Ice Cream Brand Preference Is Often a Matter of Taste

Plain old vanilla isn’t so plain.

All in the name of science, the family and friends of Don and Peggy Cox agreed to taste three different flavors of both Blue Bell and Yarnell’s ice cream.

While both companies got good reviews, the tasters tended to disagree on the nitty-gritty of each company’s product.

The subtleties of vanilla were evident to Don Cox.

“The Blue Bell had a creamier texture, but I preferred the Yarnell’s,” he said. “Yarnell’s had a more homemade texture.”

His daughter Jennifer Cougill disagreed, saying she preferred Blue Bell’s texture.

Blue Bell didn’t hit the vanilla flavor quite right for Heather Cox, another daughter, and Jennifer’s husband, Floyd Cougill. She said it was too sweet, and he said it left an aftertaste.

When it came to rocky road, the nuts were a big bone of contention. Family friend Paul Armstrong liked Blue Bell’s version better, saying the nuts tasted salted and roasted. But that salting and roasting bothered Floyd Cougill, who said Blue Bell’s nuts tasted burned. He also didn’t care for the real marshmallows in Blue Bellbut preferred the marshmallow cream in Yarnell’s.

Tasters agreed that the two companies’ cookies and cream were similar. So similar, in fact, that Peggy Cox’s mother, Geneva Matheny, said she would simply buy whichever one is cheapest. Both brands are similarly priced.

But if her husband is the one doing the shopping, Blue Bell would be finding its way into their refrigerator.

“I liked the texture of Blue Bell,” Arvel Matheny said.

The cookies were the deciding factor for Heather Cox, although she said both brands were good. “I liked the Blue Bell better because it had more cookies,” she said. “The Yarnell’s ice cream was too creamy.”