Popcorn Factory Popcorn

Update Review - 2023

I've previously reviewed popcorn tins from Popcorn Factory, generally sent around the Christmas holidays, but this year, we were gifted some goodies at Easter, and they were a bit more unique than the classic popcorn tin.

Popcorn Eggs: Blue Raspberry, Purple Grape, Pink Strawberry, Yellow Lemon.

First up, the popcorn "eggs".

Yellow (Lemon):

When I tried this, I didn't realize the color meant anything.  I thought it was just yellow for Easter.  And I thought it was just a rice crispy treat.

I was wrong in so many levels.  And pleasantly surprised.

The yellow one was ... lemon.  Distinctly lemon.  No question.

And it was not a sticky rice crispy treat, but rather hard coated candy popcorn.  Um, yum?

Lemon is never my first choice of flavor, but this inspired me to try other colors. ***.

Pink (Strawberry):

So I eagerly moved on to the pink one, which promised to be strawberry.  Now that was a flavor I could get behind!

I ... didn't love it though.  I'm not entirely sure why.  It was sweet candy coated popcorn.  I like that, in general, but here it actually was just too sweet, too much.  It was vaguely strawberry flavored.  Also a good thing.  But ... I wasn't into it. **+.

Purple (Grape):

The purple one was the least flavored of them all, not much "grape" detectable, if any, really.  But the overall item was better than the others, although still, just too much sweet.  I think part of why I love coated popcorns is the constant seeking out of a balance of really well coated super sweet pieces and ones that are less coated (or, salty/savory/etc) and here it was just ... all sweet.  So much sweet. ***/

Bunny Corn.

Next up, "bunny corn", or, pearly candy corn.

These were pretty.  Shiny, pastel colors.  I thought that they might not taste like regular candy corn, but alas, just candy corn.  Pretty candy corn, but, pure sugar, and, I can't say I really like candy corn.  **.

Update Review - June 2017

My past experiences of The Popcorn Factory have all be of their giant tins of popcorn that show up around the holidays.  I adored the cheese popcorn last time I had it, and liked the caramel corn quite a bit, as you can go read about in that original review.

It turns out, The Popcorn Factory also makes popcorn that is distributed as part of gift boxes.  And just like those tins, folks tend to bring these to the office to get rid of the items they aren't excited about.  I'm not sure why no one is excited about popcorn like me, but, their loss, my gain!

I was thrilled to see a flavor I hadn't yet tried: kettle corn! (Side note: if you ever go to New Hampshire during the summer, and want the best kettle corn ever, let me know, and I'll tell you all about the best little kettle corn stand that pops up at farmer's markets.  It is the best ever, seriously, and I always bring home suitcases full, which I then store in the freezer, and enjoy year round.  Soooo good).  Sadly, The Popcorn Factory kettle corn was not for me.

I'd still love to try more of their flavors though, as the base product is good, and they have some awesome sounding options, like savory buffalo ranch or bacon cheddar.   Or sweet peanut brittle or pumpkin caramel praline crunch.  Or the crazy decadent drizzled birthday confetti or dark chocolate cherry cordial.  So many choices.

Kettle Corn.

"Our premium, all-natural Kettle corn is the best of both worlds-it's a little bit salty and a whole lot of crunchy sweetness. (It's so tasty, we use it as a base for many of our signature flavors, too!) Each bite reminds you of why you love popcorn as much as we do. "

This "kettle corn" made me angry.  Kettle corn is supposed to be lighter than caramel corn.  It is not supposed to be nearly as sweet.  It should be a magical hybrid of buttery popcorn that is a touch sweet and definitely salty.

But this ... this was caramel corn.  I did not detect any salt.  And the kernels were absolutely coated in sugar/corn syrup, making it just as sweet, and just as glazed, as any caramel corn.  If I didn't know better, I'd honestly think they accidentally packaged up the wrong popcorn and put it in the box.  

I actually looked this up, and found that an ounce of the caramel corn has 14 grams of sugar, and an ounce of this kettle corn has 16 grams.   Yes, it is more sugary than the caramel corn.  That is not right!

To be fair, the popcorn was good, the kernels well coated, but, grumble, not kettle corn.  A friend tried one bite and he too also exclaimed, "This isn't really kettle corn!"  As kettle corn? *.  As caramel corn?  ***.

Original Review, May 216

ZOMG, popcorn.  Yes, I have a problem with popcorn.  I'm obsessed, and I freely admit it.  It is my favorite of all snack foods.  But ... I don't actually really like standard microwave butter popcorn.  Or even movie theater popcorn.  

No, this doesn't mean that I like high brow popcorn, just, that I like it savory or sweet, with interesting flavors.  (And, strangely, I usually like it frozen.  Seriously.  Try it sometime, particularly caramel corn.  It gets even crispier!  And it lasts forever!)

Peek-A-Boo Snowman Popcorn Tin, 3.5 Gallon, 3-Flavor.  $39.

So, you know that time of year, when people get those popcorn tins from clients?  The ones they groan about, and bring to the office, and hope someone else will eat it?

That happens to be my favorite time of year.  (And not just for the popcorn tins!)

Every year, without fail, a few of these wind up around our office.  This year, one tin was from Popcorn Factory, as it has been in past years, but I never bothered write up a review before.

This time, I finally snapped a pic.  Behold: the tin!

Popcorn Factory is an online retailer of popcorn tins, gift baskets, and the like.  Generally used for corporate gifting, last minute Father's day gifts, etc.  They offer all your classic savory popcorns (butter, cheese, white cheddar, etc) and sweet (caramel, kettle, etc), but also like 30 other flavors including the fascinating sounding fruit flavors like sour green apple (also, um, its bright green!), crazy combos like butter toffee almond with pretzels, and a birthday flavor with sugar drizzle and rainbow sprinkles that I really really want to try.

Of course, no one sends the fun flavors, they stick with the classics, so that is what I was able to try.

Cheese Popcorn / Caramel Popcorn / Butter Popcorn.

Inside the tin was 3 varieties, all divided by a cardboard insert: cheese, caramel, and butter.  All you folks who actually like butter popcorn can have that one, while the savory cheese one and the sweet caramel corn can be mine, all mine!

The tin is also available in a 4 flavor version, with the addition of white cheddar popcorn.

My reviews, in order of preference (least to best):

Butter Popcorn: "The popcorn classic with freshly popped kernels and buttery deliciousness."
I tried it, just for trying it sake, but, well, yes, it was just butter popcorn.  Not fresh, not hot, why on earth would I ever want this?  I left it all for the rest of you, who seemed to devour it.  No one else touched the ones I kept returning for. **+.

Caramel Popcorn: "Super crunchy and super delicious, one of our most popular popcorn recipes."

I fully expected the caramel popcorn to be my favorite.  And I did like it, I easily polished off the rest of the tin.  Each and every kernel was very well coated in caramel.  It was crispy.  Nice buttery caramel flavor, not the burnt caramel flavor you sometimes get.  Good, sweet, satisfying.  But the best was yet to come. ***+.

Cheese Popcorn: "A must for any popcorn fan. When you think of cheese popcorn, this is it!"
Huzzah!  Now this, this was amazing.  Like the others, the kernels were perfectly coated, no kernel left behind untouched.  It was so cheesy, in that fake cheese that you-know-you-love way.  It coated my fingers and left them orange.  You can bet I licked them clean.  I loved this.  It mixed nicely with the caramel corn for a sweet and savory combo, but really, it was just fantastic on its own.  I wasn't even tempted to freeze this one! ****+.

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One65 Patisserie

In 2019, a new French inspired dining destination opened in SF, right near Union Square: One65.

"ONE65 is an innovative multi-level culinary destination with French flair that offers four distinct modern dining experiences under one roof and is the vision of James Beard Award-winning Chef/Partner Claude Le Tohic. Ranging from casual to fine dining, each floor showcases its own individual concept and design. Everything at ONE65 is made in-house, from gourmet ice cream to beautiful loaves of fresh-baked bread."

One65 is not a single restaurant, but rather, an entire multi-story building.  On the ground floor is the one that first called out to me: the patisserie.  Above that is the Bistro & Grill on second and third floors, Elements bar & lounge on the fourth, and O by Claude Le Tohic on the top two.  The venues get progressively more formal as you ascend.  But I started with the patisserie, as, well, I sure do have a sweet tooth and enjoy my desserts.

Individual Desserts.

Walking in to the patisserie you are met with display case after display case featuring a line up of elaborate individual desserts.  No descriptions are given, but staff members are abundant behind the counter to tell you al about them.

There are options for those looking for something decadent and chocolate, and those wanting light and fruity, and everything in-between.

Pastries.

If pastries are more your craving, there are cases and cases of those too.  Classic croissants and danishes to more elaborate brioches and layered creations.

Everything looks incredible, and fairly top notch.  Making decisions here is ... near impossible.

The cafe portion of this space also does serve breakfast items like a french omelette, french toast, croissant eggs benny, or handful of tartines, and lunch selections range from paninis and flatbreads to bugers, wagyu meatballs, or even black cod.  A small amount of indoor and outdoor sidewalk seating is available.

I've now enjoyed their treats twice: once for delivery, and one dine-in.  I'll gladly return to try more.

Fancy Carrier.

My order arrived in a fancy, but not practical, carrier.  It was just for transport, I could't really store my item for later in it, as it wasn't air tight (and, it was also huge).

Lemon Yuzu Cake. $10.

"Lemon jelly, yuzu cream, lemon biscuit, lemon ganache, croustillant."

The fancy carrier did not prevent my cake from topping over in transit.  I didn't really mind, but, it was a bit funny to open such a fancy thing and see the slight carnage.

This was my first dessert from One65, and although I knew they get great reviews, I wasn't really sure what to expect.  And yes, if you know me, you know I don't generally go for citrus desserts, but, I think I've turned a corner on that front, mostly due to actually liking a key lime item from Fillings & Emulsions in the Salt Lake City airport (zomg, so good!), and for some reason, out of all the amazing sounding items, somehow, the lemon yuzu cake called out to me.

The description gave me a decent idea what to expect, but, it still was a bit different than I anticipated.

The base was a thick biscuit.  I didn't actually taste the lemon in this element, but it was sweet, crumbly, and more dominant than I really liked.  It was easily 1/3 or more of the cake, not a thin base just to provide structure.  Not being a cookie girl, the significant impact this had on the eating experience wasn't ideal for me.  It was also really quite sweet.

Above that was a very thin, slightly dry, plain cake layer.  I didn't even notice this layer until midway through eating it, because it was so easily lost with the thicker base.

Above that was a cream layer, and it was citrus-y, I guess yuzu.  Lightly sweet, lightly tart, enjoyable enough.  The sides coated in what seemed like thin lemon flavored white chocolate, I suspect this is the lemon ganache they refer to.  I liked the sweetness and crunch.  There was some decoration on top as well - a little white chocolate, a tiny wafer, and a thin line of citrus jelly.  I think that very minimal decorative line was the only citrus jelly in it, and I had certainly expected more, and think it would have benefited from a more intense hit of citrus.

Overall, the components of this were all fine, but it didn't wow me, and again, it was just too cookie (er, biscuit) heavy for me.  ***.

Zephyr Exotic. $15.
Special Collab with guest chef.

When we visited in person a few months later, my co-worker went for the Zephyr Exotic, which was a limited special with a visiting pastry chef, available for two days only.  It had a coconut biscuit base, was covered in remarkably light and fluffy coconut mousse, which in turn wrapped mango banana crèmeux, with passion fruit confit in the center.  I of course stole a bite, after he was exclaiming at how unexpected the consistency was.  I think we both expected it to either be a shell, or maybe meringue, but it was just light-as-air mousse.  

I was a bit let down by the flavors however - I expected a stronger coconut flavor, as it was quite subtle.  The passionfruit was strong when you got some of the confit from the center.  Overall, fun textures, very beautiful, but not as flavorful as I was hoping. ***.

Mignardises. $10.

Because I hate making decisions, I was pretty thrilled to see the mignardises offerings, each with 5 assorted bites.  They had several different assortments, I picked this one for one reason: it had a chestnut item!  The others did not.

Other options did include more chocolate forward items, or mini cream puffs, etc, but mine was all a collection of assorted mousses, with incredible complexity in every single one.  Not only were they adorable, but, wow, there was a lot going on technique-wise to craft these tiny bites.  At $2 per piece, this seemed more than reasonable.  

I enjoyed my platter of bites, and would recommend this as a great way to sample several items, unless you really clearly know what else you'd like.

Chocolate Cherry.

The cherry was an obvious looker.  Yes, it looked like a cherry at first glance, a chocolate coated one of course, but on closer inspection one could see that this was actually not a cherry at all.  Instead it had all
the elements of their larger black forest dessert, with chocolate ganache and black cherry confit inside, dipped in a chocolate shell, with a chocolate stem and of course a flourish of gold leaf.

Creamy, chocolately, good cherry flavor.  The chocolate shell had a nice snap.  A fun item.  ***+.

Individual Size Desserts - including Black Forest.

Here you can see the cherry mignardise, perched on top of the black forest, just one of many elements that go into making the full size (individual) dessert.

Chocolate Mandarin.

The chocolate mandarin box mirrors their latest croissant, which comes with mandarin jam, blood orange & vanilla toasted meringue.   Here we had a chocolate sponge base, mandarin-vanilla crémeux, mandarin jam, vanilla meringue, all in a chocolate box shell with edible gold leaf and chocolate decoration.

The mandarin flavor was strong, due to the jam, which made it very vibrant. The meringue surprised me, as I wasn't expecting it, and thought that was just a vanilla cream on top.  It was light and fluffy, and quite delicate.  And then chocolate elements of course. Mandarin and chocolate are a standard pairing, e.g. those chocolate oranges at Christmas, so this worked.

Overall every element was well made, it tasted fresh, but wasn't really flavors I'm drawn to, and wouldn't really want again.  ***.

Chocolate Raspberry.

Fruity goodness!  This is a mini version of their full size 6" Chocolate Raspberry Cake, which has dark chocolate raspberry mousse, vanilla crème brûlée, raspberry confit, and chocolate sponge.

This one was less complicated than some of the others, but I really enjoyed it.  The dome was the dark chocolate raspberry mousse, thick, rich, sweet, lovely raspberry flavor.  The mirror glaze of raspberry confit was even more intensely fruity, but not cloying, again, lovely raspberry flavor. 

Rather than a chocolate sponge cake base as the full size item has, it was all perched on a crispy little biscuit with crunchy bits in it - hazelnut sable perhaps?  The texture was fantastic, and the crunch from the biscuit and the creamy dome were a lovely combo.  Tiny dot of vanilla crème brûlée on top, a piece of fresh raspberry, and gold leaf sealed the deal for an incredible bite.

This was absolutely incredible, and I'd get it again, in full size, in a heartbeat.  Perfection really. *****.

Yuzu?

Next up, another one that was less complicated, same formula as the previous:  a dome of thick mousse, with a surrounding fruity sweet mirror glaze, perched on top the same crispy biscuit.  I think this one was yuzu, at first I thought lemon, then orange.  Citrusy, but not nearly as strong of flavors, in the mousse or glaze, as the raspberry one.  By my second bite, I actually thought it might be mango passionfruit, but, just not an intense mango nor passionfruit.  I'm still not sure what it was.

This was fine, and enjoyable bite, and I again really did love the biscuit base (so crunchy! So nutty!), but the flavors were more muted than the previous bite.  ***+.

Chestnut?  Vanilla?

I saved the one I was most excited for for last, the chestnut.  At this point, I knew what to expect, as it had the same awesomely crunchy nutty biscuit base, and I expected a chestnut flavored ganache dome, with chestnut glaze around it.  Bonus points for the even fancier (white) chocolate work here, and the edible silver leaf (instead of gold).

One65 doesn't currently have a chestnut dessert on the menu, but in the winter, they had one with vanilla, chestnut whipped ganache, and chestnut confit, and I hoped this would be a mini version of that in some way.  I really like chestnut, and it is rare to see it on menus.

I didn't really taste chestnut.  This wasn't a bad treat, but, I would have never thought it was chestnut if it hadn't been described that way by the server.  I still wonder if they were incorrect.  To me, it was vanilla - not a bad thing, it was creamy, lightly sweet, and pleasant ganache-mousse inside, and a sweet and creamy white chocolate shell, but, I just didn't taste the chestnut I was looking for.  One65 makes a vanilla chantilly individual dessert with vanilla mousse and vanilla cremeux, that looks fairly similar to this, just, much bigger.  

So, this was fine.  Sweet and creamy, same great biscuit base, but, I was let down because I expected chestnut.  ***.

Drip Coffee. $3.50.

With a Yelp checkin, you can get a free drip coffee.  It was served in a cappuccino mug, so quickly got cool, but otherwise was decent enough coffee.  Not remarkable, but not too bitter nor acidic, didn't taste old.  ***.

Espresso. $3.25.

I also had an espresso to go.  The espresso was quite strong, a bit bitter.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. Pretty average. ***.

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