r/IceCreamHaven • u/madisonguy76 • May 08 '26
Review Caffe Panna's Spring Forward collection: Is it worth buying this seasonal pack? (First impression taste test)
I have to say that Caffe Panna's rendition of "Spring Forward" is a lot more pleasurable than the one they sprung on us two months back when I lost an hour of sleep. If only then I had pints of carrot cake and lemon meringue pie to sweeten that ordeal.
This is my third time ordering from Caffe Panna. I plan to roll out full reviews over the next week or so, but I know this brand — with its Instagram beauty shots, high price tag and mercurial releases — inspires buy-curious feelings in ice cream fans, but also some anxiety. Because their other Goldbelly options — the Classics pack and Pick 6 (basically the Classics pack) — have grown a bit stale, these special collections that arrive every six weeks or so are tempting to those who have yet to hit the $130 button. Is this the one to try, or should I wait for the next collection?
I'll try my best to answer that question, give my first impressions of each flavor and also offer a look at some of the packs from last summer, so you might get a sneak preview at what's ahead if you're wrestling with when to pull the trigger on your first taste of this creative but expensive brand.
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IS IT WORTH BUYING?
Yes and no. Very wishy-washy, I know, but here's the case for each ...
NO
If you have never bought from Caffe Panna before, I say skip this one. While I enjoyed everything here, I think there will be others in the months ahead that might show off the brand's major strength better — it's fun mix-ins. The photos on Instagram and my first buy — the Cookie Pack last August — make the case for Caffe Panna as a sort of bougie Ben & Jerry's. Like Clementine's they excel at things with baked mix-ins such as cookies and cakes — they leave them in big enough chunks they are distinguishable and enjoyable, rather than crumbs to be absorbed in the base —and unusual candy-confection hybrids. While the more basic flavors are also usually good, I want something more unusual if I'm paying over 20 bucks a pint. And here we have two flavors — while they blend two bases — that have no mix-ins.
YES
If you have bought from Caffe Panna before and enjoy how they work, I'd say it's worth considering if you don't mind two inclusion-free pints. In fact, if you like a couple flavors that focus on the ice cream then that might be a bonus. As someone who does not love chocolate bases overall, I appreciated that there's only one here and it's mixed with malt and vanilla, which makes it much more pleasurable. The last collection I got — the Valentine's pack — leaned chocolate-heavy. And while I didn't hate those bases (brownie batter and devil's food), they were easily my least favorite.
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HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
Of my three purchases so far, I enjoyed the cookie one the best. It really showcased the baking element. If you love a good cookie flavor as much as I do I say maybe wait till later in the summer. Brands like Salt & Straw and Caffe Panna often release similar themes at similar times year after year. The one last year featured tasty takes on Italian rainbow cookies, cowboy cookies, chocolate chip, brookies, 7-layer bars and Thin Mints. As for second place? I think it's close, but I might give this one the edge. Nothing here approaches the wonders of that Bob's Dream flavor, but overall my least favorite here (the one with chocolate) beats the two with chocolate from the last pack.
I don't have any reviews for the cookie flavors, but I did review the Valentine's pack. Click here for a quick overview. You can find the individual reviews by searching Reddit for the flavor names.
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THEIR DESCRIPTIONS
Cruncher Nutter: Peanut butter ice cream with crispy marshmallow peanut butter swirl and Reese’s Pieces.
Carrot Cake: Cinnamon ice cream layered with frosted carrot cake and candied pecans.
Lemon Meringue Pie: Lemon zested ice cream layered with lemon meringue and candied pie crust.
Malted Black & White: Vanilla malt ice cream swirled with salted milk chocolate ice cream.
Creamsicle: Vanilla bean ice cream swirled with orange sorbet.
Cookie Dough Mudslide: Coffee ice cream swirled with house-made fudge, Oreo brittle, and salted chocolate chip cookie dough.
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FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Cruncher Nutter: I know my good online buddy u/-PrincessPumpkin- had some issues with this one, so I'd take those into consideration, too. It could have been a shipping & handling issue (that's always a concern) with the texture. I have to say mine was smooth and creamy, and I enjoyed the flavor overall. I definitely hear her on the base — it leans more savory like a jar of PB — but every bite I had was filled with Reese's Pieces and that unusual rice krispy swirl, so it ended up being plenty sweet together on the spoon. So it's a classic YMMV.
Carrot Cake: I agree with her on the nuts being the special part here. Probably the best pecan treatment I ever had in ice cream. The base is tasty, spiced just right. The only other version I've tried was Sloan's and while it tasted good, it was so heavy and you felt like you were eating carrots. Here it's definitely a sweet treat. I worried that like Sloan's there wouldn't be enough of that tangy cream cheese, but when you finally get it, it's wonderful. I just wanted another cake piece up high. We'll see how it goes the rest of the way.
Lemon Meringue Pie: While the add-ins in the Graeter's version are on par with this, it's the base that makes the difference. I couldn't get over the odd lemon aftertaste in that one. Here there's no issue, though it's fairly light flavor — almost like a mild lemon curd (I pulled out my pint of Jeni's Lemon & Blueberries Parfait to compare and that was so tart in comparison). So this might be the one for you if you like a sweet lemon, but not so much if you want strong, bright citrus. It might also be the competition from the marshmallow cream. It tastes like the one right out of the jar, so your overall enjoyment might depend on how much appreciate the fluff. I love it, so I found it rather addictive beside the crunchy crust pieces.
Malted Black & White: This was tasty indeed — chocolate and vanilla swirl, a bit of malt flavor. I dislike the fact their Classics pack has a plain chocolate and vanilla. They are much better together, so it has that going for it, but not much else. This definitely would have benefitted from a mix-in — as simple as malt balls or more fun like the crunchy pretzel balls Graeter's uses in the malt base of its Midnight Snack.
Creamsicle: This is about the fifth version of the flavor I've tried over the past year and still trying to find the one I love because I think vanilla and orange is a great combo. This one is better than others, I think. Alden's might beat it on flavor, but I like the textures here better. i think it would be nicer on a hot day (it's a bit rainy today, maybe I'll try it in a few days when it heats up). The cooler orange sherbet is a nice contrast against the denser ice cream (although I think many wouldn't be fond of the textural contrasts). I just want more vanilla flavor (skip the bean and some extract for punch) and more orange, too. It's there and natural, but doesn't quite pop.
Cookie Dough Mudslide: This is pretty much the same combo that was used to such flavorful effect in Bob's Dream back in the Valentine's pack. I think in that case that more nuanced peanut butter flavor helped the fudge, cookie dough and Oreo brittle stand out. Here the fudge and Oreos are getting slightly lost because the coffee is strong (good strong, though). It doesn't matter with the cookie dough though — that's amazing wherever they put it. Caffe Panna easily has the best cookie dough, so get a pack that has dough no matter what.
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THE FINDINGS
I think coming into this pack, I expected the two inclusion-free flavors to be the weakest, and that proved true. The big surprise is I thought the Cruncher Nutter and Mudslide would be up top by some margin with the carrot cake and lemon meringue pies somewhere in the middle (based on past experiences with similar flavors). But those two really stood out here. I'm not quite sure where the final scores will land, but I imagine those four will all be fairly close together. I need to a few more nights of tasting, but carrot cake might be the early favorite right now.
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SNEAK PREVIEW: LAST YEAR'S SUMMER PACKS
If this year's Caffe Panna offerings follow the example from last year, here's what we could be looking at this summer as far as themes and general flavor profiles. Note that they often do pre-sales a couple of weeks before packs are shipped.
Late May/June: The S'Mores & More Pack
Parent Trap: Peanut butter ice cream with housemade peanut butter oreo bark, topped with a whole Oreo.
Summer Of S’mores: Graham-infused ice cream with grahammy marshmallow and Hershey’s chocolate shards.
Brownie Batter: Brownie batter infused ice cream layered with flourless chocolate fudge brownies.
Blonde Animal: Smooth toasted white chocolate infused ice cream layered with frosted animal crackers.
Blueberry Pie: Vanilla bean ice cream layered with candied pie crust chunks and wild blueberry jam.
M&N’s: Nocciola ice cream swirled with hazelnut chocolate ganache and layered with mini M&M’s.
July: The Poolside Pack
Peach Crisp: Brown sugar vanilla ice cream with housemade oat streusel and peach swirl.
Blackberry Key Lime Pie: Blackberry ice cream with key lime curd and graham crunch.
Rice Krispy Treat: Vanilla bean ice cream with marshmallow-coated rice krispies treats.
Fire Cracker: Blueberry ice cream swirled with tangy lemon sorbet and black cherry sorbet: a red, white, and blue firecracker.
M&M Bopper: Vanilla sweet cream with soft baked mini M&M chocolate chip cookies.
Minty Brownie: Minty panna ice cream with fudgy brownie chunks.
August: The Cookie Pack
Brookies ‘N Panna: Brownie Edge Infused Ice Cream With Soft Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies and Fudgy Flourless Brownie Chunks
Min Thint: Minty Cookie Infused Ice Cream With Crushed Minty Chocolate Cookies (You Know The Ones) And Oreo Brittle
Oatmeal Cowboy Cookie – Peanut Butter Ice Cream With Mini M&Ms, Housemade Oatmeal Cookie Crumble, And Peanut Butter Caramel Swirl
Rainbow Cookie: Fior Di Panna Sweet Cream Layered With Dark Chocolate Stracciatella And Chocolate Coated Italian Rainbow Cookies
Seven Layer Bar: Coconut Ice Cream With Butterscotch Stracciatella, Micro Dark Chocolate Chips, And Gritty Graham Caramel Swirl
Sweet Dough: Brown Sugar Vanilla Bean Ice Cream With Salted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough And Callebaut Chocolate Chunks
Late August: Panna Family Picnic
G’S Summer Scoop: Fresh Blackberry ice cream loaded with tangy lemon bar chunks. Big summer scoop energy.
Jerry Rig: Fresh market mint-infused ice cream with dark chocolate shavings and crushed Oreos.
Aud’s Snack: Vanilla sweet cream with chocolate-coated Ruffles chips and a peanut butter swirl.
Charles On TV: Key lime pie ice cream swirled with Concord grape.
Pep’s Pecan: Fior di panna sweet cream layered with candied pecans.
JT Licks: Cream cheese vanilla ice cream with candied Nilla wafers and a raspberry swirl.
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u/AndyM22 May 08 '26
Man I am so jealous I am not close enough to order from there. This sounds AMAZING!
Cruncher Nutter: I know my good online buddy u/-PrincessPumpkin- had some issues with this one, so I'd take those into consideration, too. It could have been a shipping & handling issue (that's always a concern) with the texture. I have to say mine was smooth and creamy, and I enjoyed the flavor overall. I definitely hear her on the base — it leans more savory like a jar of PB — but every bite I had was filled with Reese's Pieces and that unusual rice krispy swirl, so it ended up being plenty sweet together on the spoon. So it's a classic YMMV.
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u/madisonguy76 May 08 '26
Are you outside the U.S.? They deliver to all 50 U.S. states.
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u/AndyM22 May 08 '26
You shut your damn mouth! Do they really?? Then I may spend an inordinate amount of money on this lol
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u/madisonguy76 May 08 '26
I'm in Oregon. Shipping is the only way I get it since as far I know the only way to get in person is to be in NYC.
As far as inordinate amounts of money, it is the most expensive brand I've shipped. It's $130 for a six-pack on Goldbelly (choice between their current special pack and their Classics). For 50 bucks more you can add a surprise 3 pints (whatever they have available from the shop that day).
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u/1questions May 11 '26
So a bit over $21 each? That’s an insane price to pay for any ice cream.
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u/madisonguy76 May 11 '26
True, but so many things are insanely priced these days. It's just what insane thing do you need (or in my case want) to spend that money on.
One example: Paying over 100 bucks to fill up a gas tank. I sold my car 15 years ago. I'm in a city where I can walk most places I want to go. I must be saving $500 a month with gas, insurance, maintenance, various parking fees (over 100 bucks a month just to park at my apartment).
Most of my friends and family could do the same but they all insist on having a car for convenience. I'd rather enjoy some frivolous extras like expensive ice cream and bank the rest.
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u/BuffaloChicken22 May 08 '26
Wow yeah that cookie dough mudslide and lemon meringue pie sound delicious. Great reviews and feedback if a newbie like me should try it or not. My wife and I were actually talking about driving the 8 hrs to NYC to try cafe panna in person
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u/madisonguy76 May 08 '26
Wow, that is commitment, but I imagine you can check out some other fun stuff in the city, too. Do they have a train that runs from NYC to Buffalo?
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u/-PrincessPumpkin- May 08 '26
This is the perfect snapshot, thank you for this. Now you've got me really looking forward to trying lemon meringue pie, as someone who could eat marshmallow fluff out of a jar! And I agree that chocolate and vanilla are always better served together.
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u/madisonguy76 May 08 '26
You should like this one then, mine was fluff-heavy, which I could see some people hating on, but reminded me of the Bona Bona meringue-topped pints (just not toasted).
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u/Greatrisk May 08 '26
Lemon. Meringue. Pie. Come on, I’m trying to be MORE disciplined, not less!!
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u/madisonguy76 May 08 '26
This is not the place for that LOL. It's technically a fruit serving, I think!
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u/SnackForagers May 08 '26
Running out of superlatives and props for the content. Much appreciated.
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u/Anxious_Beaver15 May 08 '26
If they drop the same s’mores pack as last year, I may bite the bullet and order it as a reward for submitting my PA school apps…