I approached the writing of this article with a mild sense of trepidation. The Wendy’s Frosty and I have a somewhat tumultuous relationship.
Last year, I tried out the Pumpkin Spice Frosty with my roommate and left an honest but less than satisfactory review.
I went ahead and tried whatever berry concoction the restaurant advertised this summer and deemed it simply alright. Yet here I am again, putting my delicate gut microbiome on the line for the sake of journalism and testing out the highly coveted Thin Mint Frosty.
This flavor is actually a collaboration with the Girl Scouts. I was a Girl Scout back in the day, and though I was no top cookie seller, I felt I had to support my own. My own being two mega corporations with slight proximity to my heart.
To make my choice in subjects for this article even more confusing, I must now reveal that I don’t even like mint. I don’t hate it — I think mint is wonderful as a toothpaste flavor or in a peppermint mocha — but I wouldn’t consider myself a fan.
I also never really liked Thin Mints. I haven’t given them a chance in adulthood, but also, why would I waste time and money on Thin Mints when Caramel Delites, Peanut Butter Patties and Lemonades exist?
Late Monday night after a meeting, I phoned a friend and we ventured out to the Wendy’s on Clairemont Avenue. We decided that, for the full experience, we’d have our snack inside the establishment.
Two Frosties and a medium fry were ordered, and we sat in a cozy corner with a scenic view of the parking lot. The glass windows encasing the building provided peak ambiance since, as everyone knows, parking lots always have the best sunsets.
My friend Halee and I both ordered the Frosty with a chocolate base — chocolate over vanilla supremacy always.
We went ahead and dug right in. The initial taste was a little confusing. The mint flavor came from something that looked like a grainy fudge swirl.
As I let the flavor spread across my tongue I realized that, to my astonishment, I didn’t hate it. In fact, I actually liked it. The flavor combo reminded me a lot of a peppermint mocha, which is the best possible use of mint.
If memory serves, the flavor was very accurate to that of a classic Thin Mint cookie.
Generally speaking, I find Frosties to be mediocre. If I went to a wishing well, dropped a penny in and whispered that I wanted some ice cream, a Frosty is what would appear.
I kept returning to the Frosty the way I did to the last man I dated — saying I was done then returning just one more time, at least five more times, only to be disappointed each time that it hadn’t gotten better.
The flavor was very redundant — there were no layers to it, and it lacked complexity. But for $2.99 in this economy, that’s a pretty big steal.
I tapped out after about one-third of the treat, not willing to risk my stomach on a Frosty when I had real ice cream at home. The fries, despite being objectively more mediocre than the Frosty, were demolished.
I can’t in good conscience recommend Wendy’s Thin Mint Frosty, but I can say that if you choose to acquire one, your experience will probably be adequate. You may even leave thinking that the experience wasn’t a complete waste of time and money.
Perhaps you will even leave feeling enlightened, as you discovered that you do not hate mint, as you had told people for so many years.
Price can be reached at pricekb7791@uwec.edu.
