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Next Wednesday marks the official start of summer, also known as ice cream season. While the beloved frozen dessert is enjoyed year-round, warmer temperatures make it an even more sought-after item. If you’re looking to try new flavors, there’s no better place to visit than frozen food paradise, Trader Joe’s.
The beloved specialty grocery chain regularly launches new items and brings back old favorites, two of which recently landed in its freezers.
On June 12, TJ’s marketing executives announced the arrival of S’Mores Ice Cream in the latest episode of the “Inside Trader Joe’s” podcast. Priced at $3.79 per pint, the new flavor consists of graham cracker-flavored ice cream with marshmallow and chocolatey swirls.
While the flavor’s name might lead shoppers to expect graham cracker, chocolate, or marshmallow add-ins, Trader Joe’s vice president of marketing, Matt Sloan, pointed out, “It’s not so much a deconstructed s’more as it is a mixed up ice cream that is absolutely s’more-like in its flavors.”
Tara Miller, also a vice president of marketing at Trader Joe’s, added that she remembered a previous iteration of the flavor having graham cracker pieces in it. However, she noted that the pieces became “so soggy” and “you didn’t get that flavor.” With the new variety, the graham cracker flavor “really comes through,” according to Miller.
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While sampling the new frozen treat, Trader Joe’s fan account @traderjoeslist—also known as Natasha Fischer—called the item “really good,” highlighting the ice cream’s smooth, chunk-free consistency. She said, “If I didn’t know what flavor this was, s’mores wouldn’t come to mind, but it does have a marshmallowy flavor.”
Also new in Trader Joe’s frozen aisle is the Golden Caramel Swirl Ice Cream. Like the s’mores flavor, this ice cream is available for $3.79 per pint. Labeled as “super premium”—which refers to a low amount of overrun (air) and a high fat content—this new flavor features vanilla and chocolate ice cream with swirls of salted caramel.
If this product sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Trader Joe’s previously offered a flavor of the same name, which had different packaging. As @traderjoeslist noted in the comment section of a recent Instagram post, this ice cream variety is now made with different recipe. And it looks like the new item is is being well-received among TJ’s fans.
“It’s so so so creamy and so delicious,” one Instagram user commented. “This looks like Gold Medal Ribbon from Baskin Robbins, my favorite ice cream flavor!” another one added.
Brianna Ruback