Joseph Murray
A heaping spoon of ice cream is about to enter your mouth. It’s sweet, and it’s milky, and you think you taste a little bit of peanut, so you swirl your tongue just to be sure, and the sweet-saltiness of peanut butter erupts, only to be countered by the fragrance of burnt sugar – it’s caramel! But then comes the swallow, and you find yourself reaching for the cup of ice cream again, almost automatically, but you don’t know why.
You’ve been enchanted by the magic of Clusterfluff.
The makings of Clusterfluff
Clusterfluff is Ben & Jerry’s first new addition in 2011 to their luxuriant range of flavours, following in the footsteps of last year’s chocolate chip-filled Cookie Affair and peanut-heavy Peanut Butter Cup.
Clusterfluff was crafted lovingly by the ice cream gurus over at Ben & Jerry’s, throwing in cluster pieces of caramel and abundant swirls of molten marshmallow into a yummy peanut butter ice cream base. But what was the ice-cream inspiration behind the drawing boards of the ice cream gurus?
This gastronomic flavor was birthed out of a time of difficulties, when nothing seem to go to plan and is a ‘homage to times of frustration’, says Brand Manager, Mr. Chan Meng Yang.
You’ll find a smile replacing your frown less than halfway into your serving of Clusterfluff.
How should I optimize my Clusterfluff experience?
Over at B&J’s, you’re spoilt for choice. You can have your Clusterfluff served in a wafer bowl ($6.70), on a Belgian waffle or sitting atop thick and chunky brownies (both $14.90 with 2 scoops and 3 toppings), or in a banana split ($16.90).
And if that isn’t enough, they also serve it in shake form (small $8.90, regular $11.90, and if you’re feeling adventurous, it’s $13.90 for a large).
The shake is my favourite way to enjoy Clusterfluff. It tastes, essentially, like a peanut butter milk shake in its purest form with mild undertones of the caramel and marshmallow. The first taste of the shake delivers an explosion of velvety peanut goodness and swirls of creamily delicious vanilla ice cream and the taste of peanut is consistent with consequent sips, even though the peanut chunks soon sink to the bottom (but that demonstrates the authenticity of their ice cream).
Photo by Rachel Ooi
The brownie combination is highly recommended too. Afterall, who can resist warm chocolate or the satisfaction of melt-in-your-mouth ice cream heavily infused with the natural fragrance of peanut?
If you prefer to keep things simple, just have it as a single scoop ($4.90) or share a tub ($14.90) of the buttery goodness with your friends.
But I already have Chubby Hubby…!
Yes, yes… Chubby Hubby and Clusterfluff do have their similarities. They both have a pronounced presence of peanut butter and they are both pushed to the same demographics – people who’ve had a bad day and want to indulge in a tub of ice cream.
Well, we must say that Ben & Jerry’s aren’t the most diverse in terms of ingredients (they really love their fudge, chocolate and marshmallows) but if you prefer marshmallows and caramel over pretzels then Clusterfluff’s the one for you.
Will Clusterfluff be able to stand the test of time and join the ranks of perennial favourites like Phish Food and Chubby Hubby or will it roll in the Ben & Jerry’s Flavour Graveyard with Peanut Butter & Jelly? Only time can tell.
Rating: ★★★★★
Clusterfluff will be available in all scoop stores and major supermarkets from Apr 13 onwards, but if you can’t wait…
Show your support for Dyslexia and get a cone of Clusterfluff (along with A Cookie Affair, Phish Food, Vanilla, Strawberry Cheesecake, if you’d like) at Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day 2011 on Apr 12 at all 10 participating scoop shops!
For more info: https://facebook.com/benjerrysingapore