I am completely on board with this new frozen yogurt craze. I consider myself so froyazy I made up an adjective just for the purpose of describing it. This alternative to ice cream isn’t just a fad either; it’€™s a trend that will live on for many years to come, like acid-wash jeans. This is why I was ecstatic to learn that Ames was getting a second frozen yogurt place, Aspen Leaf, to complement Orange Leaf, its existing one. Did I mention I love the word “€œleaf”€ as well? Boy, was I excited.

When I first arrived at Aspen Leaf, I was given a small plastic cup to try the yogurt. It reminded me of the doctor’€™s office, but instead of a bathroom, I went over to their selection of sixteen different flavors. Luckily, there wasn’€™t anyone there to limit the amount of times I filled up my cup. So, like the tricky little devil that I am, I loaded up the tiny container with yogurt several times. (No urine was involved, as Aspen Leaf has a separate location for that.)

The yogurt tasted pretty good, though it was a bit more artificial tasting than Orange Leaf. It seemed to have a slightly more liquid-like texture. It was still decent, and not a whole lot different than Orange Leaf. I especially enjoyed the root beer flavor. The pistachio was pretty wild, too. So wild I’€™m still not sure if I’€™m using that adjective with a positive or negative connotation.

Once I felt that I had examined my options sufficiently, I started on my froyo concoction. Considering myself very well-cultured in dairy after visiting several frozen yogurt places, I knew that the biggest beginner’€™s mistake when piecing together a self-serve desert is to go into the whole situation without a plan. You can spot a frozen yogurt newbie (or frewbie) by the tower of every single flavor they have teetering out of their container. My usual plan is to pick between fruit flavors and all of the other flavors. Sometimes mixing the two can have drastic consequences. On this particular day, I wasn’€™t feeling very fruity, so I went with cake batter, root beer, and coffee yogurt.

Next, I headed over to the toppings. They had more toppings than Orange Leaf, which was a plus. However, even with my long, lanky arms, I had trouble reaching under the glass to access the toppings on the other side of the counter.

I mentioned to a lady that worked there that I was writing an article about Aspen Leaf for the WEB. She immediately replied with, “We’re better than Orange Leaf.”€ I loved her rebellious spirit. It got me super pumped to go pay for my yogurt and eat it.

That’€™s when I discovered the area in which Aspen Leaf completely destroyed Orange Leaf: seating accommodations. Aspen Leaf actually had normal chairs, instead of those uncomfortable, orange, amorphous blobs. They also had a pretty cool hang-out area in the back with a fireplace and a TV.

I enjoyed Aspen Leaf about the same as Orange Leaf, because each one excels in its own area: Orange Leaf in yogurt, and Aspen Leaf in chairs. If I could, I would get my yogurt at the former, then take it to the latter to eat. Too bad yogurt melts so quickly…