This New Jet Black Ice Cream Broke The Internet

With a dense population of ice cream fanatics across the world, ice creameries do their best to get ahead of the competition. This year, this new jet black ice cream might take the cake — er, the cone. Yes, that's right, cue up your Instagram. Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream might have just made one the the finest flavors of the summer. The color is the blackest black. Darker than cookies without cream. Darker than espresso fudge. Darker than squid ink and poppy seeds and black sesame. In fact, it looks like hot tar. It's so pigmented and matte that it looks incredibly artificial. My first thought was that it was just a ton of food coloring. As it turns out, it's completely naturally colored and flavored. The color was achieved by using the ash of a coconut shell, hence the fitting name, Coconut Ash.

This coconut derivative boasts a coconut flavor. The cream, which is comprised of the ash, the cream, and the meat of a coconut, has a surprisingly light and tropical flavor. And, as if you needed any more reasons to be amazed with this new flavor, it has potential positive health benefits. The coconut ash is a form of activated charcoal which has been said to be detoxifying. Beauty bloggers swear by its teeth-whitening capabilities and health nuts vouch for its internal cleansing and balancing properties. And while no scientists have yet backed this claim, you don't really need an excuse to eat ice cream, do you? Honestly, if you ask me, ice cream that's good for you seems as mystical as a sword fighting multilingual dragon.

Nicholas Morgenstern, owner, creator, and ice cream innovator extraordinaire, had some serious ambition when he opened up Mordenstern's in Manhattan's Lower East Side. After opening up a small ice cream stand outside of his first business endeavor, General Greene, a delicious and classy eatery and cafe in Fort Greene, he wanted to open a storefront that would allow him to focus more on the ice cream. He wanted to create unique flavors that we wouldn't necessarily know we'd like until we tried it. He wanted to make natural flavors that weren't overly processed or filled with unnecessary additives. And now, he's done just that. His flavors are both innovative and adventurous. Other flavors you might enjoy if you have a brave palate and are already foaming at the mouth for a taste of his Coconut Ash: Burnt Vanilla, Sweet Potato Mello, Lemon Espresso, Balsamic Strawberries, Sunflower Seed and Durian — yes, you read that right, Durian.

I don't blame you if you're shaking your head, but fun fact: people love these flavors. They're said to be complex, decadent and surprise pleasures. Do note, however, that if you do opt for the famed Coconut Ash, your mouth will temporarily be tainted black. So if you're on a date and you don't want to sport a giraffe tongue, try something else.

Images: Courtesy of Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream