Chocolate Chip – 1

The chocolate chip flavor was too watery and tasted like thin hot chocolate made without milk and then halfway frozen. Chocolate is never a good flavor for water-based desserts because there is no smooth texture to pair with the taste. Rita’s attempted to counteract that by putting in mini chocolate chips, but even that could not remedy the watered down taste.

Green  Apple – 5

The green apple flavor was right on target. Its tartness and snap exceeded expectations without being overly sour. The fresh green color was bright and appealing without seeming too artificial. The fruity flavor came across well in the ice, though it would be more difficult to pair with a custard to get a satisfying gelati. Overall, it was both my favorite flavor and my sister’s, who tried it as well.

Mango-Pineapple – 3

The mango-pineapple flavor combined the two fruits into a refreshing ice without tasting like the blended fruit juice that you have for breakfast. However, there was also an element of sugary sweetness that gave the flavor a false tang, reminding you with every bite that there aren’t actually real mangos and pineapples in your cup. One or two bites was refreshing, but anything more was too much.

Cotton Candy – 4

The cotton candy flavor was surprisingly delicious, given that I generally do not like sugar-flavored Italian Ice. While its unnatural blue color was initially off-putting, its perfectly accurate flavor was just the right balance of sweetness – enough to sell you on the cotton candy flavor but not enough to give you a sugar coma.

Watermelon – 2

The watermelon flavor tasted nothing like watermelon, much to my disappointment. It was saturated with sugar that masked any lighter flavor it might have had, and the miniscule chunk of actual watermelon that I found in the cup was both chewy and sour. Like an old gummy worm.

Kathy Deaver is a Sports Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.