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Ben & Jerry's
Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream

OFFICIAL SNACK REPORT
Sanctioned By WASAW Snack Committee

Reviewed By: Paddy O'Poppycock Location: Wal-Mart OFFICIAL NAME OF SNACK: Ben & Jerry's Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream DESCRIPTION OF SNACK: According to the Ben & Jerry's website, "Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream is a decadent melting pot of vanilla ice cream with fudge-covered waffle cone pieces and a caramel swirl. It's the sweet taste of liberty in your mouth." Why would I possibly attempt to top that? SSI RATING (SNACK SATISFACTION INDEX - 1-10): 8 UPSIDE: With most Ben & Jerry's ice creams, the actual ice cream itself seems to get overlooked for their "Crazy C's" - candy, cookies, cake, chocolate, caramel or cherries that get tossed in. Add Colbert to the mix, and one would expect the vanilla ice cream in AmeriCone dream to be pushed to the far back of the freezer, a true afterthought. In a way, it is - at least as it relates to the marketing. And let's be honest, this flavor is ALL about the marketing. (Hey, if that's what it took to make this winning combo, I'm on board.) What's truly wonderful about AmeriCone Dream is that the individual ingredients - the waffle cone pieces, the caramel - don't dominate. They enhance. I don't think I remember another Ben and Jerry's flavor where I was left thinking about the rich vanilla ice cream flavor. The fudge-waffle cone pieces are amazing in a supporting role that can easily be confused for the lead. They are the Don Cheadle or Paul Giamatti of ice cream ingredients. And the caramel adds a nice underlying treat if not a delicious Ben & Jerry's staple.

DOWNSIDE:

What happens when the day comes that Mr. Colbert moves on from his Comedy Central show? Will this flavor survive? One might think so - Cherry Garcia continues to be a best seller for Ben and Jerry's years after Jerry Garcia passed away, and Phish Food has stuck together longer than the band after which it was named. But Colbert is playing a character, albeit one that shares his real name, and if he should move on to a different role down the road, will Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream still make sense?

Also... not quite enough caramel.

PACKAGING:

Good stuff. While the ice cream will make you happy, Stephen Colbert's grinning mug on the packaging will make you smile. Geesh, that last sentence sounded like Gene Shalit just entered the snack review business.
 

DO YOU RECOMMEND THIS SNACK? (YES/NO - EXPLAIN):

Yes, absolutely. Anything Stephen Colbert touches turns to gold. Or fudge-covered waffle cones.