Joe & Seph’s: Gin & Tonic, Chocolate Mint, and Peanut Satay

Joe & Seph’s have done it again. The popcorn flavors that they create are simply unbelievable. They recently sent me the following flavors — Gin & Tonic, Mint Chocolate, Thai Style Peanut Satay, and Mince Pie, which I reviewed about year ago.

I am a huge fan of Joe & Seph’s gourmet popcorn. They use air-popped popcorn and make flavors that are unmatched in the gourmet popcorn industry. I recommend you try all of their gourmet popcorn to experience some of the most unbelievable flavor combinations you’ll ever taste.

I started my tasting by opening the Gin & Tonic flavor. It was awesome. A fruity note and a splash of gin and tonic make this flavor combination truly sensational. The next flavor I tried was the Peanut Satay and it tasted like the peanut satay sauce I had at one of my favorite Thai restaurants. The Chocolate Mint flavor reminded me of After Eight dinner mints. It was light and crunchy, chocolaty and minty. This flavor is just the kind of popcorn you would want after eating a big meal. The final taste of mint stayed on my tongue for quite a long time. The Mince Pie flavor is one of my absolute favorite gourmet popcorn flavors of all time. It’s crunchy, nutty, fruity, and chewy. I’ve currently tasted well over 400 different kinds of popcorn and Mince Pie is currently one of my all time favorites. Be sure to get some for the Holidays.

Joe Sopher is a popcorn genius and his gourmet popcorn flavors are just incredible. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. Thanks Joe and Keep on Poppin’

Kettle Corn NYC

If you live in New York City and like popcorn then you’ve probably had Kettle Corn NYC. They sent me a big box that included eleven different flavors — Original, Salted, Caramel, Natural Cheddar, Spicy Cheddar, Spicy Cajun BBQ, Cheddar Caramel, Coconut, Chocolate, Cotton Candy, and Chili Lime.

I was a totally surprised by the amount of popcorn that was sent. I know it was going to take a huge effort to eat it all myself, which I would have been glad to do, but I decided to share a lot of it with the people I work with. There were a few flavors that I really didn’t care too much for so I’m going to mention them first. The Cotton Candy flavor was my least favorite. It was way too sweet for me and I didn’t think that it tasted much like cotton candy at all. I gave it to one of my co-workers who thought it was great. The Chocolate flavor was another flavor that I found to be off a bit. It had a cocoa powder flavor which I didn’t like, but when I offered it to my co-workers it was happily devoured. The Coconut flavor was the only other disappointment. It didn’t contain any real coconut and I just didn’t like the artificial flavoring.

Now on to the good flavors… As you can see there were only three flavors that I didn’t care for, so that leaves eight good flavors to talk about.

The Original was their version of kettle corn. It was pretty good. Compared to other kettle corn flavors it had a very mild sweet flavor. The Salted flavor just contained more salt, which I liked better and it also enhanced the mild sweetness. When I began tasting the Caramel flavor I had a hard time putting it down. That’s my indication that it’s really, really good. This flavor along with the Caramel Cheddar never made it to my workplace. The Spicy Cheddar flavor needed a bit more heat to kick it up a notch, but it was pretty good too. The Natural Cheddar had a nice cheddar flavor without the sweetness and my fingers got yellowed a bit while tasting. The last two flavors I tried were the Spicy Cajun BBQ and Chili Lime because I thought that these were going to be the spiciest… and I was right. The Spicy Cajun BBQ flavoring was not too spicy, but it had a great BBQ flavor. I do think that the Cajun spices could have been a little stronger. The Chili Lime was probably the biggest surprise of all. I’m definitely adding this flavor my HOT list. When I first tasted this flavor the mild taste of lime came to the front of my tongue, but then I got blasted with a strong intense heat that was an incredible experience and the combination of flavors was fantastic. It’s pretty hot so beware.

All of the flavors from Kettle Corn NYC were fresh and crunchy. I do recommend that you try the Caramel and Caramel Cheddar flavors. They were my favorites. And, if you like the heat then try the Chili Lime. It’s a spicy sensation.

Grandma Jack’s

Grandma Jack’s sent me a large box that contained a small container of Chocolate Caramel and eight large tubs of their gourmet popcorn — Caramel, Caramel Cashew, Gold Cheddar, Bacon Cheddar, Caramel Cheese, Cajun, Jalapeno, and Herbs & Garlic.

I began my tasting by opening the small container of Chocolate Caramel (pictured). Grandma Jack’s is located in Bird-in-Hand, PA and the chocolate they use comes from Wilbur Chocolate in Lititz, PA. The dark chocolate had a very deep flavor that complimented the crunchy caramel popcorn. It was sweet, salty, chocolaty, and crunchy.

The Caramel and Caramel Cashew were the next two flavors I tried. The Caramel flavor was pretty good, but the Cashew Caramel tasted a lot better. I’m not quite sure if the caramel flavoring was the same in both recipes, but I really liked the Caramel Cashew flavor. There were quite a lot of cashews, however, a lot of them fell to the bottom of the container. I still think that if you’re going to use nuts in a popcorn flavor then you should crunch them up and add them to the caramel before adding them to the popcorn. This would ensure that a lot of popcorn pieces contain nuts. The Bacon Cheddar flavor did not contain any real bacon and I believe bacon-flavored salt was used. I love bacon, and if a product has the word “bacon” on it then I want “bacon” in it. This flavor along with the Caramel Cheese, Cajun, and Jalapeno were my least favorites. That doesn’t mean that you might not like them, it just means that I liked the other flavors more. However, the Herbs & Garlic flavor was fantastic. The combination of garlic along with some other herbs made this flavor explode in your mouth. Once I started tasting this flavor I was hooked and couldn’t stop eating it.

All of the popcorn from Grandma Jack’s was crunchy and fresh. Be sure to try the Herbs & Garlic flavor. It was my favorite and it’s very addictive. Just make sure you don’t go on a date or kiss anyone after eating this flavor. Enjoy!

My Favorite Popcorn

October is National Popcorn Popping Month and I wanted to share my favorite popcorn with everyone. I’ve been eating popcorn just about every day now for the past four years and I’ve currently tasted over 500 different kinds and reviewed over 80 different companies who make gourmet popcorn or sell popcorn kernels for popping. These may not be your favorites, but I would recommend these to anyone who likes popcorn and wants to try different flavors.

Popcorn Kernels:
Tiny But Mighty and Black Jewel — both of these types of kernels are small, have a higher nutrition value, and they taste great. I like to mix these together when I make stove-top popcorn. Orville may make popcorn that pops bigger, but it’s not better.

Plain Popped Popcorn:
Skinny Pop and Boomchickapop are absolutely the best plain popped popcorn — and with only 35-40 calories per cup you can’t go wrong.

White Cheddar:
Utz White Cheddar and Angie’s White Cheddar Kettle Corn were my two favorites.

Caramel Popcorn:
I love love love caramel popcorn. It’s my absolute favorite kind of popcorn and when the ingredients are right the taste is spectacular. I have so many favorites, but I’m only going to mention my top five (in no particular order):
Fisher’s — I grew up in Maryland and on my first trip to Ocean City I was introduced to this popcorn. The smell of fresh-made caramel popcorn on the boardwalk was amazing. I blame Fisher’s for my caramel popcorn addiction.
Fleur de Sel Caramel from 479° — certified organic ingredients and Fleur de Sel salt make this a must try for all caramel popcorn lovers.
Hawaiian Salted Caramel from KuKuRuZa — beware, this caramel popcorn is highly addictive.
Kernel Fabyan’s — this tastes like Werther’s Original.
CaramelCrisp from Garrett’s — an institution in Chicago.

Some Like it Hot, or Spicy:
Devoted to the companies who make spicy popcorn flavors (some are way too hot):
Sweet Ghost Pepper Caramel — All Spice Cafe (careful — this one’s really hot!!).
Mumbai Masala — Cobra Corn (amazing Indian-spiced popcorn).
Sriracha Popcorn — J&D’s.
Fire Starter — Adirondack Popcorn.

Breakfast Popcorn:
There’s no wrong time to eat popcorn — these flavors are great for breakfast.
Honey & Cinnamon Crunch — CrunchDaddy Popcorn.
Cinnamon Sugar Kettlecorn — Popcorn, Indiana.
Saigon Sunrise — Popsalot.
Toffee Cinnamon Apple — Joe and Seph’s.
Cinnamon Roll — Koated Kernels.

Unusual Flavor Combinations:
Devoted to the companies that push the envelope when creating new and exciting gourmet popcorn flavors. These are a must try for anyone who enjoys a combination of flavors. Again, these are listed in no particular order, but these are my favorites from the past four years of tasting popcorn.
Mince Pie — Joe and Seph’s — smooth caramel and brandy infused fruit with a nutty almond finish.
Anonymous Addiction — Metropolis Popcorn — beware this flavor combination is highly addictive.
Peanut Butter & Jelly Crunch — CrunchDaddy Popcorn — after you taste this you’ll never eat another PB&J sandwich again.

Mojo’s Pop Co.

Mojo’s Pop Co. is a mother-daughter business based out of West Chester, PA. They sent me a bag of Maureen’s Original Toffee Popcorn, their signature gourmet popcorn flavor. It’s a great popcorn snack that is lightly coated with toffee flavored caramel and slivered almonds. Sometimes a great popcorn recipe only needs a few ingredients, and Maureen’s Original Toffee Popcorn is just one of those popcorn flavors that succeeds with popcorn, pure cane sugar, butter, almonds, canola oil, and salt. The combination was outstanding. The only problem I had was that a good portion of the almonds fell to the bottom of the bag, however, the ratio of almonds to popcorn was just about right. I really enjoyed the crunchy texture of the toffee popcorn paired with the chewiness of the almonds. I hope to be tasting some of their new flavors soon.

You can find Mojo’s every Saturday at the Artisan Exchange’s Indoor Artisan Foods and Farmers Market located in West Chester, PA.

Popsalot

I recently received a box from Popsalot Gourmet Popcorn that contained all seven of their flavors — Clandestine Caramel, London Kettle, Saigon Sunrise, Roman Holiday, Brazilian Samba, Southern Surprise, and Honolulu Aloha.

I began my tasting and started with the Clandestine Caramel. It didn’t have an overwhelming caramel flavor, but it was light and crunchy. The Brazilian Samba, Southern Surprise, and Honolulu Aloha flavors used pretty much the same caramel flavoring, with nuts included (cashews, pecans, and macadamias). The popcorn in these flavors were lightly coated and also included nut butter (I really didn’t taste the difference between cashew butter, pecan butter, and the macadamia butter flavored caramel).  The average number of nuts in each bag was only about a dozen, or so. I would have preferred if the nuts were chopped up and mixed in with the caramel during the mixing process. This would have assured that some nut pieces would be on each kernel of popcorn. All of the nuts in these flavors fell to the bottom of the bag, making it difficult to get that nut flavor in each bite.

The Roman Holiday flavor was my least favorite. It was suppose to contain a Parmesan cheese flavor, but all I tasted was plain salted popcorn. My palate may have been saturated with all the caramel flavors, but I really didn’t taste a strong Parmesan flavor.

As much as I love caramel popcorn, I was surprised that the London Kettle and the Saigon Sunrise were my favorite flavors. I’m not a very big fan of kettle corn, but the London Kettle flavor rose above all the other kettle corn flavors that I’ve tasted. The Saigon Sunrise flavor is a kettle corn swirled with rich Vietnamese cinnamon. It turned out to be my absolute favorite. I even saved some to eat for breakfast the next morning. Yes, popcorn for breakfast.

I enjoyed all the flavors from Popsalot, but I highly recommend the Saigon Sunrise.

Jenny’s

Jenny’s sent me a box that contained two small bags of Cheese Popcorn, two small bags of Hot Cheese Popcorn, a bag of Caramel Dittos, and a bag of Triple Mix. Manufactured by Poppee’s Popcorn in North Ridgeville, OH, Jenny’s has some great snack products.

I love caramel popcorn and started by reading the ingredients in the Caramel Dittos, and to my surprise there was no popcorn. This product is made by using corn meal along with a lot of other ingredients. The first taste reminded me of Captain Crunch cereal, but after consuming more than half the bag I realized that it also has a very addicting quality. The flavor is a combination of caramel, butter, and maple flavoring all rolled into one product. I was also hooked on the crunch and just couldn’t stop eating it. I wasn’t crazy about the flavor of the Cheese Popcorn, but the Hot Cheese Popcorn had a nice kick and left a nice spicy flavor on your tongue for several minutes. I would have preferred a stronger cheese flavor. The Triple Mix was a combination of butter, caramel, and cheese popcorn. I really liked the flavor of the caramel popcorn a lot and the combination of all the flavors in your mouth at the same time was good too.

I really liked all of the products from Jenny’s, especially the caramel popcorn in the Triple Mix.

Michele’s Sweet Shoppe

Michele’s Sweet Shoppe sent me nine flavors — Caramel, Dillicous, Buffalo Ranch, Coconut Almond Bliss, Dark Chocolate Mint, Peanut Butter Cup, Cookies and Cream, Sweet & Cheesy, and New England Maple.

I started out my tasting with the Caramel flavor. I really really like caramel popcorn and this flavor was really really good. The Dillicous had bits of real dill. The Buffalo Ranch was two flavors in one — Ranch flavor and a very nice spicy Buffalo BBQ flavor. The combination of flavors worked real well. The Dark Chocolate Mint reminded me of the After Eight dinner mints. The Peanut Butter Cup flavor was good, but I’ve had better tasting peanut butter flavored popcorn. The Cookies and Cream and the Sweet & Cheesy flavors were my least favorite flavors.

The Coconut Almond Bliss was one of my favorites. Imagine a crunchy dark chocolate Almond Joy. The New England Maple flavor was my other favorite, but I think it could have used a stronger maple flavor.

I enjoyed all of the popcorn from Michele’s Sweet Shoppe, but be sure to try the New England Maple. If you like it as much as I do then you’ll be eating it by the handful.

Metropolis Popcorn

Metropolis Popcorn sent me a box that contained six different gourmet popcorn flavors — Better Kettle, White Chocolate Peanut Butter, Sweet Heat, Iced Cinnamon Roll, Chocolate Covered Pretzel, and Anonymous Addiction.

I started my tasting by opening the bag of Anonymous Addiction because I didn’t know any of the actual ingredients. It was a totally blind taste test. The first taste reminded me of garlic bread. It certainly contained garlic and it was salty too. I could also taste pepper, but there was another flavor that I just wasn’t getting. It was earthy and reminded me of truffles. Whatever it was (their website mentions lime), the combination of ingredients in this popcorn flavor was just amazing. This flavor certainly has a high addiction rate. I loved it.

The Better Kettle flavor was not like any ordinary kettle flavor that I’ve had. It had a slight vanilla flavor that I just didn’t care for. The Chocolate Covered Pretzel was interesting, but I thought the chocolate flavor was bland. The Iced Cinnamon Roll is a popcorn flavor that can be used to enhance your favorite breakfast cereal, but it could have used a bit more cinnamon. The Sweet Heat was another one of my favorites. The first taste was sweet, but just a few seconds later a very nice BBQ flavor spice hits your mouth and stays there a few minutes. This flavor was really spicy. The last flavor I tried was the White Chocolate Peanut Butter. Although I’m not a big fan of white chocolate, the combination was pretty good and the peanut butter flavor was yummy.

All of the flavors I tried from Metropolis Popcorn were crunchy and fresh. The Sweet Heat and Anonymous Addiction flavors were my favorites.

Tiny But Mighty

One of my favorite kinds of popcorn to pop on the stove top is Tiny But Mighty, and now it’s available in ready-to-eat bags. I recently received a big box in the mail from farmer Gene that contained several bags of his new popcorn (currently there are two flavors — Sea Salt and White Cheddar) and a few bags of kernels. I couldn’t wait to open up a bag, so I ripped open a bag of the White Cheddar and began chomping. The crunch was exactly as I remembered but the white cheddar flavor was a bit mild. I didn’t mind and continued to eat about half the contents. I would have preferred a stronger cheese flavor, but that’s just my opinion. You really need to try this popcorn. I waited until the next day to open the Sea Salt flavor. It was just like I popped it myself. I like to season my popcorn with black pepper and sea salt… no butter required. This is just how I ate popcorn as a kid and it’s how I prefer to eat popcorn today. If you like popcorn as much as I do then do yourself a favor and go out and get some Tiny But Mighty. This popcorn is AWESOME!!!

Click here for the promotional offer.