Review: Magnum Tubs

Magnum Tubs are the carton version of Magnum ice cream bars and come in four flavors: Milk Chocolate Vanilla, Dark Chocolate Raspberry, Milk Chocolate Hazelnut, and White Chocolate Vanilla.

They carry a suggested price of $5.49 per 14.8-oz container, but I received these courtesy of Magnum.

The signature feature of each Tub is that there is a shell of chocolate surrounding it with an especially thick chocolate (or white chocolate) lid that must be cracked before you can dig in. Additionally, there are chocolate shards embedded in the ice cream (similar to Haagen-Dazs' Trio line). The containers are flattened along to sections of the sides so that you can better squeeze them and crack the chocolate shell.

If you've had a Magnum ice cream bar before, the Tubs offer the same indulgent experience but with a little more emphasis on the ice cream rather than the chocolate. But that doesn't mean that there isn't an abundant amount of rich chocolate or textural variety. Between the thick and thin chocolate pieces, there's a good deal to crunch on.

While all four flavors are quite good, they each offer something for different tastes.

The Milk Chocolate Vanilla is the classic. If you like Klondike bars and Eskimo Pies, this is basically a premium version of the same. It offers a similar combination of crispy shards (plus the harder chunks of chocolate "lid") to go along with rich vanilla ice cream.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry is your jam if you like chocolate-covered berries. The raspberry ice cream is creamy but also quite tart and is contrasted by the dark chocolate. There's a definite raspberry flavor to it rather than a generic berry-ness. The dark chocolate is mildly sweet and pleasantly bitter.

Milk Chocolate Hazelnut is my favorite of the bunch. It's got some of that Nutella feeling but with a stronger chocolate component. You also get some extra crunch with small gravel-sized pieces of hazelnuts.

White Chocolate Vanilla is nice if you like your ice cream super creamy and super sweet, as the white chocolate provides both in spades.

When it comes down to it, Magnum Tubs offer very much of the same tastes and texture as Magnum ice cream bars. I actually like the Tubs a bit better than the bars as I'm not in danger of losing any of the chocolate, which, despite my best efforts, sometimes falls of the bar as I bite into it.

Nutritional Info - Milk Chocolate Vanilla Magnum Tub
Serving Size - 2/3 cup
Calories - 350 (from Fat - 200)
Fat - 22g (Saturated Fat - 14g)
Sodium - 50mg
Carbs - 36g (Sugar - 31g)
Protein - 4g

Nutritional Info - Dark Chocolate Raspberry Magnum Tub
Serving Size - 2/3 cup
Calories - 340 (from Fat - 220)
Fat - 24g (Saturated Fat - 15g)
Sodium - 30mg
Carbs - 35g (Sugar - 26g)
Protein - 5g

Nutritional Info - Chocolate Hazelnut Magnum Tub
Serving Size - 2/3 cup
Calories - 370 (from Fat - 230)
Fat - 26g (Saturated Fat - 14g)
Sodium - 55mg
Carbs - 34g (Sugar - 30g)
Protein - 5g

Nutritional Info - White Chocolate Vanilla Magnum Tub
Serving Size - 2/3 cup
Calories - 350 (from Fat - 190)
Fat - 21g (Saturated Fat - 13g)
Sodium - 60mg
Carbs - 37g (Sugar - 34g)
Protein - 4g