CVT2Go Soft Serve Ice Cream Review

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve run into the CVT Soft Serve truck a few times but I never tried their soft serve because (1) they only have ice cream and (2) the flavors are so basic. They only have two flavors, vanilla and chocolate. But earlier this year, CVT2Go – their soft serve ice cream in a single serving pouch, appeared on supermarket shelves.

According to Eater LA, the pouches have been selling out in grocery stores. I found CVT2Go at Bristol Farms for $4.99/pouch. The ice cream is made with all natural ingredients. And the available flavors are the same as the truck’s, chocolate and vanilla. One pouch is 6 oz. You’re supposed to eat the soft serve out of the squeezable pouch.

Vanilla ice cream: It took about 10-15 minutes to thaw. The ice cream was soft, smooth, and creamy. It’s made with whole milk, sugar, and heavy cream. The vanilla flavor was light and the ice cream was very sweet. I would have liked more vanilla flavor. One pouch is 310 calories, 18g total fat, 34g total sugars, and 3g protein.

CVT2Go was first carried by Gelson’s and is now carried by Tacos 1986, Vidiots, La Tropicana Market, Moonlight Rollerway, and House of Ambrose.

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

3.5 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.

The Manufactory (Tartine) Yogurt Parfait and Soft Serve Review

Fro-yo girl here. The Manufactory (Tartine) at the Row DTLA has several areas with different names. I went to the Window during my fist visit and tried the buffalo milk soft serve.

I spotted two soft serve machines (four flavors a day) and what looked to be a toppings bar. There wasn’t much information about the offerings, other than the flavors of the day. It’s made with water buffalo milk, though I didn’t see what mentioned anywhere on site. I read about it years ago and the server confirmed that they use buffalo milk. The soft serve is available in two sizes, Small $5 and Large $7. Ask for samples.

The rosemary soft serve was soft, creamy, silky and smooth. It seemed richer than cow’s milk, but it didn’t have any grassy or distinctive funk. The rosemary was very nice – it wasn’t overwhelming. It was sweeter than I normally like. The swirl wasn’t pretty either.

On my second visit, picked up a yogurt parfait from The Market, which houses their baked goods, prepared foods, a grab & go case of drinks, salads, chia pudding, and yogurt parfaits, ceramics, cookbooks, and gourmet pantry items.

The yogurt parfait (325g, $7) included housemade yogurt, fresh berries, and Liz’s granola (housemade, of course). The granola was packed on top with a layer of plastic to keep it from getting wet and soggy. The yogurt was fairly thick, velvety and unsweetened. It had some sourness but that was relatively mild but definitely rich (full fat). The cream flavor also coated my tongue and lingered. The extra toasty granola, which had big clusters and lots of whole almonds, added sweetness and crunch. Was the parfait good? Yes. Was the yogurt exceptionally different? Not really.

Yogurt ingredients: Pasteurized organic whole milk, organic sweet cream buttermilk, living yogurt cultures)

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

* THE MANUFACTORY: 757 Alameda St., Ste 160, Los Angeles, CA 90021

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.

Pressed Juicery Introduces Matcha Almond Freeze

Fro-yo girl here. Pressed Juicery introduced several new matcha products last week, including Matcha Tea, Matcha Almond, Matcha Lemonade and Matcha Almond Freeze. Matcha Tea and Matcha Lemonade are made with probiotics. All of Pressed Juicery’s matcha products are made with Panatea’s ceremonial grade matcha from Japanese tea leaves.

I love matcha everything, so I wanted to try Matcha Almond Freeze as soon as I heard about it. However, the Pressed Juicery that I went to ran out of both the Matcha Almond Freeze and Matcha Almond Milk. I had to go back after they received a shipment.

* Matcha Almond Freeze: I could taste the matcha though it wasn’t a strong matcha flavor (it’s more muted and subtle). The texture wasn’t as gritty as the last time I ordered Freeze but it was icy as usual. The flavor isn’t too sweet and it has a very clean, natural flavor – but it also doesn’t have that much flavor and the texture is decidedly icy. It melted quickly. The flavor of the toppings (almonds, almond butter drizzle, dark chocolate chips) overwhelmed the flavor of the Freeze. Matcha Almond Freeze is made with matcha, kale, spinach, romaine, cucumber, almonds, dates, and vanilla bean.

* Matcha Tea (matcha, probiotic, maple syrup, lemon): this was okay but didn’t have enough matcha flavor for me

* Matcha Lemonade (lemon, matcha, probiotic, maple syrup, mint): the mint flavor dominated which wasn’t what I expected, there wasn’t even much lemon flavor

* Matcha Almond (matcha, almonds, dates, vanilla bean, cinnamon): this was the best matcha drink but the matcha flavor still seemed muted

I was surprised that Matcha Almond Freeze replaced the Greens Freeze because that means that all the Freeze flavors have nuts. But apparently Greens Freeze will return with an improved texture.

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.

Innovative Soft Serve Shop Spotlight: Frozen Fruit Co. in Santa Monica, CA

Fro-yo girl here. Los Angeles has more frozen yogurt shops than any other city; it is frozen yogurt central. When it comes to froyo/soft serve innovation, expect to find it on the Westside (West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills) where residents are particularly health conscious and affluent.

Enter Frozen Fruit Co., a soft serve fruit shop which opened its doors last month in Santa Monica. It’s not frozen yogurt. They make their soft serve with just fruit, so it’s all natural, vegan, paleo, dairy free, gluten free and refined sugar free. The founders, Michael and Victoria, came up with the recipes back in England. They’re both UK lawyers who wanted a frozen treat that was simple, healthy and tasty.

There are currently four flavors but they’re thinking of adding more:

• Coconut & cacao: very strong cacao flavor, for chocolate lovers
• Mango & strawberry: the strawberry makes it tarter and better, mango makes it taste indulgent
• Raspberry & orange: the orange is really strong and it’s quite tangy
• Pineapple & passionfruit: another tangy but more tropical flavor, a shop favorite

I thought that the soft serve fruit might be icy, gritty or bland – but it was none of those things. The difference is that Frozen Fruit Co. uses the whole fruit so there’s more texture, plus it’s made right there in the back of the shop so it’s much fresher than what you’ll find elsewhere. The texture was thick, smooth and not at all icy. The flavors really popped.

They have healthy toppings like granola, banana chips, coconut, carob chips, fresh fruit, nuts and pretzels. Edible flowers are complimentary. Instagram and tag Frozen Fruit Co. to get a free topping.

Prices: Cone $3.95, Small $4.95, Medium $6.50, Large $7.50, toppings 50 cents each.

The shop is small but adorable with a colorful paisley theme. Earn rewards with Fivestars. Open daily from noon to 10 PM.

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

Rating: 5/5

* FROZEN FRUIT CO.: 729 Montana Ave., Suite 2, Santa Monica, CA 90403, @frozenfruitco, www.frozenfruitco.com

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.

Magpies Softserve Opens in Silver Lake

Fro-yo girl here. Silver Lake’s newest dessert shop, Magpies Softserve started swirling yesterday. When I heard the call for free swirls, I decided to check it out. They don’t have any frozen yogurt but they do have Taylor machines swirling up 7 flavors of artisanal soft serve a day and housemade toppings. The flavors sound fun and interesting; they include yuzu honey, strawberry rhubarb, sweet cream, sweet corn and honey and Cuban espresso. There are non-dairy options.

Unlike most soft serve spots, Magpies makes their own soft serve without mixes or powders. Toppings include housemade sauces, chocolate honeycomb, maple coconut chips, almond brittle and more.

They’re new so the menu hasn’t been completely finalized but they plan on having cold brew coffee, coffee floats and ice cream cakes.

Prices: Junior $3.95, Regular $4.95, from scratch toppings 95 cents

The shop is small and located in a strip mall across the street from Gelson’s. I’m not sure if the décor is all in place yet but looks like it’s going to be minimal. The cups were clear plastic ones with stickers

I think they were too busy to hand out samples on opening day, so I was only able to try one flavor. The yuzu honey soft serve tasted like plain soft serve with a hint of yuzu. I was hoping for more yuzu flavor. The soft serve was creamy and smooth but on the bland side. The toppings were fantastic though. Try the butterscotch rice krispies for a crispy, chewy, buttery treat.

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

* MAGPIES SOFTSERVE: 2660 Griffith Park Blvd., Los Angeles (Silver Lake), CA 90039

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.

Tasti D-Lite/Planet Smoothie Grand Opening in Santa Monica

Fro-yo girl here. Tasti D-Lite, a long time staple of New York City, has finally arrived on the West Coast. The new location in Santa Monica had a soft opening earlier this week and the grand opening event today.

Tasti D-Lite is a low calorie, low carb, dairy-based soft serve, made with a proprietary formula and no artificial sweeteners – it is not frozen yogurt. It has 30% fewer calories than froyo. Since it isn’t frozen yogurt, today was my first time trying it. I remember seeing it in NYC, including one that was right next to a 16 Handles location. 

I was surprised to find Greek froyo offered at Tasti D-Lite. They have other Greek frozen yogurt flavors, including mango, raspberry, acai, banana and pomegranate.

The Santa Monica location is self-serve with flat rate pricing, all you can swirl for $4.50, add $1.50 for toppings. Since they’re touting their health benefits, this seems like a strange pricing decision (as it encourages you to eat more).

Though it’s self-serve, employees dispensed the free product and even put the toppings on. Toppings were standard: candy, sprinkles, nuts, coconut, syrups, fresh fruit, cookie dough, mochi, brownies, cheesecake and yogurt pretzels.

Flavors of the day:

• Greek frozen yogurt
• Strawberry
• Rice pudding
• Birthday cake
• Peanut butter
• Chocolate mousse
• French vanilla
• Chocolate pudding

The Greek frozen yogurt wasn’t good. It had a whipped texture and a slight tang. It lacked flavor. The peanut butter was mild with a strange whipped cream like texture. The rice pudding tasted like the vanilla with a bit of cinnamon. Vanilla was better, smoother and less whipped. Their soft serve is definitely bland and too airy.

The location is co-branded with Planet Smoothie. Planet Smoothie blends its smoothies to order using fruits, vegetables and its own line of proprietary sweeteners and supplements.

The first 150 people at the grand opening received gift bags. Free 3 ounce Tasti cups were provided from 12 PM – 5 PM. The VIP bag included a Tasti D-Lite/Planet Smoothie tote bag, Planet Smoothie smoothie mug, packet of Peet’s Coffee, sample of Grab the Gold gluten free snack bar, Tasti D-Lite device stand, Tasti D-Lite sticker wallet and a coupon for one free Tasti D-Lite. They had a DJ and Tasti D-Lite and Planet Smoothie mascots.

Tasti D-Lite and Planet Smoothie plan to expand throughout Southern California. Tasti D-Lite was founded in 1987 and began franchising in 2008.

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

* TASTI D-LITE: 526 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401

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.