REVIEW: Magnum Ice Cream Tubs

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Magnum Ice Cream Tubs

Update (Late 2018): We also reviewed the newest flavors — Dark Chocolate Mint, Milk Chocolate Almond, and Milk Chocolate Mocha! Click here to read our review.

Update (Mid 2020): We reviewed two of the latest varieties — Double Almond Brown Butter and Double Pistachio Honey. Click here to read our review

Magnum promotes its ice cream as elegant. I look at its ads and all I imagine are monocle and top hat wearing men and pearl necklace and feather hat wearing women enjoying Magnum bars with their pinky fingers pointing out.

But eating the brand’s new tubs are anything but elegant because doing so involves choking, cracking, and stabbing.

It also involves waiting.

Magnum Ice Cream Tubs 2

Most times with ice cream, we can pull it out of the freezer, pull back the lid, and dig right in. But, according to the gold foil that top these not-quite-pints, there’s a 10-minute wait before one can first dig into them.

Hey Siri. Set timer for 10 minutes.

Maybe the time is needed to let the ice cream and Belgian chocolate soften. Or maybe it allows us to psych ourselves up for all the violence we’re about to unleash.

Once the time is up, the foil lid says to choke the container. Okay, it says “squeeze,” but that’s what refined feather hat folks would do. Choking the life out of the container and hearing the chocolate crack is what I did, and it’s a bit of a stress reliever.

Magnum Ice Cream Tubs 3

But the stress comes back after pulling back the foil and discovering that, despite treating the plastic container like Bart Simpson’s neck and the cracking, the top chocolate layer remains completely intact. So now stabbing it with a spoon is necessary. And I had to do that with all four varieties — Milk Chocolate Vanilla, Dark Chocolate Raspberry, Milk Chocolate Hazelnut, and White Chocolate Vanilla.

Magnum Ice Cream Tub Milk Chocolate Vanilla

All this foreplay leads to a somewhat anticlimactic moment. All four varieties taste like I’m eating Magnum Ice Cream Bars, but with a spoon. “DUH!” I can hear some of you yell through your screens. I know. It’s what I expected too. But, while the two types taste the same, these tubs are a better experience.

When I bite into a bar and hear the chocolate shell crack, it’s satisfying. But it’s also frustrating because soon after that bite there’s a very good chance a piece of the shell (or pieces) will fall to the ground. But that’s not the case with the chocolate in the tub because it’s contained. And that’s good because there’s a lot of it. There’s a thick layer on top, a thick layer on the bottom, thick waves in the ice cream, and a thin layer that goes around the midsection. 

The thick pieces have a pleasant snap and the ice cream is creamy and flavorful, although I find it to be, texture-wise, too frozen dairy dessert-like. 

Magnum Ice Cream Tub White Chocolate Vanilla

If I had to pick favorites, it would be White Chocolate Vanilla and Milk Chocolate Hazelnut. No, wait, White Chocolate Vanilla and Dark Chocolate Raspberry. Um, wait. White Chocolate Vanilla and, um, well, let’s just say Milk Chocolate Vanilla was the least exciting, but still fantastic.

Magnum Ice Cream Tub Milk Chocolate Vanilla 2

Magnum Ice Cream Tub Dark Chocolate Raspberry

To be honest, I’ve never eaten the Classic White Magnum Ice Cream Bar, so I wasn’t sure what to expect with the White Chocolate Vanilla tub. But it reminds me of birthday cake, making it so good. Milk Chocolate Hazelnut is like eating ice cream with smashed Ferrero Rocher balls. It is also so good. Dark Chocolate Raspberry has a sweet and tart raspberry ice cream that goes extremely well with the 65 percent cacao dark chocolate. It is also so good. Basically, if you enjoy Magnum bars, you can’t go wrong with any of the varieties.

So if you’re looking for a cleaner, but more violent way to enjoy Magnum ice cream, these tubs are the way to do it.

(Nutrition Facts – 2/3 cup – White Chocolate Vanilla – 350 calories, 21 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 37 grams of carbohydrates, 34 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein. Dark Chocolate Raspberry – 340 calories, 24 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 30 milligrams of sodium, 35 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 26 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein. Milk Chocolate Vanilla – 350 calories, 22 grams of fat, 14 grams of saturated fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 50 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 31 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein. Milk Chocolate Hazelnut – 370 calories, 26 grams of fat, 14 grams of saturated fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 30 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $3.99 each (on sale)
Size: 14 oz. tubs
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Milk Chocolate Vanilla)
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Dark Chocolate Raspberry)
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Milk Chocolate Hazelnut)
Rating: 8 out of 10 (White Chocolate Vanilla)
Pros: Tastes like Magnum Ice Cream Bars. Cleaner way to eat Magnum Ice Cream Bars. Choking container and hearing the chocolate crack is a stress reliever. Satisfying snap of the chocolate.
Cons: A more violent way to enjoy Magnum Ice Cream Bars. Squeezing or choking container doesn’t crack the top layer of chocolate. Ice cream tubs make portion control more difficult than ice cream bars. Ice cream texture is a bit too frozen dairy dessert like.

SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Limited Edition Birthday Cake Cookie Crisp Cereal

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Limited Edition Birthday Cake Cookie Crisp Cereal

Update: We reviewed it! Click here to read our review.

Poor wolf! It’s only got two balloons. That’s one sad birthday party it’s having. (Spotted by Lynette W at Jewel Osco.)

If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you’ve tried the product, share your thoughts about it in the comments.

Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

REVIEW: Arby’s Texas Brisket Sandwich

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Arby s Texas Brisket Sandwich

Years of Grumpy Cat and Bad Luck Brian memes has proven that the internet is fertile ground for viral ideas. They don’t even need to be true to spread; I hear Scumbag Steve really got his life on track.

Fast food is no exception.

We’ve all heard that Taco Bell gives you diarrhea, that KFC can’t use chicken in their name because they use vat-grown chickenoids, and that Four of the Guys killed and ate the other to gain his power. We know that no one likes Arby’s.

See what I mean? The Simpsons make a joke twenty years ago, the idea goes viral, and the conventional opinion of a fast food franchise is set for decades.

I like Arby’s. It has a consistently good core menu and often has some interesting limited time items. Plus, any franchise with the guts to serve Bambi on a bun gets my support.

One of Arby’s newest offerings is the Texas Brisket Sandwich, featuring smoked brisket, crispy onion strings, dill pickles, and Texas-style barbecue sauce on Texas toast. Arby’s has had success with its brisket in the past. How does this one stand up?

Upon opening, I’m underwhelmed. I understand that “toasted” often needs to be put in quotation marks when it comes to fast food, but I was hoping that this Texas toast would live up to its name and offer a crispy counterpoint to the soft brisket. At best, this looks like it was angrily glared at by a cowboy who’s had his cattle rustled. Or maybe by a fast food patron who was expecting his Texas toast to at least be thicker than regular bread.

Arby s Texas Brisket Sandwich 2

On the inside, Arby’s is keeping things simple with just meat, sauce, onion strings, and pickles. This can work when the fundamentals are strong, and Arby’s brisket has impressed me in the past, so I was hopeful.

Arby s Texas Brisket Sandwich 3

The first bite is tangy. Very tangy. The sauce dominates every other flavor, and the pickles offer a very unneeded sharp bite at the end. “This is fine,” I tell myself. Any moment now that fatty, unctuous brisket will cut through the sharpness and bring everything into balance. Another bite reveals a mild smokiness, but the brisket itself remains dry and disappointing.

I remember Arby’s brisket being much better than this. Have they changed it recently? The Smokehouse Brisket sandwich was delicious when I had it. Then again, that one does feature copious amounts of cheese and mayo. As a Midwesterner, I admit it’s easy to trick me into thinking that something tastes good with the ol’ add-cheese-and-mayo trick, but I swear the brisket itself was better too.

So, it turns out that Terri and Sherri Mackleberry were right twenty years ago. Arby’s is kinda mediocre, at least with this offering.

(Nutrition Facts – 620 calories, 29 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 85 milligrams of cholesterol, 1450 milligrams of sodium, 53 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 7 grams of sugar, and 37 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $5.69
Size: N/A
Rating: 4 out of 10
Pros: Mild smokiness is pleasing when it presents itself.
Cons: Tanginess doesn’t balance with other flavors. Brisket is dry and missing the fatty element needed to balance the sauce and pickles.

ANNOUNCEMENT: New Impulsive Buy Reviewer Mike

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Hello, fellow candy connoisseurs, french fry fiends, and pretzel… appreciators. I’m Mike, a new reviewer here at The Impulsive Buy.

As I sit here looking out the window at the Wisconsin winter, there are only a few things that would convince me to venture into the sub-zero temperatures. The first is going out in search of new snacks. While some Wisconsinites get by on a steady diet of beer, cheese curds, and the ironically named summer sausage, I like a bit more variety in my diet. I’m the guy who still gets excited about the latest Taco Bell iteration of meat-cheese-vegetable in a tortilla, or the newest Oreo flavor. If it’s new, I want to try it.

The second reason is to go to class. Immediately post-high school, I had dreams of being of a chef, and so went to culinary school. The crushing reality that working in the restaurant industry is the worst possible existence (unholy triad of low pay, long hours, and brutally harsh conditions) had me back at square one education and career-wise.

I’m currently finishing up a degree in English. With my dual degrees, you could say I have a very particular set of skills. They may not make me a nightmare for people like you, but they are virtually useless except for reviewing Pop-Tarts. Watch out, Liam Neeson. I’m a quarter Irish, too.

The third reason is to go to my job, where I work for a major food manufacturer. “Wait!” you might say. “How can we trust you to be honest about the industry you’re a part of!”

Fear not, gentle reader. Though I know how deeply in love with their job everyone is, how fundamental it is to their sense of self, and how it shapes their every thought every waking hour, I promise to put aside such things in the name of journalistic integrity. I’ll not be reviewing items made by the company I work for, and I promise to give my honest appraisal of those made my its competitors.

I look forward to many years of sharing my thoughts on one of my favorite subjects: food, and the eating thereof.

SPOTTED ON SHELVES – 3/15/2018

/ / Spotted on Shelves / 11 Comments

Here are some interesting new and limited edition products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of the products, share your thoughts about them in the comments.

Millville Chocolate Mint and Coconut Caramel Cookie Granola

Millville Chocolate Mint and Coconut Caramel Cookie Granola

(Spotted by Sarah D at Aldi.)

Edward Marc Hot Chocolate Bark

Edward Marc Hot Chocolate Bark

(Spotted by Rachel C at Costco.)

Pepsi Retro Made with Real Sugar Glass Bottles

Pepsi Retro Made with Real Sugar Glass Bottles

(Spotted by Robbie at H-E-B.)

Godiva Assorted Chocolates 9PC Gift Box and 3 9 Ounce Candy Mixes

Godiva Assorted Chocolates (9PC Gift Box and 3.9 Ounce Candy Mixes)

(Spotted by Rachel C at Target.)

Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes Almond Poppy Seed

Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes Almond Poppy Seed

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Target.)

Wrigley s Juicy Fruit Mixies Gum

Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit Mixies Gum

Wrigley s Juicy Fruit Mixies Gum 2


(Spotted by Keith Y at Quick Pantry.)

IBC Cherry Cola and A W Cream Soda Singles to Go

IBC Cherry Cola and A&W Cream Soda Singles to Go

Clover Valley Mtn Explosion Singles to Go

Clover Valley Mtn Explosion Singles to Go

Wyler s Light Cranberry Lemonade Singles To Go

Wyler’s Light Cranberry Lemonade Singles To Go

(Spotted by Keith Y at Dollar General.)

Thank you to all the photo contributors! If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

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