Best New Froyo Flavors of 2021

 

Fro-yo girl here. Sampling is back at some froyo shops and there were more new flavors introduced this year compared to 2020. This year, I tried new flavors from Menchie’s, Pinkberry, Yoga-urt, and Yogurtland. I didn’t like this year’s batch of new flavors as much. Some of them tasted too similar to past flavors.

Best Sweet Flavor: Rich Dark Chocolate froyo made with Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate from Menchie’s

I’m not a fan of chocolate froyo flavors but Rich Dark Chocolate froyo made with Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate actually tasted different. It seemed less sweet and I also liked the hint of bitterness.

Best Unusual Flavor: Besharam’s Yogurt Lassi with Raspberries from Salt & Straw

Salt & Straw released their first froyo flavor this year and it was also their first chef-commissioned flavor. The chef, Heena Patel of San Francisco’s Besharam, specializes in Gujarati cuisine. The flavor was so intense with a strong cardamom note, cumin seeds for crunch and flavor, delicate rosewater, and tangy raspberry jam. It was rich and decadent. I bought a few pints.

For the list of 2021’s froyo flavor introductions, see https://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/news/new-flavors-introduced-in-2021-and-flavor-trends/

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

My Best Froyo Swirl of 2021

 

Fro-yo girl here. Well, it’s the last week of the year and I looked at all the cups of froyo that I had this year. I’m not done eating froyo this year but I’ll probably only have two or three more cups this year.

I’ve had 134 cups of froyo this year (well, some of those were pints) which is down from my 153 cups in 2020. My first froyo cup of the year was at Pinkberry Los Feliz; yes, it was original tart.

My best-looking froyo swirl in 2021 was a cup of New York cheesecake froyo with chocolate shell, cheesecake bites, graham cracker dust, Heath and raspberries from Menchie’s in Redondo Beach, CA. I chose more toppings than usual and placed them nicely around and on my swirl of froyo.

I didn’t have as many opportunities to produce a lovely swirl, since many self-serve shops switched to full service for at least part of the year; 59% of my cups were swirled by a froyo shop employee. In 2020, 76% of my cups were swirled by a froyo shop employee.

Eighty-eight percent of my cups in 2021 featured one flavor. Last year, 90% of my cups had a single flavor. Twenty-six percent of my 2021 cups were non-dairy compared to 25% in 2020. I’m so consistent! My percentages were almost identical to 2019 too.

You can see every cup that I consumed in 2021 on my Pinterest board.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Painful Froyo Shop Closures of 2021

Rockin' Yogurt, Santa Barbara

Fro-yo girl here. I’m usually sad when a froyo shop closes but some closures hurt a lot more than others. This year, I’d like to spend time acknowledging the closure of the following froyo shops (in alphabetical order):

Frozo's, 1000 Lafayette St Suite F, Santa Clara, CA 95050

I'm not sure when Frozo's closed exactly - it could have been in 2020. The shop was near Santa Clara University, so I'm sure the pandemic did them in. Frozo's opened in 2007 and it was the first self-serve froyo shop in the Bay Area. It was the first place I served my own froyo. I remember I got plain tart the first time. The last update to their Facebook page was in 2018 and the last Instagram post was in 2017. There were quite a few reviews in 2020 and one posted 9 months ago.

Pinkberry, 7288 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Pinkberry Hollywood first opened in 2008 and closed this year. Thirteen years. It was the last location left in Hollywood. The owner of Sunset and Fuller used to own Pinkberry in La Canada Flintridge too. It was a larger location with 10 flavors on tap, more than usual.

Rockin’ Yogurt, 620 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Rockin’ Yogurt was the first tart froyo shop in town, opening in 2007 with four flavors of froyo. Later, they added crepes. It was inspired by Pinkberry, which opened in Santa Barbara in 2009. They had good froyo.

Yogurtland, 1 E Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA 91801

Yogurtland Alhambra, on the corner of Valley and Garfield, opened in 2009 and was one of my regular Yogurtland locations. The last day was 10/25/21. It was the last froyo shop in Alhambra.

Yogurtland, 225 Primrose Rd Burlingame, CA 94010

This was my favorite Yogurtland in the area when it first opened in 2012 even though I lived closer to the one in San Francisco. I'm sad to hear it closed after 9 years. 

Yogurtland, 1670 East Gonzalez Rd Oxnard, CA 93030

Yogurtland Oxnard opened in 2011. At one time, the owner had Yogurtland shops in Ventura, Camarillo, and Oxnard. The Oxnard one was the last one open in Ventura County. Sad.

Farewell, old friends. You are missed.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Bloomingdale’s Forty Carrots Christmas Ornament

Fro-yo girl here. Merry Christmas! I got the Bloomingdale’s Forty Carrots froyo ornament. It’s a chocolate and vanilla swirl with rainbow-colored sprinkles. Mouth-blown and hand-painted in Poland, the ornament is made out of European glass. It’s about 5 inches high and looks like a Christmas tree in a way. The vanilla part is covered with clear glitter. The sprinkles fall off, unfortunately.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

The 2021 Christmas Froyo Shop Spirit Award Winner…

Source: IG @16handlesstamford

Fro-yo girl here. Every Easter and Halloween, I select the froyo shop with the most Easter and Halloween spirit. I somehow overlooked the biggest holiday, Christmas, even though many froyo shops acknowledge Christmas. I’ve seen Christmas froyo flavors, Christmas toppings, Christmas promotions, Christmas decorations, Christmas spoons, Christmas cups, Christmas froyo cakes, etc. I’ve seen a couple of twelve days of Christmas promotions – very cute.

The first winner of the Christmas Froyo Shop Spirit Award is…16 Handles Stamford, Connecticut. First, their holiday window display and store decorations are attention getting. Second, they had a staff holiday party. Third, they have two new holiday flavors, Butter Cookie ice cream and Cinnamon Bun oatmilk soft serve. They also brought back Eggnog froyo. Congrats!

My Christmas-y froyo images Pinterest board has over 1,400 images. https://www.pinterest.com/froyogirl/christmas-y-froyo-images/

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

2021 California Froyo Shop Openings and Closings

Fro-yo girl here. It’s time for my annual update of California froyo shop openings and closings 2021. It was still a tough year for small businesses, with COVID-19 restrictions, rising costs, and labor and supply shortages. Most self-serve froyo shops resumed allowing customers to serve their own yogurt and toppings.

As usual, I tried to track any place that serves froyo in soft serve form. This includes restaurants, convenience stores, pop-ups, food trucks and trailers, etc. It's always easiest to track openings since most frozen yogurt have a social media presence and Yelp listing. However, many shops close quietly, without making any announcement.

Here’s my attempt to track froyo shop openings and closings in California this year. Shops are listed in alphabetical order.

Froyo Shop Openings (Including Trucks and Pop-Ups)

1. Active Culture, Novato
2. Culture Shock, Auburn
3. FroGo, Alameda (froyo truck)
4. FrostedLUV, Stockton
5. Frutzy, Bakersfield (pop-up)
6. Machi Frozen Yogurt, Sacramento (formerly YoGo)
7. Pinkberry, Redlands
8. Simon’s Dole Whip & Yogurt, Temecula
9. SLO Froyo, San Luis Obispo
10. The Spot Café & Froyo, Weed
11. Sweet Boba, Fullerton
12. Toppings Frozen Yogurt, Santa Rosa
13. Yoga-urt, Santa Monica
14. Yogurt Pop, Rancho Murieta
15. Yogurtland, Madera

Openings, Serves Froyo but Not a Froyo Shop:

1. The Good Plow, Carpinteria
2. Nick the Greek, Dublin
3. Nick the Greek, Fremont
4. Nick the Greek, Fullerton
5. Nick the Greek, Roseville
6. Nick the Greek, San Mateo
7. Nick the Greek, Santa Clara, Westfield Valley Fair
8. Nick the Greek, Santa Monica
9. Nick the Greek, Westlake Village
10. Tahina, Alameda

Added Froyo, but Not a New Business and Not a Froyo Shop

• Capo, Belmont

That’s 15 new froyo shops, 10 non-froyo shops that serve froyo, plus one existing café that added froyo, for a total of 26 places that started serving froyo this year. Last year, I found 22 froyo shop openings. I didn’t count the rebranded froyo businesses or the ones under new ownership.

Rebranded

• Corner Café & Froyo Murrieta renamed Simon’s Dole Whip & Yogurt
• Yogurtland Lakewood (now Yogurtland by Holsom)

Under New Ownership

• Golden Spoon, Riverside
• Menchie’s Ocean Park, Santa Monica
• Red Mango, Los Angeles
• Rockie’s Frozen Yogurt, Whittier
• Top a Lot, Santa Cruz
• Yum Yum Yogurt, Kingsburg

Froyo Shop Closings

1. Big Kahuna Frozen Yogurt, Clovis
2. Big Spoon, Natomas
3. Blitzer’s! Premium Frozen Yogurt, Murrieta
4. Blizz, Downey
5. Cloud 9 Yogurt House, San Diego
6. Creme De La Ice Cream, Santa Maria
7. Culture Shock, Auburn (moved)
8. Forty Carrots, Santa Monica
9. FROLO, Manteca
10. Frozen Land, Los Angeles (Westwood)
11. Frozo’s, Santa Clara
12. Golden Cups, Long Beach
13. Golden Spoon, Whittier
14. Golden Spoon, Valencia
15. Happy Yogurt, Escondido
16. Menchie’s, Burbank (moving)
17. Menchie’s, Chatsworth
18. Menchie’s, Glendale
19. Menchie’s Roseville
20. Menchie’s, Temecula
21. Menchie's, Van Nuys
22. Menchie’s Westchester
23. Menchie's, Westfield Mall, San Jose
24. Peachwave, Redondo Beach
25. Pink Boba, Fullerton
26. Pinkberry, Citrus Heights
27. Pinkberry, Hollywood
28. Prinkipia, Canoga Park
29. Red Mango, Los Angeles
30. Rockin’ Yogurt, Santa Barbara 
31. Ruby Frozen Yogurt, Stockton
32. Swirl Frozen Yogurt, Camarillo
33. Top That Yogurt, Sonoma
34. Tutti Frutti, Corona
35. Tutti Frutti, Montebello
36. Tutti Frutti, Norwalk
37. Tutti Frutti, Visalia
38. Tuttimelon, Fairfield
39. YoDo Yogurt, Campbell
40. Yogurt Creations, Paso Robles
41. Yogurt Creations, Atascadero
42. Yogurt Creations, Arroyo Grande
43. Yogurt Creations, Lompoc
44. Yogurt Valley, Wildomar
45. Yogurtland, Alhambra
46. Yogurtland, Burlingame
47. Yogurtland, Long Beach, 7th St.
48. Yogurtland, Mission Viejo - Kaleidoscope
49. Yogurtland, Oxnard
50. Yogurtland, San Bernardino
51. Yogurtland, San Luis Obispo

I found 51 closings, including 8 Menchie’s locations, 2 Pinkberry locations, 4 Tutti Frutti locations, and 7 Yogurtland locations. Yogurt Creations closed their remaining locations.  Last year, I found 72 froyo shop closings. It was a very tough year due to the pandemic.

Coming soon

• Active Culture, Long Beach
• Beary Bliss Yogurt Shop & Sweets, Big Bear
• Easy Breezy, Los Gatos
• Menchie’s, Burbank (moving)
• NuYo Frozen Yogurt, Roseville
• Sprinkles on Top, Elk Grove
• Yogurt Stop, Rossmoor
• Yogurtland, Fresno (Riverside Dr.)
• Yogurtland, Pixley

Since I find out about openings and closings after publishing my post, I’ll keep updating this post. Did I miss any openings or closings? Let me know.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

New Froyo Flavor at Yoga-urt: Café De Olla (Plus Holiday Specials)

 

Fro-yo girl here. The elves at Yoga-urt have been busy and they’ve created a brand new froyo flavor, Café De Olla. Café De Olla is a Mexican beverage made in an clay pot; it’s coffee flavored with cinnamon and raw sugar (aka Piloncillo). I had a swirl and it’s really good – very cinnamon but the coffee makes it more interesting. Recommended toppings: I don’t know why, but chocolate shell and pistachios were so good with Café De Olla. I also think the crunchy gluten-free cones would be terrific with a swirl of Café De Olla. Like all Yoga-urt flavors, Café De Olla is organic, vegan, kosher, gluten free, pro-biotic, and all natural.

Also, this December you can get a warm brownie or freshly made gluten-free waffle with a scoop of Yoga-urt, housemade sauce, and topping. The waffle was so good! Crispy edges, chewy, and not too sweet. Both the brownie and waffle are vegan/plant-based too.

Visit Yoga-urt in Echo Park, Santa Monica, and Glendale!

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

New Froyo Spoons of 2021

Fro-yo girl here. Froyo spoon collectors, I’ve been tracking the collectible new froyo spoons that were released this year. This year, there were more new froyo spoon designs than last year, but still much fewer than in years past.

Here’s the list:

• 16 Handles Oatly
• Menchie’s, purple Cake My Day!
• Menchie’s, orange Spooktacular Menchie the vampire
• Yogurtland, teal logo
• Yogurtland, giant purple spoon
• Yogurtland, orange logo
• Yogurtland, giant raspberry spoon

Thanks, Menchie’s and Yogurtland for continuing to release new froyo spoon designs! I also noticed more edible spoons at froyo shops this year, but I don't plan to add those to my spoon collection.

Check out all the fancy froyo spoons on the Pinterest board, Fancy Froyo Spoons.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Noodle St Housemade Yogurt

 

Fro-yo girl here. Noodle St. started in Monrovia, CA in 2017 and currently has four locations. They specialize in handmade noodles. You can even watch someone making the noodles in the kitchen. Their Chinese beef noodle soup is high quality, refined, and delicious They also make their own yogurt! The first time I dined there and saw yogurt on the menu, it wasn’t available.

Recently, I walked by the Westfield Santa Anita location in Arcadia and noticed they had a sign for homemade yogurt. According to the menu, they have original, blueberry, and mixed nuts yogurt. However, when I asked, they only had original yogurt. A small jar of original yogurt is $4.

Original yogurt: It reminded me of Vietnamese yogurt, which is made with whole (dairy) milk and condensed milk, but not as sweet while still flavorful. The yogurt had a smooth, custardy texture, a little firmer than usual because it’s pot set (cultured and set in individual glass jars). I’m pretty sure that it’s made with more than just whole milk but I’m not sure if they use buttermilk or condensed milk. Anyway, it’s surprisingly sour and really tasty. I’m hoping to try other flavors.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Shaomei Boba Black Tea Latte Ice Cream Bar Review

Fro-yo girl here. Shaomei, a Taiwanese brand, had (and maybe still has) the most popular brown sugar boba ice cream bars. They’ve been expanding their boba ice cream bar lineup with new flavors like pudding and taro. Recently, I found Shaomei Boba Black Tea Latte ice cream bars at Hmart Arcadia. One box, which contains four individually wrapped bars, was $7.99. One bar is 75 grams. These bars are also imported from Taiwan.

Boba Black Tea Latte ice cream bar: The bar was white with brown swirls. The interior of the bar was white. The bar was surprisingly icy (their brown sugar boba ice cream bars are much creamier) throughout. The tea flavor was strong and very bitter. The boba balls were soft, sweet, and chewy. I love a strong tea flavor but this bar was too bitter. The balls were plentiful.

One bar is 130 calories with 3.5g total fat, 15g total sugars, 23g total carbs, and less than 1g of protein.

I probably wouldn’t get these bars again because they’re bitter.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Shaomei Cookies & Boba Black Tea Ice Cream Bar Review

Fro-yo girl here. I was shopping at Hmart Arcadia and I spotted a new flavor of boba ice cream bars: Shaomei Cookies & Boba Black Tea Ice Cream Bar. Shaomei is a Taiwanese brand and the bars are imported from Taiwan. There are four individually wrapped bars. One box was $7.99. Each bar is 73 grams.

Cookies & Boba Black Tea Ice Cream: By cookies, I think they mean something like Oreo cookies – chocolate sandwich cookies with a cream filling. The bar was creamier with soft, sweet, chewy boba and bits of cookies (tiny bits). It was creamier than the boba black tea latte ice cream bars. The tea flavor was strong but not as bitter of the boba black tea latte ice cream bars. It seemed lik e there were fewer boba balls. And it wasn’t as creamy as the brown sugar boba ice cream bars that made them famous.

One bar is 150 calories with 4.5g total fat, 15g total sugars, 26g total carbs, and 1g of protein.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

4 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Caffe Luxxe Coffee Kombucha Review

Fro-yo girl here. I wasn’t a fan of coffee kombucha when I made my own in 2018. At that time, I hadn’t seen coffee kombucha at a café/coffeehouse or sold in retail stores. Well, coffee kombucha is now available at Erewhon and Caffe Luxxe locations. It can also be purchased online from the Caffe Luxxe website. At Erewhon, it’s $5.99/bottle.

Caffe Luxxe's coffee kombucha is made with Montenero coffee. It is a healthy, living probiotic effervescent beverage with the same amount of caffeine as brewed coffee. Caffe Luxxe launched bottled Coffee Kombucha in March 2021. It’s said to be the first coffee kombucha on the market.

Available flavors: Originale, Vanilla, Black Cherry, Cola

Originale: According to Caffe Luxxe, Originale has hints of dark chocolate, caramel, orange peel and a balanced, smooth tart finish. It’s made with three ingredients: coffee, organic kombucha culture, and organic brown sugar. One bottle is 16 fl oz, 90 calories, 14g total sugars, and 1g protein. It smelled fine – like alcoholic coffee vinegar. I had a few sips and did not like the flavor. The fermentation seemed to enhance the acidity and the bitterness of the coffee. The aftertaste was acidic though the acidity wears away and you can taste more of the coffee afterwards. Mr. Froyo likes it but I found it too harsh – and I like vinegar! But bitter vinegar is a different story.

Caffe Luxxe has seven locations in Southern California. They roast their own coffee beans.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Menchie’s December Featured Flavors: Peppermint Bark Made with OREO Cookie Pieces & Holiday Eggnog

Fro-yo girl here. Happy December! It’s time for Menchie’s new featured flavors. This month’s featured flavors are (1) New Peppermint Bark froyo made with OREO Cookie Pieces and a returning favorite, (2) Holiday Eggnog froyo. I was excited to find Peppermint Bark froyo at Menchie’s El Monte on December 1. They hadn’t put out Holiday Eggnog yet.

Peppermint Bark froyo made with OREO Cookie Pieces: According to Menchie’s, “if you like holiday cookies, you’ll love our new peppermint bark made with OREO cookies lfavor. Our brand new Peppermint Bark made with Oreo Cookies froyo flavor is as tasty as your favorite cookie! Add Oreo cookie pieces on top for an extra chocolate-y taste!” Who doesn’t like holiday cookies? And I love peppermint bark. The new flavor is a hit: the texture was smooth and creamy. The peppermint makes it refreshing. I think the chocolate flavor is stronger than the mint but I definitely tasted the mint. Recommended toppings: chocolate shell, almonds, OREOs, and mini M&Ms. I definitely wanted something crunchy to go with the froyo.

Menchie’s El Monte is allowing sampling again, yay! These featured flavors are in stores for a limited time only. Also, the holiday gift card promotion is back: get a $5 bonus card when you buy $25 in Menchie’s gift cards.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.