Tommy Popcorn

Regular readers of my blog know that I have a thing for popcorn.  An obsession, an addiction, pick your word for it, but, yes, I have a label on my blog devoted to it, and yes, I eat it, in some form, sweet or savory, every day of my life.  I'm an avid snacker, and my vice of choice is nearly always popcorn.  I frequently do crazy things like freeze it, because I like it extra crispy that way.

Given this, it is safe to say that I'm basically always excited to get to try new popcorn, so when I heard from Tommy Popcorn about a new line of popcorn being produced in Los Angeles, of course I was eager to try a soon as it was available.

"Discover our bold, unconventional, and unapologetically flavorful handcrafted gourmet popcorn, born from a Brooklyn legend’s passion for storytelling and unforgettable taste."

The namesake of this popcorn is slightly confusing, as 1) a person named Tommy is not involved with the brand, and 2) the company is based in California, despite the Brooklyn branding.  But it is named after a real-ish person,  Tommaso “Tommy” Marino, a fictional 1950s Brooklyn filmmaker obsessed with popcorn, cinema and doing things his own way.  The branding is intended to capture the spirit of the 1950s, of doing things the handcrafted way, and telling a tale through creative media, in this case popcorn rather than film.

The popcorn is marketed as gourmet, and never uses HFCS, is popped in small batches, and comes in slightly unique flavors.  Their flavors all focus around caramel corn, taken in a variety of directions, from the simple "Iconic" base flavor to the fascinatinating sounding "Empire State" pizza flavored version.  I tried only one, but can't wait to get my hands on more (which you can do too, currently sold only directly from their website).

Golden Irish.

"Caramel Popcorn with the taste of genuine Irish Whiskey"

"Tommy makes popcorn the way New York City makes nights – bold, memorable, full of adventure. And Golden Irish is the kind of popcorn that tastes like sophistication the second it hits your lips. This whiskey flavored popcorn blends warm vanilla, a whisper of oak, and a buttery glaze that lingers like jazz on a record player. 

Think: velvet booths, old-school charm, tailored suits and a pour of something top-shelf. It’s smooth. It’s slow. It’s got depth. And just like Tommy? Refined, but never boring.

“A popcorn that tastes like old money.” – Tommy"

I took my first nibble and was very quickly impressed.  I eat a lot of popcorn, clearly, but this was noteworthy from the first bite.

The caramel flavor was extremely well balanced - it was buttery, it was sweet, but it never veered into cloying territory, even though the pieces were all well coated in topping.  Think of what you wish most ballpark or carnival caramel corn was, but never is.  Caramel corn for those with real palettes.  Or yes, exactly as they say, it tastes like sophistication.  In a world of flowery marketing prose, in this case, it measures up.

And then there is the Irish whiskey of it all.  It was subtle, easy to miss at first, but there was this little extra touch of complexity on the finish, that took my brain a moment to register as whiskey.  But the moment it did, I immediately knew exactly what drink I wanted to pair with it.

Unfortunately my little bag didn’t last long enough to pour said drink.  The 1 ounce bag size feels slightly like a tease, but is likely good for portion control, as I assure you, I’d stand no chance against a larger bag.  But I think it would pair oh-so-well.

Oh, and the popcorn itself?  Nice size kernels, fresh tasting, well coated.  I have no edit on this, besides that maaaaybe I’d prefer it a bit more boozy, but really, this was just shockingly good caramel corn, for adults.  4.5/5.