Does Colorado have a signature ice cream? Consensus among experts is hard to come by, but we did establish a strong candidate: Mexican chocolate, a combination of chocolate and cinnamon.

In fact, Mexican chocolate is among the flavors - along with Island Coconut, Sweet Cream and Cinnamon - landing Boulder Ice Cream front and center in grocery freezer cases. "It's helped us, as a small brand, gain market share with these original flavors," says the company's Glennise Humphrey.

And who would have guessed: Cinnamon seems to be a preferred taste in these parts. Judy Simon, co-owner of Bonnie Brae, and production head Richard Brown both say their Sinfully Cinnamon ice cream - which they expected only to be a seasonal flavor - is now a year-round treat.

Not surprisingly, perhaps, fruit-flavored ice creams are hot in the summer. Jay Thompson of Liks produces 300 gallons of ice cream a day for the wholesale and retail market, including his own shop in Capitol Hill. He lists his lemon ice cream with raspberry swirls as a best seller. And, of course, all the ice cream makers offer some variation on peach.

At the supermarkets, Thompson has had good luck with his Graham Canyon Experience. "It's like eating graham crackers - it has a graham-cracker base, graham-cracker marbles and Heath Bar Candies. That's been popular at (King Soopers)."

The master of the customer request, Thompson has thought up some unusual combos, such as Caramel Irish Stout. Perhaps his most off- the-wall flavor combo is Avery Iceland, named for the home of Tabasco sauce. It has peanuts folded into whiskey caramel sauce and a hint of - what else? - Tabasco.

"It's nice," Thompson says. "It's unique. It has a nice bite at the end."