New Zealand Naturals: I Scream For Ice Cream!

When the high noon heat is scorching and sweat starts to trickle down your nape at 10 in the morning, then you have experienced the Early Summer Bliss. And if you feel like hitting the beach A.S.A.P. instead of rotting in the office, but have no means to do so, then you can just settle for the next best thing: ICE CREAM (lots of it!).

I am very picky when it comes to my food. I’d separate the carrots and peas from my fried rice, and peel off the pineapples and bell peppers from my slice of pizza. But ice cream? Now that’s a different story. I am a SUCKER for anything Cookie Dough. I love vanilla, berry flavors, and exciting out-of-this-world combinations that reading them alone can make my mouth water in an instant. Yes, Cookie Dough will always have a special place in my heart, but when it comes to choosing the best VANILLA ice cream, I rest my case. Nothing beats New Zealand Natural (NZN) premium ice cream.

Poster of Epic Win

My childhood friend, Trufferson, brought the brand to the Philippines last year, and he gifted me last Christmas with 2 hand-packed pints of my choice of ice cream flavors. When it comes to judging ice cream, I have taken into heed my Dad’s number 1 rule: taste the vanilla. So I got that, and White-Chocolate Raspberry. What was intended to be a “one-spoon-taste” ended up in a pigfest as my cousins Aika, Arvy, and me finished BOTH pints of ice cream. In one sitting.

Last week, Truff told me that they were opening a temporary stall in Glorietta (!!!). Which meant that it would be extremely convenient for me to get my daily ice cream fix since the current NZN stalls were located way up North! So I happily dropped by their store and took a peek at their offerings, and I was overwhelmed with their choices! Lucky for me, Truff was generous enough to let me sample ALL the flavors available, and fed me more ice cream after! Ah! So much for my meager attempts to lose weight! But it was superduper worth every calorie.

What I love the most about NZN Ice Cream (aside from the really pretty colors!) is that they aren’t too sweet. The consistency of the ice cream is pretty true to its creaminess—meaning, it’s not runny when it starts melting. Which is good because this means that more milk was used than water (most commercialized ice creams tend to be runny), therefore validating its claim to be a premium standard. The sorbets, on the other hand, were very refreshing. The texture was very smooth and it wasn’t icy!

Flavors clockwise from the left with my side comments muahaha:

• Strawberry – One of my childhood favorites! I love how the sweetness of this ice cream was punctuated by a bit of tanginess, thanks to the generous bits of real strawberries!
• Vanilla – A timeless classic made from REAL, LEGIT VANILLA BEANS. I immediately gave my nodding (and wanting for more) approval after tasting this for the first time last December. Plus, you can see the itsy bitsy seeds. BEST. VANILLA. ICE. CREAM. EVER. Take my unbiased word for it. I love this so, so much.
• Boysenberry – For ice cream, this variant packs a lot of bold, berry flavor! Bits of berry in berry ice cream. Berry good.
• Chocolate Ecstasy – Super-rich-but-not-super-sweet chocolate ice cream! The counterpart of vanilla, but wth, it’s my kind of chocolate ice cream! This definitely brings out those childhood carnival days.
• Cookies and Cream – Now this, folks, is the Cookies and Cream that will get the grown ups’ approval. Again, it’s not too sweet as compared to store-bought ice cream. The cookies are also quite delicious themselves! The sweetness of the cookies’ filling wasn’t at all overpowering. Yummeh.
• Superfruit Sorbet – Super tangy sorbet bursting with loads of fresh fruit flavor! I think this one really nailed my expectations of the ultimate summer treat! Eating this made me think of the beach. This is the perfect summer flavor if you’re looking for a sunny melange of different tropical fruits and berries. Mmmm.
• Walnut Butterscotch – I am not a fan of nuts, but this made me change my mind. IMHO, this was the sweetest amongst all the flavors (yes, even sweeter than the chocolate). The caramel ice cream was a tad too sweet for my tastes. (I suggest adding a touch of salt!) But they were generous with the walnuts, so that kinda compensated for that.
• Berryfruit Sorbet – Mmmm I go boinkers for berries, and this really made me swoon! I expected it to be a bit tangier though, but nevertheless, it was really good! Berry bliss fireworks in my mouth.
• Matcha – Simple and exotic. Earthy green tea flavor with a hint of Matcha.
• White Chocolate Raspberry – One of their bestsellers (and I couldn’t agree more!). White chocolate ice cream loaded with white chocolate chunks (!!!) balanced out with tangy notes of raspberry. MYGAD. I remember fighting over the last spoon of this with my cousins. Very, very yummy.
• Café Espresso – And there has to be That Coffee Ice Cream. I never choose coffee-flavored ice cream simply because I like its liquid state better. Well, it tasted like coffee in ice cream form. DUH. How else do I describe it. I’m not really good in describing coffee, but it’s as Coffee-ee as Coffee can get. Strong coffee.
• Hokey Pokey – NOW, THIS. You have to try this!!! Aside from the Vanilla and White Chocolate Raspberry, this is GOLDEN. Honey Ice Cream (what even!) and hints of butterscotch make this ice cream heaven sent. Just add some bits of honeycomb and you’ve got an ice cream flavor that even the grizzliest of bears will not be able to resist.

Aside from the Vanilla and White Chocolate Raspberry, I obviously enjoyed the Hokey Pokey (again, HONEY FLAVORED ICE CREAM WITH BUTTERSCOTCH!!!) and the Superfruit Sorbet.

New Zealand Natural ice cream is made only from pure and imported New Zealand milk, and everything else is natural—a purist’s dream ice cream. I’m not surprised that it has been consistently winning New Zealand Ice Cream Manufacturers Association annual awards! The prices are pretty reasonable for ice cream this delish (Regular Scoop – Php 95, Additional Scoop – Php 50, Hand Packed Pint – Php 320).

Their store can be found in the Upper Ground Floor of SM Fairview, but they’re bringing the love to SM Megamall and Robinson’s Place as well! I hope they also include Makati in their expansion plans, and I also cross my fingers that their branch in Glorietta will stay for good! Otherwise I’ll keep coming back until March 15. 😉