Eva Buto – Science Editor

evie@psu.edu

As a Penn State student, it is my duty to support Penn State ice cream. In fact, I’m likely more passionate about our ice cream than our sports teams. The Straw Hat, located in Northeast, Pennsylvania, serves over fifteen flavors of Penn State ice cream, which is made at the Berkey Creamery and delivered. With our campus at Behrend only serving up to six ice cream flavors at a time, this spot is a must-try for those who have never tasted some of Penn State’s best ice cream flavors.

Some of Penn State’s best flavors, in my opinion, are cookie dough, scholar’s chip, and raspberry fudge torte. Cookie dough has a generous amount of cookie dough pieces as well as separate chocolate chips, which is hard to find in a cookie dough ice cream. Scholar’s chip seems like it would be bland as a vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips, but the vanilla ice cream is perfectly flavored without tasting artificial or cloying, and the chocolate chips add the perfect amount of bitterness to the dish. Raspberry fudge torte, although not offered year-around, is one of the best offerings with chocolate chunks and sweet and slightly tart raspberry jam. 

If Penn State ice cream does not appeal to you, the Straw Hat also offers around 20 rotating flavors of Perry’s ice cream as well as frozen treats, milkshakes, and softserve. They also have their trademark donut ice cream sandwich, which I have not yet tried. With so many flavors, it feels impossible to choose just one to order. This is where the Straw Hat’s best offering comes in: the flight. With six different scoops of ice cream for a reasonable price, this treat is perfect to share with family or a significant other. The portions here are large: you will get your money’s worth and I recommend ordering a small one the first time you go. The staff at the Northeast location are also friendly and knowledgeable and will help guide you to a flavor of ice cream. 

The store is kept nice and clean, and there are string lights that illuminate the place beautifully at night. The Straw Hat is also open year-around, with the off-season hours currently being 4-9 pm. The only downside of the establishment is the location. It’s located around 10 miles from Penn State Behrend and in another town. However, the drive there is light, and can often be relaxing in the summertime. I have a lot of fond memories at the Straw Hat and would recommend it to anyone who has a way to get there.