We Tasted And Ranked 9 Island Way Sorbet Flavors

Island Way Sorbet produces some of the most luxurious frozen treats out there. Each hand-crafted tropical fruit sorbet is made from non-GMO ingredients, gluten-free, and MILCHIK-approved, meaning it is produced using milk that has not come into contact with meat products by Jewish Kosher laws.

The products sold online and at retailers nationwide, including Costco, are packaged in biodegradable and eco-friendly shells of actual fruit, like coconut, pineapple, lemon, and orange. These sorbets retail in a variety pack, a family pack, and a party pack, each differing in the total number of pieces and type of flavor you would like.

I had the chance to sample nine of the flavors produced by Island Way Sorbet. While I thought they were aesthetically pleasing and appreciated the sustainability of putting the fruit back into natural biodegradable packaging, I found eating them a bit clunky. Because they are frozen, you won't want to hold them with your bare hands. You can use a napkin or put them on a plate, but they are a little unruly to handle.

I also thought the labeling on each serving was lacking, making it somewhat challenging to distinguish between some flavors with similar colored sorbet. This may be problematic for those with allergies. That said, I ranked these sorbets from least to most favorite. I evaluated them on aroma, texture, flavor, and overall experience. Read on to see which of these unique sorbet varieties reigned supreme.

Some recommendations are based on first-hand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer, distributor, etc.

Read more: The Ultimate Ice Cream Brands, Ranked

Heavenly Coconut

My least favorite Island Way Sorbet variety was the Heavenly Coconut. These coconuts are grown in Florida. Their meat is combined to produce a silky smooth sorbet with coconut milk, cream, sugar, and stabilizers before getting scooped into a coconut shell half. Each serving contains 170 calories, 9 grams of fat, 66 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 16 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

From the moment you remove the shell of the sorbet from its plastic film, the aroma of fresh coconut is immediately apparent. If you love coconut, this will entice you to dig in. The texture of this sorbet is rich and creamy, with a smooth mouthfeel. The flavor is pure coconut without a lot of residual sweetness.

It is reminiscent of eating fresh coconut while on a tropical vacation but with a slightly more nuanced flavor. There is a distinct nutty aftertaste that was unexpected but delightful.

Overall, there was absolutely nothing wrong with this sorbet. It is beautifully executed and has an authentic coconut flavor, but not overly exotic. While I enjoy coconut, it can be an acquired taste. For this reason, it landed last on this list.

Passionate Mango

In second to last place of the Island Way Sorbet varieties is the Passionate Mango flavor. This treat contains mango, orange, passionfruit, lemon juice, sugar, cream, stabilizers, and flavorings. The pasteurized sorbet is delicately tucked into an orange half and frozen. Each serving has 51 calories, 0.7 grams of fat, 6 milligrams of sodium, 11 grams of carbohydrates, 8.5 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

The aroma of this sorbet is quite assertive. Distinct notes of orange rind immediately pop out when you remove this treat from its packaging. Its texture was ultra smooth and rich. The flavor is bright and refreshing. It is not overly sugary but sweeter than several other sorbet varieties.

A quintessential tartness and hint of bitterness characteristic of orange rinds carries through to the aftertaste. What is noticeably lacking is the mango and passionfruit. If they were present, they became overshadowed by the citrus. While it was a lovely sorbet, it ranked toward the bottom because it was less complex than other combinations. The balance of juices was off, with the orange shell container and orange rind dominating.

Jammin Caribbean Pina Colada

Up next on the list of Island Way Sorbet varieties is Jammin Caribbean Pina Colada. This variety combines coconut milk and pineapple concentrate with cream, sugar, and stabilizers for a non-alcoholic facsimile of the classic cocktail. It is artfully nestled into a half pineapple. Each serving has 112 calories, 3.2 grams of fat, 40 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 19 grams of sugar, and 1.5 grams of protein.

The aroma of this sorbet is all coconut despite its pineapple shell. Its texture is suitably velvety and smooth, having the frosty undertone of a piña colada straight out of the blender. Where this sorbet went south for me was its flavor. The coconut dominated the pineapple, leaving me wanting a better balance between the two to be truly reminiscent of the cocktail. Its sweetness level was ideal, and it had a lovely nutty aftertaste.

Overall, the primary downfall in this sorbet wasn't its quality so much as its execution. I needed more pineapple and less coconut. And to be honest, I missed the rum just a bit.

Ruby Berry

The next Island Way Sorbet variety on our ranking is the Ruby Berry. This flavor combines ruby red grapefruit with raspberry, strawberry, passion fruit, cream, sugar, stabilizers, and beet juice for a brilliant pink-hued sweet treat. The finished product is delivered in a frozen grapefruit rind. Each serving contains 150 calories, 2 grams of fat, 10 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of carbohydrates, 31 grams of sugar, and no protein.

When I first unearthed this sorbet from its plastic film, I was unclear what the variety was. It smelled citrus-forward but wasn't distinct. The texture of this sorbet was highly creamy and had a lovely velvety mouthfeel. This was among the sweeter sorbet varieties of the bunch, likely owing to the myriad juice concentrates in the mix. All those fruits combined produced a nuanced and complex flavor that was hard to pinpoint but tasty.

The only reason this variety didn't rank higher than it did was because there were almost too many competing flavors. It diluted each almost to the point that the final result was ambiguous, even if it was undeniably flavorful. I also tend to be quite fond of grapefruit, so I would have welcomed just a hint of the quintessential tartness characteristic of grapefruit to balance out the sweeter fruit flavors.

Sweet Pineapple

The Sweet Pineapple is next on this ranking of Island Way Sorbet varieties. This sorbet is advertised as a culinary vacation to Hawaii. In many aspects, it delivers. Pineapple juice concentrate is sweetened and mixed with cream and stabilizers before the sorbet is tucked into a pineapple shell half. Each serving contains 70 calories, 1 gram of fat, 5 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 13 grams of sugar, and no protein.

This sorbet screams pineapple from the moment you remove its plastic film encasement. The aroma is like inhaling a deep breath of Hawaiian air. The flavor is quintessentially pineapple, with a hint of sweetness and tartness. The texture is creamy but perhaps less so than the other sorbet varieties, with specks of pineapple pieces detectable on the tongue.

A distinct feature of this sorbet is the inherent tingling that can occur when you consume pineapple. While this does not always impact me, I immediately noticed it after taking a bite of this sorbet. This is a by-product of the enzyme bromelain, which can cause oral irritation in some individuals. This may influence whether someone would want to eat this sorbet. If you love pineapple and are not sensitive to the effects of bromelain, you will love this sorbet. If you know you are susceptible to this irritation, skip it.

Passion Orange

The Passion Orange variety ranks fourth among this list of Island Way Sorbet flavors. This sorbet is an elegant combination of passion fruit, orange juice, sugar, cream, stabilizers, and a hint of lemon. The final product is served inside an orange half. Each serving contains 70 calories, 0.5 grams of fat, 4 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of sugar, and 0.4 grams of protein.

If I am being honest, the passion fruit was slightly overshadowed by the orange in this sorbet. This didn't matter. The aroma and flavor of pure orange are delightful, with just the perfect balance of sweetness. It was like eating an orange out of hand. The texture of this sorbet was luxurious and creamy. If the passion fruit contributed something, it would be a hint of tartness that helped to heighten the orange flavor.

This sorbet ranked where it did because the top three flavors are either more distinct or slightly more delicately balanced. Otherwise, nothing is wrong with this sorbet, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who enjoys fresh orange flavors.

Chocolate Coconut

If you love rich, dark chocolate, look no further than this Island Way Sorbet flavor. The Chocolate Coconut is a luxurious and sophisticated blend of coconut milk, cream, sugar, artisanal cocoa powder, and stabilizers. This mousse-like confection is served in a coconut shell half. Each serving has 61 calories, 0.6 grams of fat, 4 milligrams of sodium, 14 grams of carbohydrates, 11 grams of sugar, and 0.3 grams of protein.

This is the first sorbet that did not have a distinct aroma. It also had the densest texture. It was still creamy but had an ice cream or cheesecake-like mouthfeel. That said, the thick sorbet melts on your tongue, dissolving like a classic French chocolate soufflé. The flavor is cocoa powder forward, with a quintessentially bittersweet yet nutty aftertaste.

Unlike the other coconut-infused sorbets, the coconut in this treat was virtually undetectable. You will likely enjoy this sorbet if you aren't fond of coconut but like chocolate. I am a chocoholic, so this variety hit my sweet spot. The fact that it leans heavily upon the bitter rather than the sweet is desirable to anyone who prefers dark to milk chocolate. These are the main reasons this sorbet ranked where it did.

Zesty Pomegranate

The Zesty Pomegranate marries the tropics with the Mediterranean for a complex Island Way Sorbet flavor. Tannic pomegranate juice is combined with sugar, cream, tangy lemon, tart raspberry, astringent aronia, and stabilizers for a sorbet that seeks to titillate every taste bud in your mouth. The final product rests in a half-lemon rind. Each serving contains 67 calories, 0.6 grams of fat, 5 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 9 grams of sugar, and 0.8 grams of protein.

The aroma of this sorbet is lemon-forward. It is intensely smooth and creamy, coating your tongue like a silk blanket. The flavor is refreshingly zesty with just a hint of sweetness, which is delightfully appealing. While the pomegranate could easily dominate, it does not, allowing the other juices to be recognized.

It is no shocker that this sorbet landed in second place. It succeeds where the Ruby Berry did not. The myriad flavors are cohesive rather than combative, allowing each to shine individually and in perfect harmony. It also does not shy away from embracing the more tart and bitter flavors, which allows the sweetness to be balanced and nuanced. This sorbet gets an enthusiastic A grade.

Zesty Lemon

Landing on top of this list of Island Way Sorbet flavors is the Zesty Lemon variety. This tangy delight satisfied a hint of nostalgia while conferring a level of sophistication that made it a clear winner. Lemon juice, cream, sugar, and stabilizers are combined and returned to a lemon half for the perfect marriage between flavor and packaging. Each serving has 58 calories, 1.7 grams of fat, 6 milligrams of sodium, 12 grams of carbohydrates, 10 grams of sugar, and 0.3 grams of protein.

This sorbet successfully balances elements of the lemon sorbet I recall eating at the county fair every year with the elegance of an authentic limoncello from Sorrento without the alcohol. This kind of limoncello is made using highly fragrant lemons with moderate to high acidity and a sweet but not cloying taste. While the origin of the lemon juice in this sorbet is not indicated, the flavor of this sorbet certainly fits all of those descriptives, as does the intense aroma. The texture of this sorbet is also the most velvety of the bunch.

From aroma to texture to taste to execution, this sorbet is as near to perfect as possible. Short of disliking lemon-flavored things, there is no reason why this sorbet wouldn't rank at the top of your list. It gets a vociferous five-star ranking.

Read the original article on Daily Meal.