Yotopia Frozen Yogurt
I've got to say, I am proud of myself. I'm smoking through the Iowa City frozen dessert offerings. This past Friday, I visted Yotopia with a local fan (can I use that word?) of the blog. Thus, I participated in #FroYoFriday. By which I mean I ate froyo on a Friday, but I did not partake in any social media. It would have required me to take my attention away from my froyo for like 30 seconds and that's way too much time.
I have been reviewing a lot of froyo shops as of late, so if you aren't familiar with my 8 step review process for froyo shops, you need to get it together. Please spend more of your life reading my blog and less time doing important, productive activities.
1) The variety of flavors: is there a good selection.
2) The flavor of my choices.
3) The quality of the combination of my choices.
4) The texture of the froyo
5) The variety of the toppings.
6) Quality of the toppings.
7) How well my toppings coordinated with my froyo flavors.
8) Overall experience
1) Yotopia had a pretty standard selection in terms of quantity. I think there were 8-10 flavors? Some were fruity, some were desserty, they had non dairy options and of course, a tart flavor.
2) The last two times I have had froyo I have made quite desserty creations, so I decided to do something a bit more fruity. My attention was immediately drawn to the Cotton Candy flavor, and I was told by the person I was with, it was seasonal, and might not be around for much longer. So I hopped on that train, no hesitation. The second flavor I chose was Strawberries and Cream. I thoroughly enjoyed the Cotton Candy flavor. The flavor was not the most identical to the actual flavor of Cotton Candy compared to some other Cotton Candy frozen desserts I've had. But the authentic cotton candy flavor was there, as well as a bit of a fruity flavor. The Strawberries and Cream flavor was also good, and incredibly sweet. Almost sweeter than the Cotton Candy flavor if possible.
3) The fruity, sweet, candy combo of the two flavors I chose was superb.
4) The texture was on point. Thick, but still soft, creamy, and no iciness.
5) There were a ton of toppings at Yotopia. Not quite as many as there were at Aspen Leaf, but at Aspen Leaf there were a lot of similar toppings, while there were a lot of toppings at Yotopia and there were some unique ones. Yotopia didn't have as many flavors of mochi or boba for example, but they had yogurt covered Pop Rocks. So you win some, you lose some.
6) I got strawberry boba, yogurt covered Pop Rocks, strawberries, and these sour gummy circle things. The strawberry boba were standard. The strawberries were ripe and fresh, no syrup and not over ripe or under ripe, which is usually difficult for a froyo place to accomplish. Also the sour gummy things I got were super tasty. They weren't quite as sour as most sour gummy things, but still had bit of a punch. Also yogurt covered Pop Rocks are like the coolest ever.
7) I think, until now, I have underrated the importance of the textural experience of a froyo creation. The boba were fun. If you have never had these little boba guys, you should because they pop in your mouth and sweet liquid comes out. (WOW SORRY THAT SOUNDS REALLY WEIRD but that is for real what happens.) The yogurt covered Pop Rocks were sweet and creamy, and then they popped in your mouth in a different way than the boba. Lastly, the gummies were quite chewy. All of these different textures made this froyo fun to eat, and of the flavors of the toppings worked well with the flavors of the froyo in the fruity candy theme I had going on.
8) I have a lot more to say in this category than normal. First, my overall eating experience was great. I loved the uniqueness and variety of the flavors, and I enjoyed making and eating a unique and tasty froyo creation. This shop is also close to University of Iowa's campus, aka across the street, so it has that going for it in the overall experience: I can get there easily and frequently. But last, and probably most important, Yotopia is an independent business. Why is that important? Yotopia's froyo is NOT made with a mix and they source local ingredients whenever possible. If you weren't aware, most big froyo chains use mixes to make their froyo. I could definitely tell this was higher quality froyo than what is standard. Also it is unique and super awesome to have local ingredients.
I have been reviewing a lot of froyo shops as of late, so if you aren't familiar with my 8 step review process for froyo shops, you need to get it together. Please spend more of your life reading my blog and less time doing important, productive activities.
1) The variety of flavors: is there a good selection.
2) The flavor of my choices.
3) The quality of the combination of my choices.
4) The texture of the froyo
5) The variety of the toppings.
6) Quality of the toppings.
7) How well my toppings coordinated with my froyo flavors.
8) Overall experience
1) Yotopia had a pretty standard selection in terms of quantity. I think there were 8-10 flavors? Some were fruity, some were desserty, they had non dairy options and of course, a tart flavor.
2) The last two times I have had froyo I have made quite desserty creations, so I decided to do something a bit more fruity. My attention was immediately drawn to the Cotton Candy flavor, and I was told by the person I was with, it was seasonal, and might not be around for much longer. So I hopped on that train, no hesitation. The second flavor I chose was Strawberries and Cream. I thoroughly enjoyed the Cotton Candy flavor. The flavor was not the most identical to the actual flavor of Cotton Candy compared to some other Cotton Candy frozen desserts I've had. But the authentic cotton candy flavor was there, as well as a bit of a fruity flavor. The Strawberries and Cream flavor was also good, and incredibly sweet. Almost sweeter than the Cotton Candy flavor if possible.
3) The fruity, sweet, candy combo of the two flavors I chose was superb.
4) The texture was on point. Thick, but still soft, creamy, and no iciness.
5) There were a ton of toppings at Yotopia. Not quite as many as there were at Aspen Leaf, but at Aspen Leaf there were a lot of similar toppings, while there were a lot of toppings at Yotopia and there were some unique ones. Yotopia didn't have as many flavors of mochi or boba for example, but they had yogurt covered Pop Rocks. So you win some, you lose some.
6) I got strawberry boba, yogurt covered Pop Rocks, strawberries, and these sour gummy circle things. The strawberry boba were standard. The strawberries were ripe and fresh, no syrup and not over ripe or under ripe, which is usually difficult for a froyo place to accomplish. Also the sour gummy things I got were super tasty. They weren't quite as sour as most sour gummy things, but still had bit of a punch. Also yogurt covered Pop Rocks are like the coolest ever.
7) I think, until now, I have underrated the importance of the textural experience of a froyo creation. The boba were fun. If you have never had these little boba guys, you should because they pop in your mouth and sweet liquid comes out. (WOW SORRY THAT SOUNDS REALLY WEIRD but that is for real what happens.) The yogurt covered Pop Rocks were sweet and creamy, and then they popped in your mouth in a different way than the boba. Lastly, the gummies were quite chewy. All of these different textures made this froyo fun to eat, and of the flavors of the toppings worked well with the flavors of the froyo in the fruity candy theme I had going on.
8) I have a lot more to say in this category than normal. First, my overall eating experience was great. I loved the uniqueness and variety of the flavors, and I enjoyed making and eating a unique and tasty froyo creation. This shop is also close to University of Iowa's campus, aka across the street, so it has that going for it in the overall experience: I can get there easily and frequently. But last, and probably most important, Yotopia is an independent business. Why is that important? Yotopia's froyo is NOT made with a mix and they source local ingredients whenever possible. If you weren't aware, most big froyo chains use mixes to make their froyo. I could definitely tell this was higher quality froyo than what is standard. Also it is unique and super awesome to have local ingredients.
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