The Good: It does not taste bad, Good scent, Good aftertaste
The Bad: Expensive, Does not taste like Root Beer for the majority of the time it is on one’s tongue.
The Basics: The newer Magic Shell Root Beer Magic Shell Topping only manages to be worth trying from its incredible aftertaste.
I have a mixed history with Magic Shell ice cream toppings. I loved them as a child, but as an adult, I am discovering my flavor palate is a bit more complicated and Magic Shell seldom lives up the way I would hope (for memories sake). Now, though, it seems like Smucker’s is getting a bit ambitious or greedy and releasing flavors that would be tough to live up to in an honest way. Earlier this year, they released Pink Lemonade flavored Magic Shell (I’m still not sure for whom that was intended) and now they have Root Beer Magic Shell.
Intended, I suppose, for people who want a root beer float without the mess of root beer, the Root Beer Magic Shell nearly misses its claimed flavor. Fortunately, Smucker’s ultimately pulls it off. Regardless of the flavor of ice cream, the Root Beer Magic Shell ice cream topping tastes plastic until the final moments on the tongue when it suddenly explodes with the desired flavor!
Basics
The Root Beer Magic Shell Topping is part of Smucker’s ice cream topping line and it worked just like any other Magic Shell ice cream topping. The 7.25 oz. bottle has a large flip top which allows one to squeeze the fluid out onto ice cream, whereupon it solidifies into a candy/frosting shell. This is a fun, clever idea and it works after only about a minute worth of shaking it up.
Ease Of Preparation
Shaking well is essential to Root Beer Magic Shell Topping. Root Beer Magic Shell is like an epoxy that then reacts with the cold temperature of ice cream. One needs to shake the product up quite a bit, then dispense it by flipping the top and giving it about a minute to set on ice cream. It is that easy. The Magic Shell forms a fairly solid candy shield on the ice cream. It is dark brown and no matter how long I shook mine, there were still tiny chunks in it.
Taste
For all of my ice cream topping reviews, I am utilizing Blue Bunny Chocolate Chip ice cream (reviewed here!) as it provides a neutral flavor base.
To its credit, this dark brown fluid smells very much like it is supposed to. There is a light smell of Root Beer that emanates from the bottle the moment it is open. It is not the strongest scent, but it is present.
On the tongue, the Root Beer Magic Shell is sweet and waxy. In fact, the waxy flavor is so strong that it almost condemns the Magic Shell to a disappointed rating and “not recommend.”
But then, after ten seconds, the root beer flavor hits. Just before one swallows, the Root Beer Magic shell explodes with a true, strong and instantly recognizable flavor of flat root beer.
Nutrition
Root Beer Magic Shell Topping is a dessert topping therefore not the most nutritious things in the known world. I was shocked that there was nothing unrecognizable in the Root Beer Magic Shell Topping. The primary ingredients are sugar, sunflower oil, and coconut oil. It is not vegan compliant as a result of milk solids in it.
What is not a mystery is how high this product is in sugars. In each 2 Tb serving of Root Beer Magic Shell Topping, there are 230 calories, one hundred sixty of which are from fat. There are 8 grams of saturated fat, so one serving of this wipes out almost half one’s ability to enjoy products with saturated fat for a day! There are less than 5 mg cholesterol and a consumer gets 2% of their recommended daily allowance of sodium out of a single serving of this topping! There is a little protein, but not enough to live off this. In other words, this product is not a nutritious food product.
Storage/Cleanup
When one leaves the Root Beer Magic Shell Topping in its bottle at room temperature, it is easy to use and keep fresh. The bottle of Root Beer Magic Shell we bought last week had an expiration date of January 16, 2015. Given that one 7.25 oz. bottle does not yield anything incredibly flavorful, it might be more appreciated by those who can buy it on clearance.
Overall
Root Beer Magic Shell Topping was a wonderful and fun idea, but Smucker’s did not quite get it right, making it hard to recommend. That said, the last seconds of this magic shell make it worth trying at least once.
For other Magic Shell ice cream toppings, please visit my reviews of:
Pink Lemonade Magic Shell
Chocolate Fudge Magic Shell
Smucker’s Cupcake Magic Shell
Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping
Heath Shell Ice Cream Topping
4.5/10
For other ice cream reviews, please visit my Ice Cream Review Index Page!
© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |
No comments:
Post a Comment