Baskin Robbins now sells low-sugar ice cream. We tasted it.

Baskin Robbins Korea launches low-sugar, low-calorie ice cream flavors, responding to health trends among consumers.

Staff at the Baskin Robbins' Cheongdam branch check out the ice cream flavors on May 15 [NEWS1]

Food manufacturers all over Korea are jumping on the low-calorie train, and Baskin Robbins, 40 years after entering the country, is the latest.

The company has introduced a “low-sugar, low-calorie” lineup of ice cream flavors titled the “Lessly Edition,” which it says have 45 percent fewer calories and 39 percent less sugar than their traditional counterparts, substituting erythritol, sucralose and polydextrose as sweeteners. The flavors: Almond Bon Bon, Mint Chocolate Chip, Chocolate and Puss in Boots, a modification of Korea's Mom is an Alien offering.

Baskin Robbins, in Korea, works independently from the brand's U.S. headquarters. Its flavors tend to be Korea-specific, including collaborations with Godiva, Hello Kitty and Pokémon. Its low-sugar brand is a response to the exploding popularity of health-conscious sweets in Korea, as Lalasweet, a low-sugar ice cream and, more recently, Binggrae’s low-calorie Deep & Low, both of which have been gaining traction among younger generations.

New Baskin Robbins flavors are displayed the Baskin Robbins Chungdam branch in southern Seoul, on May 15 [CHO YONG-JUN]

Samples of the four low-sugar versions tasted largely like their more caloric counterparts, but had a rather hollow feel, not quite as “thick” as the normal flavors. The thin flavoring was especially apparent in comparison to the Deep Collection, another new product the brand is rolling out, which uses French milk and offers a much richer flavor and thicker feel. Those more expensive flavors, including Chocolate Fudge Brownie and Raspberry Cheesecake Cookie, felt much thicker than the low-sugar variants.

Also rolling out is the company's second set of flavors designed by AI: Omija Orange Sorbet and Secret. Omija is Korean for magnolia berries, native to northeast China, the Russian Far East and Korea. Google's Gemini was prompted to create the flavors based on “A Korea-only fruit that is suitable for the summer” and “A flavor that describes both past, present and the future.”

The new flavors will first be introduced to Baskin Robbins's new Cheongdam-dong branch, which opens Friday, and may come to subsequent branches depending on the customer reception, according to the company. Customers can try the tastes for themselves at a 5,000 won all-you-can-eat ice cream “buffet,” which the store will operate on Saturday and Sunday.

New Baskin Robbins desserts are shown at the Baskin Robbins Chungdam branch in southern Seoul, on May 15 [CHO YONG-JUN]

“Forty years ago, there were only three flavors of ice cream in Korea, which were strawberry, chocolate and vanilla,” said Hur Hee-soo, executive vice president of Baskin Robbins parent company SPC Group, at the launch. “We've liberated our customers' taste.”

Does Hur prefer the low-sugar flavors himself? Not exactly — the executive's favorite flavor, he admitted to the Korea JoongAng Daily, is Bonjour, Macaron.

SPC Group’s executive vice president Hur Hee-soo, left, and American Chamber of Commerce in Korea Chairman and CEO James Kim try Baskin Robbins' ice creams during Baskin Robbins' press event on May 15 in southern Seoul. [CHO YONG-JUN]

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]