Itoshima Tofu Ice Kokuto Review

 

Fro-yo girl here. I was at Marukai Market in Little Tokyo when I spotted Itoshima tofu ice cream, imported from Japan. There were three flavors: Plain, Green Tea, and Black Sesame. The sign indicated the ice cream was part of the Kyushu Fair.

Kyushu is an island in the south, the third largest island in Japan. It’s known for growing soybeans and for locally produced tofu.

Itoshima Tofu Ice was sold in a tiny tub, 2.87 fl oz or 85ml. Ingredients include soymilk powder, bean curd, sugar, starch syrup, processed brown sugar, soya lecithin, casein, water. One tub is 101 calories. Marukai was selling Tofu Ice for $4.59, on sale. The regular price was $4.99.

Tofu Ice Kokuto: This is the plain tofu ice. It was very firm, icy, and dense. After I let it soften for a bit, it was scoopable with a plastic spoon. It tasted like sweetened soymilk only in frozen form and I think slightly softer than what you would get if you put soymilk in the freezer. I didn’t dislike it but I’d rather have a cup of fresh soymilk. The soybean flavor was pretty strong.

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

* MARUKAI MARKET: 123 S Onizuka St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

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.

Froyo Scene in Seal Beach, CA

 

Fro-yo girl here. Seal Beach is a quaint city of 25,000 residents in North Orange County, along the Pacific Coast Highway. It has a nice pier and beach. Old Town Seal Beach along Main St. is the center of town. The town has a large population of retirees; 40% of the population is 65 or over. Businesses close early.

And yes, you can get froyo. There are currently two froyo shops, Peachwave and Yogurtland. Both are self-serve froyo chains. Froyo made its way to Seal Beach relatively late. Flavory Yogurt was the first froyo shop in town, opening in 2009. On the other hand, nearby Long Beach was a hotbed of froyo activity.

OPEN

• Peachwave, 348 Main St, Suite A, opened in 2019 and it’s located down the street from the Seal Beach Pier and the beach. It looks like a clean, well-maintained shop, with 10 self-serve flavors a day and a toppings bar.
• Yogurtland, 12357 Seal Beach Blvd #2, is at The Shops at Rossmoor. This branch opened in 2011.

CLOSED

• Flavory Yogurt, 347 Main St. #B, was the independent self-serve froyo option in Old Town Seal Beach. The shop was open from 2009 – 2015. Flavory also served acai bowls, smoothies, and juices.
• Golden Spoon, 1067 Pacific Coast Hwy, while known for counter-serve froyo, opened as a self-serve shop in Seal Beach in 2013. The shop was open for about a year.
• Yalla Mediterranean, 12420 Seal Beach Blvd., wasn’t a froyo shop but the Mediterranean eatery offered one flavor of Greek froyo, plain, with Greek toppings till the machine broke around 2018 and wasn’t fixed. They closed for good in 2020.

The local Seal Beach Jamba Juice may have offered Whirl’ns frozen yogurt in 2011 but there was no mention of Whirl’ns in reviews.

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.

Froyo Scene in Long Beach, California

 

Pinkberry, Long Beach

Fro-yo girl here. With a population of over 456,000, Long Beach is the second largest city in Los Angeles County. Spanning 52 square miles, the city has plenty of room for froyo shops. Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt on the Boardwalk was the oldest froyo shop that we found; they opened in 1987. Golden Spoon had three locations early on but seems to have suffered from the advent of self-serve froyo. One of the Golden Spoon locations even converted to the self-serve format. Currently, there are eight froyo shops remaining in Long Beach, including three Yogurtland shops, 1 Pinkberry, and 1 Tutti Frutti. Surprisingly, there is no Menchie’s in Long Beach. 

I found 10 froyo shops in Long Beach that have closed. Interestingly, there were two flat rate, self-serve froyo shops; both have closed. 

Of the 18 current and former froyo shops in Long Beach, I’ve visited eight shops: Active Culture, Pinkberry, Tutti Frutti on Palo Verde, Waffie & Yogie, Yogurtland Belmont Shore, Yogurtland Spring St, Yogurtland Atlantic Ave, and Yogurtland 7th St.

Current Froyo Shops

• Active Culture (2022 – present), 6240 E Pacific Coast Hwy, Suite 170, opened at the attractive 2nd & PCH shopping center. Active Culture first opened in Laguna Beach and evolved into a natural healthy food café over the years, while still serving froyo. The froyo is counter-serve and they have some organic froyo flavors. 
• Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt on the Boardwalk (1987 – present), 429 Shoreline Village Drive, is an old-school froyo shop in Shoreline Village (on the boardwalk). They carry six flavors of froyo at a time and the froyo is counter-serve. The shop opened in 1987 and is still under the original ownership; it’s owned by two women.
• Pinkberry (2007 – present), 112 E Broadway, is downtown and counter-serve. They offer 6 froyo flavors a day and smoothies. The shop is 15 years old.
• Tutti Frutti (2009 – present), 2221 Palo Verde Ave Ste 1C/1D, is close to Cal State Long Beach. As a self-serve froyo shop, it’s the main competitor or Yogurtland. 
• Waffie & Yogie, now Wafflie & Milkie (2022 – present), 5523 E Stearns St, opened in February 2022. The shop serves boba drinks, smoothies, waffles, and self-serve froyo. The ownership changed in October 2022 and the name was changed to Waffie & Milkie. It seems to still serve froyo.
• Yogurtland, (2008 – present), 4816 2nd St, is known as the Belmont Shore location. The original owner was a CSULB grad. This location closed temporarily in 2017 and reopened under new ownership.
• Yogurtland (2016 – present), 6422 E Spring St., is close to CSULB.
• Yogurtland, (2016 – present), 4406 Atlantic Ave, Suite B, is at the Bixby Knolls Shopping Center.

Closed Froyo Shops

• Cherry On Top (2009 – 2011), 1804 Ximeno Ave, was a self-serve froyo shop near CSULB that many reviewers found inferior to Yogurtland.
• FroGurtz Yogurt Bar (2008 - 2010), 4740 E 7th St, was a self-serve froyo shop with flat rate cups. 
• Golden Cups (2021), 5523 E Stearns St, took over the Golden Spoon space and was open for a few months in 2021. The space is now occupied by Waffie & Yogie. 
• Golden Spoon (2007 – 2020), 5523 E Stearns St, was a counter-serve froyo shop which converted to self-serve in 2017. In January 2020, they had a grand opening celebration, possibly due to an ownership change. They added acai bowls and boba drinks.
• Golden Spoon, (2006 – 2011), 6467 E Pacific Coast Hwy Ste A, was a counter-serve froyo shop known for generous portions and golden colored spoons.
• Golden Spoon, (2010), 2014 Carson St, was a counter-serve froyo shop that seems to have been open for just one year at this location.
• Old Skool Yogurt (2012 – 2014), 1004 E Pacific Coast Hwy, was a self-serve froyo shop that offered flat rate pricing.
• YoPlace Frozen Yogurt (2011 - 2019), 4203 Montair Ave, offered self-serve froyo, smoothies, mochas, and sandwiches in the Parkview Village neighborhood. 
• Yogurtland (2008 - 2021), 5710 E 7th St #B2, was located close to Cal State Long Beach. When they first opened, the froyo was $0.30 an ounce. New ownership took over in 2018. While they closed in December 2021, there were still three other Yogurtland locations in Long Beach at that time.
• Zinga Frozen Yogurt (2013 – 2014), 1827 Ximeno Ave, was a self-serve froyo shop near Cal State Long Beach. It was the 2nd Zinga location in the LA area (Culver City was the first). They had freshly baked bottoms, e.g, brownies, cupcakes, and muffins.

I used to think Wilmington and Signal Hill, both of which have Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt shops, were part of Long Beach but technically, neither of them are. Signal Hill is a city that’s completely surrounded by Long Beach.

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.

Froyo Milestone: Visiting Every Froyo Shop in Los Angeles County

Active Culture, Long Beach

Fro-yo girl here. I reached an important froyo milestone: visiting every froyo shop in Los Angeles County! Well, almost. I’ve covered the area from Santa Clarita to the north (e.g., Menchie’s, Tutti Frutti), Agoura Hills to the west, Pomona to the east (e.g., Yogurtland), and Long Beach to the south. However, I haven’t covered Palmdale and Lancaster. While they are part of Los Angeles County, they’re 60 miles away. I’ve pretty much been to every place that serves froyo, even non-froyo shops like Amazon Go in Whittier and Woodland Hills. It’s taken me years to reach this milestone.

I haven’t been to every Costco in Los Angeles County because I don’t have a Costco membership, but I have been to every IKEA. Anyway, Costco stopped offering froyo in 2020.

I also tried going to Yogo Farm, 3704 W 3rd St, a few times but it was always closed. It seems like it was only open for a very short period of time. It must have closed for good.

I’ve also been to many froyo shops in Ventura County, Orange County, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Santa Barbara County but nowhere near all of them. 

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 Reopens in Burbank, Grand Opening This Weekend

 

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve been driving by to check on the new Menchie’s in Burbank for the last couple of months. The door’s been open the last few times I looked but the windows were covered. The shopping center security guard told me that the shop would open right before Thanksgiving, then in December. Well, after multiple delays, they opened on February 11. They’re hoping to have a grand opening this weekend. I’m not sure if I can make it or not (will try to go).

The new Menchie’s location is in the same shopping center as the previous Menchie’s (they moved) and it took over a year for the build out. They built it themselves and kept the tiled wall and other elements of the previous location.

There are 14 self-serve flavors a day. Froyo and toppings are $0.65/oz. Froyo cakes are coming soon.

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

* MENCHIE’S: 3808 W Verdugo Ave, Burbank, CA 91505

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 Loft Moves Into the Old Yogurt Haven Space in Eagle Rock

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurt Haven was the oldest froyo shop in Eagle Rock (a neighborhood in Los Angeles). The self-serve shop was open from 2009 – February 2019. Up until the end of last year, you could still see the wall where the froyo machines were inside. The space at 2256 Colorado Blvd. has finally been occupied by The Loft, a hair salon. The Loft moved from their Townsend Ave. location in Eagle Rock.

Yogurt Haven still appears on the strip mall sign.  

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.

Painterland Sisters Organic Yogurt Icelandic Style Skyr Review

Fro-yo girl here. I spotted Painterland Sisters Organic Yogurt Icelandic Style Skyr on a recent shopping trip to Sprouts in La Canada Flintridge. The signs indicated that it was a new product. The yogurt was priced at 2 for $5.

Painterland Sisters organic, whole milk skyr style yogurt has billions of live and active cultures (probiotics), high in protein, low in sugar, gluten-free and lactose-free. They sweeten their skyr with organic ingredients: berries, lemons, and cane sugar. The ultra-filtration process removes lactose and excess liquid.

Vanilla bean: Very thick, creamy, and smooth – thicker than Greek yogurt. I liked how there was a sour note and definitely tang. It wasn’t as sweet as other yogurts. There was a richness from the use of whole milk. I could see vanilla bean specks.

Meadow berry: This yogurt is flavored with raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries. It’s blended. The raspberry flavor was prominent and there was a cream aftertaste.

One serving (5.3 oz) is 160 calories, 8g total fat, 10g total carbs, 9g total sugars, and 16g protein.

Ingredients: cultured pasteurized organic whole milk, organic cane sugar, organic corn starch, organic vanilla extract, organic lemon juice, organic guar gum, organic vanilla bean specks, sodium citrate, lactase enzyme, live and active cultures

Available flavors: plain, vanilla bean, blueberry lemon, strawberry, meadow berry

Painterland Sisters yogurt is a product of a women-owned, fourth-generation family farm, Painterland Farms in Westfield, PA. They source their milk from Pennsylvanian organic farms where animals are free to roam on open pastures and fed balanced diets of grains and grasses. Their products are non-GMO and free of chemicals.

The yogurt was rich and tasty but it does contain corn starch and guar gum (thickeners); Siggi’s does not.

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

4.5 out of 5 stars.

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.

National/International Frozen Yogurt Day Recap

 

Yogurtland BOGO free 

line at Yogurtland Pasadena, NFYD 2023

Pinkberry BOGO free

Fro-yo girl here. Happy National/International Frozen Yogurt Day! It's the biggest day of the year for froyo. Most shops had some type of buy one, get one deal. 

My first stop was at Pinkberry for the BOGO free deal. The new Ruby Chocolate tart froyo is so good! And they had the new ruby chocolate drizzle too. It tastes more like berries than chocolate. I noticed the Pinkberry shop didn’t have any NFYD signs. They also announced the NFYD offer at the last minute. Disappointing but the NFYD deal is the best Pinkberry deal all year.

In the evening I went to Yogurtland for the BOGO free, triple points offer (the same offer as in 2022). There was a small NFYD sign, very understated compared to previous years. But they announced NFYD a few weeks ago and sent multiple messages about it. I was surprised by how long the line was – haven’t seen a line like that for NFYD since before the pandemic, back when Yogurtland offered free froyo. Most of the people in line were with friends and they looked like they were in high school or college. There were a few couples and few families. They looked happy. Yogurtland was so busy that the toppings bar was a mess and they ran out of some toppings.

Menchie’s had a BOGO free deal as well but Yogurtland had a better deal with the additional triple points offer. 

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.

Renee’s Live Coconut Crème Desserts Review

Fro-yo girl here. Renee’s Live is a line of organic, gluten-free, plant-based, nutrient-dense, 99% raw, coconut frozen desserts. The allergen-free dessert is made with simple ingredients, including fresh-pressed coconut crème and a blend of prebiotic and probiotic live and active cultures. It contains no refined sugar. The business is woman and minority-owned.

I found Renee’s Live at Sprouts, on sale for $4.89 (the regular price was $6.99). The flavors sounded healthy and appealing.

Vanilla with maca: Renee’s Live describes this flavor as “Energy boosting Maca enhances the flavour of FRESH, fair trade Madagascar Vanilla Beans in our Renee’s LIVE Vanilla with Maca cultured coconut crème.” The texture was rock solid, so I let it soften by leaving it out on the counter for a few minutes. It was still very firm when I tried it. I liked the flavor a lot. The coconut flavor is strong though I could taste vanilla. It tasted natural and healthy. It was a bit sweeter than I expected, but they do have sugar-free varieties. One serving (2/3 cup) is 190 calories, 14g total fat, 14g total sugars, 18g total carbs, and 1g protein.

Renee's Live tastes similar to Sunscoop, the other coconut creme based frozen dessert, but Sunscoop is softer and more scoopable.

I was surprised that there was no seal or way to indicate that the pint hadn’t been opened. But I checked a few pints and none of them were unsealed.

Flavors: Decadent chocolate cacao, Lemon with ginger & turmeric, Cold brew latte with reishi, Berries n’ crème, Vanilla with maca, Sugar-free vanilla, Sugar-free chocolate, Strawberries n’ crème

You can find Renee’s Live by using the store locator.

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.