Saturday, October 30, 2010

Siviero Maria Italian Gelato: Ice Cream Review. It's worth it !

As promised, I'm back with a new ice cream review of one of the very best ice cream brands you're going to find in the Romanian stores. It is also available in other European countries, as well as in the U.S.

A couple of months ago, while I was grocery shopping in one of the local supermarkets, I stumbled upon this ice cream brand. I wanted to try something new and there were several tempting flavors sitting in that freezer, so making a decision on which one to buy wasn't going to be easy. I finally chose Pistachio, not only because it looked good and not that many brands have this flavor, but also because it reminds me of childhood. When I was a kid, this was a popular flavor around here, sold almost everywhere. However, in the recent years, I haven't seen it as often as I used to.

I got home, had some dinner and then went for the ice cream at full speed. (Yeah, trying to be patient when you have Italian Gelato in front of you doesn't really work, does it?) When I first tasted it, I couldn't believe how yummy it was. You know what instantly came to mind? Remember that t-shirt that Madonna wore in the Papa Don't Preach video? It said: "Italians do it better". Well...when it comes to Gelato, they certainly do.

When I was a teenage girl I used to dream (like many other girls out there) that one day this charming Italian man was going to come on his white horse...or in his car (whatever) and sweep me off my feet with good looks, great cooking (Italian cuisine...hellooo?) and a beautiful house in a beautiful country. Never happened. Probably this ice cream is as close as I'm going to get to having an Italian lover of my own and frankly, I am not disappointed. Italian Gelato is some of the best sex I ever had :P

I admit I don't really have time to actually go out for ice cream. You know...go some place nice, sit at the table and have scooped ice cream. I prefer buying from the store and throw it in my freezer, so that whenever I am home and my cravings start kicking in, I have it on hand right then and there. 

This is the real deal. Smooth, creamy and full of flavor. I went back to the store the next day and got more flavors: chocolate, hazelnut and vanilla. They all turned out to be just as good. 

Here's some eye candy for you :


Cioccolatissimo: "a silky smooth Italian chocolate Gelato sumptuously flavored with chocolate sauce and finished with a selection of white, milk and dark chocolate curls".  









 Vaniglia del Madagascar: "velvety smooth Italian Gelato flavored with Vaniglia del Madagascar", one of the finest vanillas on earth. This is basically a creamy smooth milky vanilla gelato, true to the real flavor.









Bacio: chocolate and hazelnut gelato, garnished with crunchy whole hazelnuts on top. Yum!










Cappuccino: "Cappuccino Gelato flavored with coffee and garnished with a dark chocolate tablet"










Affogato all'amarena: Vanilla Gelato with cherry sauce and sweet cherries on top.









 


Panna Cotta: a replica of the traditional Italian dessert, flavored with caramel sauce and finished with caramel curls.









Fragola: "smooth Strawberry Gelato finished with soft candied strawberries"



Pistacchio: Pistacchio Gelato with crunchy toasted pistachios on top.







Now on to the "technical details": the ice cream is called Siviero Maria (depending on the country you live in, you might find it under the name G7 or one of their other labels, but the one pictured above is their 'upscale version' from what I understand). In Romania, you can find it at Carrefour hypermarkets. UPDATE: It is now available at Auchan and Kaufland supermarkets too.

It's very reasonably priced, so what you get is a great value for money. Around here, it's cheaper than Nirvana, Haagen-Dasz, Carte D'Or and other brands that sell boxes of the same quantity (500 grams/pint). I have tried every available flavor in the line, except for Stracciatella and Tiramisu, both of which I haven't been able to find yet, but I bet they're heavenly.

So what you need to do now is go get this ice cream and tell me how you like it. Keep in mind that this is Italian Gelato, so it is going to be a bit softer than regular ice cream and it's bound to melt faster, therefore make sure you don't take ages to get home from the supermarket. That chit-chat with the next door neighbour will have to wait until you put this awesome little thing in the freezer.

I'm giving this 5 stars out of 5. Highly recommended. Definitely "foodgasm". For full flavor, take it out of the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes or so before eating.

As far as packaging goes, I'm okay with it. The lid is easy to take off/put on but also sturdy and the box is not made of the cheap plastic that I've seen with other brands. It's decent and it doesn't look like it was made in someone's garage. I personally like the see-through packaging because I can actually see what I'm buying.

Photos and info from the official website.

I am not affiliated with any of the brands mentioned above.

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18 comments:

Jarvis said...

Now I will have to look for this in stores here. As I am an ice cream addict.

Smaranda said...

Jarvis, when you find it, let me know how you like it. I wish they would specify on their website which US stores carry it, but they only say it's distributed there too. I say look everywhere, supermarkets, even whole food stores.

lucaiuli said...

this weekend I bought and ate :) the Pistacchio Gelato with crunchy toasted pistachios on top. Very soft and good taste. Worth the price :) Bought it from a Carrefour supermarket.

starryjgal said...

Thank you for the great review and it triggered me to go and buy it today. I got the Affogato all'amerena (Italian Vanilla Gelato with sweet cherries). All I can say, is simply incredible...;)

Unknown said...

Vaniglia del Madagascar it's the best vanilla icecream i've ever eaten.:X:X:X

Smaranda said...

Glad to hear you all like this ice cream, thanks for the feedback !

ZIRA said...

OMG!!!!....I just finished eating half of the pistacchio kind.I went to Carrefour...and exactly as you said....I wanted something new....and I saw this new brand...but when I saw Pistacchio I instantly knew I had to have it cuz it's my favourite flavour ever.So I took one and by the time that I got home it melted a little....just as much as it should. BUT...OMG..OMG..OMG....when I first tasted it ....I just couldnt believe it how amazing it was.Usually the pistacchio flavour is very demanding in my opinion....very rare are the occasions that I tasted a good pistacchio flavour without having a chemical taste in my mouth .SO....people....I'm telling you....IT'S THE BEST ICE CREAM EVER.....YOU MUST TRY IT.I can hardly wait to taste the vanila and lemon one...all infact.GO FOR IT....NOW!!!!

Smaranda said...

Zira, thank you for commenting, I'm glad you like it !

Anonymous said...

My friend gave me Pistacchio Gelato! It's so amazing!!! Thank you for your post)

Unknown said...

My wife and I found Siviero Maria several months ago at HEB supermarket in Austin, TX, USA. We really love it. We've tried Pistacchio, Tiramisu, the cherry one, and stracciatella (seems to be a mixture of chocolate and vanilla). All are great. So far our favorites are the Pistacchio and the Tiramisu--but we've only tried four flavors. I'd love to try some of the other flavors (especially, ciocolatissimo) but our store doesn't seem to have most of the other flavors. BTW, does anyone know what Siviero means in Italian?

AshleyMontanae said...

Like the above reviewer, I'm from Texas and this brand is amazing. Tiramisu and Stracciatella is my favorite, but, because trying their Pistachio gelato, I hated any and every form of Pistachio ice cream I'd found and wouldn't let any of it come anywhere near my spoon or mouth (it doesn't make sense to have such a woody nut as a sweet treat!).
I still don't go to HEB and pick out their Pistachio, but, it's one I wouldn't be completely adverse to having if someone else spent their money (which is saying a lot).
About their Tiramisu; it's a bit disappointing because it's just gelato, cocoa powder and a (caramel? maybe chocolate?) sauce - no sponge cake or lady fingers. This isn't really a bad point (especially with the coffee flavor being strong and on point), but, something to note.

Clare said...

I just tried the tiramisu flavor and it is my new favorite dessert! I am not even an ice-cream person, but this stuff is awesome. Only thing I will be buying for a while, I'm sure!

Smaranda said...

Thank you all for your comments, I am so happy to hear that you all enjoyed the ice cream, I love hearing your feedback!:)

Unknown said...

Just bought tirimasu, stracciatella, cappuccino, affogato all'arena, bacio n the limon one at HEB in San Antonio...omg amazing

Chort said...

Found in St. Louis, MO at Schnucks grocery stores. Tried the Lemon and I need more. NOW!! It's tart and delicious. I can't wait to try the other flavors!!!!!!

Chort said...

The Lemon is divine!! I want more!!! I can't wait to try other flavors! Found at Schnucks Grocery Stores; St. Louis, MO.

Smaranda said...

Happy to hear you found it and loved it ! :)

Unknown said...

My favorites are cappuccino and tiramisu. I'm not really into Pistachio, it's just ok for me.

And Ashley, Tiramisu DOES has sponge cake/lady fingers in it. I saw it and tasted it. Maybe, you were eating your gelato too fast???

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