YEE: Blockheads Shavery

A little late to the party but better late than never, right?!
I was so excited to attend my first YEE and wasn’t sure what to expect. What I got was a great afternoon filled with delicious shaved snow with some awesome Unilocalers! This Blockheads location can be easily missed as it’s down a little alley. It’s kind of a nice feel though because it’s away from the hustle and bustle of Old Town.
We started off by having a game of sampling four different flavors of shaved snow. Whoever got the most correct answers won a prize! Avocado Coconut was my favorite and is a seasonal flavor! It’s really creamy but light at the same time. Not much of a coconut fan but I’m crazy about avocado. The combo together taste really, really good. I was pretty sad when the owner told me it’s a pretty expensive snow to make and it might not be available at all Blockheads =(
The owners introduced their newest project– popsicles! I think there were five flavors we got to pick from. I went with the Watermelon Mint Cucumber and it was nice and refreshing! I think the cucumber and mint flavors can be a little stronger but overall a nice treat to have on hot summer days. The owner came around and answered our questions and we got to give them feedback about their new creations. The entire staff was really nice!
My favorite part of the entire event was getting to make mochi balls in the kitchen! Blockheads make their own mochi balls throughout the day! Very cool! I doubt they used the ones I made though, haha.

This unique YEE was a blast. The owners of Blockhead showed us how to make their famous rice cakes, gave us a preview of the Blockpops Popsicles, and conducted a taste test to win one of their cute Blockhead bird!
It would be a mistake to think Blockheads is just a Hawaiian shaved ice joint, they shave actual blocks of creamy ice cream which makes for an airy and light texture. With only the freshest ingredients used as toppings, you can customize the perfect bowl. I highly recommend the #2 Green Tea special.
If you find yourself shopping in Old Town Pasadena, be sure to hit up Blockheads Shavery Co for a cool treat in this heat!

This was a really great event, my first one as a Unilocal LA Elite (I just arrived from Chicago). Jessica was a great facilitator and it was nice to see her smiling face as soon as I got to the Shavery. The owners were also really enthusiastic about their ice cream and served us up a great time. The blind taste test was fun. I loved that black sesame flavor and can’t wait to go back to try more. The ladies I sat with were also super sweet and made me feel welcome. It’s really a cute place with innovative flavors that you can’t really find anywhere else. I had to leave before the rice cake demonstration. Boo! But I can’t wait to go back and try some of their flavors with the unique toppings next time. They all sounded wonderful.

(Attended 05÷01÷15 F @ 12:00pm): Let’s get shaved for lunch in Old Town Pasadena!
YEE: Blockheads Shavery — a last-​minute intimate event — was such a treat to have finally met UnilocalLA CM Katie B.‘s newest assistant, Jessica H. I even got to hang out among great Unilocal friends (i.e. Robbie B., Tora C., Angela M., Cydney M.) while I finally met other friends for the first time (i.e. Ed L., Kat S.). With the sugar high now gone, here was a snapshot of my afternoon:
Unilocal Swag & Prizes — The always useful flask, a playful deck of cards, and buttons to be worn as flair were available for the taking. Plus, a surprise gift card for more sweets!
Various «Blindfold» Tastings:
~1^st Avocado Coconut — The only one I got right, I tasted the avocado instantly but the coconut was more subtle. A somewhat tropical experience with a clean finish.
~2^nd Black Sesame — I thought this was some seaweed concoction with Oreo Cookies mixed in (at least I got the color right). The sesame was the Asianness I tasted and its consistency was good.
~3^rd Soy Milk Custard — The appearance reminded me of ginger served with sushi! Once I got past that I thought it tasted like mochi which I loved, but it didn’t work for me in this case; my least favorite of all of them.
~4^th Spiced Chai Tea — My favorite of the bunch, I thought this was horchata which I loved, so I was kind of on the right cinnamon road. I’d definitely order another one of this.
NEW Blockheads Pops:
A guinea pig for these soon-​to-​be-​available all-​natural ingredient unique flavor items, I wished I was able to try all six flavors based solely on the names (sorry, can’t remember them all now). I chose the coconut ginger and I was simply in heaven! Again, the consistency was great and there were also sufficient pieces of both coconut and ginger. Similar popsicles were selling like hotcakes at Coachella this year from $ 4-​$ 5 each, so they shouldn’t have a problem at a more reasonable $ 3 – 3.50 each.
Service — From start to finish, the two gentlemen who owned/​ran the shop were extremely gracious and informative. And, the «behind-​the-​scenes» tour of the kitchen was really cool (I had so much fun I forgot to take pictures)!
Parking (first 90 minutes free; varied after [$ 2.00 in my case]) — As recommended, I parked at the nearby Schoolhouse Parking Structure and walked a block. I stayed for the entire 2-​hour event so I paid a tiny bit when I left. Otherwise, there were plenty of metered street parking as well as numerous other parking garages that offered different rates.
Atmosphere, décor, ambience — Tucked away down one of the many not-​so-​scary alleys (Mills Alley to be exact) in Old Town Pasadena, this quaint no-​nonsense high-​ceiling industrial space with cement columns, an ADA-​compliant ramp, and bright electric light fixtures that dangled from above was welcoming with its large front glass windows that allowed excellent natural lighting. The dark wooden tables and chairs were somewhat packed close together for a near communal feel
. A menu chalk wall behind the counter greeted you with its rainbow of playful colors
. Framed pictures of their enigmatic cute penguin hung on the walls
, while I took advantage of the creative Doodle Board and tagged it
. No TVs or background music, but the acoustics weren’t the best either.
Attire — It was totally casual, so I was in a t-​shirt, boardshorts and flip-​flops.
Overall, YEE: Blockheads Shavery was a relaxing afternoon respite from the heat outside and a wonderful way to usher in the weekend. Big shout outs again to Jessica H. who organized the event and represented UnilocalLA East proudly, to The Blockheads Shavery and the entire staff who graciously hosted this awesome event and allowed me to pop my «cherry» at their establishment. I found total value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (total paid experience was around $ 7.00; $ 5.00 towards tip). And although it wasn’t required at this event, the restaurant accepted my credit card of choice… AMEX! 5.0 STARS

Finally, I’ve made it to my first elite event ever.
About 20 of us Unilocal elites got together and tried new snow cream flavors in the works, popsicles they’ll be releasing soon, a behind the scenes to make rice cakes, and our own snow cream with toppings.
This 3^rd location is a bit hidden on Mills alleyway between Green St. and Colorado Blvd. by Guppyhouse.
We started with a blind taste test of four flavors of snow cream which included avocado honey, black sesame, soy, and chai tea. I loved them all and they were all true to their respected flavors.
Then they brought out popsicles for us to try which will be a new item they’ll soon be selling. Some flavors were green tea pistachio, salted caramel, and chile watermelon. I love green tea everything, so the green tea pistachio blockpop was great. You can definitely taste the green tea and they didn’t skimp in covering it in pistachio.
Then we got to get our own snow cream flavors with toppings and there were about 20 flavors to choose from and a whole lot of toppings as well. I opted for black sesame green tea with red bean, strawberries, mochi, and a drizzle of condensed milk. Yum-​o! Their snow cream has the perfect texture and taste.
Thank you Jessica and the co-​owners of Blockheads for putting together a fun event. I’ll definitely have to come back try other flavor combinations with the gift card they gave us.

Jessica was a superstar at hosting this intimate awesome dessert party! I’ve always wanted to visit a Blockheads so this was my chance! There were about twenty of us who got to try the frosty creations at Blockheads. Many of us trickled in late bc it wasn’t the easiest place to find (its on Mills, off of Fair Oaks!). Parking was 90 minutes free at the NE corner of Greene and Fair Oaks (even ONE minute over is $ 2!).
The owners were friendly and charming and started off the fun with a blind taste test of 4 (delicious) mystery flavors. We were all feeling off to a great start until the last flavor threw us off — chai, not horchata! but omg the black sesame was my fave! The game was them followed with samples of their popsicles/​paletas. I got the watermelon-​chili and it was quite refreshing, perfect for the über hot weather. They then invited us in the back to make rice cakes! so awesome to make these Taiwanese balls of heaven… and then eat them! Lastly, we were graciously invited to take home a snow creation. The options were endless with all the mix-​and-​match choices of snow and toppings :) take home message: Blockheads Shavery was the bomb– the staff, the snow, and the popsicles, I can’t wait to come back!

I was happy to see this YEE pop up because I am already a huge fan of Blockheads Shavery… and it was the perfect event on a warm summer like day.
Beware that Blockheads is in Miller’s Alley even though its address is on Fair Oaks. I was a little confused since 85 degrees and Guppy House covet that corner of Green and Fair Oaks. Just remember Blockheads is right across from Burke Williams and a very short walk from the School House parking structure — 90 minutes of free parking!
We were given the grand privilege of trying new flavors and being their guinea pigs. Yes, please!
Out of the 4 blind taste test flavors, my favorite was surprisingly the Chai. It reminded me all too much of another favorite, horchata! I’m excited to see any of the new flavors pop up on the menu.
The next tasting was popsicles! I picked the watermelon cucumber mint. It was refreshing for such a hot day. I really enjoyed the subtle cucumber mint touch to the watermelon. Totally yum and cleared my palate.
At the end of the event, we were given a choice of our shaved ice with toppings. That day, they had a special flavor — blueberry cheesecake and it was fantastic. I’m a fan and super thankful we were given the opportunity by the owners who were very friendly and receptive to our opinions on how to improve their products. Super nice guys!
Since this was my first solo appearance at a YEE, I was a little nervous. I got a chance to meet a few friendly and warm Unilocalers who I look forward to seeing at future events. A huge thank you to Jessica for setting up such a great event I enjoyed immensely!

Nothing like frozen treats at a Unilocal event on a hot day! The new Blockheads location in Pasadena hosted a great event today. We even got to see the back and try making our own Taiwanese-​style rice balls. They also gave us an early preview of their newest item, Blocksicles (Blockpops? Block Popsicles? I can’t remember exactly). I had the Mint Watermelon, which was so refreshing and not too sweet, and I tried my friend’s Salted Caramel, which was rich and delicious. Best of all, I won the blind taste test and took home one of the plush Blockhead penguins! Who knew that avocado sensitivity might come in handy? I also finally scored one of the Unilocal flasks, woohoo. Thanks for a very fun event, Jessica! Blockheads, you will be seeing me and/​or members of my family on the regular!

No longer a Unilocal event virgin!!!
Thanks Jessica for the invitation! I had so much fun tasting new and interesting flavors & meeting new friendsies.
Yummy malt-​chocolate shaved snow flavor. The chocolate with sea salt rice krispies was a great recommendation! I can’t wait until the popsicles start selling! Interested in trying the green tea pistachio flavor!!!
I love blockheads. I will be back. See yah soon !

Such a perfect event to ride out the heat wave we’ve been having recently! It was an intimate affair, with less than 30 Elites attending. Parking was quite easy at the lot across the street, but finding the storefront was a little more difficult. When you see 85 Bakery, you have to keep on walking and turn into the alley.
To start off the event, we had a blind taste test, and the person who could guess the most amount of flavors would win an adorable Blockheads penguin plush. I really wanted one, but I guess my palate needs more refining because I guessed Durian when the flavor was Avocado Coconut, and Pumpkin Spice when it was Chai Latte… smh. I did get Soy Custard and Black Sesame right, though! I particularly enjoyed the Soy Custard and Black Sesame.
Next, Blockheads brought out a line of popsicles that they were testing out. I tried the Green Tea Pistachio, and I have to say it is SO GOOD. It has a creamy flavor that is akin to Popbar’s if you’ve tried that. I also got a bite of the Chili Watermelon (?), and I think it would have been great if it had some chili powder (like Tajin) crusting the outside like the pistachio one had real pistachios. Something to consider?
We finished off the event with a generous serving of what they do best, their Taiwanese shaved snow. I tried their blueberry cheesecake, topped with brownies, strawberries, graham crackers, and condensed milk. I have to say, I think they do their «Asian» flavors better. When I went to the other location in Sawtelle, I had a green tea combo and it was off the charts amazing. Although it still has the fluffy, light quality that you look for, I prefer the more traditional flavors. If I want cheesecake flavor, I’m sticking to froyo!
It was great meeting Jessica, and thank you so much for organizing this event! I can’t wait to go back when I get cravings :)

This was an excellent event you put together Jessica!
I went to the YEE event last year for the Alhambra location and I’m really happy there is a new one closer to home.
The owner made it fun for all of us by having a blind tasting contest. The winner got a cute stuffed penguin. Jeff B. really wanted that penguin, but Ed L.‘s friend won one and Jeff’s friend won the other one.
Parking is free for 90 minutes across the street at Schoolhouse on the corner of Green Street and Fair Oaks Avenue and Blockheads is in the cute little Mill’s Alley behind 85 C Bakery.
I will definitely be back because I love their shaved snow because of the natural ingredients and flavor.
Thank you to Blockheads Shavery for hosting our little group to such a fantastic tasting and to Jessica for including me on the guest list!

Awesome event!!! Jessica did a great job organizing this! The event from beginning to end was very fun and interactive, and the attendees I met today were so cool :) We started off with a blind taste test of four different snow ice flavors: avocado coconut, black sesame, soy custard & spice chai tea. That game was tough. Winner of the blind taste test received a plush penguin toy– congrats to the winners! Then, we got to try Blockheads new Popsicles. The flavor I tried was Green tea pistachio and it was amazinggggg!!! I would definitely get this again in the future. I liked it so much more than «Popbar,» who makes similar Popsicles and flavors. As if that wasn’t enough dessert for the day, the owners invited us to each take home a bowl of snow ice of our choice with toppings. I tried the strawberry and mango orange snow ice with grass jelly, rice cakes and strawberries. Soooo good on a HOT day! The rice cakes were so soft and fresh, you can definitely tell that it’s made fresh daily. Blockheads is a really great dessert option and I will be making my rounds back, Thank you guys for the gift card!

Yay first Unilocal Event! Perfect one to go to considering that it’s been quite hot. Unfortunately, I left the house at 3 am, when it was rather cool… only to find that it would be 90 degrees outside when I headed over to the Unilocal Event. Blehhh.
Oh well, luckily, blockheads shavery was super delicious and refreshing. We were able to sample 4 tasty different flavors, Coconut-​Avocado, Black Sesame, Soy, and Chai. All of which were tasty, I think of the 4, I preferred the soy because you can dress it up with toppings.
Prior to ended the event, we tested out popsicles that they were being working on. Everyone raved about the pistachio or the salted caramel popsicle, but I tried the mint watermelon cucumber popsicle. Ohhhh, just great and refreshing. If it makes it as a sales item, I would highly recommend it.
Finally, we were able to create our own! They were out of taro :(so I grabbed hazelnut which super tasty. It wasn’t overwhelming at all, and paired nicely with this crispy chocolate coco puff type topping. I also threw some toffee and condensed milk on it, but it could have done without the condensed milk.
Thank you for a great first Unilocal event, Jessica! I look forward to the next!