Pop! Gourmet Foods

Update Review 2020

Sriracha is generally a polarizing condiment.  Some people slather it on everything.  Others kinda hate it.  I'm somewhere in the middle, I find it useful sometimes, but I certainly don't get excited about it.

But I do get excited about new favors of popcorn, so when I saw Pop! had a sriracha flavor, of course I had to try it, as I've enjoyed their popcorn before.  I just assumed the very mixed reviews were the haters vs the lovers.

Sriracha.

 "Through a unique process, Sriracha’s intensely flavorful and wildly loved blend of sun ripened chili peppers and garlic adds the perfect hot and spicy seasoning to POP’s premium golden popcorn. Every kernel is infused with the “most amazing condiment on the planet”."

It ... um ... underdelivered to say the least.

Yes, it is made with Huy Fong Foods Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce.  But the heat level?  Basically not there.  At all.  I saw a little red coating on it, yes, but it really, really as not spicy.

Sadness, as this turned out to just be a boring plain popcorn with the tiniest bit of heat.

Update Review, September 2019

I got to try more Pop! Gourmet flavors of popcorn, and found more I like.  I really need to get my hands on some of the more crazy flavours though ... Tajin, Huy Fong Sriracha, Black Truffle ... um, Kale Ceasar ...

Almond Roca.

"Artisinal butter toffee popcorn made with Almond Roca Buttercrunch and roasted almonds. Truly a delight and a flavor created exclusively for POP! Gourmet. It's hard to pinpoint why ALMOND ROCA Buttercrunch is so popular. It could be the attractive pink tin, or the fancy gold foil that surrounds each confection. Chances are, though, it's Almond Roca's rich flavor, a combination of ingredients that blend together so well it's like they were made for each other. They start with a buttercrunch center made with real vanilla and butter created especially for Brown & Haley. Since they don't add salt or water to their buttercrunch, the texture is crunchy, but with a soft bite. Next, the center is coated with the rich flavor of chocolate made with cocoa beans from around the world, then topped with fresh almonds - not roasted - for a softer, more delicate flavor. The result A creamy, crunchy confection that almost melts in your mouth!"

Take the most decadent caramel corn you can imagine and then ... make it even more decadent.  That is what steps lead you to this creation, "Almond Roca" popcorn.

Perfectly coated, very rich, very sweet, very buttery, popcorn.  Quite crisp, due to the generous coating.

I really would never have identified this as almond roca though.  Sweet, caramely, buttery, sure, but, almond roca?  Nope.  If they wanted this to be more almond roca obvious, they should include little chunks of the candy?  I certainly didn't detect any of the chocolate.  It did have some bitterness though, perhaps from almond?

It was ok, but crazy intense.  I have a serious sweet tooth, and even I could only handle a few bites at a time of this.  I didn't find myself ever craving it, and of course I tried freezing it too to see if that increased the appeal (it did not).

As you may expect, this is not a light item.  Even I was shocked at its nutrition panel though.  The bag looks like a single serving, not even half full, however, it is listed at ... 3.5 servings!  Of 320 calories each!  Yes, this little bag of popcorn, easily finished in a sitting, clocks in at ~1000 calories. Ooph. Tread lightly.

Cascade Mix.

I've had this one before, and enjoyed it.

And ... I still enjoy it.  I particularly liked the mild white cheddar popcorn, and it seemed to have more powder this time.  My fingers wound up extremely coated in white powder.  I was not upset.

I mostly find myself separating out the popcorn, eating all the white cheddar when I'm in the mood for savory, and then the caramel when I want sweet.  I like this though, just like I like digging through Chex mix for the bits I want at that particular moment.  And yes, sometimes I like a bite of both, but usually ... I really do prefer one or the other.

Hidden Valley Ranch.

"Hidden Valley® Ranch seasoned popcorn by Pop! Gourmet brings the classic blend of buttermilk flavor, garlic, onion, herbs, and spices to this delicious popcorn recipe. Feed the fun on your next outdoor adventure or family gathering. Every bite of this delicious popcorn is seasoned with the Hidden Valley® Ranch flavor you love. Enjoy! Make sure to try Hidden Valley® Ranch Seasoning found in the Dressing aisle!"

I have a strange relationship with ranch.

I liked it at some point in my life, as a dressing, on salad.  And then my little sister got very obsessed with it, and put it on ... everything.  Chicken nuggets, dunked in ranch.  Pizza, dunked in ranch.  Every vegetable ... dunked in ranch.  I ended up hating the mere smell of it as a result.  I can't really explain it, but when I moved out for college, I think I avoided ranch for like 15 years.  

I've since moved on from my trauma, and found that I enjoy some ranch dressings again.  But I still approached this one with apprehension.  

Luckily, it was awesome.  The kernels were well coated, zesty, and actually, kinda tasted ... cheesy?  I wouldn't necessarily call it "ranch" but it was zesty and herby.  The garlic and onion were at least identifiable.  I think the "cheesy" nature came from buttermilk and sour cream?

I liked this one enough at room temperature, that I didn't even find the need to freeze it (gasp!)  I way too quickly devoured the single serving bag ... 240 calories of it, so not the lightest popcorn out there ... gulp.

Original Review, March 2018

I love snacks. I love popcorn.  I love crazy flavors of popcorn.

So, I was excited to discover Pop!, as, well, they make crazy flavors of popcorn (and chips). They love to Sriracha and Tajin all the things.

Sadly, the varieties I tried were a bit more pedestrian.

White Cheddar Jalapeno Fire Corn.

"A fiery mix of popcorn and crispy jalapeno slices tossed with white cheddar cheese."

Um, wow.

"Fire Corn" is actually a fitting name for this product.

I took my first bite as a handful.  I kinda regretted it.  Seriously spicy.

I did like the spice, once I was ready for it, but, it stuck with you, and it burned.  This is a product for serious heat lovers.

The white cheddar coating helped temper it a bit, but only a bit.  The kernels were well coated in the white cheddar powder.

This was also not a light popcorn.  The bag contained only an ounce of popcorn, and it was 200 calories.  For barely more than a handful.

White Cheddar Jalapeno (Update 2018).

I tried it again a year or so later, forgetting that I had tried it before.

It wasn't nearly as spicy this time.  This time, the dominant flavor was the cheddar cheese, and also, seemingly way too much butter?  They just felt heavy, coated in too much stuff.  And not really firey.

Hmm.  Not sure what changed, me, or the batch?

Cascade Mix.

"A delicious blend of tender Northwest white cheddar cheese popcorn and premium caramel corn. A mouthwatering twist on a classic."

The cheese and caramel popcorn combo is still one that I'm learning to appreciate.  Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it totally doesn't.

This one worked, but mostly because the cheddar popcorn was very, very mild.  It was white cheddar, so no scary fake orange color, no cheesy colored fingers after eating it, and subtle cheese flavor.  I liked it, but I did wish for more.

The caramel was very sweet, as expected.  It reminded me more of toffee than caramel, but, I liked it, particularly when frozen.  It got a great crunch to it.  The kernels were well coated.

Overall, a decent popcorn, but another heavy hitter, 200 calories in a very small portion.