Before leaving home for work this morning, I emailed Sweet Republic to ask if any of the flavors offered this week are free of corn syrup since I was getting out early from work today. I thought I'd leave it to fate to decide for me if I was swinging by SR or heading straight home from work. Helen quickly replied with a list and even emailed a second time to determine if I was allergic to all corn products [yes I am :(]. My answer eliminated all of the sorbets, but she did say that the Tart Yogurt soft-serve is safe for me. \n\nFirst sample was the Tart yogurt, and yes, it was tart, palate-cleansing, and quite refreshing. I would definitely order this on a cake cone someday, or have it in a cup with fresh strawberries! Other flavors I tried were:\n\nChocolate Rosemary- D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S. I am a fan of rosemary, a relaxing herb, so the combination of the two flavors was like \"the calm before the storm\"; first, the whiff of rosemary enveloped me in a comforting embrace and then I was knocked over by bold chocolate! This was definitely going into the pint cup I was taking home with me. I knew I had to find another flavor that could stand up to this perfect duet.\n\nApple Pie- LOVED the textures in this ice cream. Chunks of granny smith apples and bits of ginger and cinnamon spice. Such huge flavors from such a tiny sample. Unbelievable! A huge contender in the pint-to-go category.\n\nSumatra Espresso Shot- WINNER! I could definitely taste real espresso in this sample. It'll be hard to find a better version than this! And yes, I took home a pint of Chocolate Rosemary and Sumatra Espresso Shot. I had to taste it when I got home, and I'm ashamed to admit that the container was only half-full when it finally found its way into the freezer. I was slightly disappointed that I couldn't take home some Apple Pie, but Apple Pie, Espresso, and Chocolate Rosemary just didn't sound right. I'm sure Helen and Jan can offer up something clever on my next visit! \n\nMaple Pecan- I had high expectations for this one, since I love pecans, but all I tasted was fine maple, and the pecans only gave the ice cream a crunchy texture. Perhaps the bold flavors of apple, ginger, coffee, and chocolate saturated my tastebuds, and I therefore couldn't taste anything else. I'm going to need to sample this first thing on my next visit.\n\nBelgian Chocolate- Smoooooooth! Oh yeah! I had Helen whip up a brownie sundae incorporating scoops of Belgian Chocolate and Vanilla Bean, brownie chunks, fresh whip cream, and a long drizzle of Salted Butter Caramel sauce. Oh my! I am at a loss for words... \n\nOther store offerings include fresh-baked cookies (chocolate chip, meringue, molasses spice, and peanut butter), a buffet of toppings, ice cream sandwiches, and ice cream pies. The store's interior was clean, colorful, and inviting. \n\nKudos to Helen and Jan for offering up such high-quality sweets. Now if only I could persuade them to add chocolate-dipped waffle cones and bowls to their cone selections of NAKED (not like Sweet Republic needs to add a sex element to sell its goodies!) waffle cones and waffle bowls. Well, alright, the cones did have chocolate chips in the bottom, but it's just not the same. Then again, with ice cream sandwiches and pies, shakes, sundaes, and cookies, who needs chocolate-dipped cones??
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