We Tried Carvel's New Nutella Ice Cream, and We Like It

Just in time for the dog days of summer, Carvel is launching a new line of ice cream and soft serve made with Nutella today, June 30. The offerings include:

• Hand-scooped chocolate ice cream layered with Nutella and Carvel’s “chocolate crunchies” and then topped with even more Nutella
• Soft-serve ice cream made with Nutella
• Two sundae varieties made with Nutella soft-serve, bananas and chocolate crunchies, topped with whipped cream and more Nutella

We were lucky enough to get our hands on some of the ice cream and soft serve to conduct a little taste-test.

First, there’s the hand-scooped ice cream. It’s a true winner. The ice cream itself is creamy and tasty but it’s nothing extraordinary. What really makes this treat special, though, is the abundance of chocolate crunchies and generous heaps of Nutella. Each bite varies, but once in a while you’ll get one loaded with perfect chocolatey, nutty chunks. Then it becomes undeniable that this is indeed ice cream made with real Nutella and not some laughable knock-off. “The chunks seal the deal,” said one TIME staffer, who considers himself something of a Nutella aficionado. “Go chunky or go home.”

Next, we tried the Nutella soft-serve, which is a lighter alternative if you’re not in the mood for the admittedly very heavy hand-scooped ice cream. It’s smooth and airy, with milk chocolate overtones and just a subtle hint of Nutella’s signature hazelnut taste. Several TIME staffers agreed that unlike other soft-serve options, it doesn’t have a weird aftertaste, but it doesn’t taste super Nutella-y.

The treats will be available through September 30.

Contact us at letters@time.com.