Meredith Perri | mperri@masslive.com

Who has the best ice cream in Massachusetts? The latest Best Of Mass sought after the perfect scoop from the Cape to the Berkshires.

MassLive readers submitted their nominees for the best ice cream across the commonwealth last month and then casted their votes to narrow the field down to the top 10 -- the top five vote getters in the east and the top five in the west.

MassLive's ice cream judges Kit Maher and Meredith Perri set out to try three different scoops at each spot -- vanilla and two flavors of the ice cream shop's choice -- to find the best spoonful of ice cream in the Massachusetts.

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Eastern Mass. Finalists

Here are the top five ice cream shops in Eastern Mass. as nominated by MassLive readers (in order of visit):

· New City Microcreamery, Hudson

· Kimball Farm, Westford

· Crescent Ridge, Sharon

· Sundae School, Dennis Port

· Polar Cave, Mashpee

The judges made a stop at each of the finalists during Day 1 of judging. Take a look at photos from that trip here and a recap of each place here.

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Western Mass. Finalists

Here are the top five ice cream shops in Western Mass. as nominated by MassLive readers (in order of visit):

· The Apple Place, East Longmeadow

· Rice Fruit Farm, Wilbraham

· Cindy's Drive-in, Granby

· Mt. Tom's, Easthampton

· SoCo Creamery, Great Barrington

The judges made a stop at each of the finalists during Day 2 of judging. Take a look at photos from that trip here and a recap of each place here.

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No. 10 -- Cindy's Drive-In, Granby

SUPERLATIVES: Best Place to Become a Regular

Location: 455 East State St., Granby

Website: www.cindysdrivein.com

What we had: Vanilla soft ice cream, Dirty Grasshopper soft ice cream and a hot fudge brownie sundae

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We’re here at Cindy's Drive In for the third stop on the Best Of Mass ice cream search! Meet owners Cindy and Jeremiah Maloni 🍦 Posted by MassLive on Wednesday, August 1, 2018

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No. 10 -- Cindy's Drive-In, Granby

Kit's take: Cindy's Drive-In has plenty of regulars who wish they were open all season long. With bright neon signs, turquoise booths, old fashioned red stools and a family history behind the counter, customers are invited to take a step back in time. If you're going to go for ice cream, why not go all the way with Cindy's brownie sundae. It has soft vanilla ice cream, homemade brownies and whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles and a cherry on top. The soft ice cream was super smooth and didn't freeze my tongue, since it is made six degrees cooler than hard ice cream.

My favorite we tried was the Dirty Grasshopper. Know that feeling when you get the check after dinner and see an Andes mint on it? Imagine that in an ice cream. That's the dirty grasshopper, a chocolate-based mint ice cream with slivers of Andes mints. Not a fan of soft ice cream? Cindy's offers hard ice cream as well.

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No. 10 -- Cindy's Drive-In, Granby

Meredith's take: Stepping into Cindy's is like stepping back in time a few decades. The bright, retro colors are matched only by the wide variety -- over 100 flavors -- of soft ice cream and hard ice cream.

Cindy's ice cream is smooth and easy to eat -- one of the several positives of the soft ice cream (notice we're not saying soft serve). I loved the Dirty Grasshopper -- the softer ice cream melded perfectly with the shavings of Andes mints for a refreshing taste.

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No. 9 -- Kimball Farm, Westford

SUPERLATIVES: Best Place to Stay Awhile

Location: 400 Littleton Road, Westford (Other locations: Lancaster, Carlisle and Jaffrey, New Hampshire)

Website: www.kimballfarm.com

What we had: Vanilla, coffee Oreo and black raspberry

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Kimball Farm is stop number 2 on our Best Of Mass search 🍦👌🏼 We’re here with Jill to learn about the history of the farm and how they serve up their homemade ice cream! Posted by MassLive on Monday, July 30, 2018

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No. 9 -- Kimball Farm, Westford

Kit's take: The best thing about Kimball Farm is how they stick to their traditions. Toppings are kept simple and vanilla is their most popular flavor. At the same time, Kimball Farm isn't afraid to add featured flavors to the full menu, as they pick up popularity and tastes have evolved. The most recently added flavors are vanilla blueberry crumble, salted caramel pretzel and s'mores ice cream flavors. My favorite Meredith and I tried was the Coffee Oreo ice cream, which had pre-crushed Oreos embedded throughout each bite of coffee ice cream. The cookies had a softer texture, akin to a traditional cookies n' cream, which gave each rich and creamy spoonful and smoother crunch.

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No. 9 -- Kimball Farm, Westford

Meredith's take: Kimball Farm's ice cream is loaded with tradition -- and you can taste it. From a creamy and classic vanilla to the black raspberry, Kimball Farm's ice cream is exactly what you're looking for when you order a scoop at your favorite local ice cream shop. The coffee ice cream had the added bonus of Oreo chunks that were the perfect size -- and we know they were the perfect size because they were hand crushed, keeping with the store's traditional feel.

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No. 8 -- The Apple Place, East Longmeadow

SUPERLATIVES: Hidden Gem

Location: 540 Somers Rd., East Longmeadow

Website: http://theappleplace.net/

What we had: Maple Valley Creamery's Vanilla, salted caramel truffle and Kahlua fudge brownie

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Best Of Mass judges kick off day two at The Apple Place The Best Of Mass ice cream search continues! Day 2 of judging is kicking of at The Apple Place in East Longmeadow. Join us! Posted by MassLive on Wednesday, August 1, 2018

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No. 8 -- The Apple Place, East Longmeadow

Kit's take: The most peaceful setting Meredith and I encountered, The Apple Place brought us to a new level of calm. Each detail of the environment, from the 1,600 apple trees to the tractor-seat benches, made this place special, not to mention the ice cream. Made with 16.9 percent milk fat and without eggs, the vanilla at The Apple Place offers a wonderful aftertaste that leaves the flavor, not a film, inside your mouth. Salted caramel truffle is their best-seller, another sweet and savory victory on the Best Of Mass search with caramel ice cream, a caramel swirl, dark chocolate chips and truffles. Parents beware: The Kahlua fudge brownie flavor, which we loved, is made with real coffee. But even if you decided to get it for your kids, they can run off the sugar high in the grassy area behind the dairy bar.

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No. 8 -- The Apple Place, East Longmeadow

Meredith's take: If I had a dream day, it would involve sitting in one of the gliders at The Apple Place enjoying a scoop of Maple Valley Creamery ice cream. The flavors from each of those scoops stayed with you in the best way possible, filling your mouth with bursts of caramel or fudge. The location is idyllic, and really makes you want to take some time out of your day to just enjoy their combination of delicious ice cream and an afternoon on the farm. I can completely see why the salted caramel truffle is a best seller -- it has a great depth of flavor that keeps you coming back spoonful after spoonful.

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No. 7 -- Crescent Ridge, Sharon

SUPERLATIVES: Best Chocolate Mix-ins

Location: 355 Bay Road, Sharon

Website: www.crescentridge.com

What we had: Vanilla, Cow Prints and Black Bear

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Crescent Ridge is celebrating their 50th year as an ice cream stand in Sharon. We’re here with owner Mark Parrish to try 3 flavors for ourselves! Posted by MassLive on Monday, July 30, 2018

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No. 7 -- Crescent Ridge, Sharon

Kit's take: By far, my favorite chocolate chips were found at Crescent Ridge. Large circular chips are my new replacement for tiny chocolate chips moving forward. Alongside their vanilla, we tried Cow Prints - a vanilla base with a fudge swirl and peanut butter cups - and Black Bear - a red raspberry base with truffles and chocolate chips. I was amazed by the latter, the soft truffles with hard chocolate chips made an excellent pairing, especially with the sweeter red raspberry ice cream. My recommendation? Eat outside at the picnic tables and take a chance to pet the three goats that live on the property: Checkers, Brown and Brownie.

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No. 7 -- Crescent Ridge, Sharon

Meredith's take: It's not every day that you get nose-to-nose with a cow, but Crescent Ridge offered that and more. The chocolate and fudge used in the Cow Prints (think Moose Tracks, but cow themed) added a velvety texture to the classic, while raspberry chocolate truffles added a burst of flavor to the Black Bear scoops. The ice cream alone was delicious and creamy, but the various chocolate add-ins put the flavors over the top.

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No. 6 -- Rice Fruit Farm, Wilbraham

SUPERLATIVES: Best use of Oreos

Location: 757 Main St., Wilbraham

Website: www.facebook.com/pg/RICE-FRUIT-FARM-Wilbraham

What we had: Vanilla, Dark Side and peanut butter Oreo

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RICE FRUIT FARM, Wilbraham was the #1 voted ice cream place on our Best Of Mass poll. We’re here to check it out and try three of their flavors! There’s a little family rivalry here: The owner Anthony Malone’s mother is Cindy of Cindy’s Drive In...where we’re headed next! Posted by MassLive on Wednesday, August 1, 2018

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No. 6 -- Rice Fruit Farm, Wilbraham

Kit's take: After going to Rice Fruit Farm, I was converted to the Dark Side -- the flavor that is. On first bite of the Dark Side, I said, "I've got a bite of brownie, I've got a bite of cookie. I don't think I could be happier right now." It's a delicious chocolate ode to Star Wars. Made with a dark chocolate ice cream, a chocolate swirl, a little bit of crushed Oreos and homemade Ghirardelli brownies and triple-chocolate chunk cookies from their bakery, the dark side is a chocolate-lovers dream. What impressed me about this ice cream was how I expected it to have cookie and brownie dough, not actual cookies and brownies. The real baked goods amped up the ice cream and offered different flavors and textures of chocolate in addition to the dark chocolate ice cream. Another thing I have to note about Rice Fruit Farm was how they achieved a peanut butter Oreo flavored ice cream that was not thick or sticky, but smooth. Using a high-grade peanut butter flavor, you could really taste the difference.

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No. 6 -- Rice Fruit Farm, Wilbraham

Meredith's take: Give me a large of the peanut butter Oreo ice cream, sit me in front of the fire pit, and I'll be happy. That flavor was one of the top bites I had on the road trip and part of it had to do with the Oreos. Rice Fruit Farm used a mix of Oreo sizes, allowing it to contribute to the deliciously creamy texture of the peanut butter ice cream in a multitude of ways. And don't sleep on that peanut butter ice cream -- somehow Rice Fruit Farm made what is usually a savory spoonful completely refreshing.

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No. 5 -- Mt. Tom, Easthampton

SUPERLATIVES: Best Coffee Ice Cream

Location: 34 Cottage St., Easthampton

Website: www.mttoms.com

What we had: Vanilla, burnt coffee and dark chocolate with sea salt and almonds

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Best Of Mass ice cream judges try Mt. Tom's Homemade Ice Cream We’re here with Jim Ingram, owner of Mt. Tom's Homemade Ice Cream & Candy Store, a local favorite in Easthampton. Check out what they have to offer on the fourth stop of the search! Posted by MassLive on Wednesday, August 1, 2018

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No. 5 -- Mt. Tom, Easthampton

Kit's take: Mt. Tom's ice cream was not too thick, not too sweet and had a nice fresh and airy consistency, especially through their vanilla. An awesome combination of sweet and salty, the chocolate almond sea salt flavor was my favorite. After tasting, I said, "I could crush a pint of that," and I don't doubt it. Salty and sweet - what's not to love? I really enjoyed how the flavor was made with entire almonds and not just bits of them; it made the crunch and taste all the better. The burnt coffee flavor was a different take on the many coffee flavors we tried throughout our trip, with a distinct sweetness. A combination of burnt sugar, coffee and hand-crushed Oreos, it really did taste like a cup of coffee with sugar. The pure-two fold vanilla at Mt. Tom's was also a winner.

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No. 5 -- Mt. Tom, Easthampton

Meredith's take: We tried several coffee ice creams during our trip, but Mt. Tom's version had something special to it. Created by Natasha Marble, the flavor mixes together two of Mt. Tom's best scoops -- burnt sugar and coffee. The combination creates the perfect balance of coffee and sweetness. That scoop alone shows the impressive nature of Mt. Tom's and the creativity owner Jim Ingram has cultivated since he opened the shop. Each of the other flavors we tried -- chocolate with sea salt and almonds and vanilla -- followed that pattern.

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No. 4 -- Sundae School, Dennis Port

SUPERLATIVES: Best Traditions and History

Location: 381 Lower County Rd., Dennis Port (Other locations: Harwich Port and East Orleans)

Website: www.sundaeschool.com

What we had: Vanilla, Raz-Oreo and Bass River Mud

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The Best Of Mass ice cream search has made it to the Cape! We’re here at Sundae School with Paul Endres, the shop’s owner since its opening in 1976. Posted by MassLive on Monday, July 30, 2018

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No. 4 -- Sundae School, Dennis Port

Kit's take: If you want an authentic ice cream experience, Sundae School is the place to go. Eat ice cream in a paper hat while taking a look at antiques lining the walls and listening to the sound of a self-playing piano just steps from an old school soda fountain. Sundae School had my favorite vanilla flavor, which was made with an extract imported from Madagascar. It was fresh, cool, and creamy with a soft texture you can easily scoop your spoon through. They really nailed it.

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No. 4 -- Sundae School, Dennis Port

Meredith's take: Entering Sundae School is like making your way through a family reunion. Paul Endres has created a homey environment out on the Cape and the passion behind his countless employees shows it. The vanilla scoop -- which was made with vanilla imported from Madagascar -- was one of the best we tried, and the Raz-Oreo had just the right ratio of crunch to ice cream.

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No. 3 -- Polar Cave, Mashpee

SUPERLATIVES: Mr. Congeniality -- Mark Lawrence

Location: 22 Falmouth Rd., Mashpee

Website: www.polarcave.com

What we had: Vanilla, Mashpee Mud and Death by Chocolate

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Last stop of the day on the Best Of Mass ice cream search! Join us on the Cape at Polar Cave with owner Mark Lawrence 🍨 Posted by MassLive on Monday, July 30, 2018

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No. 3 -- Polar Cave, Mashpee

Kit's take: Mark Lawrence, the owner of Polar Cave, quit the corporate life for the ice cream life, and it's a good thing he did. Meredith and I spent the final stop of our first day at Polar Cave, and the death by chocolate, one of their signature flavors, brought me life. I'm a fan of all things chocolate, especially dark chocolate, and I loved how Polar Cave catered to that. It's a rich chocolate ice cream with a fudge swirl, and dark chocolate chips. Decadent, but not too sweet. Dip a triangle of homemade waffle cone into that and it truly changes the game. My recommendation would be to take a scoop of the death by chocolate and a scoop of the very vanilla - made with 18 percent butter fat and a blend of two vanilla extracts - inside a waffle cone bowl.

Side note: Mashpee mud, Polar Cave's other signature flavor, is coffee ice cream, fudge swirl, crushed Oreos, almonds and dark chocolate chip. Upon tasting, I told Mark I could see how it could induce happiness. Every bite was flavor-packed with an incredible crunch and texture.

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No. 3 -- Polar Cave, Mashpee

Meredith's take: Let the bright pink house draw your attention, delightfully friendly owner Mark Lawrence make you feel at home and settle up to a bear-sized cup of ice cream. Polar Cave frequently has lines leading out of its shop, and for good reason. Every scoop had a perfect balance of flavor. I really enjoyed the scoop of Mashpee Mud, a combination of coffee ice cream, a fudge swirl, Oreos and chocolate chips. What seems like a lot of mix-ins for one scoop led to a delicious spoonful filled with flavor. More of a vanilla fan? Polar Cave's was creamy and filled with flavor, perfect to go along with a freshly made waffle cone. (You can smell the waffle cones the second you walk up to the door. If you manage to leave without one, let me know how you do it.)

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No. 2 -- SoCo Creamery, Great Barrington

SUPERLATIVES: Best in Western Mass.

Location: 5 Railroad St., Great Barrington

Website: www.sococreamery.com

What we had: Vanilla, blueberry-honey-lavender and Dirty Chocolate

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Best Of Mass ice cream judges visit SoCo Creamery in the Berkshires We’re in the Berkshires for the final stop on the Best Of Mass ice cream search! Check out SoCo Creamery, a shop that prides itself on upholding traditional New England values and providing fresh, natural and homemade ice cream. Posted by MassLive on Wednesday, August 1, 2018

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No. 2 -- SoCo Creamery, Great Barrington

Kit's take: A burst of cool lavender billows throughout your mouth upon tasting the blueberry-honey-lavender at SoCo Creamery. Instant relaxation ensues. By far, my favorite flavor on the Best Of Mass search, the blueberry-honey-lavender took my breath away. To put things in perspective, it was the 29th cup of ice cream I tried in three days, and I was still going back for more. The house-made hot fudge and all natural sprinkles paired with their locally-sourced vanilla ice cream was also a favorite of mine. Since it's free from preservatives, the hot fudge hardened on top of the ice cream after a few minutes, a far higher quality ode to my favorite childhood ice cream: vanilla dipped in hot fudge at the Dairy Queen.

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No. 2 -- SoCo Creamery, Great Barrington

Meredith's take: SoCo Creamery was the reigning champ for a reason. Their all-natural flavors create fresh and complex bites. Think you're not a fan of lavender? I encourage you to try the blueberry-honey-lavender ice cream -- one of the best and most creative ice creams we tried. Even the Dirty Chocolate wasn't just chocolate as it featured multiple types of chocolate to create a depth of flavor you rarely see in a single scoop. SoCo's commitment to local and natural products creates a different taste and it's one that keeps you coming back for all of their perfectly developed flavors.

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No. 1 -- New City Microcreamery, Hudson

Location: 28 Main St., Hudson

Website: www.newcitymicrocreamery.com

What we had: Vanilla, key lime pie and Hazelnutty

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The Best Of Mass ice cream search kicks off today! We’re at New City Microcreamery in Hudson for our first stop. New City makes their ice cream by freezing the cream with liquid nitrogen for a frosty and smooth texture. Posted by MassLive on Monday, July 30, 2018

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No. 1 -- New City Microcreamery, Hudson

Kit's take: New City Microcreamery, which makes all of their ice cream in-house, earns our number one spot for creating a texture and taste of ice cream like no other. The liquid nitrogen process, concocted in an old-fashioned Hobart machine, froze and whipped the cream simultaneously, a delight to watch, and even more to taste. The first spoonful took my breath away at how frozen, yet creamy it was. The vanilla, made with vanilla beans soaked for three days, tasted like frozen frosting. A drizzle of their homemade hot fudge, made with real butter and cream and a high percentage chocolate, and I was in love. Each of the all-natural ingredients and add-ins at New City Microcreamery take the flavor to the next level of intensity. The key lime pie, made with real lime and a graham cracker pie crust throughout the ice cream, tasted so good it made me prefer the ice cream over the pie. Creativity flows like water at New City Microcreamery and you are bound to find an original flavor that will make you come back for more, whether it's fennel pistachio, Hazelnutty, mocha blanca raspberry or ginger Thai basil.

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No. 1 -- New City Microcreamery, Hudson

Meredith's take: I have never had ice cream like this before in my life. This was the first spot we went to during our road trip, and I wound up comparing all 27 ice creams that followed to these first three. You really can taste the difference in the texture created by the use of liquid nitrogen. Even more than that, you get the difference that comes with natural ingredients. The key lime pie scoop was refreshing with a crumble pie crust layered just right, and you could taste the fact that they steeped their vanilla beans for three days before creating the ice cream. Every detail was just right, and I can't wait to go back. Save me some key lime pie ice cream.

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Previous Best Of Mass installments: