I tried 7 store-bought coffee-flavored ice creams, and my favorite was the cheapest

Gabbi ShawMar 22, 2022, 04:16 IST

Me and my coffee ice cream.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

As a coffee and ice cream lover, I'm predisposed to love coffee-flavored ice cream.
However, I've never tried many coffee flavors from popular ice cream brands.

I'm a coffee lover and an ice cream lover ... but coffee ice cream is surprisingly one of my blind spots.

Pure bliss with seven coffee ice creams.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

I enlisted my mom and brother, who was home from college on spring break, to help me taste. We tried them in order of price — first up, Turkey Hill, which was $3.99 for 1.5 quarts.

Turkey Hill Colombian Coffee ice cream.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

I enlisted my mom and brother, who was home from college on spring break, to help me taste. We tried them in order of price — first up, Turkey Hill, which was $3.99 for 1.5 quarts.

The ice cream was a light brown — it was basically the same shade as my ideal cup of coffee with half and half.

Turkey Hill ice cream.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

All three of us agreed that Turkey Hill was a great way to start — the coffee flavor was strong and rich, but not overpowering.

Turkey Hill ice cream.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Next up was Friendly's Coffee, which was $4.39 for 1.5 quarts.

Friendly's.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

We went from high highs to low lows with Friendly's, which was a shade or two darker.

Friendly's.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

For our third flavor, we tried Breyers Coffee, which was made with "Rich Colombian Coffee." It cost $4.69 for 1.5 quarts.

Breyers.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Even after sitting in the freezer, the Breyers ice cream was more melty than its predecessors.

Breyers.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

No. 4 was our first (and only) non-dairy offering: Oatly Coffee, which is made with oat milk. It costs $4.99 for 1 pint.

Oatly.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Oatly was very proud of its non-dairy status.

Oatly's ice cream label.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Oatly's ice cream looked more solid than some of its competitors.

Oatly.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

At this point, I was buzzing from all the caffeine.

The face of a happy caffeine addict.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Our fifth coffee ice cream isn't technically ice cream — it's Talenti, which is gelato. It costs $5.29 for 1 pint. The flavor also had a slight tweak, as it was Coffee Chocolate Chip.

Talenti.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Our fifth coffee ice cream isn't technically ice cream — it's Talenti, which is gelato. It costs $5.29 for 1 pint. The flavor also had a slight tweak, as it was Coffee Chocolate Chip.

The Talenti we picked up had a little bit of freezer burn around the edges. It was also darker, probably due to the chocolate chips mixed in.

Talenti.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

We weren't impressed by the chocolate chips — we thought they made our scoops taste like coffee ice cream with coffee grounds mixed in.

Talenti scoops.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Häagen-Dazs was our penultimate sample, and it tied with Ben & Jerry's for most expensive: $5.69 for 14 ounces (which is less than a pint).

Häagen-Dazs.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Häagen-Dazs had the darkest hue of all the flavors.

Häagen-Dazs.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

You can see how natural Häagen-Dazs is from the ingredients.

Häagen-Dazs.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Our seventh and final contender was Ben & Jerry's version of coffee ice cream: Coffee, Coffee BuzzBuzzBuzz! It also cost $5.69, but for a full pint.

Ben & Jerry's.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Ben & Jerry's is famous for its mix-ins, and this was no different. We saw fudge chunks immediately.

Ben & Jerry's.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

After my seven scoops of coffee ice cream and some espresso fudge, I was feeling a buzz.

Me and all my ice creams.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

I noticed that two of my favorites (and Talenti) all boasted that they had Colombian coffee components.

Breyers, Turkey Hill, and Talenti.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Ultimately, though, I had to give the win to Turkey Hill, with Ben & Jerry's coffee ice cream close behind.

Coffee ice creams ranked.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

I tried a Starbucks frappuccino that's made out of roasted green tea leaves and can't be found in the US. It was so sweet I couldn't finish it.

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

I tried 7 store-bought coffee-flavored ice creams, and my favorite was the cheapest

I'm a coffee lover and an ice cream lover ... but coffee ice cream is surprisingly one of my blind spots.

I enlisted my mom and brother, who was home from college on spring break, to help me taste. We tried them in order of price — first up, Turkey Hill, which was $3.99 for 1.5 quarts.

The ice cream was a light brown — it was basically the same shade as my ideal cup of coffee with half and half.

All three of us agreed that Turkey Hill was a great way to start — the coffee flavor was strong and rich, but not overpowering.

Next up was Friendly's Coffee, which was $4.39 for 1.5 quarts.

We went from high highs to low lows with Friendly's, which was a shade or two darker.

For our third flavor, we tried Breyers Coffee, which was made with "Rich Colombian Coffee." It cost $4.69 for 1.5 quarts.

Even after sitting in the freezer, the Breyers ice cream was more melty than its predecessors.

No. 4 was our first (and only) non-dairy offering: Oatly Coffee, which is made with oat milk. It costs $4.99 for 1 pint.

Oatly was very proud of its non-dairy status.

Oatly's ice cream looked more solid than some of its competitors.

At this point, I was buzzing from all the caffeine.

Our fifth coffee ice cream isn't technically ice cream — it's Talenti, which is gelato. It costs $5.29 for 1 pint. The flavor also had a slight tweak, as it was Coffee Chocolate Chip.

The Talenti we picked up had a little bit of freezer burn around the edges. It was also darker, probably due to the chocolate chips mixed in.

We weren't impressed by the chocolate chips — we thought they made our scoops taste like coffee ice cream with coffee grounds mixed in.

Häagen-Dazs was our penultimate sample, and it tied with Ben & Jerry's for most expensive: $5.69 for 14 ounces (which is less than a pint).

Häagen-Dazs had the darkest hue of all the flavors.

You can see how natural Häagen-Dazs is from the ingredients.

Our seventh and final contender was Ben & Jerry's version of coffee ice cream: Coffee, Coffee BuzzBuzzBuzz! It also cost $5.69, but for a full pint.

Ben & Jerry's is famous for its mix-ins, and this was no different. We saw fudge chunks immediately.

After my seven scoops of coffee ice cream and some espresso fudge, I was feeling a buzz.

I noticed that two of my favorites (and Talenti) all boasted that they had Colombian coffee components.

Ultimately, though, I had to give the win to Turkey Hill, with Ben & Jerry's coffee ice cream close behind.