This year’s Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party offered a lot of “spicy” food, it feels like. While I typically cover the food at EPCOT’s festivals, I was surprised to see the Magic Kingdom focus heavily on items that would kick guests’ tastebuds. One of those items is the DOLE Whip Hades Cone.

When the Hades Cone was announced this Summer, I was intrigued. It’s no secret that I love DOLE Whip and am willing to try any flavor combo… within reason. But, mixing my favorite fruit (mango) with habanero soft-serve?

Unsurprisingly, I did not see many people leaving Storybook Treats with the curled frozen treat. Advertising a DOLE Whip consisting of seemingly conflicting flavor profiles may turn off the average guest, but not me. This is what I get paid to do.

The lovely cast member taking my order did inform me that the DOLE Whip machine was not pushing out soft-serve as cold as it should be. So, they offered me a dish just in case.

Yeah, this thing was melting before it even got into my hand. That’s fine, but it doesn’t match the advertisement.

You could almost mistake this for a regular DOLE Whip but with a blue shell. However, there’s no mistaking that taste. At first, it comes off as the run-of-the-mill mango soft-serve. Then, the chili-lime seasoning kicks in, and you can feel it at the back of your throat.

It’s not overpowering, but the habanero chili goes from nothing to “oh, there it is” within a few seconds. When the initial surprise factor wears off, it becomes quite an enjoyable departure from the standard version of the treat. The cone is the traditional cake variety with no added kick.

I would not suggest it for kids, though. I’ve scorched a few tastebuds over the years, so what’s mild may be intolerable to younger guests.

I wonder if the experience would have been any different had the soft serve been a bit firmer and the chili-lime seasoning applied more liberally. Maybe we’ll see if it shows up again next year.