Blizzness as Usual

B to the Blizzo

Choco Cherry Love and Midnight Truffle.
This will be a short one because the ABC team is about go on another excursion.  This was a nice combo.  The cherry ice cream is a nice change of pace as a base.  The "midnight" truffles have a similar texture to the cookie dough (which I previously criticized as boring) but they bring some good flavor to the table: surprisingly bitter (in a good way) dark chocolate.

Rating: 6/10

Tropical Storm Warning

The ABC crew convened for some testing yesterday afternoon and there will be upcoming reviews from Blizzard Wizard and Ghost Blizzard, so stay tuned.  I went with a Hawaiian Cookie Dough combo, from the Old Saybrook DQ.  I have been intrigued by the Hawaiian flavor since I first noticed it one the menu but this was my first experience with it.  The Hawaiian part of this ABC truly exceeded my rigorous expectations for Blizzard flavors.  It is a complex and challenging flavor, and perhaps not the best option for an ABC neophyte, but it's worth the extra effort.  The Hawaiian includes toasted coconut, banana, and pineapple chunks.  The coconut and banana flavors set the tone with a nice smooth base, but it's the pineapples that steal the show.  You don't get one in every bite, but when you do it's a transcendent experience.  This ABC kept reminding me of pineapple ambrosia, and specifically it took me back to an experience with it at an all-you-can-eat diner buffet somewhere in the Great Plains during a cross-country drive to college in Colorado.
The drawback in this ABC was the cookie dough.  While I think this combination works conceptually,  the quality of DQ's cookie leaves a lot to be desired.  It lacks flavor (I think it could use a little salt) and is texturally boring.  I do look forward to trying out more Hawaiian-based ABCs.

Rating: 7/10

Blizzard Quote of the Week

"fourteen carat gold slum computer wizard

tapping inside my rap vein causes blizzards"

 -Ghostface Killah

on "Guillotine (Swordz)" -  Raekwon feat. Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, GZA

Thin Blizzy

I made the mistake of going against Blizzard Wizard's recommendation and got this Blizzard at the Westbrook DQ.  While this combination certainly has some potential, the ingredient ratios were way off and it was poorly mixed.  That one Oreo piece you see in the picture was full the extent of any chunks present in this BC.  (I can't call it an ABC as it was far from astounding).  It was basically vanilla ice cream with Oreo and Butterfinger dust mixed in.  It was as if the DQ crew had a feast of Oreos and Butterfingers in the back room and then swept the crumbs that were left on the floor into my Blizzard.  I can never complain about eating ice cream, but this was not a satisfying experience.

Rating: 3/10

Banana, Heath Bar, Vanilla

Today's ABC was Banana. Heath Bar, and Vanilla.  This combo was the catalyst for my interest in ABCs and the inspiration for this blog.  This ABC came from the Old Saybrook Dairy Queen, and although I was pretty satisfied with the ingredient ratios and mixing (especially this early in the Blizzard season), I will say that the top half was heavier on banana and the Heath Bar chunks had settled to the bottom a bit.

This is an excellent ABC, and I would definitely recommend this to any Blizzard fan. An added bonus is the nutrition of the banana - high in dietary fiber, vitamins C and B6, potassium, and manganese.  The highlight of this one is the combination of textures.  It's a perfect mix of creamy vanilla, smooth banana pieces, and the occasional crunch of the heath bar.  The flavors of the Heath Bar and banana complemented each other nicely and the vanilla really tied the whole thing together.  I have heard that Banana, Heath Bar, and Chocolate is also a good one and I look forward to trying it out.

Rating: 8/10

This being the first review, I reserve the right to chance this rating later.  I will be using this ABC as a basis of comparison for future ratings.

Welcome

Welcome to Astounding Blizzard Combinations.  Here at ABC, we are dedicated to exploring some of the unexpected flavor amalgams available in the Dairy Queen Blizzard.  We will be providing reviews and rankings of the combinations we try.