I'm seeing a lotttt of copy-paste "tastes bad, too small!" minimalist posts today, so I wanted to share my own, more thorough thoughts on the item.

Misleading – Not Gelato

First thing's first, this is not Gelato. Gelato contains more milk than, is kept at a higher temperature than, and is churned more slowly than ice cream. All of these factors, among others, lead Gelato to taste and feel distinctly different than ice cream.

At best, this is a Sorbet, and at worst, a colder/harder Icee. The texture is all wrong, breaking off bites from it feels like taking a pickaxe to a rock. Gelato should be smooth, silky, and creamy.

While the ingredients do claim there's (non-fat) milk and cream, you certainly can't tell. It tastes like an overly frozen Italian Ice.

It definitely feels like when they workshopped the name, they intentionally and deceptively went with something that would create more buzz and hype than a more faithful, accurate word.

Taste

Honestly, the taste isn't bad. I think people are blowing it out of proportion. It just tastes like a Baja Blast, and while the flavor isn't as strong as the cans of Baja Blast in stores, it tastes exactly like those coming out of the fountains inside the restaurant.

The ingredients state that it's non-caffeinated Baja Blast syrup, and it tastes exactly like that – a Baja Blast syrup blended with ice and then frozen. Would absolutely be better if they increased the ratio of syrup in the recipe.

So it's certainly not bad, but if this was an option at an ice cream shop, I wouldn't pick it.

Price

$3.99 for just under 4oz is a crime. For reference, a 7oz "mini" Blizzard at Dairy Queen is 10¢ more. Almost double the amount, and actual, good ice cream.

It feels like a gimmick that's meant to be a gimmick. Buy it once, then you won't buy it again.

Replica Testing

I feel like you could easily take a Baja Blast Freeze, the same $3.99 for 20oz, five times the "Gelato" cup, stick it in your freezer for about 30 minutes, then eat it with a spoon for the same effect. Maybe this could be better achieved with the Soda, which is even cheaper than the Freeze @ $2.99, freezing it in your freezer, then setting it out for a few minutes.

Let me know if I should do some testing and see how well I can replicate the "Gelato" with the freeze/soda and methods of manipulating it. I'd be happy to test out mathematical measurements like how long to freeze/thaw for, etc.

Gelato Testing

Also, I have a good amount of experience in making ice cream and Gelato, so let me know if you'd be interested in if I were to buy the Baja "Gelato" cup, and try to turn it into a more "authentic" Gelato with common household ingredients. As mentioned above, I'd be happy to do measurements to create a recipe/"hack" everyone can use.

Verdict

I'm not going to pretend to have a hot take, everyone here has shared some pretty understandable takes.

My biggest gripe is just that this isn't Gelato, and it's objectively misleading to market it as such. Honestly, if there was a class-action lawsuit about the misrepresented crunchwrap pictures last year, I wouldn't be surprised if this turns into one too.

The price is also a huge pain point, being way too much for way too little.

If these two issues were resolved, this would be a fine product. Be honest and call it a Sorbet/Sherbet, mark it down to $2/$3, and we'd have like a solid 7 or 8 dessert. Right now, I'd give it a 2, and never buy it again (unless there's demand here for some testing)

TLDR

• This isn't Gelato, don't call it that. If they were honest in the naming, the hate wouldn't be as bad.
• People are blowing it out of proportion. The taste is fine, the syrup ratio could certainly be higher, but it's also very much not tasteless.
  • If this was a flavor at Baskin or Coldstone, it'd be a pass. As a TB exclusive, it's fine.
• The price is absurd. You could buy a Baja Freeze, or this tiny cup for 5x the cost/ounce. The soda is even cheaper and tastes the exact same.
• I'm happy to test both…
  • Replicating this "Gelato" with manipulating the temperature of the soda/freeze to save money, and documenting how to do it yourself
  • Turning this "Gelato" into an actual Gelato using common household ingredients, and making a recipe/"hack" out of it for you to copy…
• IF the demand/interest is there for it.

Ratings…
* As a Gelato, this is a 2, and I wouldn't recommend it.
* As a Sorbet, this is a 4 because at least it's more accurate, but I still wouldn't recommend getting it regardless since it doesn't change anything.
* The price and taste/texture just aren't worth.
* Could be at least a 7 if it was cheaper and had better ingredients/recipe, again let me know if you're interested in me to test!

Thanks for reading, have a good day, and be good people 💕