Best Swirl of 2016

Fro-yo girl here. The year isn’t over yet and I expect to have frozen yogurt on New Year’s Eve, but I’m ready to look back at my year of froyo swirls and pick the best swirl of the year.

This year I consumed nearly 200 cups of froyo, slightly less than last year when I was determined to earn the Unlimited Cup reward at Yogurtland. I predict that I’ll end the year at I will have consumed 197 cups of frozen yogurt. You can see them all on the Pinterest board, 2016 Froyo Consumed by Me.

Cups that I consumed, a yearly comparison:

• 2016: 197
• 2015: 200 
• 2014: 139
• 2013: 138

I looked at all my cups of froyo that I personally swirled this year to find my best swirl of the year.

And the best swirl is…a cup of Nescafe vanilla latte froyo with almonds, white chocolate chips and Andes Mints swirled at Menchie’s in September. You can see the swirl gradually taper upwards and the swirl ends in a nice firm upright peak. The toppings are carefully placed around the swirl. Yum.

I also like to look at flavors and toppings that I selected. I found the following:

• 24.8% of my cups weren’t swirled by me (I went to a full serve froyo shop, last year’s number was 27.5%)
• 19.2% of my cups didn’t have any toppings (the same as last year)
• 89% of my cups had a single flavor (vs. 70.5% last year)
• 4.6% of my cups were dairy free (vs. 4.5% last year)
• 43.6% of my cups were from Yogurtland 
• 12.1% of my cups were from Menchie’s
• 7.6% from Pinkberry

My choices are remarkably consistent. I don’t like mixing flavors. I do really enjoy the quality of Yoga-urt’s non-dairy soft serve and a few non-dairy options from Fraiche and Tutti Frutti. I tend to go to the places that offer new flavors. Despite years of swirling my own froyo, I still prefer the full service experience.

Want to make your swirl look nicer? Read IFYA's Froyo Swirling Tips and get plenty of practice. Practice does help because you need to swirl with precision but also have a relaxed wrist. For inspiration, check out the IFYA’s Pinterest board, Best Looking Cups of Froyo.

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.

Best Froyo Swirl of 2015

Fro-yo girl here. This year I reached a personal high of 200 cups of froyo consumed in one year. The quest for the Unlimited Cup at Yogurtland and some other Yogurtland challenges based on the number of visits during a set time period encouraged my increased froyo consumption. I also went on several trips and that also leads to greater froyo consumption.

Cups that I consumed, a yearly comparison:

• 2015: 200 (plus a cup or two that I’ll have after this post)
• 2014: 139
• 2013: 138

Don’t believe it? You can see all my 2015 froyo cups consumed on my Pinterest board, 2015 Froyo Consumed by FYG.

I looked at all my cups of froyo that I swirled this year to find my best swirl of 2015.

And the best swirl is…a cup of Caramel Macchiato froyo with whipped cream, salted caramel bits, toffee and mochi from Yogurtland, swirled at Yogurtland Pasadena (415 S. Lake Ave.) on January 27, 2015 during the Yogurtland’s 2nd Annual Fan Choice Awards. Caramel Macchiato froyo won the Best Beverage category. It was delicious and I hope it comes back.

What I like about this swirl is that the swirls are clearly defined and uniform, with the swirls gradually getting smaller and ending in a nice upward peak. The toppings do not obscure the frozen yogurt but actually complement the swirl in terms of color. Also the whipped cream helps to fill up the cup.

There were many nice looking swirls from which to choose.

Here are a few others that I really liked:

Matcha green tea froyo w/ strawberries, pound cake and strawberries from Yogurtland (such a classic combination) 

Vanilla malt froyo w/ toffee, whipped cream & wafer roll cookie from Yogurtland (love that Sweet Treats teddy bear spoon, the whipped cream swirls look so pretty)

Candy clouds & plain tart froyo w/ strawberries, frosted animal cookies & mochi from Yogurtland (the red color of the spoons complements the froyo and toppings)

It was interesting to look back at all my cups of froyo to see which flavors and toppings I selected. I found out the following:

• 27.5% of my cups weren't swirled by me (I went to a full serve froyo shop, most often it was Pinkberry)
• 19% of my cups didn’t have any toppings (I prefer froyo to toppings)
• 37.5% of my cups contained fresh fruit (if I had a tart flavor or went to Pinkberry, I almost always selected fruit, but sometimes tart flavors aren’t available or the fruit doesn’t look fresh)
• 70.5% of my cups had a single flavor (I don’t like mixing flavors)
• 4.5% were dairy-free (I like my dairy)

And, yes, I go to Yogurtland all the time.

Want to make your swirl look nicer? Read IFYA's Froyo Swirling Tips and get plenty of practice. Practice does help because you need to swirl with precision but also have a relaxed wrist.

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.