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Review: Talenti Gelato
July 31, 2011 
A re-review of Talenti gelato has been a long time coming. I first tried this gelato in March 2010 (see below). At the time, I was pleasantly surprised with the White Chocolate Raspberry flavor. After staring at the pints of Talenti gelato in the freezer of Whole Foods for over a year, I finally decided to pick up another pint. I am often overwhelmed by the idea of buying a pint of ice cream when I already have so much ice cream in my freezer.
I am happy to report that my second go-round with Talenti gelato was as good as the first. The Mediterranean Mint is full of real mint flavor, contains chunks of good-tasting dark chocolate, and has the same creamy texture as the other pint I tried. As I tasted my first spoonful, it was obvious that this gelato is made with more milk than cream (as gelato is traditionally made), leaving me with a light taste that was at times slightly icey (but not necessarily in a bad way).
If I didn't make my own ice cream on a regular basis, I would definitely keep a pint of Talenti gelato in my freezer. I hope to keep hearing from you, readers, about other flavors you have tried. Enjoy!
Original review, posted March 1, 2010:
Every once in a while, I still get the urge to buy a pint of ice cream when I go grocery shopping. This doesn't happen often because I rarely venture past the ice cream knowing that I have a freezer full at home. But for the benefit of my readers, and because it looked very good, I picked up a pint of Talenti Gelato White Chocolate Raspberry during my last trip to Whole Foods.
The bright magenta swirls of raspberry intrigued me as well as the fact that the pint contained gelato...usually pint choices are limited to either ice cream or sorbet. This gelato, named after Bernardo "Talenti" Buontalenti, a well known Florentine architect, artist, and chef in the mid 1500s, is made from milk that is free of growth hormones as well as extra fine cane sugar, fresh fruit, and other ingredients from as far as Belgium to Tahiti.
The gelato was easy to scoop and possessed a dense, creamy texture. The taste was hard to pin point...small hints of white chocolate and cinnamon...the gelato base tasted more like cookies than chocolate (guess that is not a bad thing). The raspberry swirl was a bit disappointing - tasted more of "fake" fruit rather than fresh fruit. Overall, I was quite impressed with this gelato given that it came in a pint. Bonus points for the cute, see-through container. I would be willing to try a few other flavors, and I will be sure to provide an update if I do.
Reader Comments (4)
Being raised in an Italian neighborhood in Chicago, I was thrilled to finally find some "gelato" in my supermarket in Georgia. I tried the Talenti Black Cherry and was totally disappointed. It wasn't like the "gelato" found in Italian restaurants or neighborhoods. It was just black cherry ice cream. When I looked at the ingredients, that confirmed it. Not an egg to be found in the list of ingredients. Eggs are what make gelato different from ice cream. Eggs give it the custard texture. So, I spent quite a bit for a small container of what turned out to be ice cream. Heads up to shoppers: check the ingredients before you buy something. Guess I'll just keep on searching.
Soilder Mom - I would agree that this is not Italian gelato, but I didn't really expect to find that kind of quality in a pint. Gelato in Italy and other stores is churned in a gelato machine, which incooporates less air and gives the product a denser and creamier mouth feel. Gelato is also stored at a higher temperature in the gelateria compared to your grocery or home freezer. This also has an effect on the consistency. Many gelatos actually do not contain eggs. The primary difference between most gelatos and ice creams is that the gelato is made with a greater amount of milk versus cream, lowering the ratio of butterfat. Adding eggs will add more fat and likely changes the consistency.
Hi there! I am enjoying my Belgian Chocolate flavor of Talenti right now, and I say that hands down, it is the only frozen treat I ever want to eat again. I live in the heart of a major city with gelato and yogurt shops on several corners, I love Talentis Belgian Chocolate best! Both texture and flavor are heaven. Also, eggs are listed as the fourth ingredient. I can't speak for the other flavors, who looks for something better than heaven?
Try the Talenti Sea Salt Caramel -- simply amazing!