What's in the White Hat?

Frozen Yogurt is making a big buzz around town. It is probably the most talked about food trend these days. Because I have heard a lot and perhaps have read enough too, I was intrigued and wanted to try it myself. Frozen yogurt is a typical dessert item similar to ice cream in terms of physical properties only, the fat content is lower. Just like any usual yogurt, it may or may not have the live active cultures. When present, frozen yogurt is regarded as healthier than ice cream. The active cultures aide the digestion of food specifically for the lactose intolerant people thereby making the nutrients readily available for absorption without the discomfort. The nearest store to our place that houses this particular food item is White Hat. So that was where we went and sampled.

White Hat’s Italian Frozen Yogurt comes with great claims; "authentic, all natural, 98% fat-free, definitely guilt free and with live active yogurt cultures". Pretty good product attributes for a dessert item. With a selling proposition of being "so gooood, you can’t get it off your head"! How can you resist from giving it a try? With 21+ toppings to choose from like healthy citrus fruits, tempting sweet goodies such as cookies, chocolates and cheesecake, creating your own yogurt is made more exciting. Priced at Php 85 for a regular size (yogurt only) and Php 115 for the bigger size, this is relatively expensive compared to any ready to eat yogurt you can find in the market shelves. However, making a direct comparison may not be fair considering the "premium" tag attached to the product features of the frozen yogurt. But then again, the price sensitive segment might still have a thought about it. With that, it maybe more of an indulgence rather than a habitual type of food.

Taste wise, it has a distinch sourish after taste typical of yogurt, smooth and creamy mouthfeel even without much fat, milky and light at the same time. I had strawberry-kiwi toppings for my regular size. For this particular combination, I was overwhelmed with the overall sourness. The fruits added more of this note on top of the characteristic sourness that the frozen yogurt already had. That's why, my son's preference was more acceptable. He had strawberry-choco drops. The dark and sweet taste of the choco drops balanced the sour back note of the yogurt. Actually, I find the taste combinations quite tricky and ironic. To maximize the health claims of the frozen yogurt, one (like myself) would prefer fruits and nuts toppings over the sweet and fatty alternatives (e.g. cookies, chocolate, cheesecake etc). On the contrary, some fruits have inherent sourness that might prevent a good balance of taste as opposed to the other options. At any rate, it all depends on preference and taste liking. But still, I would encourage White Hat to create more healthy and tasty choices of toppings to push the acceptability and premium profile of the frozen yogurt further. More so, the maturity index of the fruits being used must be properly looked into.Other things notable about White Hat are image and packaging. The name itself simply states the product expectation. Talking about the presentation, it's visually appealing and innovative. The "customer picture taking" promo is also a catchy marketing tool. Overall, White Hat's Italian Frozen Yogurt is a gem among the many food finds at the SM Mall of Asia. Repeat trials or more frequent consumption of it will depend on the general liking, location and price.