Erewhon Introduces Vegan, Organic Soft Serve in Tonic Bars

Fro-yo girl here. Erewhon just added vegan, organic coconut soft serve ice cream at the Culver City and Pasadena locations. There is one flavor that tastes like coconut. The soft serve is gluten-free, non-GMO, kosher, soy-free, dairy-free, and allergen-friendly. It is not frozen yogurt. 

Coconut Soft Serve: The soft serve was thick, rich, and creamy. It had a strong coconut taste. It seemed sweeter than usual and the 8 oz serving was so large that I got tired of eating it. The glazes sounded very sweet. The 8 oz cup was only $6.

They’re serving a soft serve mix from Coconut Bliss out of a Stoelting counter-top soft serve machine. The machine has a single hopper, so they'll only be able to offer one flavor at a time.

The soft serve is available from the Tonic Bar. It’s not on the menu yet, but I was told that there are two sizes (8 oz & 12 oz) and the option to add any of their glazes (fruit, maple), coffee, goji berries, walnuts, cacao nibs, etc. It sounds like the toppings were already offered at the tonic bar and they haven’t added fresh fruit, granola, and other toppings that would pair well with the soft serve.

Coconut Bliss was acquired by HumanCo in 2020 and rebranded as Cosmic Bliss. Erewhon plans to add the soft serve to all locations in the near future. I’m hoping they also improve the toppings options. Also, I’d really like a smaller cup size (4 to 6 oz). They should be serving Yoga-urt because it's so much better. 

You can find the ingredients and nutritional information on Azure Standard.

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.

FRO Truck, The First Sustainable, Self-Powered Food Truck

 

strawberry FRO

FRO truck interior

toppings

FRO truck

Fro-yo girl here. FRO is a vegan soft-serve truck that launched in 2019 in Los Angeles. The truck claims to be the first sustainable, self-powered food service vehicle; it runs on solar batteries. It houses one soft serve machine.

While the truck says “self-serve pressed freeze”, it isn’t self-serve. They had two fruit flavors during my visit, mango and strawberry. The truck also says they serve a product that is organic, vegan, gluten-free, cold-pressed juice. The soft serve made with fresh fruit, water, and coconut milk. It is not frozen yogurt.

The cup was $7, and $3 more for toppings.

Available toppings: gummy bears, coconut, Tajin gummies, coconut, Tajin

Strawberry Fro: Fro is softer and smoother than Pressed Juicery’s Freeze. Tasted like a strawberry popsicle. It was sweeter than I expected though no sugar was added. I could see strawberry seeds. It didn’t have as clean of a finish/aftertaste as Pressed Freeze. Also, the portion was too big (would prefer a smaller size). I got tired of eating it because it was so sweet. Tangy toppings would have helped but I didn’t like the toppings they had. The toppings and the soft serve reminded me of a Mexican style fruit cart vendor. I still prefer Pressed Juicery Freeze.

Find FRO by following them on Instagram, IG @getfrola. The truck is available for special events.

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 Pressed Freeze Flavor: Supercharged Snickerdoodle

Fro-yo girl here. Pressed has been introducing lots of new Freeze flavors this year. The latest is Supercharged Snickerdoodle Freeze which available as a sundae with snickerdoodle cookie crumble and a drizzle of chocolate.

Supercharged Snickerdoodle Freeze is plant-based (vegan) and made with coconut cream, spinach puree, coconut oil, almonds, cinnamon, vanilla extract, sea salt, and spirulina extract. I tried it and it was way too sweet; and I love snickerdoodle cookies. I couldn’t order a cup of it. The cinnamon was very pronounced but not the spinach. It wasn’t as icy as some of the other Freeze flavors but whoa, so sweet. I know it’s not refined sugar but they do sweeten it with brown rice syrup and agave.

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 Pressed Freeze Flavor, Passion Fruit

 

Fro-yo girl here. Pressed has a new Freeze (plant-based soft serve) flavor: Passion Fruit. It’s coconut milk-based and vegan. I tried it and it was very tangy (their tangiest flavor yet) and flavorful but the texture was too loose and runny. Their blueberry flavor was too runny as well. And the Rose flavor. Too bad because it tasted great – like passion fruit juice. Recommended toppings: Vegan gummy bears and coconut.

Passion Fruit Freeze is available for a limited time.

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 New May Promotions & New Flavor: Vegan Oatly Vanilla

Fro-yo girl here. This May, Menchie’s is bringing back the Cake My Day spoon and based on popular demand, Peppa Pig Cotton Candy froyo. There’s also a brand new flavor, Vegan Oatly Vanilla. And you can order custom froyo cakes for Mother’s Day.

Vegan Oatly Vanilla soft serve: If you’re into a thick, smooth, creamy texture, Vegan Oatly Vanilla soft serve delivers on all counts. It doesn’t taste like vanilla ice cream or froyo but has a slightly oaty flavor. The vanilla flavor is very mild, more so than with your typical vanilla ice cream or froyo. It’s rich and satisfying though the flavor is milder than vanilla froyo. It's a little sweeter than usual. Recommended toppings: Granola, nuts, cinnamon.

Vegan Oatly Vanilla soft serve is made with Oatly oat milk and is 100% plant-based. It’s made with no artificial colors or artificial flavors. The soft serve is also gluten-free and contains no high fructose corn syrup. It isn’t froyo and has no live and active cultures.

16 Handles made news by partnering with Oatly to launch multiple plant-based oat milk soft serve flavors. The first ones were introduced in 2020 and they’re still bringing out new flavors. The Menchie’s partnership is the second large froyo chain that Oatly has partnered with.

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.

History of "Tofu Frozen Yogurt"

Fro-yo girl here. While I was putting together my list of froyo shops that offer soy frozen yogurt last April for National Soy Foods Month, I noticed that three cafes in the greater Boston area serve soy froyo. Not only that, they all called it tofu frozen yogurt. And at least one of those cafes has been around for decades, so it didn’t seem like a new thing. They also all serve mix-in style froyo. I also remember that years ago, I spotted some old signs at Shy Giant in Seattle, the oldest froyo shop in the Pacific Northwest. One of the signs said tofu frozen yogurt.

I was inspired to research tofu frozen yogurt and found the history very interesting. In 1983, a time when frozen yogurt and low cholesterol diets were popular, Tofu Time introduced Tofutti, tofu soft serve ice cream. The founder of Tofu Time, David Mintz, started making tofu and developed Tofutti as an ice cream alternative. Tofutti was served at Bloomingdale’s and Zabar’s in New York City starting in 1982 and then “spread to Hawaii, California and Massachusetts. Tofu frozen yogurt or ice cream was cholesterol free, dairy-free, and lactose free. Tofutti was kosher as well.

By the mid-80’s there were several tofu frozen dessert competitors, including Glace, Tofulite, Tofait, Tofree from Colombo Yogurt, and Ice Bean. Haagen-Dazs sold Tofutti in its 28,000 shops. At one point there were as many as 30 different competitors in the soy frozen dessert space. Competition and media scrutiny over the high calorie count of soy desserts led to a sales decline.

According to the SoyInfoCenter.com, “the boom years for soy ice cream in America were 1984-1988. When the craze died down, four national brands were left: Tofutti, Ice Bean, Tofulite and Mocha Mix.” Tofutti is still around but it refers to the name of the company. The name was changed in 1986. They still sell frozen desserts made with soy, in pint form and as Tofutti ice cream sandwiches. By 2004, Turtle Mountain, makers of Soy Delicious non-dairy frozen desserts (later renamed So Delicious), had surpassed Tofutti in sales in the natural foods channel.

I don’t think Tofutti ever had probiotics but it was seen as a competitor to soft serve frozen yogurt, which probably explains why some people called it tofu frozen yogurt. David Mintz created it as an alternative to ice cream. He died last month at the age of 89.

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 New Flavors: Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip with Almond Butter & Café Mocha & a New Cup

Fro-yo girl here. Menchie’s had new flavors scheduled to come out in April, but then the coronavirus struck and many Menchie’s locations temporarily closed. Most Menchie’s have now reopened on a limited basis and I noticed a handful mention the new flavors, Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip with Almond Butter and Cafe Mocha.

Froyo samples still aren’t allowed in Los Angeles at this time. I read that some froyo shops in Orange County allow self-serve and provide customers with gloves, and to my surprise, self-serve is back at Menchie’s Eagle Rock. They ask that you use hand sanitizer. The toppings are packed in small cups or plastic bags for safety.

Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip with Almond Butter (vegan) is dairy-free, gluten-free, has no high fructose corn syrup, and is made with no artificial colors or artificial flavors. It sounded promising since I like mint chocolate. And, I did like it. It tasted less sweet and cleaner than the typical dairy-based froyo. The mint wasn’t too strong or toothpaste like. The texture was creamy yet not as rich as a dairy-based froyo. Recommended toppings: Andes Mints, chocolate shell, almonds. The sign did not mention live and active cultures.

Café Mocha froyo is made with real coffee and cocoa and no artificial colors or artificial flavors. It is lowfat, gluten-free ad free of high fructose corn syrup. I like coffee flavored froyo, so I was looking forward to this flavor. I asked the employee what it tasted like, since samples were not available. He said it tasted like chocolate with a coffee aftertaste, that the chocolate flavor was much stronger than the coffee flavor. I found it more balanced and the coffee flavor lingered longer than the chocolate. The texture was smooth and creamy. I tried it again and the chocolate flavor seemed stronger. Perhaps I confused the Mudslide Pie froyo in my cup with the Café Mocha flavor the first time I tried it? Recommended toppings: OREOs, chocolate shell, almonds.

I was pleasantly surprised to find new cups for the Scoob movie. The cups say that there are 7 dog tags hidden in the store and if you unscramble the mystery word, you’ll get a prize. I also picked up more limited edition yellow Sprinkle flower 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.

21 Choices Pasadena Reopens, More Types of Vegan Bases on the Way?

Fro-yo girl here. Is it just me or does it seem like 21 Choices Frozen Yogurt has been closed a lot these past few years. The renovation of their old space on Colorado Blvd. took forever and then they moved into a brand new spot around the corner. Space NK, the beauty retailer, took over their old spot. Then they closed right before the safer at home order was issued. I think they closed on 3/16 and no updates were provided after 3/18, until they reopened on May 22.

They quietly reopened just in time for Memorial Day weekend. I visited to see if anything had changed. They’re making their non-dairy soft serve with housemade oat milk now. The employee had a face shield on and the yogurt and toppings are behind a shield as well. Mix ins are still available. Everyone who enters is required to wear a mask.

I tried their non-dairy oat milk soft serve for the first time, opting for Peanut Butter Coconut mixed with toffee chips. The toffee chips took over the flavor and made the pb and coconut seem mild, but the base was fairly creamy. It tasted pretty clean with a hint of oat flavor.

I hope the soy milk base will still be offered. I did see some soy milk in the fridge, but not much of it. It’s so hard to find soy-based soft serve/frozen yogurt. They also had cashew milk, almond milk, and macadamia milk in the fridge.

I’ve been going to Old Town Pasadena periodically during the safer at home order and many businesses remain closed, including restaurants and retailers. Only a handful are open for takeout, like True Food Kitchen, Motto Tea Café, and Starbucks. Some retailers are offering curbside pickup. Madewell is behind on rent. The food hall on Union and Fair Oaks is expanding and taking over the old Gap and Crate & Barrel spaces.

There hasn’t been much foot traffic in the area for months. It could be tough for that area for a long time if the crowds don’t return. 

P.S. 21 Choices just reopened in Claremont Village (Claremont, CA) as well.

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

* 21 CHOICES: 44 N Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena, CA 91105

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: New Pumpkin Freeze, New Pumpkin Oat Milk

Fro-yo girl here. I was definitely excited when I heard about Pressed Juicery’s new fall flavor, Pumpkin Freeze. It’s made with just a few ingredients: pumpkin puree, almond milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and maple syrup. I headed over to Pressed on National Dessert Day to try it. While I found Pumpkin Freeze, the employees said they were having problems with the soft serve machine and the texture. Pumpkin Freeze was either runny or too hard. I tried a runny sample. I did like it because I could taste the pumpkin and the spices. It was clean tasting and not too sweet. However, the texture was off (soft and gritty). Too bad!

While I was there I tried the Pumpkin Oat Milk which has oat milk, maple syrup, pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg. The pumpkin and the spice flavors were much weaker. It tasted like watery oat milk. Their almond milk drinks are definitely better. 

Update: I was able to get a cup of Pumpkin Freeze at The Americana (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.

Pressed Juicery’s New Freeze Flavor, Pineapple

Fro-yo girl here. With all the excitement over Pressed Juicery’s new toppings and sundaes, I overlooked something important; there’s a new Freeze flavor, Pineapple. Pineapple Freeze is made with water, maple syrup, pineapple, mango, dates, and almonds. I tried it and it was sweeter than I expected. Pineapple is usually pretty tangy. It was good, but I think it would be better if it had some tang. Recommended toppings: Peach gummy bears, coconut, strawberries.

Pressed Juicery has a special membership perk this month: one FREE size 1 Freeze with three toppings with any purchase, so it’s the perfect time to get a Freeze and try the new toppings and sundaes.

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.

Pressed Juicery’s New Toppings and Sundaes

Fro-yo girl here. A couple of new things have been launched at Pressed Juicery as of Friday, June 28. First, there are new toppings and a new way to display toppings. New toppings include peach gummy bears, chocolate chip cookie crumble, marshmallows, sprinkles, praline pecan pieces, and raspberry puree. I don’t think they eliminated any toppings (whew).

I noticed the toppings display changed recently. They used to have a list of toppings on display on the glass divider near the Freeze station. Now you can see the toppings in clear glass bottles. Each one also lists whether the topping is vegan, gluten-free, kosher, and non-GMO.

As for the Freeze Sundaes, they are:

• Summer Delight: Strawberry Freeze with vegan peach gummy bears + blueberries
• Chocolate Churro: Chocolate Freeze with granola butter + cacao drizzle
• S'mores: Chocolate Freeze with vegan marshmallows, chocolate chips + granola butter
• Blueberry Muffin: Vanilla Freeze with honey, blueberries + granola butter
• Tropical Dream: Pineapple mango Freeze with raspberry puree, sprinkles + shredded coconut
• Strawberry Pie: Strawberry Freeze with vegan marshmallows, praline pecans + granola butter
• Chocolate Chip Cookie: Vanilla Freeze with chocolate chip cookie crumble, chocolate drizzle + chocolate chips
• AB&J: Vanilla Freeze with almond butter, raspberry puree + strawberries

I selected the AB&J which was refreshing and delicious. The raspberry puree was obviously natural and not overly sweetened. The price hasn’t changed and they're running a promo right now, two items for $10.

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 Flavor, Thai Iced Tea, Introduced by Yoga-urt at Vegan Street Fair

Fro-yo girl here. Mr. Froyo and I went to the Vegan Street Fair in North Hollywood, CA this past weekend for one reason, to try the new froyo flavor, Thai Iced Tea, from Yoga-urt. I wasn’t feeling well, so we only went to Yoga-urt. The festival looked as crowded as ever and Yoga-urt had a long line. A single scoop was $4, 2 scoops $7, and 3 scoops $9. Mr. Froyo had Tantric Tart while I had Thai Iced Tea.

I’ve often wondered which spices go into Thai Iced Tea and what makes it so orange. When I get it at Thai places, it’s usually super sweet and creamy. Did you know that the orange color often comes from food coloring?

I’m sure Yoga-urt didn’t use food coloring, so their Thai Iced Tea froyo wasn’t bright orange. I could see various spices in the scoop but I’m not sure what they were. Mr. Froyo said he tasted cardamom for sure. I thought I tasted cinnamon and vanilla but definitely something else. Tamarind? Not sure, but I was intrigued. Also, I appreciate that the flavor wasn’t as super sweet as actual Thai iced tea.

Thai Iced Tea wasn’t available at the Glendale shop and I didn’t want to wait a whole month to try it.

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.

Pressed Juicery Testing New Freeze Flavor, Coffee

Fro-yo girl here. Today is World Plant Milk Day. It seemed like a good day for a Pressed Freeze. I was delighted to spot a new test flavor at the Glendale/Americana Pressed Juicery, Coffee.

I’ve never had Pressed Juicery’s Vanilla Coffee drink. It’s made with almond milk, dates, Kona coffee, and vanilla bean. The Coffee Freeze probably has the same short list of natural ingredients. Like other flavors of Freeze, it’s plant-based, vegan, and has no added sugar. 

I no longer see Vanilla Coffee listed on the Pressed Juicery website, so perhaps it's been discontinued or is seasonal.

* Coffee Freeze: The coffee flavor is mellow and smooth. It’s probably not made with dark roast coffee beans? What I like best about Freeze is that it’s not that sweet, it’s very refreshing, and the aftertaste is very clean. It’s one of the better Freeze flavors for sure.

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.

Pressed Juicery New Freeze Flavors, New Toppings, New Membership Program

Fro-yo girl here. When Pressed Juicery introduces a new Freeze flavor, they usually introduce one new flavor at a time. It’s been awhile since there was a new Freeze flavor; the last new flavor was Matcha Almond Freeze back in May 2017. I was excited to get an email from Pressed Juicery announcing two new flavors of Freeze, Creamy Coconut and Mango Turmeric. Both are nut free, plant-based (vegan), with no sugar added. I like how Freeze is made with just a few natural ingredients.

I went to Pressed Juicery at the Americana at Brand in Glendale, CA to try the new flavors. However, they were having problems with the soft serve machine, and weren’t able to serve either new flavor. And they weren’t sure when the problem would be resolved. I went to another location and they were having problems with the machine too. However, they did let me try Creamy Coconut though the texture was icier than it should be.

* Creamy Coconut (water, pineapple, coconut, vanilla extract, sea salt): It tasted like sweetened ice. I couldn’t detect pineapple or coconut. But every location that I went to had problems getting the texture right, so I didn’t try it with the texture they wanted to achieve.

* Mango Turmeric (apple, orange, mango, coconut, pineapple, turmeric): Mango flavors can be really sweet because mango is so sweet. I liked how this flavor wasn’t just mango. It was less sweet and I could taste the pineapple and quite a bit of turmeric. It was icier than their almond milk flavors but had a pleasant, clean flavor. They added a new topping for the mango, Tajin.

While I was there I noticed a sign for the new membership program. It’s free to join. You authorize Pressed Juicery to load a set dollar amount ($10 minimum) to your account every month. This allows you to enjoy the member discount, juices and Freeze for $5. The old loyalty program is separate and will continue but you won’t earn points on your membership purchases. You also can’t combine offers. The amounts do roll over and you can cancel at any time. It’s a good deal! Maybe froyo shops should consider offering something similar. It guarantees income, which will help shops deal with seasonal downturns. It might increase consumption too, since members are pre-paying for treats.

Sign up on the Pressed Juicery website or at one of their stores. https://www.pressedjuicery.com/

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.

Press Brothers Juicery Introduces Coconut Milk Soft Serve

Fro-yo girl here. Plant based vegan soft serve seems like the perfect treat on a hot day. It’s light and refreshing. I was walking through Grand Central Market in downtown LA when I saw the big sign for Press Brothers Juicery’s Coconut Milk Soft Serve.

Press Brothers is Los Angeles owned and operated. They specialize in cold pressed juice which you can find at Grand Central Market and other locations throughout LA. The Grand Central Market shop also has frozen slushies, popsicles and now, Coconut Milk Soft Serve.

PBJ’s soft serve is vegan, organic, gluten free, soy free and probiotic. They add a six strain blend. It’s $4 for a four oz cup. They only had the one Madagascar Vanilla flavor though apparently they do have a chocolate flavor too. Toppings choices are limited to sprinkles, coconut flakes and cacao nibs.

* Madagascar Vanilla Coconut Milk Soft Serve: The cup looked small but 4 oz is a good amount of froyo. I’m not sure how much sugar was added but it was pretty sweet. The texture was smooth but icy. The flavor was not unpleasant but I’d definitely call it subtle. The vanilla flavor was subtle and the whole treat didn’t have a lot of flavor. It was light and refreshing though, without tasting overly processed. And I liked the crunchy, flavorful cacao nibs. I prefer the flavor of Pressed Freeze but PBJ’s soft serve has a smoother texture but the best vegan soft serve by far is from Yoga-urt (1407 W Kenneth Rd, Glendale, CA 91201).

Look for a new location opening in Hollywood (Franklin Plaza).

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

* PRESS BROTHERS JUICERY: 317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013

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.

Yoga-urt 2nd Anniversary Celebration, New Flavor, New Contest, Specials

Fro-yo girl here. Mr. Froyo and I are huge fans of Yoga-urt, which turns two this weekend. What a treasure this shop is! It continues to provide the highest quality vegan, probiotic, organic, kosher soft serve and the most interesting flavors. It’s the only froyo/soft serve shop Mr. Froyo will go to and the only business where he’s a regular. I recommend Yoga-urt to everyone that asks for froyo recommendations.

We went back for the Anniversary Weekend (July 22-23, 2017). We were eager to try the new flavor, Purple Power. Purple Power was inspired by the color purple. It is made with cherries, raspberries, blackberries, pomegranate, spinach, beets, coconut milk, cashews, basil and more. The flavor has no added sugar!

Mr. Froyo and I both really liked Purple Power. It was rich, thick and dense. The flavor was so complex and interesting. The berries and basil stood out to me though I could detect some spinach and coconut. The fresh basil adds such a wonderful fresh flavor. Berries make it tart but not very tart. It’s not as sweet as Ganesha’s Sweet Greens but it is a balance of sweet and tart. Ganesha’s is lighter and more refreshing.

During the anniversary weekend they offered a $1 discount from 2-5 PM on soft serve and smoothies. They also have an Yoga-urt Turns Two Instagram photo contest that combines yoga and froyo, the two things that inspired the business.

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

* YOGA-URT, 1407 ½ W Kenneth Rd., Glendale, CA 91201

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.

San Marino Gets Its First Froyo Shop, Swirlz Soft Serve Parlor is Now Open

Fro-yo girl here. This is embarrassing; a froyo shop opened in my area and I didn’t know about it until a month later. Swirlz Soft Serve Parlor (2136 Huntington Dr., San Marino, CA 91108) replaced Quenelle, the ice cream shop that sometimes had froyo flavors. Swirlz is described as “a frozen dessert parlor featuring organic and vegan options + various custards, gelato, and sorbets.”

They change flavors on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the flavors can be found on their website and on Twitter, @swirlzsoftserve. The flavors that I encountered during my visit were different from the ones posted on their website on 4/18 and on Twitter. I guess the flavors hadn’t been updated. It’s a little frustrating to not find updated flavors because it should be easy to send a tweet.

The shop is small with few signs. There are eight self-serve flavors a day, a wall of toppings, refrigerated toppings and organic sauces. Some of the toppings were organic. They had mochi, cheesecake, popping boba, jellies, fresh fruit, cookie dough, brownies, nuts, cereal, sprinkles, different kinds of chocolate chips, candy, nuts, etc. A few toppings were unusual: soybeans, quinoa, and sunflower seeds. I didn’t see the price anywhere and I didn’t receive a receipt, but apparently it’s 59 cents an ounce. They also have pre-packed quarts.

Available flavors:

• Lemon custard: Creamier and thicker but tasted like lemon candy
• Raspberry gelato
• Vanilla ice cream (organic)
• Chocolate froyo (organic)
• Coffee froyo (organic): On the icy side but it did have a strong coffee flavor and wasn’t super sweet
• Tart froyo (organic): Not tart/tangy and pretty bland, icy
• Tropical coconut milk
• Dole whip pineapple

There was only one table inside but there were a couple of tables outside. They had a case for soft pretzels but no soft pretzels.

Ask to join the reward program. Once you spend $50, you get $5 off.

The new shop has more options for people with dietary restrictions. They always have vegan soft serve. So far the flavors they’ve had haven’t caught my eye and the tart froyo needs improvement.

San Marino is such a small area (2014 population of 13,423, over half of residents are Asian) with only a few businesses that it didn’t even strike me as strange that it didn’t have a froyo shop. There are plenty of froyo shops in the surrounding areas of South Pasadena, Pasadena, Alhambra and San Gabriel.

3 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.

New Strawberry Almond Freeze from Pressed Juicery

Fro-yo girl here. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Pressed Juicery has a new flavor of juice, Strawberry Almond and also a new Freeze flavor (finally - it's their first new Freeze flavor since Freeze was introduced). Strawberry Almond juice is made with beet, almonds, vanilla bean, coconut water and strawberry. Strawberry Almond Freeze is made with the same ingredients plus dates for sweetness.

* Strawberry Almond Freeze: So, I tried the Strawberry Almond juice and they added coconut water, so it’s thinner than their regular Vanilla Almond Milk. The coconut water lightens up the juice. It’s sweet and the strawberry flavor isn’t that strong. The Strawberry Almond Freeze is similar. It tastes sweet, without any added sugar, but the strawberry flavor is weak. Also, the texture is thick, icy and gritty. It needs more almond milk. But it is a healthy, clean tasting treat.

3 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.