Quiz a typical consumer on her Platonic ideal of ice cream bliss and she might respond with words like “chocolate-y,” “sundae” or even just “seconds, please.”
Ask Richard W. Hartel, however, and he’ll wax more elaborate, describing a treat that’s “smooth and creamy, not gummy or cloying,” “something with good melt properties” and one that “releases well-balanced flavors as the ice melts and leaves little mouth-coating behind.”