Blue Marble

I will sincerely miss this Atlantic gem as they close the cash drawer, hang up their aprons, and put down their scoops.
Due to the pressures of external forces, they are now closed. As a final farewell, they threw a party as a thank you and a celebration of this ice cream shop’s place in the neighborhood. There was bubbly and cheese for the VIPs. They have also started the first ice cream shop in Rwanda!
For my last double mini marble, I had strawberry & ginger. V ordered the mocha chocolate chip and butter pecan. We seeped in the atmosphere with the final patrons before grabbing a delicious pint to go.
Thank you Blue Marble!

Blue Marble is without a doubt one of the top 10 ice cream places I’ve been to. If it wasn’t for the prices being uncommonly high (about $ 3 for a single scoop, almost $ 6 for two) I’d be more inclined to give them 5 stars. The story here is that everything is organic and almost entirely local. Two girls opened the shop in 2007 and since then they’ve expanded to another shop in Prospect Heights and a tiny closet sized shop down the street in Cobble Hill. Their homemade ice cream flavors vary from typical to completely unique (you can expect in the neighborhood of 10 – 12 flavors available at any time). Some great flavors that are out of the ordinary here are pumpkin, dolce de leche, and root beer, cinnamon, and more. The flavors are the most vivid I’ve ever had and the texture is so smooth that it’s almost like frozen custard. I found as though a couple of the flavors were a little too soft but the two I got where firm but not rock solid (just like hard ice cream should be). If I had to nit pick I would say that the ice cream is so dense that the texture can be a little gummy but it’s really not a big issue. In addition to ice cream and sundaes they also have a few baked goods available like cookies and brownies.
UPDATE: On October 24^th Blue Marble will be closing its doors (at this location) for good because of issues with their landlord. As a farewell they’ll be holding a charity party (with proceeds going to an ice cream shop they opened in Rwanda) and they’ll have some celebrity guests (like Michael Showalter). It probably wasn’t too hard to get a few minor celebrities on board as one of the co-​owners, Jennifer Dundas, is an actress herself. It should be fun.

The critically-​acclaimed sweetart strawberry was simply amazing. It’s the perfect blend of tart and sweet (way more complex than your average strawberry flavor) and I think there were little bits of strawberry too. I can’t imagine getting any other flavor.
It’s also rare that I’ve thought this long about ice cream (it’s been a month since I’ve visited).
I am definitely coming back here the next time I’m in New York (I think this chain is only in Brooklyn though, just FYI).
Also, I think this store may be closing? Not sure, but you may want to call and make sure it’s still open before visiting.

I’m really upset with myself. I entered thinking, «HOW in the wide world of Carmen San Diego did I forget about this Blue Marble location?» Yes, these words, verbatim… I didn’t; I’d been here before.
Blue Marble ice cream (gelato, really) gets stuck to your spoon like a child clings to your leg when you separate it from its mother, escaping the bowl like the richest honey yet still bearing traits of airy American ice cream. The local chain has character but doesn’t impose it on you, embodied in its outdoor seating with no buy-​something-​inside requirements. I prefer this BM for its chill ambiance, despite its perilous proximity to Atlantic Terminal. They utilize their signature spoons, and overall I’ll take Blue Marble minis over same-​sized, more expensive, less innovative & less honest Carvel scoops any day.
Jovial & ebullient dudes and a lone chica helped me out — yes, all at once. I tried the mango sorbet but ended up purchasing a double mini root beer and sweetart strawberry for $ 4.25. There existed a distinct, concentrated «root beer float on crack» essence, coupled with sweetly tartly delectable some kind of wonderful strawberry summer-​ender.

Delicious. Custardy. Richer than most ice creams, also a little on the sweet side, but these are also pro’s depending on who you talk to.
I was in a bad mood that day. I had also just traveled the usual hour and a half journey to my boyfriend’s house in Brooklyn by train from Flushing, when I passed by this small ice cream shop on my way to Grand Army Plaza. It was 10:30pm. I’m in a bad mood (as was mentioned) and decide to get an ice cream. They don’t take credit cards. I walk to the nearest bank of america, a little over 10 minutes away, and my boyfriend bikes to meet me. We make it just in time before the shop closes at 11pm.
It is bliss. Nothing better than getting a strawberry ice cream right when you want a strawberry ice cream.

This is the best ice cream place in NY. I am a self-​proclaimed chocolate connoisseur and they have the BEST chocolate ice cream in the universe. HOWEVER… recently the girl behind the counter told me that they use a different chocolate. BOO!
But then I got another flavor, and it was pretty great and all was right with the world again.

The ice cream here is great! It is organic and flavors are quite creative. It is a little on the pricey side though. Probably because it is organic and all that. Nonetheless, indulgence once a while is simply a pleasure!

Three stars simply because the ice cream is tasty. I had cookies and cream — it was very good, light, tasted homemade and it was a nice treat on a hot day!
However, I cannot justify spending almost $ 4 for a scoop of ice cream. Granted, it’s all sustainable goods, everything is organic and the cows are grass fed, but $ 4 for a scoop of ice cream?
I grew up on rite-​aid ice cream for $.50 (yea, okay it’s not homemade and the cows weren’t probably grass fed and it probably wasn’t organic). But for $ 4, I can just spend that on a box of ice cream, stick it in my freezer and enjoy several scoops over the span of a few days.
Anyway, it is good ice cream and it’s nice that proceeds of sales go to their charity in Rwanda but I don’t know if I’d come back — my $ 4 could go a longer way than just ice cream.

5 stars alone for the greatest use of a 7 foot-​wide backyard. The rear patio is the kind of thing that twists my nibblets. Tiny spaces that are utilized to their fullest (often unseen) potential are essential in all establishments of the utmost quality. The rear courtyard is a narrow fenced in patio garden, shaded with old trees and many other residential and commercial rear yards bearing down on it. My cup of tea to a T.
The ice cream gets another 5… so thick you get a wrist workout if you order a cup with a spoon (my favorite). My girlfriend and I simply ordered the Conscientious Chip and declared it the best chocolate chip we had ever had.
this place is a bit pricey… and this pisses me off a bit… because I can get an amazing Gyro or Grinder for equal price as a cup of ice cream, but that’s the nature of slowing down and becoming aware and CONSCIENTIOUS upon eating Ice Cream

Fantastic, old-​fashioned ice cream shop. A hundred times better than supermarket brands like Ben and Jerry’s or Haagen-​Daz (which is made in New Jersey and has nothing to do with Europeans, FYI).
Ice cream is homemade tasting. Milk comes from a local farm that grass-​feeds their cows. All sorbets and ice creams are organic, and the packaging is biodegradable or recyclable. Sustainable farming and organic ingredients are a big deal to me, and I commend Blue Marble for meeting a higher standard.
Love their Pistachio Almondine and Dulce de Leche. So creamy and sweet! Chunk-​o-​chocolate is fantastic for die-​hard chocolate fans.
Fun to eat at the store– it is super country looking, with white wooden tables and funny little knick-​knacks everywhere. Plus, who doesn’t like to be a 5-​year-​old at the counter and play with the marble toy?

This place is totally pretty! That alone is worthy of 2 stars. I love the very very green feel of this place. From the seating to the cups almost everything is reyceled. I like being green, it makes me feel like im helping the planet.
But i don’t like is clean ice cream. What i mean by that is when i order cookies and crème, i would like some cookies! I basically got a vanilla with 20% of an orero. It was good, just to light. My friend got the Carmel, and said the same thing, way to light. I’m all for green but i need flavor!

I admit it. I’m a ginger nut. No, I don’t have digestive problems. I just lurve ginger. Candied, grated, processed to a powder, it don’t make me none.
Blue Marble has perfected ginger ice cream. Lovely candied ginger pieces in a wonderfully creamy ice cream. It’s best served on a sugar cone. Just thinking back to that cone makes the corners of my mouth curl up to a happy place.
Sigh…

Shabby as chic décor in both locations make this an inviting and greenish ice-​creamery. They use recycled cups for the i.c. The ice-​cream comes in about 9 flavors and is created in an upstate creamery. It is creamy, good flavored ice-​cream. I have tasted the chocolate, strawberry and café au lait all sweetly yummy. The new flavor of banana peanut butter is clever. One point off cause the ice-​cream is made in an upstate creamery and not on premises and this ice-​cream addict tastes it and it is pricey.

I wanted to like Blue Marble, i really really did.
I walked in the door and was greeted by a lovely cold blast, which I must say that having walked about two miles on the hottest most stickiest day I can remember, a little bit of me will always think fondly of the Marble folks, just not so much for their product.
Problem was, the second thing I was confronted with was a milk gone bad smell. It hit me and I ended up making that face, you know the one when you smell rancid milk? Sick. I found that my ice cream had a similar taste buried in there. Had a few licks, but couldn’t get past it.
What I ended up really liking was their air conditioning. I left the shop wondering how to make my apartment feel as cold as Blue Marble, probably not the best way to have your customers leaving…

I am vaguely discomforted as I walk down Atlantic Avenue and make my way to Blue Marble. The name’s a reference to Planet Earth, following a popular photograph taken by the crew of Apollo 17 — the last manned lunar mission. I have already read up their many claims of being environment friendly: organic, green, and local. The «dairy is grass fed, hormone and antibiotic free». For some ‘unearthly’ reason, that statement conjures up images of cows watching Disney movies while grazing!
I shake my head and look up the address: 420 Atlantic Avenue… Hmm, Section 420 in the Indian Penal Code covers a confidence trickster: a person acting fraudulently to cheat a person out of his/​her belongings. Or, even if the person is not a trickster, people mistake him/​her for one. Decidedly, not an auspicious address! Speaking of auspicious, my mind wanders to the talk threads and I try to apply NYC’s funniest Unilocaler’s theory on astrological compatibility: Earth (Blue Marble) meets water (Atlantic Avenue) to make: mud. Nope. Not a good sign!
Then there is the talk thread about Blue Marble by an ‘undefined’ (0/​0, for those mathematically inclined) Unilocaler which has created additional misgivings. I try to keep an open mind but can’t help worrying about the ‘Brooklyn Ratings Inflation Factor’. I confess that I’ve had only a few experiences in Brooklyn where the hype has indeed merited substance, certainly not enough of them to proclaim Brooklyn as the New Manhattan.
Sadly, such is also the case with Blue Marble. Ok, call me spoilt: but coffee, strawberry and mint chip no longer do it for me. Boring! Blame it on Thai Chili Chocolate or Mexican Cinnamon Basil from Il laboratorio and other exciting flavors from L’arte Del Gelato! Of the available options at Blue Marble, I only find the frozen yogurt (culture) as appealing. Even the texture isn’t consistent for the server has to put her entire strength behind scooping up what remains of the Pistachio. Now I do believe their claims of serving ice cream made in «small batches», but what use is it to me if they are running out a prior dated shipment from Hudson Valley? Which also is a somewhat interesting choice of production location, if only for their whole ‘neighborhood’ angle. Why then should I prefer it to Emack and Bolio’s (of the North East)?
Blue Marble turns out to be a thoroughly disappointing trek, a competent product but far from meriting the rave reviews that it has. It kind of reminds me of the story about the Emperor’s new clothes. I’m sorry, but I can’t give the ice cream rave reviews simply because kids can play there or they are environment friendly. That alone, doesn’t make an average product, sublime.
Do go if you still enjoy playing with blue marbles… wait, that didn’t come out right! ;)
(No cows were hurt nor were any kids bullied during the writing of and research for this review).

Cool treats relieve hot days, and Blue Marble on Atlantic is one of my favorite places to stop and have a little bit of awesome.
Big-​ups (aka, the Alice Waters checklist):
Is it organic? Check!
Is it local? Check!
Is it green? Check! Down to the furniture and the cups and spoons.
Is it fair? Check! (Well, okay, more like check-​minus, since, for reals, this ice cream is top dollar.)
Extra bonuses (aka, the Miguel approves checklist):
Any cool quirks? Marbles, of course!
Any other fun consumables? On top of ice cream they have baked goods, like homemade quiche or La Crosta pies (someone’s been trading at Brooklyn Flea!), as well as Virgil’s root beer (delish!), among many others.
It’s fun watching the folks behind the counter almost always fumbling with the milkshake machine, and it doesn’t hurt that some of them are pretty cute.
And as for vanilla being a benchmark flavor, you won’t be disappointed.
Did I mention there’s free wi-​fi?

I’m amending my original review after being contacted by Jennie D., one of the owners at Blue Marble. Jennie D. apologized for the experience I had and for the marble size scoop of ice cream I got by generously giving me a $ 20 gift certificate to come back. I definitely plan on giving Blue Marble a second chance.
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Went here yesterday and I won’t go back.
It was so overpriced! You get a scoop of ice cream the size of a marble.
I could buy 2 gallons worth for the price I paid for two scoops.

This place is so cute! And it’s a short walk from Sahadi’s and Damascus Bakery if you need to refuel.
I got some coffee and my partner got their mocha ice cream. The coffee is fair trade and organic, and if you’re into a mild, acidic blend, you’ll probably like it better than I did. The coffee is obviously an afterthought to the ice cream. I tried the ice cream and it was rich and smooth. My half-​Welsh partner was raving over how you can taste the cream because it’s not buried under loads of sugar. The Welsh know their ice cream!
Since my initial visit, I’ve been back and tried their Mora Berry sorbet, which also benefits from their refusal to douse everything in sugar syrup. I make a lot of my own sorbets and frozen yogurt at home because I like to taste fresh market ingredients and control how much sugar and/​or fat goes into the finished dessert. Blue Marble’s finished product tastes a lot like my sorbets, and that’s great. Mora Berry flavor is similar to a cross of tart raspberry and blackberry, and the sorbet has a smooth, firm mouthfeel.
They have a big selection of loose tea blends from In Pursuit Of Tea. [
] I can wholeheartedly recommend the Assam black, and look forward to trying the Cardamom Chai on another visit.
Blue Marble’s dairy is all grass-​fed, no GMO, no antibiotic. Their packaging is mostly biodegradable too! As for coffee, the cold cups are bio-​friendly but the hot cups aren’t. Whoops.

Amaaazing ice-​cream.
This place is so amazingly cute (in that magical yuppie-​ish sort of way. bordering on too much). Well lit, an excellent atmosphere, and super-​friendly staff.
Oh yeah, and their address is 420. Definitely check it out.

Get off that damn line at Pinkberry and check this ice cream out. I had been waiting for most of the summer for blue marble to open and it finally has. I sampled the ginger which was tasty and the flavor kind of opened and expanded on my tongue. I had a mini double of one scoop ginger/​one chocolate. YUM-​tasty and definitely is less processed seeming or laden with chemicals.
I will be making trips here even if it is snowing outside-​they have tea and some delicious looking cookies as well but I will be making my way down the flavor list of ice cream for sometime to come.