Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt, the Self-Serve Experience

Fro-yo girl here. It’s been years since a new Blush location opened and I didn’t think they’d ever go self-serve but the new location in Pleasanton is the first self-serve Blush. The grand opening was on August 2, 2015. The shop replaced another froyo shop called Yogoholic (which I visited years ago).

Pleasanton Blush has 8 rotating self-serve froyo flavors a day with the usual Blush toppings (fruit, warm syrups, nuts, cereal, sprinkles, cookie dough, candy, granola, graham crackers, popping boba, mochi, cheesecake, chocolate chips) for 45 cents an ounce. They also carry Mitchell’s Ice Cream (but who wants ice cream when you can have froyo?)

Their flavors are made in-house and their frozen yogurt is organic. They support local schools in the area and gave out  free froyo to veterans on Veterans Day.

Froyo flavors of the day:
* Peanut butter
* Cookies  n crème
* Chocolate
* Original tart: one of their best flavors, creamy, smooth, clean tasting, moderately tangy with a sweet finish
* Blush (pomegranate dragonfruit): try it, this is one of their best flavors
* Pumpkin pie: I used to be a fan but it seemed sweeter with less pumpkin flavor
* Apple pie: tasted like apple cider, with apple juice and spice flavor
* Vanilla: interesting because it has a tart yogurt flavor and isn’t like the usual vanilla

I’ve eaten a massive amount of Blush froyo in the past. The texture at the new location isn’t as good as the other locations. The frozen yogurt is softer and not as thick. Perhaps it’s because the Pleasanton location uses different soft serve machines (Pleasanton has Stoelting machines, the other locations have Taylor machines)? The frozen yogurt comes out of the spout very fast.

Earn rewards with FiveStars. I recommend the Original Tart and Blush flavors.

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

* BLUSH ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT: 3500 Bernal Ave. #145, Pleasanton, CA 94566

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.

Future Froyo Shop Picture: Easy Breezy 3

Fro-yo girl here. Happy days are ahead…work is underway on Easy Breezy’s third location in San Francisco. They’re taking over the former Frapez spot at 4029 18th St. It’s a small space and the first frozen yogurt shop in the Castro (finally!)

The Easy Breezy sign isn’t up yet but the construction zone sign is good till March 22…hopefully the construction will be finished by then.

Easy Breezy is one of my favorite frozen yogurt shops, thanks to its creative, hand-crafted delicious flavors that you can’t find elsewhere. They offer organic yogurt, organic non-dairy options, and frozen custard/yogurt blends. And Easy Breezy was the very first shop to be awarded three swirls from the International Frozen Yogurt Association’s Swirl o f Honor program.

Be sure to visit their other locations (4028 24th St./Noe Valley and 718 Irving St./Inner Sunset) while you wait for the one in the Castro to open.

P.S. Happy birthday to Easy Breezy 2 (Inner Sunset) which turned 1 this week (on 1/19).

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

* EASY BREEZY 3: 4029 18th St., San Francisco, CA

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.

Last Day for Harmony Frozen Yogurt

Fro-yo girl here. Today is the final day of business for Harmony Frozen Yogurt. All items will be 50% off on the last day, while supplies last and the doors will close at 9 PM. 

I was happy that they still had natural tart. They didn't have as many toppings as usual. 

Fro-yo flavors of the day:
* Natural
* Raspberry
* Banana
* Mango

Here are some pictures from the last day, including my last cup of Harmony Frozen Yogurt, which I shared with Teddy and his dad.

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

* HARMONY FROZEN YOGURT: 852 Laurel St., San Carlos, CA 94070

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.

Harmony Frozen Yogurt, Thanks for the Memories and Froyo

Fro-yo girl here. I have some sad news, frozen yogurt fans. Harmony Frozen Yogurt is closing for good on Wednesday, 8/28. All items will be 50% off on the last day, while supplies last and the doors will close at 9 PM. 

Harmony was one of the earliest tart frozen yogurt shops in the Bay Area and the first to offer organic frozen yogurt. The first location opened in downtown San Carlos in mid 2007. I have many fond memories of that original location. I loved dropping by on the way home from work for a medium cup of their natural flavor with fresh fruit. Their frozen yogurt was (and still is for a few days) organic. The natural flavor, made with Straus organic yogurt, had an exceptionally clean, natural taste. Their toppings were healthier than most places and they were an eco-friendly green business.

They moved to a larger spot in downtown San Carlos, taking over the old Red Mango location, and they offered more flavors of frozen yogurt, plus they added Straus organic ice cream, soft serve ice cream, smoothies and yogurt parfaits.

Harmony, you will be missed.

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

* HARMONY FROZEN YOGURT: 852 Laurel St., San Carlos, CA 94070

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.

Future Fro-yo Shop Pictures: Easy Breezy Frozen Yogurt

Fro-yo girl here. Thanks Genevieve Y. for the fro-yo tip. She spotted a new fro-yo shop about to open up in Noe Valley called Easy Breezy. They were supposed to open in June but now it looks like it will definitely open in July. I peeked inside. The shop is adorable, rustic looking with cypress walls. I spotted space for three fro-yo machines, so they must plan on carrying six flavors of fro-yo a day. It’s going to be self-serve, featuring organic, locally produced fro-yo recipes and toppings like organic fruit. I must have driven by multiple times on my way to Whole Foods without noticing the sign.

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

* EASY BREEZY FROZEN YOGURT: 4028 24th St., San Francisco, CA

Vanilla Jill’s: Innovative Fro-yo Shop Spotlight

Fro-yo girl here. There are plenty of fro-yo shops out there but very few offer something unique and innovative. Vanilla Jill’s in Eugene, OR is one of the few shops that took me by surprise and provided me with something truly different. The shop clearly reflects the vision of the owners.

Their frozen yogurt is organic and made with local ingredients like Nancy’s organic kefir. It comes in scoopable and soft-serve form. They have vegan flavors too. You can find Vanilla Jill’s fro-yo pints at the shop and several markets in Eugene. They offer a great vanilla bean flavor (of course), tart, and creative flavors like carrot-cinnamon and coconut-lime.Their fro-yo tastes like natural yogurt. It’s on the icy side (but not watery), making it extra refreshing.

The toppings are not what you typically see either. They carry specialty syrups (flavors include rose, lavender and espresso), nuts, cookies, crystallized ginger, steamed brown rice, fresh fruit, applesauce, maple syrup, chocolate ganache sauce, etc. I loved the sweet steamed brown rice under my tart fro-yo. The nutty, warm, chewy texture was a perfect complement to the fro-yo. Organic rainbow sprinkles are always free.

Vanilla Jill’s also has fro-yo shakes, smoothies, kombucha, and shop special combos.

The place has family friendly wholesome charm and doesn’t look or feel like your typical fro-yo shop. There’s a cute story about the company on the wall, children’s crayon drawings on the wall and a Vanilla Jill’s cart on wheels. It's eco-friendly too.

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

* VANILLA JILL’S: 460 Coburg Rd. #300, Eugene, OR

SoCal Fro-yo Report: Onigiri & Fro-yo, Vegan Soft Serve

Fro-yo girl here. I returned to SoCal, land of fro-yo, the capital of fro-yo. Fro-yo shops have continued to close. Cities like Moorpark have lost multiple fro-yo shops (Froyo Life, Menchie's). Of course there are still plenty of fro-yo shops. I look for innovative shops and I found the following:

* SUNNY BLUE (2728 Main St, Santa Monica, CA): I knew I had to go to a shop that specializes in two things I love: fro-yo and Japanese rice balls (omusubi/onigiri). The rice balls were better than the fro-yo. They're assembled after you order them so the onigiri is still warm and fresh. There aren't too many places to get a warm, freshly made onigiri. The fro-yo was organic. I did like their fro-yo toppings which included Pocky, cornflakes, mochi and red bean.


* KINDKREME (3701 Cahuenga Blvd. Studio City, CA): Gourmet raw vegan food...It's not a fro-yo shop but they do have soft serve ice cream. It isn't tart and they only seem to have chocolate and vanilla flavors (flavors aren't rotated). That was disappointing. I know that yogurt can be made with soy, rice milk, almond milk, etc. so I was hoping for a tart fro-yo. The vanilla soft serve is made with almond milk, giving it a nutty flavor. It was icy.

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

Coming Soon: BlissBerry's First U.S. Location

Fro-yo girl here. I just learned about BlissBerry's first U.S. location...it's going to be an all-organic self-serve fro-yo place (the first that I have heard of). Their first location will feature 12 fro-yo flavors a day and it's owned by a current NFL Player. I have a sneak preview picture to share of the shop. There isn't much to see yet but the space is currently being transformed into a dazzling new fro-yo shop.


Location details: Imperial Square Shopping Plaza, 6201 N Federal Hwy, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33308

Expect the shop to open this summer...possibly in June.

For additional information about BlissBerry, visit their website.

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