Ben & Jerry's New Summer Flavor Will Have Cherry Fans Excited
If you've ever visited even one supermarket (or gas station freezer aisle ... or most pharmacy grocery sections) in the U.S., you've probably laid eyes on a pint of Ben & Jerry's classic Cherry Garcia flavor. First launched in 1987 (which was the year its namesake musician Jerry Garcia led the Grateful Dead on their famous six-city stadium tour with Bob Dylan, per Rolling Stone), the flavor was actually a fan suggestion, shares the Ben & Jerry's website. Made from cherry ice cream with fudge flakes and chunks of Bing cherries, Cherry Garcia remains one of the company's longest-running and most popular flavors — in fact, it was the brand's bestseller for 25 years, according to a press release, until Half-Baked claimed the top spot in 2013. (The ice cream brand's tribute to Garcia's friend, '60s counterculture jester Wavy Gravy – featuring caramel, chocolate, and a variety of nuts — enjoyed a much shorter run: only eight years.)
Don't call it a comeback. On Tuesday, May 17, the ice cream giant announced a new limited batch pint, and cherry is once again the star of the show. Starting now, Ben & Jerry's is rolling out a new seasonal flavor to usher in Summer: introducing Cherry Crumble.
Cherry exciting news
Unlike its chocolaty rock n' roll counterpart, Cherry Crumble is a seemingly plain treat, but there is more than meets the eye. Per the Ben & Jerry's press release, the flavor features buttery ice cream with swirls of brown sugar oat crumble and chunks of cherries.
Colleen Rossell, the Flavor Guru behind Cherry Crumble, explains the team's motivation for crafting the seasonal flavor: "We were inspired by spring, fresh fruit and the memory of taking a fresh cherry crumble out of the oven. With so many caramels, chocolates, and peanut butter flavors available — this is a refreshing choice with the right amount of sweetness, fruit, and rich indulgence. It's the perfect balance!"
A pint of the new flavor comes at a suggested retail price of $5.49 and is already popping up in stores nationwide. How long will the new flavor last? Unfortunately, Ben & Jerry's has a tendency of putting the "limited" in "limited batch." Many of the retired flavors in Ben & Jerry's infamous Flavor Graveyard were only on the market for a year or two, so you'll want to get it while it's hot (or while it's cold, we guess).