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.