When one thinks of summer, snow cones and slushes may come to mind. Cups of crushed ice colored with ultra-sweet syrups may even be considered a staple of the warmer months. With the long-awaited arrival of summer, Eagle’s Tale staff members compared Blue Coconut snow cones and slushes from three locations: a Sonic in Amarillo, the SnoBall Stop in Canyon and Oasis in Canyon. Staff members judged the snow cones based on pricing, amount of syrup, flavor and quality of ice.

We first tried Sonic’s Blue Coconut Slush. From the beginning, we knew it wasn’t our top choice. The color matched the rich blue that we expected, but it tasted like sugar water colored with blue food coloring. Another problem occurred when comparing the sizes and prices. Granted, compared to the other snow cones, Sonic’s Slush was less costly. But, looking at the total amount of product given to us, both SnowBall Stop and Oasis had the same amount of ice in their smaller size than Sonic’s medium.

In addition to the sizing problem, Sonic had fewer choices. Also, their flavors were hard to find on their menu. Overall, our experience with Sonic was lacking in a great deal. Besides the issues with taste and price, Sonic’s service wasn’t the best. The line was long and Sonic’s staff weren’t as friendly as the other stands.

Next, we tried SnoBall Stop. While the ice consistency wasn’t the best, the flavor was much better. It really did taste like blue coconut, though it was very sugary. An alternative for this is SnoBall Stop’s sugar-free flavors. The pricing and sizes at SnoBall Stop’s were much better compared to Sonic’s–for example, the same amount of snow cone in a medium-sized Sonic cup was equal to a small SnoBall Stop cup. Also, the service was very friendly.

Another perk of our SnoBall Stop experience was the variety of flavors, combinations, and add-ons. While eating the snow cone, the ice consistency wasn’t up to par, but a factor to take into account was that we ate this snow cone about thirty minutes after it was made. It was probably our fault from letting it sit in the sun for that time. A high point of SnoBall Stop’s menu was the cream. While the add-on is an extra 50 cents, it is worth it. Overall, SnoBall Stop is a good choice for a family-friendly outing with great seating and friendly customer service.

The last snow cone we tried was from Oasis. After one of our staff members tipped over the cup, we had to make a quick trip back to the Oasis stand to order another small blue coconut snow cone. Both times, we were greeted with great service. As with SnoBall Stop, Oasis had a variety of different flavors, flavor combinations and add-ons. Many staff members were excited by the flavor of the week, which, at the time of our outing, was “Titanic.”

The blue coconut flavoring tasted similar to SnoBall Stop’s, except it was more well-rounded and robust, likely because of its freshness at tasting compared to SnoBall’s. In addition, the prices were the same. Much like SnoBall Stop, there were different add-ons, most notably sprinkles. The flavor combination names were fun, plus there was a kid’s menu. A downside of the second visit was the limited seating. With SnoBall Stop, there were plenty of picnic tables to sit and eat your snow cone at. Sonic’s stall-only service allowed visitors to eat in their cars. Oasis’ smaller seating could be improved upon, but overall both trips to the stand were very fun and tasty.

After trying all three of the snow cones, the staffers came to the conclusion Oasis was the place to go for blue coconut snow. For a reasonable price, a customer can buy a small–but well-filled–snow cone that is packed with flavor. The lack of seating is well made up for in quality of service and taste.

Editor’s note: Please let it be known that because of our limited flavor comparisons and flaws in testing this review does not provide an accurate assessment of which business has the “best” snow cone. We encourage readers to try the flavors as well as others themselves at the mentioned businesses.