Summer is here, and as the temperatures rise, you’ll need to cool down. Get inspired with these mouth-watering tea-infused ice cream flavors available at some of the coolest ice cream parlors in the world. If you live nearby to where they’re sold, pedal your bike there as fast as possible. If you don’t, suggest these innovative flavors to your local ice cream barista:
1) Silencio Black Tea & Coconut Stracciatella (Vegan)
Where to Get It:
Salt & Straw | Venice, CA | www.saltandstraw.com
Stracciatella is an Italian form of gelato inspired by classic Italian egg drop soup. It typically contains chocolate flakes. This flavor from famed ice creamery Salt & Straw is a coconut-based combination of French dark chocolate and a black tea blend that fuses black tea with cacao shells, black pepper, and dried pineapple. Salt & Straw describes the tea’s flavor as “a tropical sweet, spicy tobacco profile,” that soars to flavorful heights when combined with chocolate. And it’s vegan!
2) Chai Tea Coconut (Dairy-Free)
Where to Get It:
Fat Cat Creamery | Houston, TX | www.fatcatcreamery.com
A fat cat typically refers to a rich political donor. But you don’t have to have deep pockets to enjoy a scoop of ice cream at Houston’s Fat Cat Creamery. This flavor uses coconut milk as a base and achieves flavor nirvana by mixing chai tea and cinnamon into the batter.
3) Green Tea Pistachio
Where to Get It:
Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream | New York, New York | www.morgensternsnyc.com
Morgenstern’s describes itself as a “texture-driven” maker of “small-batch ice creams with a renewed attention to flavor and palate.” Owner Nicholas Morgenstern says that he thinks of an ice cream’s flavor profile first when devising new creations. With that approach in mind, he created this Green Tea Pistachio treat, bringing the texture of pistachios together with the bitter taste of matcha for a winning taste in every lick.
4) Thai Milk Tea
Where To Get It:
Merry Moo Ice Cream | Metro Manila, Philippines | www.merrymooicecream.com
Thai Milk Tea is a popular Southeast Asian beverage that combines tea, milk, and sugar. With dairy and sugar in its profile, it makes for a seamless transition atop any ice cream cone. Merry Moo describes its Thai Milk Tea ice cream as “a light, tangy, and floral flavor.”
5) Ginger Matcha
Where to Get It:
TEA-RRIFIC! ICE CREAM | Various locations | tearrificicecream.com
Available by the pint at stores in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, this flavor mashes premium Matcha green tea with fresh cold-pressed ginger juice and sweet cream. Tea-rrific! describes its flavor profile as “sweet, creamy, earthy, and zingy.” Use it as a palate cleanser between courses or as a sweet treat to cap off a summer night.
And now for something completely different…
6) Tea-Infused Ice Cream Rolls
Where to Get It:
Steep | San Francisco, CA | www.steepsf.com
Steep uses a Thai pan-frozen technique to create ice cream rolls—basically the fruit roll ups of ice cream. All Steep ice creams are steeped for up to 24 hours to achieve maximum flavor and minimum acid. The San Francisco tea, coffee, and juice outpost regularly serves the following tea-infused ice cream rolls, topped with unique add-ons:
UjiMatcha
Ceremonial-grade Uji, Japan sourced Matcha infused ice cream topped with fresh strawberries and red bean
MyThai
Thai Tea infused ice cream topped with house-made coconut pudding and tapioca pearls
Original Oolong
Premium Taiwanese Oolong Tea infused ice cream topped with house-made herbal jelly and tapioca pearls
