Is Ben & Jerry’s new non-dairy ice cream actually good?

Until now, dairy-adverse ice cream eaters have been limited to brands like Mr. Dewie’s and Steve’s. (Why are all the creameries men?) The big brands like Breyer’s and Blue Bell have stuck to churning out the sweet dessert in its truest, milkiest form. Until now.

Today, Ben & Jerry’s is launching it’s very first line of non-dairy flavors. Made with only vegan certified ingredients, including almond milk, the new non-dairy line is launching with four flavors: Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Chunky Monkey, Coffee Caramel Fudge and P.B. & Cookies. It’s something Ben & Jerry’s has been testing and tasting for over two years, and now they finally feel they have it perfect enough to release to the masses.

I’ve been lactose-intolerant for 10 years and testing out the new flavors was the first time I had ice cream in a long, long time. To me, it tasted heavily and I can’t wait to welcome the pints to live in my freezer. But I wondered how it tasted for people who are able to eat ice cream on the reg, so I rounded up the other Metro staffers to try too. Check out their brutally honest thoughts here:

“I tried the Chocolate Fudge Brownie. It was really good — much better than I would have guessed. It’s not as creamy as dairy-based ice cream, but the brownie is rich and chewy, which more than compensated. Thumbs up!” — Sheila Dougherty, copy editor

“I couldn’t believe the P.B. & Cookies one was vegan. However, I could definitely, depressingly believe the chocolate ones were.” — Matt Prigge, film editor

“The Coffee Carmel Fudge has a smooth texture that’s an improvement over regular ice cream.” — Aaron Jollay, copy editor

“It’s not quite Cherry Garcia, but the choclolate chunks in Chunky Monkey and the caramel in Coffee Caramel are delightful. The ice cream itself has an almond aftertaste, and it exceeded my low expectations about non-dairy ice cream.” — Alizah Salario, jobs and education editor

“The only thing in the Chocolate Fudge Brownie with any flavor is the brownie chunks, but that’s not saying much. How do you make chocolate tasteless?! The Coffee Caramel didn’t taste like coffee, and coffee is vegan. Overall, I give the flavors a C-, only because I know how good Ben & Jerry’s can be.” — Eva Kis, Going Out Editor

“I didn’t miss the milk in the delish P.B. & Cookies. Trick me all you want Ben & Jerry’s — love it!” — Tina Chadha, features editor

“Chunky Monkey is delicious!” – Luis Matos, production manager

Follow Emily on Twitter: @EmLaurence