Hi guys, I’m Christen, your guest blogger of the week! I’m one of Anastasia and Natalie’s “unnamed friends” who often pops up in various posts on It’s Not Hou because:

1) I like eating food (really, really like it),
2) I’m also a swimmer currently dabbling in totally mastering how to run (half marathon here I come!), and
3) I LOVE HOUSTON…I mean, what’s not to love?!!?!? totally glad I moved here.

Last week, my friends asked me to “take one for the team” and help out with something very difficult and not fun at all – ICE CREAM TASTING! Obviously, I checked my schedule and made it work. I mean someone’s got to eat all that delicious ice cream, I guess…

I arrived at Cloud 10 Creamery which is conveniently located in Rice Village and home to the most creative ice cream flavors I’ve ever seen in my life. I’m talking about options like Kabocha & Black Pepper or Malted Barley with Raisin Jam. Each season, Cloud 10’s award-winning pastry chef Chris Leung rotates their 10 flavor choices. Let’s just say I wanted to try them all. Luckily, my evening of ice cream provided the opportunity to try six of Cloud 10’s current flavors, pick my favorite for a full two scoop serving, and the chance to try one of the winter sundae options. Cue my excitement and Kristen Wiig/Sue-style freakout à la SNL’s “Surprise Party.”

AND NOW…drumroll please…here’s what I got to try, no, EXPERIENCE on my taste-testing night at Cloud 10:

1) Blood Orange & Vanilla Bean – One of the more “normal” options in my opinion, this was a great flavor to start out with. It was delightfully fruity, tasting a bit like a less-strong blood orange flavor would taste (so I imagine). The vanilla bean part balanced out all that citrus, and for me, this flavor was definitely a win.

2) Apricot Ancho Sorbet – Ok WHOA…this one is delicious and was super flavorful even though I just got a tiny spoonful. The apricot part made this fruity and sweet, and the ancho gave it a sweet yet smoky kick. I’m a huge fan.

3) Kabocha & Black Pepper – This is hands down the most interesting ice cream flavor I’ve ever heard of or tried. Kabocha (in case you didn’t know) is actually a Japanese winter squash, something I’m more used to sampling in soups or on my dinner plate. However, I thought the ice cream version was pretty good as well. However, the pepper was a bit too wild for me. Perhaps this flavor would best be viewed as a snack or something instead of “dessert.” IDK really. I’m so glad I tried this, though, because I feel more cultured already.

4) Malted Barley with Raisin Jam – This is certainly another unique one! The taste was waaaay different than what I expected…again, I’m glad I tried it because it broadened my ice cream tasting horizons quite a bit. Since I don’t like the taste of raisins too much, though, this one wasn’t totally for me.

5) Earl Grey & Lemon – Ding ding ding! This one was a winner for me! I always drink earl grey tea with lemon, so this was the ice cream version of my afternoon caffeine hit. I chose to get an extra two scoops of this one, and I probably could have kept eating it forever. This one gets an A+ from me.

6) Coriander – Ok, soooo I didn’t know what to expect with this one. It was amazing though! Since I didn’t actually know what coriander was, I Googled Binged this one real quick…lo and behold, it’s CILANTRO (aka my favorite thing ever). No wonder I liked this! If you like cilantro as much as me, give it a go.

“7”) THE SUNDAE: Finally, we got to try one of the winter sundae options: the Malted Barley Sundae. Think the malted barley with raisin jam ice cream, chocolate chip cookie, whipped cream, dark chocolate, sesame seeds, and a passion fruit drizzle. OMG. I liked the Malted Barley ice cream better mixed with all of these ingredients…this is a true work of art. I highly recommend giving this one a try. Honestly, if I could finish this one after all that, you know it has to be good.

Ok, so are you totally intrigued now? Do you want to try the winter flavors before they’re rotated out? Then head down to Rice Village and visit Cloud 10 Creamery. I promise this will be an ice cream adventure that you’ll remember!

Cloud 10 Creamery – Rice Village 5216 Morningside Drive, Houston, TX 77005