Gelato Di Babbo - Assorted Gelato Flavors

photo taken from Gelato Di Babbo's Facebook profile. Credit: unknown

Recently I had some ice cream again, and it was the first time in a very long time. If you scroll down one review (after you've read this review of course) you can read all about it. You can also read in that review how before that fateful day, I wasn't crazy about ice cream. I won't tell you everything here but (SPOILER ALERT):
It was pretty damn good.
That day made me into a person who will now go get ice cream every once in a while (quite an accomplishment). So, now that I've upgraded ice cream from a "sell" to a "do not buy" (nerdy reference for the Arrested Development superfans, sorry), I was ready to go ultra-premium with my new found interest in frozen delights.

This led me to Lititz; to a place called Gelato Di Babbo...


Gelato - for the uninformed or the "not Italian", is for lack of a better term, Italian ice cream. It is smoother, more dense, and each flavor is much more pronounced than its American counterpart. Like opera or the Mona Lisa, gelato is an Italian art. Beautiful and complex. Hand crafted artisanal gelato is a skill that one must learn and master, and that is exactly what Kimberly Zanni has been doing for the past three years. Owner and driving force behind Gelato Di Babbo, Kimberly oversees every single step in the process, she only uses raw milk from local farms which she then pasteurizes in-house before each batch of gelato is made. She even goes so far as to ensure the milk comes from Holstein cows, which produce a less fatty milk (who knew?). Other gelato manufacturers (the kind you see on supermarket shelves, and even at a few Italian bakeries that might be better known for their baked goods than for their frozen treats) use a gelato mix from a bag, and just add milk and heavy whipping cream, freeze it and call it a day. Gelato Di Babbo uses base recipes acquired from a tiny gelato shop in a tiny coastal town in Italy. The recipes were given under the strictest terms: proof had to be given that Kim was living in the United States and that she would not set up shop, sell, or market these gelato recipes in Italy... EVER. It pays to know people, I guess. And we've all seen enough movies to know that Italians are not to be crossed.

So Kim set up shop on the first floor of the house where she lives in Lititz (just off 501 before you get to the "Main Street, USA" area of downtown Lititz) and set about tweaking her handed-down recipes to make them as close as possible to what she had experienced in that tiny gelato shop, located in that tiny coastal town in Italy. This was not easy, as not only is the milk here different than in Italy, but in fact nearly EVERYTHING is different here than in Italy (duh). Plus, although she was lucky enough to score some authentic recipes, there had most certainly (and expectantly) been an ingredient or two left out, you know... the pain of "proprietary".

Its also worth noting that gelato, in case you didn't know, is MUCH lower in fat than our American ice cream. Here, we have a notion that if you add fat, you get a better product (see also: "Super Premium" ice cream or  the Double Down). Ice cream must have a MINIMUM of 10% fat, while Gelato Di Babbo boasts an impressive 2% fat content (this is largely due to the milk they use, and the pasteurization process, which eliminates the need to add heavy cream to the batch) even other US gelato manufacturers can't claim such a low fat content (some even add more fat to their product to "Americanize" it a bit) with most usually sitting in the 6-8% range.
So now you know that gelato is simply a better alternative to ice cream, (dare I say that to a certain degree, gelato might actually be good for you. In comparison to ice cream it is definitely good for you.) and that Gelato Di Babbo is making some of, if not THE best gelato around. Whoever said "Italians do it better" was right.

Lets talk about the flavors of gelato I've had thus far...

I had been getting almost daily reminders on my facebook page to come to Gelato Di Babbo. I started getting updates on flavors, one of which piqued my interest immediately: Key Lime White Chocolate Chip. I missed getting there on the weekend when it was initially made available, but the following monday I was alerted to a "secret sale" going on until 5 pm. That day after work, I drove to Lititz.

Key Lime White Chocolate Chip - The first thing I noticed about the KLWC was that it was remarkably like a sherbet. The tangy citrus of the lime, blended with the delicate creaminess of the gelato, made for a very refreshing and completely delicious treat, indeed. I would have been happy with just the key lime here, the white chocolate chips didn't really add much to things (at least not as much as I was hoping). They were very tiny, little discs of white chocolate and did nothing but get stuck in my teeth. Nonetheless, I give the KLWC a 7.4. 

Saffron Goat's Milk - My first foray into the enchanted land of goats milk gelato. I still have a hard time accurately describing the flavor of saffron.. (I don't know... is yellow a flavor?). There was an underlying earthiness to the flavor here, and a sweetness that was irresistible. The consistency was a little softer than the others, I'm guessing because it was made with goat's milk, and that goat's milk just creates a slightly softer product. Or maybe I just took too many pictures and it sat a little longer and melted a bit... either way.. 8.5

Chocolate Caramel Sea Salt - OMG. Typically I don't like chocolate (I know, I know) and typically I don't like ice creamy-ish frozen deserts (I know, I know...) but if there is one thing on earth that has managed to make me crave both at the same time, its this. WOW! Just the chocoate here alone is delicious, (she uses Ghiradelli) a deep flavor not unlike coffee in its robustness, add to that some salted caramel and oh GOD, (dear scientists - can I flavor the inside of my mouth so I always taste this, all the time? ...No? Well can you get on that please?) The caramel was, at times a bit too far in the background, and I could have used a more course grind on the salt (to give it that salty crunch to really make the flavors pop) but this was, after all, the first batch of a flavor suggested by a customer. As time goes on, I am sure this flavor will reach all new heights of "awesome" but until then, I still give it a 9.0. Just wow.

Coconut - A flavor that I love, but a texture that I hate. Whenever I think of coconut, the texture, I always think of the first and only time I ate a Mounds bar...(bleh...all those dry coconut bits... gross). When I think of coconut the flavor I think of a Pina Colada... (much better). Thankfully here, the flavor was turned up to "high" and I only got a few coconut shavings here and there, much easier to deal with than a mouthful of dry flaky "coconut sawdust". I really enjoyed this, and it made me CRAVE a Pina Colada, (which would make a GREAT gelato flavor - hint hint). 8.1

I should mention that I was drinking no water while consuming these gelati, which is something that I would certainly be doing with ice cream. My mouth always gets so pasty and sticky with ice cream (one of the reasons I don't eat it ALL THE TIME) and I need something clean to wash all that fat out of my mouth (gross!) every few bites. Gelato - none of that. Each flavor and each serving delicious and refreshing in its own right. I only even thought of drinking when I got to this next flavor....

Avocado Pineapple - A bizarre pairing, and an even more bizarre taste. When I first had a sample in the shop, I enjoyed it. I only had a tiny spoonful though, I decided to get some to go, and when sitting down to eat this for the review I noticed a few things.
1. I didn't like it that much anymore.
2. There was a strange aftertaste that I think only comes when you combine pineapple and avocado, I know enough now to recommend not doing that.
3. Avocados are pretty high in fat. It's the good kind of fat, but fat nonetheless, so I am assuming the fat content on this batch was upped a bit. I needed some water, if not to wash out the pasty fat from my mouth, then to wash out the bizarre aftertaste. 4.6
Sorry - you can't win 'em all. (Even though I did not enjoy this flavor, it was actually a top seller for the weekend it was made available, which goes to show just how much I know.)

The gelato from Gelato Di Babbo is available now at Stauffer's, or if you feel like visiting Lititz (who wouldn't?) you can stop by (but only on weekends) for some fresh delicious gelato. Each week Kim offers a different "theme" on the gelatos. For instance, this weekend - 5/14-5/16 (which I am currently missing because I am very busy) is all about classic traditional gelato flavors: pistachio, cannoli, etc.

I have stopped in on two separate occasions (both for secret sales) and I picked up a few flavors to go (the ones you see reviewed here). Kim packages "to go" flavors from the shop in styrofoam bricks which hold quite a bit of gelato. Each brick holds a few flavors (or just a lot of one flavor if you have some kind of issue with them "touching"). I found the brick to be a bit of a challenge to get into once I got it home, as if the frozen pressure inside somehow hermetically sealed the lid on TIGHT. The second brick was easier than the first, but I did let it sit out for a minute or two before attempting to open it (perhaps that is the secret?). To illustrate both the size and the difficulty of the bricks, here are some pictures of my dog on the table with the first brick. (Get off the table, Montoya! you aren't allowed up there!)

He gave up. 

 I did not.

I should point out that the photos that I took to accompany each flavor reviewed  were taken a few days AFTER I brought the gelato home, so sadly, the photos do not capture the velvety creaminess of fresh gelato. For that, it is best to see first hand, so run don't walk to Gelato Di Babbo (635 S. Broad St. Lititz PA 17543) as soon as you can for fresh gelato deliciousness.
And if you are going to get some to take home with you, make sure you eat it fast (but not too fast)! And then go get more. 

UPDATE - It was announced on August 7 that Gelato Di Babbo would be closing their Gelato SHOP on August 29 to focus on the wholesale end of things, moving high volumes of product into Giant (chain-wide) Darrenkamps and SKH. Sad, yes, but we'll get through this together, (over a pint of delicious gelato that you can now conveniently pick up at the grocery store).