Bluebell Ice Cream

I was introduced to and enjoyed Bluebell Ice Cream in the Dallas, TX area but now looking for it in the south east...anyone

They just opened a distribution plant here in the Tampa Bay area.

John

Yahoo - going to Tampa this weekend. Might have to see if it has hit the stores yet!! Thanks.

Try Winn Dixie in your area (if you have them).

I live in South La and it is everywhere here.

Highly reccomend Moolinium Crunch (unless you are on a diet, because you won't be after you eat that stuff)

Thanks Mayhaw...I'll cruise by the W-D on the way home. Hope it has hit here....just for kicks what is in Moolinium Crunch?

Vanilla Chocolate swirl with something akin to a crunched up kit kat bar in it. C'est ci bon!

Gracias!

Sing along:

"Bluebell Homemade ice cream, what a perfect way to say, have yourself a Bluebell country day"

Moolenieum crunch is my husbands favorite. I like the fruit special they make in the summer, pralines and cream, chocolate covered cherry, and tin roof.

If you are ever near Brenham, TX, take a tour of the factory.

Lonestar,
Do you ever buy the sherbert? I am crazy about the lime. The best thing about it is that my kids won't eat it and so it can remain in the freezer longer than overnight (which sadly, is about how long a 1/2 gallon lasts around two growing boys and one grown (built for comfort, not for speed) man.

They used to have a flavor called Chocolate Decadance: two kinds of chocolate ice cream, chocolate chips and...get this...frozen whipped cream. My god, it was wonderful...

Maybe it is because I am from New York. Bluebell is everywhere and I have it once in a while but I find nothing particularly memorable about its taste. It is a good ice cream, but I don't think it can compare to a Carvel ice cream.

When I lived in the east, I ate Sealtest or Bryers, but I would not rave about them either.

To assist travelers...we saw it a couple of times at food break locations along I-65 in ALabama.

Was in Tampa last week. They are conducting an advertising blitz. Billboards everywhere. I'm sure it is in all the grocery stores.

In the Tampa Bay area, you should be able to find it in Publix, Albertsons, Wal-Mart, Winn-Dixie, Eckerd's and Walgreens.

John

Y'all, when I moved to Austin near the end of 1980, we couldn't even buy Blue Bell in stores. We used to go to a place in Central-West Austin named Clarksville Creamery; that was the only place I knew that served it, and my favorite then was Cookies 'n Cream. (Despite all other claims, Blue Bell popularized this flavor. Long before OREO decided to do their own version.)

I have tried more flavors than I could count, but I still think that Natural Vanilla Bean is the best. Just simple and good.

quote:

Originally posted by peppertree

Maybe it is because I am from New York. Bluebell is everywhere and I have it once in a while but I find nothing particularly memorable about its taste. It is a good ice cream, but I don't think it can compare to a Carvel ice cream.

When I lived in the east, I ate Sealtest or Bryers, but I would not rave about them either.

I can't really comment on Carvel, tho I've probably had it. Blue Bell is NOT a premium ice cream; I'm always amazed when I read that their biggest selling flavor is homemade vanilla. What is special I think is the add-ins and the incredibly generous quantities they put in. It's not at all unusual to find a half an oreo cookie in your spoonful of Cookies and Cream and then a third of a cookie in the next spoonful and so forth . By contrast I bought a 1/2 gallon of a national brand Cookies and Cream once that had maybe a couple of tablespoons of Oreo "sawdust" in the whole carton .

Bushie, I think BB not only popularized Cookies and Cream, I believe they invented it. Hard to believe you had trouble finding it in 1980 in Austin altho I can't recall if I was able to get it there before I left there in 1970; I know it was widely available here by the mid-70s.


I think the other reason for BBs success has been its advertising, which has always been very clever .

quote:

Originally posted by hermitt4d


Bushie, I think BB not only popularized Cookies and Cream, I believe they invented it. Hard to believe you had trouble finding it in 1980 in Austin altho I can't recall if I was able to get it there before I left there in 1970; I know it was widely available here by the mid-70s.

I think you're right hermitt; BB invented it. The only reason I didn't say that is because I wasn't quite sure.

And, yes, we couldn't buy it in stores when I moved here. It's weird to think about that. Kinda like Coors beer, I guess. (They should have made a "Smoky and the Bandit" sequel with Burt hijacking a Blue Bell trailer! )

"We eat all we can, then we sell the rest." - Blue Bell ad slogan

Pralines and cream is the best flavor! Mint Choc Chip, triple choc, with the choc covered almonds, pistachio almond, tin roof sundae. But pecan pralines and cream with lots of caramel is the best. I wrote a letter suggesting a choc chip and candied orange peel flavor for the holidays.

quote:

Originally posted by hermitt4d

quote:

Originally posted by peppertree

Maybe it is because I am from New York. Bluebell is everywhere and I have it once in a while but I find nothing particularly memorable about its taste. It is a good ice cream, but I don't think it can compare to a Carvel ice cream.

When I lived in the east, I ate Sealtest or Bryers, but I would not rave about them either.

I can't really comment on Carvel, tho I've probably had it. Blue Bell is NOT a premium ice cream; I'm always amazed when I read that their biggest selling flavor is homemade vanilla. What is special I think is the add-ins and the incredibly generous quantities they put in. It's not at all unusual to find a half an oreo cookie in your spoonful of Cookies and Cream and then a third of a cookie in the next spoonful and so forth . By contrast I bought a 1/2 gallon of a national brand Cookies and Cream once that had maybe a couple of tablespoons of Oreo "sawdust" in the whole carton .

Bushie, I think BB not only popularized Cookies and Cream, I believe they invented it. Hard to believe you had trouble finding it in 1980 in Austin altho I can't recall if I was able to get it there before I left there in 1970; I know it was widely available here by the mid-70s.


I think the other reason for BBs success has been its advertising, which has always been very clever .

When I am through with a package of Oreos, I dump what is left in my container of ice cream.

quote:

Originally posted by RibDog

In the Tampa Bay area, you should be able to find it in Publix, Albertsons, Wal-Mart, Winn-Dixie, Eckerd's and Walgreens.

John

Absolutely right. Found the billboards and delectible ice cream in the stores. Thanks!!

I never got tired of the commercial with the smiling pig at the end.

blue bell also makes their own cookies for the cookies and cream flavor.i love the pineapple upside down cake the best though.

Buttter Pecan. I would kill for BB Butter Pecan!

The first (and only) time I had scrumptious Blue Bell ice cream was while stuck overnight in rural Gonzales, TX trying to shoo the fire ants away. Yummmmm.

quote:

Originally posted by hermitt4d

quote:

Originally posted by peppertree

Maybe it is because I am from New York. Bluebell is everywhere and I have it once in a while but I find nothing particularly memorable about its taste. It is a good ice cream, but I don't think it can compare to a Carvel ice cream.

When I lived in the east, I ate Sealtest or Bryers, but I would not rave about them either.

I can't really comment on Carvel, tho I've probably had it. Blue Bell is NOT a premium ice cream; I'm always amazed when I read that their biggest selling flavor is homemade vanilla. What is special I think is the add-ins and the incredibly generous quantities they put in. It's not at all unusual to find a half an oreo cookie in your spoonful of Cookies and Cream and then a third of a cookie in the next spoonful and so forth . By contrast I bought a 1/2 gallon of a national brand Cookies and Cream once that had maybe a couple of tablespoons of Oreo "sawdust" in the whole carton .

Bushie, I think BB not only popularized Cookies and Cream, I believe they invented it. Hard to believe you had trouble finding it in 1980 in Austin altho I can't recall if I was able to get it there before I left there in 1970; I know it was widely available here by the mid-70s.


I think the other reason for BBs success has been its advertising, which has always been very clever .

I was on a listserve about southern food for a couple of years, and Bluebell ice cream was talked about constantly. Unfortunately, I've never eaten it, but am under the impression that it's stunningly good (I don't believe it's distributed this far north). So I'm surprised to hear that it is NOT premium ice cream.

I wonder what is exactly meant by that description? How are we defining premium in regards to ice cream?

In my market, I can identify the premium brands in the freezers, and those are the ones I choose. The cheap brands aren't worth eating. After all I've heard over the years, it's hard for me to think Bluebell is not a premium ice cream. Has anyone ever heard raves about say, Country Club brand ice cream, which is clearly not a premium product?

If not premium, then can one say Bluebell is simply a good quality ice cream, without all the add-ins?

What do other Bluebell consumers think?

Is it a premium ice cream?
Is it simply a good quality ice cream?
Is it decent or pedestrian ice cream?
Is it not worth writing home about?

Some years ago, Consumer Reports did an in depth report on national ice creams (brands distributed across all the states). CR measured butterfat, sugar content, and 3 basic flavors. The results were interesting. One of the boutique brands - I'm thinking it was Ben and Jerry's - came in first with the taste panel. The second choice was Kroger Deluxe. I buy that brand all the time and wasn't surprised that it ranked so high.

My first job out of the Navy in '71 was with Blue Bell. I worked at the distribution center in Houston, and back then not even all of Houston had Blue Bell. Since distribution was limited, Blue Bell did not have mass production concerns to detract from quality. It truely was "the little creamery in Brenham".

Now, 30 years later, Blue Bell has a wide yet still limited distribution area, and, to me, the amazing thing is Blue Bell has the same quality today as it did 30 years ago. That is quite an accomplishment if you ask me.

A side note for you HMV lovers. . .
In '71 there were two semi trucks that delivered to Houston. One arrived first thing each morning with the previous afternoon's run. The other arrived around 1:00 with that morning's run. I would tear into a pint of Home Made Vanilla nearly every afternoon, ice cream so fresh that it didn't yet have time to fully freeze.

Talk about your "little piece of heaven".

JimInKy - I was using 'premium' to refer to butterfat content. I have the CR article but didn't bother to dig it out. Maybe that's not the term they use or the way they use it. I'll repeat: I think the secret to BB is the generous add-ins (and the advertising) and I'm always amazed to find the biggest selling flavor is their home-made vanilla, which is what CR rated, as I recall.

I can't say that BB without add-ins is not worth writing home about because I never buy a plain flavor .

quote:

I was introduced to and enjoyed Bluebell Ice Cream in the Dallas, TX area but now looking for it in the south east...anyone

Don't know if this will help you, but I bought some ice cream in a North Carolina walmart over the weekend that is scrumptious. The name of it is BlueBunny...which may or may not be associated with Bluebell. I bought a flavor called burgandy cherry that is both fat free and sugar free, and I give you my word, it is OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Try the Chocolate Almond Marshmallow! It's incredible. Also , the Banana Spilt. They also have the best strawberry, Dutch Chocolate, and Coffee ice creams. Now if only they'd make Spumoni!

I live in S. Alabama and remember a newscaster on a Montgomery tv station talking about Blue Bell German Chocolate Cake Ice Cream; have never seen it, but it sounds good. Anyone out there ever hear of it??