My Ice Cream's Greener Than Yours

I didn't want to go back.

I really didn't want to.

But I'd peeked into Blue Marble (420 Atlantic Ave.) a few times this summer, looking for iced tea, and even sampled some cones at a street fair in Brooklyn. Its green tea flavor, however, had proved elusive until today.

Admittedly, I hadn't been trying too hard to track it down. Blue Marble is a "green" ice-cream company, and not shy about touting that. While I agree with those principles, the overall feel of the shop and its customers are almost unbearably ecotistical.

And how is it possible to justify paying over $3.50 for one- one- single scoop of ice cream?

Once it's melting on my greedy tongue, I don't really care that it's organic, locally sourced and carbon-negative, or that the napkins clutching the cone are biodegradable.

But as you can see, this green tea ice cream is made with matcha from Uji, Japan, my most favorite tea terroir in the world. And I do have a responsibility to my audience.

So I may not be proud of myself, but I did it: I paid $7.59 for two cones, in fact. And unfortunately, it was really, really good. The matcha's beautifully strong, vegetal flavor positively sang with the creamy, just-sweet-enough base. I'm going to have to go back.

But please, keep the fair-trade, biodynamic sticky buns (I wish I was kidding) talk down while I slink in to get my fix. Otherwise I might not be able to go through with it.