Tyra Banks' new dessert, the Hot Mama, has been launched at her Sydney ice-cream shop Smize and Dream, but early reviews are mixed. Billed as the world's first hot ice-cream, the treat is neither a latte, hot chocolate, nor melted ice-cream, according to its creator. Customers and journalists alike have struggled to define it, with one group describing the taste as 'wet toast'.
The Guardian Australia sent a reporter to sample the Hot Mama in the flavour Tyra's Favorite, which features salted caramel butter and butter-roasted pecans in a salted sweet cream. Upon tasting, the dessert was described as lukewarm at best, with a consistency thinner than a milkshake but thicker than a flat white. The intense sweetness and watery texture drew criticism, though some enjoyed the pillowy whipped cream topping and salty-sweet flavour reminiscent of Ovaltine or crème anglaise.
Priced at $12.50, the Hot Mama provoked uproar among colleagues, with one remarking that one could simply melt their own ice-cream at home. The shop's spokesperson defended the product, stating that not everyone will like it at first sip, but many are returning for seconds and thirds. Banks herself, speaking at SXSW Sydney, emphasised that 'different is good'.
Despite the hype, the Hot Mama failed to live up to its name for many tasters, who found it merely lukewarm. The dessert has generated significant social media buzz, with some videos garnering hundreds of thousands of views, but opinions remain sharply divided.
