2025 Ontario Pear & Mascarpone Twist

Pear and Pumpkin Seed (Season 11)

A sub-lit transition into a new season, this flavor combines the subtlety of autumn leaves and re-mixes it into a new leaf. Encased in ice, the notes of pear shockingly retains its crisp and light, fruity flavor. Fans of Bartlett Pears will appreciate its texture, transforming the slightly mealy fruit into a creamy state. Mascarpone, with its light and barely tangy notes, provides a lighter background of cream that lightly compliments the beige notes of pear. Overall, a dip of the toe into a summer of flavor. Photo by C. Lam.

Coffee Yogurt

Coffee and Zabaglione (Season 11), Blueberry Yogurt and Raspberry Yogurt (Season 11)

Coffee… a morning ritual for many is combined with another breakfast food: the common yogurt. While these two flavors mix together well, it transforms itself into a bit of a heavy flavor that was not easy on my palate. Alas, while the two flavors were solid, a slight taste would suffice next time.

2025 Niagara Grape

Niagara Grape and Hazelnut (Season 11)

I am a grape fan, and I continue to stand by that. Bar Ape does grape particularly well, capturing the subtle nuances of a sunlit grape on a warm day. The texture, while creamy, replicates the crisp crunch of a cold grape in the peak of summer. They know what they do well, and they execute it every single time.

Olive Oil

Collab with Tony’s Really Good Olive Oil

Olive Oil (Season 11)

Last year, I crowned Olive Oil as one of my favorite flavors. When I asked (name redacted), they told me Olive Oil wasn’t his favorite because it was a bit too rich. They then said that they didn’t want to influence my rating and shouldn’t have said that. While I said it wouldn’t affect my rating, I think it did because I didn’t really taste the Olive Oil this time. Kinda strange! This time, it straight up tasted like vanilla (but very rich). Maybe the 2025 olive harvest was more fruitful? No clue, but it was still really good.

Fresh Mint

Fresh Mint and Chocolate (Season 11)

Fresh Mint and Chocolate was a flavor I was excited to try last year because I like Mint Chocolate Chip. I learned the hard way that it was nothing like Mint Chocolate Chip.

Fresh Mint is a flavorful, yet delicate version on a common flavor. I really enjoyed it for the creamy mint notes, refreshing the palate. Bar Ape does the fresh flavors really well, and this is no exception.

Louisa Plum and Olive Oil Twist

Collab with Tony’s Really Good Olive Oil

Olive Oil (Season 11), Louisa Plum and Vanilla Bean (Season 11)

Olive Oil meets an competitor… Louisa Plum. I was expecting a slightly tangy and sour accompaniment with Olive Oil’s more savory notes, but this year’s Olive Oil brings a fruity undertone with the a very mild tangy undertone of the Louisa Plum. Both great flavors to be honest, and this year I would go with the twist over the single. 2026 might just be the year of discovering the beauty of a healthy relationship.

Banana & Salted Caramel Twist

Season 11 Review

A returning favorite, Banana and Salted Caramel continue to pair beautifully together. I don’t know what it is specifically about this combination, but the salted caramel really brings out the light, fruity and floral notes of the Banana. The additional saltiness brings out this rich umami that ties out the flavor together. It still retains the fruitiness of Bar Ape but adds a gentle, savory twist.

Blueberry Ice Cream

I’m still not 100% sure how I feel about this flavor. On one hand, it retains a lot of tangy blueberry flavor that I really enjoy in berry flavored candy. On the other hand, the addition of cream really takes away from this tanginess, adding a slight yogurt flavor to the mix. Tart on tart? Honestly, I think I would have preferred just blueberry on its own. The cream isn’t needed for the blueberry to shine.

Banana Cream Pie

To be quite frank, I’ve never had a Banana Cream Pie in my life. So honestly I have no clue if this is accurate. But if you’re looking for a creamier version of Banana, this is pretty much what it is. There was also this slightly astringent aftertaste I only get when I eat this pie crust taste, so I genuinely think they blended in pie crust. Anyways, this is very good. Still fruity and yet decadent.

Mango & Lime Twist

Mango (Season 11)

Alphonso Mangos merge with a tropical citrus twist. At first, the flavor was delicately balanced – a warm, floral sweetness from the mango, with the classic sourness from a lime. It went downhill when the lime took over in a battle I can only presume was similar enough to the War of 1812. By the end, the floral sweetness of the mango had completely disappeared, as the lime took over. If you’re into the tropical cyclone ice lolly or the Vita Lemon Tea, this is the perfect twist for you.

Mango & Yogurt Twist

Mango & Natural Yogurt (Season 11)

Following my comments on the yogurt last season, the team at Bar Ape has provided a much needed update to this flavor. The mango is richer this year, and paired with the yogurt provides a creamy, fruity floral treat that is perfect for a day at the park. The yogurt this year shows up in its whole tartness; a reminder that you need to show up as your fullest. We don’t want a tamer version of yogurt, nor a tamer version of you. Be yourself!

Lime Trio with Sweet Milk Twist

Limeleaf (Season 11), Lime & Crema Twist (Season 11)

Like Aesop’s Rozu, Lime Trio aims to combine the lifecycle of flora – from the leaf, juice, all the way to the zest. It’s an interesting combination – the inclusion of the leaf emulsified adds a much stronger floral tang to the otherwise sour taste of lime juice. Combined with the sweet milk, this was a pretty interesting and refreshing take to lime. If you’re looking for a good combo of creamy and tangy, this is for you.

Ontario Strawberry & Buttermilk Twist

Season 11 Review, Ontario Strawberry (Season 11)

Very much needed on a hot and humid day like today! The strawberries remain tart and somehow juicy like a real, fresh strawberry. It’s uncanny how realistic their fruit flavors are. Combined with the buttermilk, it provides the perfect creamy, refreshing twist for a very humid day. I had a Diet Coke after and the aftertaste was amazing… I kinda want to try that next weekend.

Blended Oreo

Season 11 Review

Last year it was Blended Cookies & Cream, but this year they got the approval to use the Oreo trademark! Good for them. Blended Oreo is just like I picture it – a delicate, creamy blend of cookie and vanilla. Nothing super special, but not offensive in any way either. Just a classic flavor that you can’t go wrong with. Is it better than a Oreo McFlurry though… I’m not too sure about that (sometimes the added thickeners taste good). Sue me!

Strawberry Shortcake

Collab with Kitten and the Bear

Strawberry chocolate coating with crispy scone pieces and freeze dried strawberries. I typically don’t like Bar Ape’s bars as much (despite the fact that they started off just selling bars), but this one was pretty good! Tasted exactly like a freeze dried strawberry, and the textures of this bar were just right. It was perfect for me since I didn’t want something super heavy, but I did want a sweet treat (who doesn’t?). I wouldn’t say that it’s better than the Cookie Bar I had last season, but it’s very decent.

Black Pearl Cherry & Ricotta Twist

Ricotta might be the secret to a good twist! I was really excited this week because one of my all-time favorites, Raspberry and White Chocolate was back on the menu. However, I decided to try this twist first, and I was NOT DISSAPOINTED! No idea what a Black Pearl Cherry is, but it was so good. The cherry flavor was delicate, yet rich with a subtle tart flavor that didn’t overwhelm the ricotta. Is it as good as this year’s Raspberry and White Chocolate… no clue since I didn’t get it yet. But this is a great flavor so far that reinforces the standard for good ice cream.

Raspberry & White Chocolate Twist

Season 11 Review

I don’t think this was nearly as good as it was compared to last year, unfortunately. Maybe it was the environment (I feel like ice cream tastes worse at night), but I found the raspberry flavor to be more of your standard tart raspberry. The white chocolate flavor wasn’t as prominent as it was last year. As a result, the flavor wasn’t nearly as complex as it could have been. I still really enjoyed the flavor though.

Black Currant Branch & Jasmine

Collab with Pearl Morissette

This review may have been compromised by the previous flavor. Black Currant Branch is supposed to be a combination of the leaves, berries, and the essence of the branch with a light jasmine tea. It delivered a light, floral flavor, but I didn’t get much jasmine with this take home cup. It was well done in terms of texture, but lacked the completeness of flavor.

Ontario Haskap Berry & Sweet Milk Twist

Never heard of this berry but I am pretty basic with my fruits. My first impression – this berry is VIBRANT! The color was amazing and so rich. The flavor really reminded me of blackcurrant,. Slight hints of tang and rich berry with your standard Fior de Latte. Honestly surprised how much I enjoyed this flavor.

Ontario Gooseberry & Tahitan Vanilla Bean Twist

Season 11 Review

As I said last year, this flavor is mostly held up by the fact that Tahitian Vanilla Bean is such a solid representation of what vanilla should taste like. Rich and heavenly. If you like fruits that are just tangy and sour, then Gooseberry is a good addition to this mix. Alas, I am not, and I don’t personally find Gooseberry to be anything but that. Photo by C. Lam.

Morello Sour Cherry & Brown Butter Twist

Season 11 Review

Guys… this might be the only flavor so far to carry the same ranking as last year. I’ve gotten really into cherries again this year, and sour cherry is a reminder why. It’s such a great fruit in gelato form – just the right amount of tangy, floral flavors mixed in with a rich, warm butter. Bar Ape has not missed with their cherry flavors this year, and unlike ricotta, brown butter highlights all of those tart features – really hard to describe but it’s like LSD for cherry flavors. The two are truly a match made in heaven, and unlike most of the dairy combinations, this ratio is just perfect. No complaints here.

Ontario “Honey Gold” Plum & Madagascar Vanilla Twist

When I first got a bite out of it, it immediately transformed me to my days of getting a Yogen Früz Peach froyo. No clue why but the plum was so pleasant. It carries a light, yet heavy note of pear with a tang of some vague rockfruit (ie. peach). Combined with the vanilla, it adds a bit of the floral note that makes this twist so captivating. Sad that it is in such limited supply. It’s wonderful how two similar profiles still have the capability to highlight each other.

Thai Milk Tea

It’s very accurate to it’s name, and features no food coloring. That’s a win in my books.

Yellow Watermelon

Rejoice watermelon fans! Yellow watermelon is so refreshing and light. It tastes exactly like you’re biting into a fresh, summer watermelon. The fruity notes of watermelon are still dominant despite the fact that this flavor is SWEET! It tastes like they poured a gallon of sugar into the watermelon, and for that reason this flavor gets a slightly lower score. I must acknowledge though that watermelon is one of my favorite fruits, and it’s also straight up sugar water. A gelato version is bound to be extremely sweet as a result.

Thai Mango Sticky Rice Sundae

Coconut Sticky Rice Gelato topped with Thai Mango Purée and Toasted Rice

First sundae of the season! Really enjoyed the Coconut gelato, but I didn’t really get a sticky rice flavor out of it. The purée was really good, tasted like the Vita mango fruit juice but thicker. Overall, it was a really nice combination with the toasted rice, but it was nothing super special.

Saturn Peach & Sweet Milk Twist

Just like last year, the Saturn Peach was really good on the first bite, but afterwards it was a bit too sweet for my liking. The sweet milk blends into the Saturn Peach really easily, which makes it taste even sweeter, but dilutes the peach flavoring to an extent. Was not offensive, but would I get it again? Probably not.