I’ve eaten a hibiscus flower before, but I can’t tell you what it tastes like. My hibiscus rosa-sinensis taste test happened in the 80s, when I was really young, naive, and could be dared to put almost anything in my mouth for the high price of one dollar.
While I can’t tell you what the flower is supposed to taste like, the internet can, and it says it has a tart cranberry-like flavor. So if Ocean Spray ever comes out with a cran-hibiscus drink, be skeptical of it.
Talenti’s Strawberry Hibiscus Dairy-Free Sorbetto features, according to its jar, “Sweet strawberries and real hibiscus flowers are blended for a perfectly sweet and tart dairy-free sorbetto with a hibiscus swirl.”
Strawberry is the second ingredient listed, behind water, but the sorbetto also contains hibiscus powder AND hibiscus flower. However, it smells and tastes like strawberry is the second ingredient listed.
When I put my nose over the top of the pint, the aroma that wafts out is similar to what comes out whenever I open the bag of Kirkland Signature Frozen Strawberries in my freezer to make smoothies. All I taste with every spoonful of the sorbetto is something similar to a tart strawberry jam, but much lighter. I don’t get that cranberry-like flavor the internet tell me I’m supposed to taste. Even when I taste just the dark colored hibiscus swirl, all I get is strawberry with a bit more tartness than the rest of the pint.
Since there’s no dairy, the texture isn’t creamy or dense, like gelato or ice cream. But it scoops easily, and the lack of dairy helps make it a light dessert that your belly won’t regret eating after a big meal. The pint also contains something that initially has a texture of seeds, but then melt away.
Although Talenti’s Strawberry Hibiscus Dairy-Free Sorbetto tastes a bit one-note to me, its fruity flavor was enjoyable enough that I don’t need a dollar to encourage me to put it in my mouth.
DISCLOSURE: I received a free sample of the product. Doing so did not influence my review in any way.
Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Received from Talenti
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 150 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 0 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 34 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.
I wish they had a lavender flavor
From your recent talenti reviews it seems as though they’re not really delivering on said flavours anymore. Also, kinda funny that they deemed it necessary to put “dairy free” on the label…sorbetto always it.
If you ever got Tazo passion tea when it was at Starbucks, THAT is the hibiscus tang that’s supposed to be here.