The other day I had my first experience with Dippin’ Dots. For years, I’ve seen vending machines and little stands selling this stuff, and on Sunday I decided to give it a try.
The idea behind Dippin’ Dots is that they’re hyper-frozen tiny balls of ice cream that are served by scooping them into a cup. (“Scoop” as in a dry kind of scoop, like you see at a candy counter or at the feed store– not an ice cream scoop.) (And I have no idea where the concept of “the feed store” came from, considering I’ve never actually been in one, so just go with it.) They come in all sorts of flavors, similar to your familiar Baskin-Robbins’ selections. I opted for the “Rainbow Ice.”
The experience of popping a spoonful of these little things in your mouth is akin to having a dozen or so tiny metal December flagpoles dropped on your tongue all at once, and then, after the few moments it takes them to thaw and for the pain to go away, you get the ice cream flavor. It’s sort of a neat experience (in a masochistic way) the first couple of tastes, and then it’s just annoying and unsatisfying.
According to the company’s website, Dippin’ Dots were created by a research microbiologist named Curt Jones. (Mr. Jones’ area of specialty is cryogenics– hmmm, is “Austin Powers’ Mojo” the next flavor? Or is Walt Disney somehow involved?) In any case, it’s another case of something discovered on the job contributing to the general public’s amusement (q.v. Superballs and Silly Putty).
Anyway, Mr. Jones decided to apply the technique of hyper-freezing to ice cream bits, and he gave the world Dippin’ Dots.
Here’s a bit of hype from the company’s web site about the whole concept:

Not only had Curt discovered how to instantly freeze ice cream, his product proved to be much more flavorful and richer than regular ice cream. You see, the super-cold freezing proved to cryogenically lock in both flavor and freshness in a way that no other ice cream could offer!

I don’t buy a word of this. Everyone knows that the colder something gets, the less you actually taste of it. And the fact is when the little beads finally do melt, they taste okay– not “more flavorful and richer,” just okay. There’s not a lot of “ice cream” flavor to it: it really falls under the general taste category of “candy.” The Rainbow Ice reminded me a lot of those candy necklaces my kids like; it wasn’t really fruity like a good sherbet, nor was it creamy. So thumbs-down on the concept of “Ice Cream of the Future” from a mouth experience standpoint.
I have to admit, though, that it’s a genius-level proposition from the seller’s standpoint: it’s sold in coolers like ice cream, but there’s virtually no mess because the product is, for all intents and purposes, dry. If there are any spills, the cleanup tool is a broom, not a sticky rag. I imagine shipping this stuff is incredibly easy, too– pack everything in dry ice and you’re all set.
And this stuff seems to be insanely popular. There’s always a line at the stands I’ve seen. So thumbs-up if you’re a potential franchisee.
Thankfully, I have an Oberweis Dairy right down the street from me, and they serve ice cream the way it should be: sweet, sticky, and right at that perfect temperature where the melting process has already begun. Now that’s what I’m talking about.