Ciao Bella Espresso Gelato
With last weekend???s holiday, I felt a yin for a summery coffee treat. Having only recently discovered that I do in fact enjoy good espresso (as opposed to the BAD espresso I???ve tried in the past), I was tempted by a pint of Ciao Bella Espresso Gelato.
Always a sucker for web research, I went to ciaobellagelato.com, which states, ???Ciao Bella contains 20% air by volume, compared to 60% in most American brands, and contains only 12% butterfat versus 16% in typical ice cream. Ciao Bella’s gelato, based on a family recipe from Torino, Italy is primarily hand-made in small batches with high quality ingredients.??? Sounds delightful. I grabbed a spoon and curled up with my pint.
My first taste: bitter, not much espresso flavor. Hmmmm.
I wasn???t thrilled, but kept scooping small bites into my mouth. By the third bite, I was in love. Allowing the gelato to warm a little really did wonders for the flavor. You can see the ground coffee in the ice cream, and as we all know, you eat with your eyes first. The texture is unbelievably creamy and smooth without the sugary granularity I???ve found in other brands. The sweetness is a smidge less than a sugar-holic like me prefers, but with each bite I was enjoying it more. The coffee flavor is really well balanced with the cream flavor. Basically it tastes like the perfect iced espresso. And because Ciao Bella contains less air than most brands, this was indeed a denser treat than other gelatos. This is truly a treat that is first and foremost espresso, and gelato second. A coffee lovers dream. I???m spoiled by living in a metropolitan area of California, and so I have access to many products that aren???t available elsewhere. But the website has an excellent search feature so you can find the nearest place selling Ciao Bella.
