HALF PRICE, MAN!!

Dude!!!  Trader Joe's Bollywood Popcorn is now selling for .99!!!!!

PRICE NOW - at Silver Spring, Maryland location

Price last fall!!!

That is HALF of what it cost when I first got addicted to it last fall!!  That's great for my wallet (maybe not so great for my stomach??).

My only fear is that the big price cut means they are getting rid of it...  I worry about this because it happens at Trader Joe's - just when you find the perfect product, they decide they aren't going to carry it anymore.  Sigh.  If this sounds like a "sigh" of experience, that is because it is.  Why, just this VERY EVENING I hunted and hunted for a product that I really like, haven't posted the review of yet, and just ran out of.  Guess what?  They have discontinued the amazing Sambal Matah.  I have a draft of a review and just never fleshed it out.  Alas, if I post it NOW, you guys are going to want to get this stuff, and it won't be on the shelves.  Drat.

This is my (not quite patented) Bollywood Popcorn eating technique!  No messy fingers!

Anyway, DO GO GET SOME BOLLYWOOD POPCORN.  It is bizarrely yummy!  Complete review here:  Bollywood Popcorn review link

UPDATE:  I went to our Bailey's Crossroads (Virginia) Trader Joe's on March 12, 2017.  Every other person there was stocking up on food due to the winter weather alert we are in (big snow coming).  I, however, was snagging snacks for a road trip!  I went to get a bag of Bollywood Popcorn and was surprised that they all had a "Best Buy" date of 3 days away, March 15....  I asked a TJ's employee who was stocking corn chips nearby if they were discontinuing Bollywood.  She said she didn't know, but the store had been really "pushing" it and had been sent a ton to get rid of....  I found one bag that had a date other than March 15 - and it was March 11.  Sigh.  Alas, I do not think Bollywood Popcorn is long for this world.  If you want some - GET IT NOW.

Bollywood Popcorn

I have a new obsession from Trader Joe's; it is BOLLYWOOD POPCORN!!  Sure, at first glance Indian Popcorn might not be the exact thing you expect to quench your hunger, but for my taste buds, it is all that and a bag of chips!!

Sometimes you MUST try the new items

David's take:  "Very nice.  I think this is a successful attempt at finding something new to add to popcorn. It's a little bit CUMIN-Y, so if you don't like cumin you might not go ravenous over this.  I like how FLAVORFUL it is - it's very flavorful and that's good!  I don't think it supplant my love of cheddar flavor on popcorn, but it is very nice and successful for a different take on popcorn!  I give this a 4.25."

I hereby declare my love of Trader Joe's Bollywood Popcorn
 (and I do a little Bollywood move in the middle of Trader Joe's)

I declare - THIS IS GOOD STUFF!  The ingredients say it is flavored with vegan Tikka Masala - I say bring that tikka on!! 

Paprika, turmeric, and garlic powder are also mentioned in the ingredients (but not the cumin that David tastes so strongly, though that may well be a part of the tikka masala or the unnamed "spices").  I really like this product.  I like that it TASTES SAVORY.  Why, it doesn't just taste like a snack, it tastes kind of like a meal!  The bag says one serving is two cups and there are five servings in a bag, which seems about right.  I don't think I could eat an entire bag in one setting (though I might "have to" try, just for scientific research for this blog, of course...)

Go ahead, invest two bucks in a bag

This is definitely different than your run of the mill snack food and it's a great invention!  I was never into flavored popcorn until we first had Garrett's Chicago Style popcorn (later emulated at TJ's - 5 star review here).  I then got up enough nerve to taste TJ's Popcorn in a Pickle and liked it, too (review here).  I am glad my taste buds "matured" enough to accept flavored popcorn, because this Bollywood popcorn is a welcome addition to my snack food! 

The only negative I noticed was that your fingers get SUPER MESSY while you eat it.  I do not recommend chomping on this snack while reading a library book, cuz that can only end in you paying a fine for ruining a book.  At least, that is what I thought the first couple of times I ate Bollywood Popcorn, until I invented my NEW TECHNIQUE for eating it!  Check it out!!

THIS is how you should eat it!  No more messy fingers!!

Yup - all you have to do is put your Bollywood Popcorn in a small bowl and use your tongue to pick it up instead of your fingers!  Voila, problem solved!  (Important note:  it is recommended that each snacker have their own bowl when employing this technique, cuz, well, some people might think your tongue in their bowl is gross.) 

This is a creative product.  We went to India in May and this brings back nice memories of that trip.  Here are a couple of Indian vacation photos, plus one shot of David wearing a fun and rather lovely mask a friend him.

I love this photo of an Indian woman making coir.  We had such an inspiring time watching these women.

This man is a TODDY TOPPER!!  He climbs trees and collects "toddy" to be sold in toddy bars.
Only MEN drink in toddy bars, but I got to go in one!  Color me lucky.  (No, we didn't taste it...)

Beautiful Indian woman in her boat

David with a very famous Indian Kathakali performer

Tuk Tuk Driver in Southern India - he let DAVID try out driving the tuk tuk!!

Back in America with the new BOLLYWOOD POPCORN!

I give this Bollywood Popcorn a 4.75.  If you have an adventurous palate I recommend you grab a bag and try it out.

Price: $1.99
Rating (average of 2 raters):  4.5

Popcorn in a Pickle - IT'S BAAAACK!

Summer must be coming, because POPCORN IN A PICKLE is back on the shelves at Trader Joe's!  Yes siree, the snack that sounds disgusting but is actually very tasty is BACK!  Same weird taste, same price ($1.99).  Check out what we thought of it when we got it last year:

original review here

I saw it on the shelves recently in California, but didn't want to announce it in public here until I checked to see if it was "only a California thing" or if the rest of us were also lucky enough to snag some.  Turns out it is here in Virginia, too, so I am going to declare it POPCORN IN A  PICKLE SEASON!

Here is David last year, he was nervous about this snack...  But after we tried it, turns out, WE LIKE IT!!

If you tried it before, you know the first bite is odd but it gets yummy after that.  If you haven't tried it, go for it.  It is a strange taste sensation and fun to eat!

But get it soon.  Cuz you don't want to be like our friend Tony, and go to get a bag only to find it is G-O-N-E and won't come back for another year...

Sad Tony, no Popcorn in a Pickle to be found...

New Zealand Sweet Apple Rings

I bought this bag of dried apples at the Omaha, Nebraska Trader Joe’s but ended up bringing with us on a long flight to Los Angeles.  I thought, “Dried fruit will be great to munch on while on the flight or while driving from LA to Palm Springs!”.  It turns out, in David’s mind at least, I was oh so wrong…

From New Zealand - they must be exotic and delicious, right????

I have to confess that the MARKETING message swayed my purchase.  I am embarrassed to admit it, but the fact that these were not just “apple rings” but NEW ZEALAND Sweet Apple Rings did make me think they might taste exotic, fancy, New Zealand-y.  The front of the package says they are Braeburn, Royal Gala, and “Seasonal Varieties” of apples, but if you read the fine print on the back you see that “seasonal varieties” must mean Fuji and Pink Lady apples.  I guess TJ’s thinks “seasonal varieties” sounds sexier than listing them all out, and that must’ve worked on me, cuz I bought ‘em.

And David was not a fan.  Here is what he said, “No likey.  It’s not pungent.  It’s dry.  Leathery.  A little big cardboard-y.  It has none of the juiciness, none of the tartness, none of the FLAVOR that makes an apple worth chewing.  Umm…  It has a lot of PULPINESS (said with a disgusted look on face…) if you like that sort of thing…  I do not like these.  They taste a little bit of some desiccating agent that maybe they sprinkled on it…  I don’t know what that would be.  Maybe some sugar, salty, some sort of FLAVORING??  (When I explained they are unsulfured and unsweetened, he retorted “Well then I guess they are just naturally UNTASTY!”).  They have all the flavor of a Red Delicious apple (which David dislikes…).  I give them a 1.”

Us at the wedding in Palm Springs, CA.  We disagreed on the dried apples, but agreed that the wedding was lovely.

I did not think they were as horrible as David did.  We do not normally buy dried apples.  I think I have only had them before as little squares in dried fruit mixes (not from TJ’s).  And those little apple square bits were always my favorites in the mix!  I would pick them out of the bag and eat them first. They were always tasty and somehow JUICY, even though they were DRIED, and had a good texture.  So when I saw this bag at TJ’s that was JUST THE APPLES, I thought BINGO, a whole bag of the best part of dried fruit mixes!!   Sadly, these are not as good as the little squares I remember from my youth.

Omaha TJ's signage.  I think David would disagree with the "sweet and lovely" part.
And, umm, why is there a squirrel playing a banjo on the sign?

I disagree with David’s “cardboard-y” assessment.  I think they do have moisture in them, but they do not have a lot of taste.  They are a little boring and bland.  You would NOT want to eat the whole big ass 8 oz bag in one sitting.  David ate ONE apple ring on the airplane and I had to force feed him one more on the car ride just to get his review.  The package says the serving size is ten rings, but David theory is that if you ate ten of them you would throw up.  J  (He exaggerates if you ask me, they are not that bad.) 

David was the officiant of the wedding.  Check out how well he tied his bow tie!!

I think if you have kids and you pack a lunch for them, you could put 4 or 5 of these apple rings into a Tupperware container or baggy for a healthy dessert or snack.  (David says if you pack these in a kid’s lunch it is child abuse…)   Or if you work at a desk I can see eating 4 or 5 of these in the afternoon with a cup of tea.  You might be able to bake with them, but I haven’t tried that.  I think I will sneak some of these in David’s lunchbox when he is not looking.  I suspect they will still be in there when he gets home, unless he cons an unsuspecting coworker into eating them. 

I give these a 2.75.

Since David was so down on these things, I thought it would be good to get a 3^rd opinion, so I chose Adelaide.  She just turned 2 and was attending the same wedding in Palm Springs that we went to.  Being only 2 years old, she doesn’t really TALK all that much…  But I gave her some apple rings and she really liked ‘em!!!  She two fisted it for a while – apple ring in each hand.  And she was happy to put a few apple rings in her dad’s pocket so she could eat more later (her shorts had fake pockets (fockets) so she couldn’t tote the rings around herself).  Anyway, Adelaide thought they were really yummy.  If she could talk and knew her numbers, I think she would give them a 4. 

Adelaide helped me with a bit of artwork

Would I buy them again for US?  No.  Would I buy them again if Adelaide and her brother and sister came to visit?  Sure enough.

Adelaide taking a quick dip in the pool with her dad

Price – $3.49

Rating (average of 3 raters, one of which was too little to give her own score so I had to surmise it…) – 2.5

Day 361 - Partially Popped Popcorn with Butterscotch and Sea Salt

We had a fun visit this morning with our friends Korin and Josh!  They were in Florida for the holidays and managed to squeeze in a bit of time to have breakfast with us.  We ended up at a restaurant sitting outside with an ocean view (well, it had an ocean view when other diners didn’t rudely park their vehicles right in front of us instead of in the dang parking lot…). 

This was the breakfast view when no cars parked in front of us (and no motorcycles were driving on A1A...)

So, after the eggs and toast, I busted out the PARTIALLY POPPED POPCORN WITH BUTTERSCOTCH AND SEA SALT!

Here is what the bag looks like

As you may know if you keep up with this blog, I am a big fan of TJ’s original Partially Popped Popcorn.  I reviewed it here and was even kinda sorta addicted to it for a little while a couple of months ago – I wanted to eat it morning, noon, and night (well mostly noon and night).  It’s terrific!  So when I saw this new flavor in the store the other day I grabbed a bag.  Korin and Josh had never tasted the original Partially Popped Popcorn, so the whole experience was new to them.  Here is how things went down:

I used a little bowl that formerly held sugar packets to display the snack.

Josh:  “I really felt like the butterscotch was initially overpowering.  It grew on me a little bit, but not much…  I wish they were a little SALTIER.  I would give them a 2.”

Korin:  “I will second that!  I really liked the texture and the crunch and the size.  The size is excellent for small, ongoing snacking.  But I would say “no” on the butterscotch flavor.  I would prefer just salt.  (Editor’s note:  Korin needs to try the regular Partially Popped Popcorn, I think she would dig it!)  I think I am going to give them a 2.5.”

Korin and Josh displaying the snacks

David:  “I have already had the Partially Popped regular salty ones, so I knew what to expect.  But I think my score is gonna be higher because I kind of enjoy the BUTTERSCOTCH CANDY experience FIRST, then afterwards I am left with the sort of CORN NUT and there is enough remaining salt to make the chewing – FABULOUS texture and crunchiness – really work for me!  So I am getting 2, 2, 2 flavors in 1!!!

  

David trying the "lick them out of your hand" technique

But still, I would rather enjoy a CARAMEL, then have a handful of SALTY NUTS…  (Sophomoric giggles all around for the concept of “a handful of nuts”.) I would give these a 3.”

Me:  I have had the original flavor before, and I prefer that flavor to this one.  To me, the first bite of this product was YUCKY.  It almost tasted like a sugar free butterscotch candy disc, which is really crappy.  The second bite got a little better…  By the third or fourth bite they were good.  I would not call them excellent, they are not my favorite snack.  I give these a 2.75.

Snacks, friends, and sunshine.  Ahhh.  Oh, and COFFEE.  It was a good morning.  

The bag says the serving size is 1/3 of a cup, and every one of the tasters agreed that was optimistic to think someone would eat THAT MANY of these.

We debated what drink to pair this with…  Josh sort of thought a Dr. Pepper, but to me that would be way too sweet.  A beer with this sounded gross.  No one could come up with an adequate wine pairing.  So we agreed on WATER.  A nice, filtered, fancy, chilled water perhaps J. 

David feels that he has boiled down the essential problem with this snack:  schizophrenia.  He thinks it is a schizophrenic snack because it has two distinct personalities that are at war with each other. 

Overall, I say skip this flavor and get the original Partially Popped Popcorn.  You won’t miss anything by not trying this one, and you will enjoy the other kind!

Other big news here:  guys – we have seen TRADER JOE’S NIRVANA!  Ok, it is just the Trader Joe’s distribution center in Daytona Beach, FL, but we went there today and it is HUUUUUUGE.  We have not managed to get IN, mind you, but did get a peek at the highly secretive, massive buildings!!  More news tomorrow (after I call them again and see if they will let us in!).  All signs point to us NOT getting invited in, but it doesn’t hurt to ask!  J

More photos of the distribution center tomorrow, but just know for now THEY ARE HIRING!
Anyone in the Daytona Beach area need a job?  :)

Price – $2.49

Rating – 2.5

Rating of eating a tasty breakfast in the sunshine with friends we hardly ever see – solid 5

Day 359 - Handfuls of Happy Trekking

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!  I hope that your day has been memorable, joy filled, and all around HAPPY.  We have had a beautiful day here in Florida – the sun has been shining and the holiday spirit is all around.  J  It was over 80 degrees today, so we HIT THE BEACH. 

MERRRRRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

And MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR FAUXMAN!!

Do you wanna build a fauxman???

If there is one thing you need after a couple of hours at the beach, it is a SNACK.  So we were thankful that Paul from the Jacksonville Beach, FL store had gifted us that great TJ’s bag full of stuff, which included HANDFULS OF HAPPY TREKKING trail mix.  I put a bag of those into the beach bag before we hit the sand.

Bit blurry photo - my camera had sea salt/air on it by the time I took this :)

This big package contains ten SMALLER individual packages of trail mix.  Ingredients are almonds, cashews, pistachios, chocolate, cranberries, and cherries.

Cute sized little package of trail mix!

I would have to say that they are perfect beach snacks!  The little packs are sealed so no sand can get in, and each pack is a great size for one person (I only packed one, my bad, so David and I had to share that).  Actualllllly, it wasn’t just David and I who shared.  Beach birds have an UNCANNY skill to know when you have busted out something to eat!  The second I opened this bag of trail mix THIS fellow showed up to get a bit.

SNACKS???  DID SOMEONE SAY SNACKS????

I experimented with the bird a bit and it turns out that birds (this particular bird anyway) does not like chocolate or cranberries.  But he/she DIGS cashew bits!!!  Sadly, so does David, so the two of them had to fight it out for cashews. 

I would give this trail mix a 4.5.  It has a good mix of ingredients.  I personally would prefer more ALMONDS, but David and the bird really liked the cashews.  J

These would be good treats to put into lunch bags, beach bags, hiking packs, and the like.  If you are snow skiing these would be GREAT in your jacket pocket to eat while going up a lift.  I am not usually a fan of pre-packaged tiny treats, I always feel like you must be paying MORE for the convenience of buying stuff pre-sorted into tiny bags and that I should just make my own little snack bags.  But this sure was easy to just grab and go!!   And when I do the math, these are only .69 cents per little bag, which doesn’t seem outrageous at all to me.

Here is what David thought:  “I thought these were good.  I liked them.  They were a nice mix.  They were not very salty – maybe they could have been saltier for me.  But it was a nice balance between the sweetness of the fruit and chocolate and the nuts.  It felt substantial enough to allay some hunger, yet light enough to be just a casual snack.  I would give these a 3.75 (the nuts could be roastier and saltier).”

David had to share with the bird, but at least our Fauxman didn't want any trail mix.

Here is what the bird who ate cashews thought:  “Chirp chirp chirp.  Peep chirp.  Peep peep peep peep.  Chirp!  Peep chirp peep 4.”

Here is a link to Trader Joe’s article on this product:  TJ's article on Handfuls of Happy Trekking. 

Price - $6.99 (so .69 per pack of trail mix, the cost of a candy bar or cheaper and just as tasty, plus healthier!)

Rating (average of 2 humans and 1 bird) - 4

Day 358 - Trail Mix Cookies

First off, huge shout out to FERNANDO from the Geek Squad in Daytona Beach, FL Best Buy store.  Dude is a miracle worker. 

I never thought I would like Geek Squad, but FERNANDO is awesome!

It took us 4 trips to Best Buy in 1.5 days (our fault), and before we met Fernando we had to be serviced by his muuuuch less competent (and perhaps high??) co-worker who managed to get himself FIRED (we had nooothing to do with that) between our visits 1 and 2.

Anyway – FERNANDO, Fernando rocks!  Estimated wait time to check out my old laptop and switch all data to the new one was 4 – 6 days, but FERNANDO got ‘er done in LESS THAN A DAY folks!  On CHRISTMAS EVE DAY!  Gracias, Fernando.  I appreciate your work!  And I am enjoying writing this entry on my brand new laptop!!

Now for the review – TRAIL MIX COOKIES.  We got these in the Jacksonville Beach, FL store this week.  We had never had them and thought they looked interesting.

Here they are in the store - a TJ's cookie we hadn't tried (and this is day 358!)

Have you ever met a person who says they do not shop at Trader Joe’s cuz it is “For hippies” or “Only sells crunchy granola food”??  Well, I think it is safe to say that it is products like THESE COOKIES that give ol’ TJ’s that reputation with some people.  J  People who don’t shop at TJ’s because they think everyone who goes there wears hemp think that the WHOLE STORE is filled exclusively with products like this.  The ingredients listed on the front sticker are:  rolled oats, raisins, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, and chia seeds. 

Label on the front of the tub

I realized that these might not be David’s favorite cookie in the world, so I didn’t want him to see the ingredients before tasting because I feared that would further cloud his judgement. I put the cookies in front of him without describing them and had him eat some.  Here is what he thought:

I guess he DID see them when I picked them up in the store, but he must not have read the label

David – “I’m afraid I’m a little bit disappointed with these…  I would probably give them a 3.  They taste a little under cooked to me.  They are soft and chewy, but in the sense of cookie dough.  Now, most of the world loooves uncooked cookie dough, but I don’t, and to me these feel a bit under done.  I think they would be much more DELIGHTFUL if they had the toasted oat taste of a nicely cooked granola cookie.  Instead there seems to be something soft and mushy/crispy in there, like a piece of puffed rice or something??  Bits of puffed rice?? 

He looked nervous before he even TASTED the cookie. 

Here David demonstrates the SIZE of the cookie - a single bite (though it took him 3 or 4 bites, cuz he is dainty that way)

    

And here we see David's wee bite of this tiny cookie.

Anyway, it is soft and chewy, which many people might like.  But I feel like it needs more “toasty” flavor and a little more sense of being COOKED.  I wish it were less soft and less chewy.  The cranberries in there are a nice idea – I don’t have anything against that.  Probably the raisins in there, too, I’m not sure if I have had one.  But yeah, I am a little bit disappointed I am afraid.”

My opinion is – they are not bad.  They are better than I expected.  However, these are cookies for someone who has never tasted a Whippet, Oreo, or Mallomar.  They could be a good match for someone who grew up in Racine, and then moved to Monterrey, CA and left their Snicker eating days behind them.  These are more like tiny granola bars to me than a COOKIE.  This is nowhere near the experience of eating, say, a Chips Ahoy…

  

Here are 4 tiny cookies on a very small plate.

To me they do not taste underdone.  I like the softness of them.  I really like the SIZE of each cookie, they are about the size of a half dollar (which is a hilarious reference I guess, given that any reader under age 35 has probably never SEEN a half dollar…  David says, for those readers, they are the size of a BIT COIN (which to us are invisible fantasy things we hear about on NPR…). 

I like these okay. They are cute and petite.  They would be good for people who like to hike – put a few of these cookies in your hemp backpack for your hike in the redwoods.  J  Or if you are raising a healthy child, perhaps this is the dessert you would put in their lunch bag.

It sounds like I am being snarky and dissing people who live that lifestyle – I am not trying to!!  In fact, perhaps I would be happier if I had more seeds and hemp in my life.  J 

The package says a serving size is 4 cookies and I think that is about right.  I don’t think David is going to help me eat the rest of these, so I am glad my friend Kathy is coming to visit soon!  This is just the sort of thing she might like. 

After eating 2 more cookies, David filed an amendment to his original review:  “These are terrible.  I am changing my score to a 2.  These frickin’ chia seeds – YUCK!!  I would take these back to TJ's.”  (Editor’s note:  I think he may have a bad attitude cuz I beat him twice today at Parcheesi.)

I say:  if your pantry is out of quinoa and you just used the last of your chia seeds on something else, and you are cool with eating processed foods that you didn’t bake yourself, grab a tub of these suckers.  I give them a 3.5. 

And MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE from us to you!  We put “fairy lights” (which I love) on the palm trees in the front yard.  Aren’t they great? 

Merry Christmas Eve!!

This “countdown” Santa in a neighbor’s yard has been stressing me out all week – counting down the days until Christmas.  I am glad he is down to ONE, soon I won’t have to feel him breathing down my neck any more.

STOP REMINDING me, Countdown Santa!!  I know, I know...

And check out the Santa in another yard that David has nicknamed “&*$# Faced Santa” cuz he appears to have passed out on the lawn.

Here we have the classic &*$# Faced Santa

Merry Christmas Eve to one and all.

Price – $3.99

Rating (average of my score and David’s revised score) – 2.75

Day 334- Pumpkin Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

Confession:  I bought this product because I thought it was the most over the top, jumped the shark, ridiculous PUMPKIN PRODUCT that Trader Joe’s could possibly make.  If there is ONE THING in the world that DOES NOT NEED pumpkin spice, it is PUMPKIN SEEDS!  I thought, “Get real, Trader Joe’s!  You have taken it tooooo far this time with your pumpkin obsession!”.

Huh?  Why put PUMPKIN SPICE on PUMPKIN SEEDS?

Here is what the bag looks like

I packed up this ridiculous bag of Pumpkin Spiced Pumpkin Seeds and brought it with me to Omaha, Nebraska, where we were heading for the Thanksgiving holiday and to celebrate my dad’s birthday.  Then I enlisted several family members to be guest reviewers!!  Here is what everyone thought:

Me:  I actually like these better than I expected.  I like regular pumpkin seeds but thought the concept of putting “pumpkin spice” on them would do nothing but ruin them.  Luckily, it turns out the “pumpkin spice” just sort of tastes like a sugar coating.  They are sort of nice!  I think one bag per pumpkin season might be enough, but they aren’t something that you should purposely avoid.  I would give them a 3.75. 

Annette (my sister) – “I wasn’t if I was going to like them when I heard the name “Pumpkin Spiced Pumpkin Seeds”.  But I don’t taste pumpkin spice.  I do taste something sugary, I am not sure what.  Probably just SUGAR.  Sugary sugar!  They are very, very yummy!  I would top a salad with these or just eat them as a snack.  I wish they had a little bit more salt. They have a coating like you find on a sugar coated almond.  I would give these a 4.5.”

Mid bite - Annette taste testing Pumpkin Spiced Pumpkin Seeds.

 Zach (partner of my nephew Jordan) – “I like ‘em.  I normally – with pumpkin seeds I prefer them to be more savory than sweet.  But these are obviously sweet - they have a distinctive kind of sugary crust on them.   As far as pumpkin spice is concerned, it is not particularly overwhelming.  I think it is kind of absent mostly.  They remind me of Bavarian spiced nuts.  Overall, I think these are pretty good.  I would personally give these a 2.75.” 

Zach, co-host of the gathering and a pretty hard scorer.

Trevor (my nephew, he wasn’t excited to try these because he doesn’t like pumpkin spice) – “They are alright.  Nothing to write home about.  I don’t really taste pumpkin spice.  I dunno…  I am trying to decide what I taste…  hmmm…  They are kind of addictive but I am not sure why!  They are alright.  But I am not a big SEED guy, so…  They are not BAD, but they are just not that GOOD.  I give them a 2.5.”

Dang - Trevor is a tough grader, too!

Elizabeth (partner of my nephew Trevor) and Hadley (their 5 month old daughter, who didn’t actually taste the pumpkin seeds cuz she doesn’t have any teeth yet…) – “They are good.  They taste like coated sunflower seeds.  I do not taste pumpkin spice.  But I can’t tell you what it tastes like though…  I would give them a 4.”

Not a great photo of Elizabeth and baby Hadley was sleeping, shhhhh

Nate (my nephew) – (note:  Nate tried these without knowing what in the world he was eating, we didn’t tell him what they were) “These taste like those sugared peanuts that Grandma Mary used to make.  But they are not peanuts.  I think they are PUMPKIN SEEDS.  (I asked if he tasted any pumpkin SPICE)  Nope.  No pumpkin spice.  But they are not bad.  They have too much flavor to put on top of chicken or something, but I would eat them by themselves.  I would give them a 3.75.”

Nate is the king of funny faced photos

David – “I think it is great that these have the advantage of slight sugar but they do not give up the saltiness that you need for the nut-ness.  I like ‘em!  I am gonna give ‘em a 4.5.”

David likes 'em!  And isn't the Christmas tree behind him gorgeous???

Well, it is unanimous – Pumpkin Spiced Pumpkin Seeds DO NOT taste of pumpkin spice.  And all reviewers agreed, they are better for that.  I guess I am not the only one who thinks that the flavor of “pumpkin spice” is over used and over rated! 

I am not sure if you can still find these at TJ’s this season, since the shelves have morphed into a chocolate filled holiday wonderland.  But if they are gone this year and you see them next October, do not be scared off by the name – “pumpkin spice” is nowhere to be tasted.

Price – $2.99

Rating (average of all raters listed above) – 3.75