Before you get flustered on all the different flavor choices, there is something that you should know about this ice cream that really makes it special. THEY ARE ALL MADE IN HAWAII! Hammond's happens to be the only ice cream that received the Hawaii Seal of Quality. This means that at least 50% of their ingredients used are from the Island itself. What a lovely surprise! Because of that, their ice cream is super premium (18% butterfat with low air infused in the mixing process, which gives it that rich and dense quality). Some of the local ingredients they use are Kona Coffee beans, fruits, nuts and dairy. How about I stop talking about all this, and let's talk about my experience... Experience.When we went there for the first time (during the week. yes, we went there on multiple times), it was slightly crowded, but not too crowded. This shop is a cute little shop that is decorated in wood EVERYTHING (except the counter and chairs) with a chalkboard on the right wall to display all of the flavors present at the moment. Me being me, I did not notice that and just went straight to the ice cream. I dug my face into that glass window and stared at the limitless flavors that they have. Here's a quick look at what this lovely place looks like: When I dug my face into that window, I backed up a little and had to walk a line to check out each individual flavor. There was so many new flavors that seem different to my palette, so I had to try it. At the time, Hammond's presented flavors like Peanut Butter Guava Jelly, Kona Coffee Toffee, Banana Storm, Ginger Cream, and Passion Sorbet. On top of that, they had normally carry 32 flavors each day. Just the flavors alone made me a happy camper. When I finally came back to reality, I looked up and saw that they had a menu. Haha. If you didn't already look at the picture of the menu, it gave the daily pricing of scoop servings and flights. If you don't know what a flight is, I would like to think of it has a flight or a journey through different flavors. It allows you to have more than just a sample spoon of ice cream, but a baby cone of flavor town. Of course, me being me, I had to go on this wonderful adventure of ice cream. The flavors that we chose were... I forgot. :( But I do remember every flavor that I tried (sorta), and below is my descriptions of them (in my opinion): Tahitian Vanilla: Imagine a burst of vanilla where you can actually taste the small pieces of Tahitian vanilla beans. If you are unfamiliar with tasting ice cream with vanilla beans, I would definitely try it out instead of me describing that flavor. It's just something you will eventually pick up from trying multiple flavors of vanilla, but of all vanilla flavored ice creams, this is top notch! It was so creamy and thick at the same time that it just felt right and was totally worth it's money. Ginger Cream: If you're not a fan of ginger, this might change your mind. Imagine if you crossed over that Tahitian vanilla with an essence of ginger. The ginger flavor was not overpowering at all and just backed up that vanilla flavor. It was definitely present, but did not stab your taste buds. I would say it was one of my favorites there, but then again, I like "different" flavors. White Chocolate Ginger Cream: This on the other hand, if you don't like the ginger cream, this will change your mind. This will bring you back and say, "Hey! Maybe ginger isn't too bad." The white chocolate definitely covers some of the ginger but don't forget your buddy, Ginger will still say, "Hello!" It's a combination of white chocolate (that creamier, sweeter chocolate) with that Tahitian vanilla and ginger. (That's how it tasted to me) Strawberry/Sorbet: So, I don't remember if it was just the plain strawberry or sorbet, but this was definitely one of my favorite flavors EVER! As a kid, I always loved strawberry ice cream and always got that, so it definitely brought me back to my childhood. Just the quality of the ingredients that they use plus that fresh strawberry creaminess made it sweet, but not sugary sweet (if you understand what I mean). The flavor was like a handful of ripe strawberries were just mashed into a vanilla base and just made sweet love! It was fantastic. Banana Storm: Imagine banana ice cream and brownies. Now imagine that banana flavor multiplied by 3 and giant pieces of delicious, soft brownies were dropped in every bite. Well, they weren't GIANT but bigger than normal pieces that are in ice cream. It's like the brownies wanted to get in your face every time you got a lick. Haha. Definitely a keeper. Sad to say, that's all I remember, so I guess I have to come back and try them again. When I came in, I happen to be served by one of the owners of this establishment. She was very nice and allowed me to try a bunch of flavors. I felt so bad, but me not being from SD, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. (Just kidding. Knowing me I will be back) Overall.This was one of my best ice cream experiences. The flavors were on point, the workers were really nice, and just the ambiance was soothing. Everyone was there just to enjoy each other's presence and to dig their face into their cones of ice cream deliciousness. I would like to say many thanks to the wonderful couple, Ryan and Trang Hammond, as well as their partner Dan for bringing to SoCal one of the best Hawaiian experiences ever in ice cream. Now I'm not sure if I can be as satisfied with other ice cream. Haha. Stay Tuned to Hammond's Gourmet Ice Cream because they are planning on having sundaes and floats soon! (Secret's out! Sorry guys!) If you guys want to check out their shop and happen to be in the San Diego, CA area, the info is down below: Hammond's Gourmet Ice Cream 3077 University Ave, (North Park) San Diego, CA 92104 (619) 220-0231 There are some pictures from my experience there below, and until then, Happy Eatings!
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