Taste test: Coffee ice cream

Product/Score (out of 100)	Starbucks/83	Blue Bell /62	Edy's/58
How'd it look?	For starters, the Starbucks ice cream was the darkest of the samples we tried. It looked the most like coffee. The others looked more like frozen milk with a drop of coffee.	It had the appearance and texture of icy gelato.	Very creamy, kind of like a smoothie.
Judges' comments	This was very thick and creamy. Judges said it tasted "like a coffee shop coffee." It had the texture of soft serve, and one judge described the color as dark and rich, "like something you'd see on a sweater by Jil Sander or Ralph Lauren."	Though the taste of the Blue Bell ice cream was sweet and "robust," most of the judges said the texture was a bit too airy for them. "It's like the foam you would see on the shore at Fort De Soto beach," one said.	Judges described the Edy's brand as "spunky," giving it high marks for creaminess and flavor. One detected a butterscotch flavor and another thought she tasted maple syrup. Overall, judges said it was a bit too smooth. "It's feisty, like a very active relative from the Midwest," one said, "but slightly mushy, like a peck on the cheek from your favorite aunt from Des Moines."
Would they buy?	All four judges said yes.	Two judges said yes.	One judge said yes.
Shopping information	$3.49 for 1 pint at Publix.	$5.69 for a half-gallon at Publix.	$2.79 for 1.5 quarts from Publix.

Also sampled: Friendly's ($3.99 for 1.5 quarts at Sweetbay, 55 points); Haagen-Dazs ($2.89 for 14 ounces at Publix, 49 points); Nature's Place All Natural ($3.59 for 1.75 quarts at Sweetbay, 37 points); Breyer's ($4.69 for 1.5 quarts from Publix, 34 points).

Panelists: Nan Jensen, registered dietitian with Pinellas County Cooperative Extension; Bob Devin Jones, artistic director of Studio@620; Jim Yockey, aesthetician at Anu You Institute; and Times food critic Laura Reiley. All foods were tasted blind.

Send suggestions for product testing to: Taste section, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731 or e-mail them to jkeeler@sptimes.com. Please put TEST SUGGESTION in the subject line. To read past Taster's Choice columns, go to food.tampabay.com .