One of the most integral elements of a s’mores that often gets brushed over by companies playing with the flavor profile is the graham, and for Dreyer’s it’s a 50/50 split. The graham cracker ribbon is awesome – slightly buttery and salty with great golden flavor and wonderful crunch. It’s very similar to the super successful wafer swirl in their Kit Kat ice cream without the hint of chocolate.

The problem is there’s barely any of it. When I get the swirl it is terrific but I had to dig so deep to get my first taste that it was tiresome, and the ribbon rewards were few and far in between after. Had there been 50% more graham this could have been one of the more impressive grocery aisle attempts at nailing the campfire classic, but as it stands it’s just another slightly above average light ice cream.

Rating: 7.5/10

Found at: Safeway ($3.99)