This is more like a 3.5/5.
I finally caved and decided to check out the hype around charcoal ice cream. I had heard so many mixed reviews from friends that I just had to try it out once and for all.
You know, it's really not that bad. I was expecting sooty-tasting ice cream cones that costed $10-12. But actually, there was no charcoal taste! The cone was crispy and reminded me of a slightly-too-well-done waffle cone. No burned flavour, though! They pipe a small amount of marshmallow fluff into the bottom of the cone to prevent leakage.
There are 4 flavours of soft serve - ube, coconut, green tea, and vanilla. I decided to try all 4 flavours, with the vanilla/green tea swirl at the bottom and the ube/coconut swirl on top. Flavour-wise, it was not bad. The soft serve melts pretty quickly though (it's almost like a soft serve forzen yogurt consistency, it's not too creamy). Note that the charcoal makes your lips looks black.
It was only $6.50 (tax included), which seemed pretty reasonable to me for a "fad" food item (because these things tend to be overpriced). The lineup was not bad - about 10-15 minutes. Would I go out of my way to get this? No. Would I get it again if I was in the area? Sure! I think it was worth a try and was not as overhyped as I thought it would be.