Photographic Caveat: Don’t let the picture be representative of the flavors for this one, as this is what happens when you forget to take your photo inside the store … the lighting provided by a combination of the pale moonlight and some crappy parking lot lighting did nothing to do this premium treat the justice it deserves!

Mix-Ins: graham crackers, caramel, cinnamon (as recommended by my Cold Stone Ice Cream Liaison)
Quantity: Like It (small), but only because by now I know my limits at Cold Stone and the bigger bowls end up just going to waste
Opinion: Perfect! Cold Stone is definitely the pinnacle of quality ice cream, in my not so humble opinion, and their seasonal pumpkin offering definitely lives up to the standards that the brand promotes for other flavors all year round.  The ice cream is extremely sweet and creamy, and carries the pumpkin quite well – I really think that it’s the quality of the ice cream itself that makes this one stand out from other varieties that you might pick up in your local grocery store.  It’s also very thick, but not necessarily dense like Ben & Jerry’s, although maybe that’s a bragging right that ice cream shops in general have on their side.
Side Shake: As a brief side note, I’ve also had this flavor as a shake in previous years – mainly because it’s much easier to drink a milkshake than eat ice cream while one is driving – and it was equally amazing in that medium as well.  You really can’t go wrong with this one – it’s just a shame that they don’t offer it 365 days a year…

Pumpkin Brainstorm: Shortly after ordering what you see above, I realized what I really want to try – combining their pumpkin ice cream with another recent favorite that they just introduced this spring – Oreo Creme Filling! If Oreo won’t give us Pumpkin Oreos on its own, then I guess I’ll just have to make them myself!  More on that one as our story develops…