Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP

Update Review 2024/2025

I still like the kettle and drizzlecorns better, but I recently tried the basics again.

Sea Salt.

"Long ingredient list? Not here. Our Sea Salt Popcorn contains just popcorn, sea salt, and a little bit of sunflower and/or canola oil. And at 40 calories a cup, it also contains a lot of guilt-free goodness. So go ahead, seas the day!"

After several years, I encountered the plain salted popcorn again.  While it is still very plain, just basic salted popcorn, the kernels are a good size, it is fluffy, and tastes fresh enough.  Salt level is nice.  Somewhat buttery flavor as well.  

Good for what it is, but I always sprinkle on additional seasoning or mix with a too-decadent other flavor.  3.5/5, possibly 4/5.

Real Butter.

"Attention, butter lovers...this one’s going to blow your butter-loving minds! Our Butter Popcorn is made with real butter, which makes an oh-so-delicious difference. And we know what you’re thinking, but it’s 45 calories a cup. Really."

Butter popcorn is never the flavor I go for (for savory, I want cheesy or spicy!), but I was given a big bag of the butter popcorn, and I obviously wasn't going to let it go to waste.  

The popcorn was again nicely popped, big kernels, fresh tasting.  Easy to munch on.  No qualms with the base form factor.  But how about the butter?  Well, I didn't really taste it.  Which was fine, as again, I'm not really excited about butter popcorn in general (particularly if it isn't hot fresh butter), but if you want to really taste butter, you'll be let down.  The salt level was good, the texture was good, it was perfectly fine fairly plain popcorn, so not particularly interesting, but not bad.  Again, 3.5/5.

Original Review 2021

Oh, man.

I eat a lot of snacks.  I adore popcorn.  I *really* adore sweet, dessert-like, decadent popcorn.  Particularly when it is frozen.  Yeah, I'm strange, but I really love my popcorn.  Frozen.

I've seen BOOMCHICKAPOP at stores all over the country, for years, and rather assumed it was just another run-of-the-mill packaged popcorn.  Yeah, it is non-GMO and gluten-free, but, um, isn't all popcorn?  It does have a cute story, started by a husband and wife (yup, Angie), with a quick rise from local fame to specialty stores to nationwide mass retail.  You can buy it at Target or the corner Walgreens. Boomchickapop is certainly a success story.

BOOMCHICKAPOP Packaging.

BOOMCHICKAPOP comes in far more varieties than most brands starting with the basics (butter, sea salt, light sweet, sweet & salty, white cheddar, cheddar cheese), plus some slightly interesting (caramel, salted caramel, caramel & cheddar, sweet & spicy, and sweet barbecue), and then the ones that called out to me, decadent milk chocolate peanut butter and dark chocolaty drizzled sea salt.

They also often have seasonal specials, dubbed "holidrizzle", which are "drizzlecorn" varieties even more decadent than the standard lineup.  These sounded irresistible, and thus, into my shopping cart a bag of holidrizzle went (they also had a frosted sugar cookie version that sounded nearly as interesting!)

The bags come as full size multi portion bags, which of course is danger for me, given my ability to eat an entirely unreasonable amount of popcorn in a single sitting.  Yes, I can literally take down a full bag, in one sitting, no problem.  And then I'll move on to another flavor ... yes, I have a propcorn problem!

Savory

Savory popcorn is not my usual goto, although I've had some really interesting spicy varieties over the years that I have quite liked, or sometimes something like salt & pepper or sour cream & onion can be fun, but the regular savories of butter or cheese ... eh.  Still, sometimes even I don't want sweet, so I've tried a few.

Sea Salt.

"Snacking should make you feel good. I mean, am I right? That's why we set out to make a light, tasty treat that satisfies without triggering post-snack guilt. Always real, free of gluten, trans fats and preservatives. And because it's by Angie's, it's got all the delish that comes from being made with simple ingredients you'll love. Really, at 35 calories per cup, you're about to get snack-cessful up in here."

I started with the simple sea salt flavor. 

It was ... popcorn.  Just light salted popcorn.  Well popped, large kernels, but, bo-ring. 3/5.

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Real Butter.

"What goes better with popcorn than real butter? Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP® Real Butter Popcorn is a timeless classic that will be sure to knock your socks off! Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP® Real Butter Popcorn makes movie nights a whole lot better!"

I moved on to the equally simple "Real Butter" variety.  It too was ... very plain.  Not particularly buttery nor interesting.  Butter popcorn is best hot, freshly popped, and smothered in real butter (or, the movie theater liquid gold they call butter ...).  3/5.

White Cheddar.

"For when you feel the need. The need for real cheese."

The White Cheddar variety was also pretty lackluster.

Well popped fresh kernels, but, the white cheddar flavor just wasn't strong enough for me, although it was made with real cheddar cheese, not strange fake powder. 3/5.

White Cheddar.

I had it again, when in a particularly savory mood.  And ... yeah, it still just doesn't deliver.  Just far too mild.  Not cheesy at all.  And certainly no satisfying cheesy coated fingers!

Double Update Review: I've had it several times, and always found it really quite boring.  3/5.

Dill Pickle.

"Perfectly pickled popcorn. Say that 10 times fast. After you chew and swallow that handful, of course. This flavor clocks in at 50 calories a cup, so yeah, it’s a pretty big dill (sorry, couldn’t resist)."

Ok.  This sounded awesome, as I do love dill pickles.  It wasn't bad, but, the dill flavor just wasn't very strong.  Mild dill.  I wanted more from it, but for a very non-indulgent option, it was fine.  3/5.

Sweet

The sweet flavors are my everyday pick, bonus points for having a salty and sweet combo.

Sweet & Spicy.

"This delicious flavor combines garlic, cayenne, cumin and paprika for a zippy, yet slightly sweet, fiesta kind of snack. At 70 calories per cup, it's sure to be a favorite for bold-flavor lovers. Party on snacker!"

I was not really unimpressed with the "Sweet & Spicy".  It was neither sweet, nor spicy.  It did appear to have a little seasoning on it, but it certainly was not "bold".  Sadness.  (If you want a sweet and spicy one though, I highly recommend the Synergistically Seasoned popcorn from Trader Joes!).

I moved on. 3/5.

Light Kettle Corn.

"Snacking is the best part about life. It should be both DELICIOUS and carefree. Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP Lightly Sweet has all the delish that comes from being made with simple ingredients you'll love. Just a hint of sweet is added to this popcorn, clocking in at 37 calories per cup. Munch up, savvy shopper."

The light kettle corn was good.  Slightly sweet, slightly salty, well coated kernels.  Certainly a lighter variety than I often tend towards, but good.  A nice thing for me to have on hand, so I don't *always* go for the crazy decadent ones! 4/5.

Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn.

"Opposites don’t just attract they make us fall in love, too. You and your friends will want to crush the whole bag."

Not surprisingly though, I preferred the Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn, double the calories (70 calories per cup instead of 37) of the Light version.

It was actually really good kettle corn.  And I'm particular about my kettle corn.  It reminded me of my favorite kettle corn that comes only from a small vendor at the farmer's market in my hometown.  The kernels were really well coated, crispy, and it was loaded with both sugar and salt.

Totally addicting, and a favorite, no question. 4/5.

Salted Caramel.

"We think salted anything is pretty dang amazing. But salted caramel? Well, that’s a whole new level. Vegans, rejoice—you can be a part of this popcorn party."

And then ... caramel corn.  Salted caramel corn.

Crunchy, deep buttery popcorn.  I actually think our catering team just incorrectly labelled this and it was the Buttery Caramel (170 calories per cup), considered an "Everyday Indulgent" selection by the manufacturer, because it was far too decadent and coated in real caramel to be the lower cal Salted Caramel (80 calories per cup) it was labelled as.

I do adore this popcorn though.  The caramel was intense, truly fabulous caramel.  The pieces are well coated.  It is addicting.  Even moreso if you freeze hit to make it extra crispy (and keep for longer!). 4/5.

Everyday Indulgent

The sweet lineup will satisfy more people, and me most of the time, but if you want to go all out, Angie's has another product line, dubbed, "Everyday Indulgent".  For, uh, everyday.

Buttery Caramel.

"What’s not to love? It’s caramel. And popcorn. And it’s made with real ingredients. So go on. Crush your craving. And if someone wants you to share, that’s your call."

Another caramel corn?  Near identical in looks and taste (again, I suspect the previous one was mislabelled when I had it ...).

This was buttery caramel corn, just as promised.  I liked how crispy it was, and how well coated.  Very deep rich caramel flavor.

Very sweet, very buttery, just as I wanted.  I still think the earlier one was also this one ... 4/5.

Dark Chocolate Drizzled Sea Salt Kettle Corn.

"We asked people what they thought of our kettle corn popcorn with a dark chocolate drizzle, but all we got was “nomnomnow…”"

I agree with the description on this one.

Classic good kettle corn.  Nice salt level.  And then plenty of chocolate drizzle.

At times, I wished the chocolate drizzle was more generous.  I wanted just the best coated pieces!  But at the same time ... that is what made it fun to eat, searching for the best ones.  So maybe they nailed this, getting me fairly addicting, waiting for just "one more" perfect piece ... 4.5/5.

Cinnamon Roll Drizzled.

"Your nose will think it’s breakfast and your taste buds will love the surprise. Hold the bag tight because once it’s open people will suddenly appear."

I was skeptical of this one, just because it sounded potentially awesome and I worried it would let me down, but, it was actually fantastic.  I adored it the first time I had it, and literally scarfed down a whole bag ... which, by the way, I do not recommend.  I had quite the stomachache later!

The base is cinnamon popcorn, well spiced, dominant, but not too aggressive.  The best part is the drizzle, a sweet cinnamon icing.  It added a creaminess, crispness, and an addictive quality since not all kernels were equally drizzled, and I found myself seeking out the "best" pieces, while plowing through way too big of a portion.  Sometimes though, I found it too sweet, particularly if I got too many well coated pieces in a row.  But most days?  I love it.

I tend to prefer my popcorn frozen (crunchier!), and this one in particular is great frozen, the cinnamon roll icing gets super crispy. 4.5/5.

Holiday Flavors

Around the holidays, bonus, limited time, flavors come out, such as Sugar Cookie, or of course, Pumpkin Spice.  These tend to all sound kinda awesome, and are even more indulgent.

Holidrizzle: White Chocolate Peppermint Kettle Corn.

"Feel all the nostalgic feelings with Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP® White Chocolate & Peppermint Flavored Kettle Corn. Drizzled with the finest white chocolate and mixed with delicious flecks of peppermint, this Holidrizzle flavor tastes just like the peppermint bark your grandma used to make. And let’s be real, your grandma was a pretty cool lady."

Around Christmas, I snagged a bag of the white chocolate peppermint Holidrizzle.

This was absolutely insanely good.  The base is kettle corn, buttery, sweet, and salty.  Very good kettle corn.  And then, as advertised, drizzled with white chocolate and crushed peppermint candies.  The drizzle allowed clumps to form, like granola.  It was applied very generously, but not evenly, which meant that it tapped into my addition in a horrible way.  "Just one more piece, I'll just have one more really well coated chunk", I'd tell myself.  And then, next thing I knew, I had eaten several more cups full, but, well, those pieces weren't the perfect piece I was looking for.  Ooph.

So here you had a wonderful mix of buttery, salty, sweet, and minty, in a fun to eat form factor that kept you seeking "just one more"?  Yeah, horrible.  And awesome.  I didn't even need to freeze this one to enjoy it.

I'd gladly eat another bag, right now.  I guess I'll have to wait for next holiday season.  Protip for next year: stock up!  4.5/5.

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Thatcher's Gourmet Popcorn

Update Review, May 2026

It had been a few years since I encountered Thatcher's, a local fancy-ish popcorn maker in San Francisco.  My review remains much the same: I want to like this brand more than I do, it just isn't that good.

Cookies & Cream.

"Indulge in the delightful taste of Thatcher's Cookies 'N' Cream Popcorn, a gourmet treat that combines the beloved flavors of an all-American classic. This 8 oz deluxe bag features air-popped popcorn mixed with crushed Oreo cookies, creating a crunchy and satisfying snack. Coated in rich, smooth white frosting and drizzled with cream of tartar, each bite delivers a perfect balance of sweetness and nostalgia."

So, I don't actually really like Oreos.  This fact is considered blasphemy in my family, as my father *loves* Oreos, and there is no understanding that someone could in fact not only not love them, but actually, just not even like them.   So I rarely go for cookies & cream inspired items.  But when someone else got this and had extra to share, of course I still tried it!  

It was ... ok.  The base popcorn fairly average, smaller standard size kernels, not the larger ones many gourmet brands use.  It was a caramel corn base it seemed, although not fully coated in caramel.  I didn't really notice the white frosting (or cream of tartar?!) precisely, but it did have quite a bit of Oreo dust in it, and a vague sweet Stuf (the filling in Oreos) flavor.  It tasted like Oreos, no question.  

If you like Oreos, then likely a good pick.  For me it was just average popcorn, in a flavor I wasn't particularly into.  Low 3/5.

Sriracha.

This was … not very good.  The popcorn itself didn’t taste very fresh, was a bit soft.  It was full of hulls.  Just, not high quality popcorn to start.

The flavor was also very muddled, as they use cheese powder on it (why?), and it was strangely sweet.  In fact, the second ingredient, after popcorn, was sugar.  Then cheese powder.  The sriracha powder came near the end of the ingredient list.  It was mostly a sorta savory yet sweet lightly zesty flavor, not spicy at all.  I kept trying to like it, but didn’t really.  2/5.

Update Review, March 2023

It had been many years since I last had Thatcher's popcorn, a SF brand (although now only virtual, they closed their stores during Covid).  When I last had it, I appreciated the quality of the popcorn, large, fluffy, well popped kernels, but didn't find the flavors all that compelling.  However, when someone brought some giant party bags into my office ... of course I couldn't resist a re-visit!

I tried both flavors available, both savory ones, and my overall review is the same: great quality popcorn, flavors aren't amazing though.

Parmesan & Herbs.

"Take this combination: air popped popcorn, parmesan cheese, garlic, Italian herbs and corn oil. A la italiano upscale flavor!!!"

The parmesan & herb I had tried before, and found fairly subtle and boring then.

My impression this time was more favorable - I did detect the cheese and herbs reasonably well.  The pieces were well coated, and I again really loved the large size kernels.  A nice savory popcorn that didn't feel too decadent, didn't leave you with cheese laden fingers, and had a nice herb mix.  Still a touch boring, but well made, and nice for something light.  3.5/5.

White Cheddar Cheese.

"This is so Cheddary and flavorful it's hard to believe it's healthy! Try eating only one of these! "

Next I moved on to another cheesy option, classic white cheddar.  These pieces had a stronger cheese element, stronger flavor overall.  Fairly one note, just, cheddar, but if you are in the mood for cheesy, but not overly heavy, popcorn, this was another well made flavor.  I liked it less than the more interesting parmesan & herbs though.  3/5.

They also make a white cheddar with truffle that could be more interesting, and a bright orange cheddar version as well.

Original Review, September 2019

Another day, another snack food manufacturer to try, featuring one of my favorites: popcorn.

Thatcher's Gourmet Popcorn is actually local to me, based in San Francisco.  It is a cute success story, a local business that started in 1983, did well, and fairly quickly expanded into having multiple shops and a warehouse.  Now, they are an international distributor of popcorn.

"Thatcher's Gourmet Popcorn is made the old-fashioned way, using small batches to ensure optimum coating for each and every kernel."

I was drawn in by the flavor ranges, like many companies in this space, they feature both sweet and savory.  I won't enumerate them all, but in addition to the classics, there are interesting savory flavors like Sriracha, Jalapeno, and White Cheddar Flavor, and fun sweet creations like Birthday Cake, Cinnamon Toast, and Tiramisu.

I was able to try one sweet and one savory.  Neither flavor actually was all that successful, but, I think the popcorn itself was really well made.

Uni-Korn.

"This new and spectacular flavor blends blueberry, vanilla, blackberry and strawberry to create a fruity flavor that's out of this world."

I went for the flashiest, most decadent, most Insta-worthy flavor of all: Uni-Korn.

It promised 4 fruity flavors (ok, 3 fruity flavors plus vanilla), but, um ... what it was was just extreme sweet.  I know I picked a sweet one but this was ... something else.

To give the positive points though, the kernels were large, fresh, well popped, and extremely well coated.  The popcorn element was good.

Uni-Korn: Close Up.

At first glance, it looked like only a trio of colors (pink, white, blue), but it turned out to be all 4 as described, with two shades of pink.

If I had to guess to match colors, the white was vanilla, the blue was blueberry, the darker pink blackberry, and the lighter pink strawberry?  But honestly, it doesn't matter, as the flavors were not distinct.

It just tasted like sugar.  Too much sugar.  I love sweet but this was ... just not interesting, and honestly, I didn't taste any distinct flavors, no matter how many pieces I had (and yes, I kept trying to like it, on multiple days, but ... it just really wasn't distinct, and was so very cloyingly sweet!). 1/5.

Parmesan & Herbs.

"Excellent Parmesan cheese taste mixed with herbs will deliver the best savory taste!"

Next I went savory.  A cheesy version, but rather than the more common cheddar, this was parmesan.  With herbs.

The popcorn kernels again had a great pedigree.  Large, well popped, uh, fluffy, if that is a thing.  They were reasonably well coated with the powdered parmesan and some visible flecks of herbs.

The flavor was not very intense though - not particularly cheesy, not particularly herby.  Subtle.  A lighter styles popcorn, fine, but not particularly compelling.  But again, well made popcorn itself. Very low 3/5.

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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.

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Chester's Snacks

Everyone's favorite orange cat, Chester (you know, the Cheetos mascot) has ventured out on his own.  He has his own line of products now, entirely devoid of Cheetos branding.  As a lover of all snack foods, I obviously had to try some of these, even though I don't actually like Cheetos chips (or their branded mac & cheese ...).  His product line includes "fries" and "puffcorn", the later of which I tried. 

Puffcorn

Puffcorn is not popcorn (although the Cheetos brand carries a version of that that I've reviewed before too). It is however corn (meal) based.   Puffcorn comes in several flavors, such as butter flavored (not cheesy at all!), a classic orange signature cheese flavor, and of course, a Flamin' Hot variety - he may be acting as an independent icon, but he is part of the same franchise after all, and Flamin' Hot is, well, their trendy range these days.

CHESTER'S® Cheese Flavored Puffcorn.

"When CHESTER CHEETAH puts his name on a snack, you can count on a bold and cheesy flavor like you’ve never tasted. CHESTER’S® snacks are made with a special blend of real cheese seasoning to give each bite the perfect pop and zing."

I went for the classic neon orange "cheese" flavor.  The pieces really did look like just kinda blown up Cheetos, although again, there is no Cheetos branding on this product.

I took my first bite, and wasn't sure how I felt about them.  I took another.  Same thing.  I really didn't know how I felt about them, even as I devoured half the bag in no time flat.

The product is pretty hard to classify - it really isn't like chips, and it isn't like popcorn, it is somewhere in the middle ... uh, I guess calling it "puffcorn" will suffice after all.  I really did like the form factor - it was airy, it was crispy, it was very munchable.  If you are familiar with Trader Joe's Jalapeño Seasoned Crunchy Corn & Rice Puffs, it reminded me a lot of that.  So, form factor?  Definitely a success for me, although I did grow a bit sick of the pieces being so soft, I missed the extra crunch that popcorn hulls provide.

The flavor is the part I wasn't as into.  Yes, they were savory and cheesy, but definitely in a fake cheese sense, and just not something I gravitate towards.  When I go for fake cheese, I prefer white cheddar.  They did still leave an orange hue on my fingers, although not as bad as traditional Cheetos.  

Overall, an interesting product, but, I'd rather eat Trader Joe's Jalapeño Seasoned Crunchy Corn & Rice Puffs, or white cheddar popcorn, instead.  3.5/5 for novelty, but probably more like 3/5 for me really.

Fries

And then there are the "fries".  Which are obviously not actually fries, they are a packaged snack food found in the chip aisle. These come in a variety of flavors, including chili cheese, bacon cheddar, carolina style bbq, and of course, Flamin Hot'.

Flamin' Hot Fries.

"Get ready for a sizzle of flavor that will set your mouth on fire. Dive into a red hot blaze of fiery crunch with Chester's brand hot fries."

These confused my brain.

I knew they were Chester's brand.  I knew that meant they'd be cheesy. And corn puff based.  And yet, with the bold red color and shoestring fries shape, my brain still didn't expect them to taste like (lightly spicy) corn based cheese puffs.  You may recall that I don't actually really care for Cheetos or adjacent snacks.  These fared a bit better, but not much.

The form factor was unique and kinda novel.  Airy and crispy, fun familiar fries shape, just unexpected as a snack food.  Not bad.  The base flavor was generic corn puff, which I don't love though.  That base was masked entirely by all the cheese powders, and, um, the red.  They were a bit spicy, but certainly not "fiery" nor about to "set my mouth on fire".  They tasted like Cheetos puffs, just, in a different shape.

Not really my thing, but, fun to try. 3/5 if I'm not taking my own preferences into account.

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Evangeline's Original Caramel Corn

New Hampshire, where I grew up, has plenty of small, local artisans and small batch gourmet food brands, such as Van Otis Chocolates.

Van Otis was started in 1935-ish by a woman, Evangeline Hasiotis, in Manchester, NH.  Her first real storefront didn't show up until 1958, when the company was also given its official name, Van Otis (which comes from a few letters of her first and last names).  Fudge is their specialty.  And while I do like chocolates, that alone wouldn't cause me to take any note of this company.  But they also have a second product line: Evangeline's Popcorn.  As you may know, I'm an avid snacker, and in particular, have a weakness for popcorn.

But Evangeline's Popcorn isn't actually their creation.  They purchased Hutchinson’s Candy in 2020, who was known for their popcorn line, and just rebranded it.  Anyway.

"Evangeline's Popcorn is a sweet treat sure to make life a little sweeter for kids of all ages!"

They make two styles of kettle corn (white chocolate covered or regular salted "seaside"), and two styles of caramel corn (original or maple).  I had only the original caramel corn, when it was in my Christmas stocking this year (thanks, Santa!).

Original Caramel Corn.

"Popped fresh in-house in New Hampshire at Van Otis Chocolates, this caramel popcorn features light, airy popcorn coated in sweet, buttery caramel. A classic treat made for easy snacking and sharing."

The popcorn pieces themselves were large, fluffy, and well popped.  No duds.

The popcorn is very classic butter toffee style caramel corn.  Incredibly sweet, and each piece is very well coated, so there is no escaping the sweet.  No partially coated pieces to give you a slight sweet break, should you want that.  The flavor is intensely buttery (in addition to the sweetness).  It tastes rich and decadent.

I liked it, but this is not a popcorn that I could accidentally devour the whole bag in just a few minutes, as it got to be too sweet for me.  I found myself wanting to mix it with some plain, salted, or even cheesy corn, or to at least have some peanuts in it, or even use it as an ice cream topping.  Good, but just a bit too much, although I don't necessarily consider it a bad thing that a bag lasted more than one sitting for me.

For this style of popcorn, it was quite good, but this isn't what I generally would pick as a top choice.  3/5 for me, although I can acknowledge that quality wise it is a 4/5.

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Alaska Airlines, Flight 20, SFO-JFK

Update Review, December 2025 Flight

I know this by now, but, it does still always slightly surprise me.  The Alaska first class experience really is ... nothing like any of the competition.  And I don't mean that in a good way.  It just is lackluster on nearly every dimension - seat comfort (horrible!), layout (2-2), amenities (super thin blanket, nothing else), wine selection (just one red, one white, one sparkling), attentiveness and service ... communication ... but, it is sooo much cheaper than everyone else, and thus, I'm stuck with it.

Our flight did disconnect from the jet bridge on time, so technically pushback on time, but we spent quite a while waiting around, and eventually joined the queue of planes in line for takeoff.  No proactive communication nor information provided, unlike other airlines that well tell you "Well, we've pushed back, but we are waiting on X" or even "We are number Y for takeoff".  Just, nothing.  

In fact there was just no communication from the flight deck at all.  The seatbelt sign was literally never turned off the entire flight, and no mention of this was made.  We hit some fairly significant turbulence, and no warning given.

The FAs served us our meal, cleaned it up, and vanished.  So, service-wise, eh.  Comfort? Miserable, my back hurt within 15 minutes.  But they got me, and my bags, there, relatively on time, and it was cheap (comparatively).

Menu.

The menu had 5 options: 1 meat, 1 chicken, 1 seafood, 1 vegetarian, or the standard fruit/cheese platter.  It was filled with things that were all almost tempting.  I didn't want the short rib or broccolini, but wanted the chow-fun rice noodles and roasted butternut squash that came with that dish.  I read so many great reviews of the shrimp option, and I like shrimp, but I wasn't excited about the risotto, the favas, nor the lime sauce that completed the dish.  People love the vegetarian curry, and I like cauliflower, but I'm not thrilled about turmeric or cumin spices, nor the rice and edamame sides.  And a cheese platter isn't a meal to me.  And thus, a crazy choice on my part: chicken ravioli.

"Red Wine" & Seltzer.

Drink orders were taken once underway, and our pre-orders for meal confirmed.  I asked for the red wine; the FA didn't know what varietal it was.  I also had sparkling water, just standard Polar brand.  The red wine was inoffensive, but also quite boring.  As is standard with Alaska.  No nuts were provided, which I had forgotten they don't do.  Not that I necessarily wanted them, but it did feel like yet another bit of lesser service, a missing element.

Meal.

Our meals were served about an hour after takeoff, row by row.  On the tray was my main dish I expected, plus a small side salad, roll, and ... wow, and appetizer too?  I wasn't expecting that.  The menu online and in the app didn't give any details on these other elements, so the salad toppings and existence of an appetizer were a surprise to me.  Also included were salt & pepper, Sysco butter, and balsamic vinaigrette.  I didn't particularly like the meal, but much of that was my own preferences, not a fault of the catering.

Carrots.

The appetizer was chilled cooked and spiced carrots, sprinkled with I think feta, and sliced almonds.  I guess they were fine, but I mostly only like raw carrots, I dislike feta, and wasn't into the spicing.  If this was listed on the menu, I would have asked to skip it.  I used the almonds and the springs of whatever the green were on my own creation of a dish using bits and pieces from all of the others.  I can't really judge this, as it just isn't something I like, but I don't think there was anything wrong with it.

Roll.

The roll was warm, soft, and loaded with seeds.  It was decent.  It didn't taste stale nor dried out.  Good to soak up sauce. 3/5.

Salad.

The salad was pretty small, and not exciting to me: arugula (fresh enough, crisp), with sunflower seeds and tons of dried cranberries.  I picked off the toppings the best I could as I didn't want them, and added my own salad ingredients and some components from the other dishes to at least utilize the arugula.  I don't like balsamic vinaigrette so I didn't try that, but I had my own condiments bag with me. 2.5/5, there was nothing wrong with this, just not toppings/dressing I care for.

Smoked Chicken Ravioli.

"Smoked chicken ravioli in a caramelized onion cream, paired with roasted kabocha squash and garlic shallots, finished with aromatic dukkah spices."

And finally, the main dish, the ravioli.

This was a mixed bag for me, as expected.  I got this because 1) I love kabocha squash, 2) I loved the idea of garlic shallots, 3) caramelized onion cream sounded great, and 4) I have had some great pasta on Alaska flights before.  I choose to look past the fast that, well, I hate chicken, and didn't really want dukkah spice.

The highlight?  100% that squash.  It was super flavorful, well cooked (not mushy), and there were two good size pieces of it.  I was very happy with that squash.  4.5/5 squash.  The garlic shallots really seemed to just be soft cooked shallots (I didn't detect garlic) but they were pretty delightful too. 4/5.

Then there was the sauce ... I wanted to love it, but the first few bites, I was really displeased with it.  I'm not quite sure why, but I just wasn't into it.  It was a orangey color that made my brain think squash, and it was a mushy puree like baby food, so nothing like what I was picturing as a caramelized onion cream.  I wanted it to be less puree-like, more cream forward, and, well, just something different.  But once I adjusted to it, I did appreciate the sorta oniony taste to it.  I used it as a sauce on my salad and stuffed pieces of bread with it, and did lap it all up.  3/5 sauce.

Ravioli: Inside.

And then of course the ravioli.  4 very large size pieces, much larger than standard ravioli.  They were kinda over cooked, pretty soft.  However edges where there was no sauce were a bit dried out in a way that was almost like al dente, so I amusingly liked those bits more than the parts that were what I assume was "properly" cooked.  The ravioli was stuffed very full of a ricotta? mixture, that had bits of chicken in it.  No big hunks of chicken or anything.  Kinda standard ricotta filling.  I'm pretty lukewarm on ricotta soft ravioli to begin with, so this was all pretty "meh" to me, but other than being kinda too soft/mushy, it was likely fine.  Low 2/5 for me, but, again partially due to preferences.

So overall, I'll give this a low 3/5: I was happy to use the sauce, veggies, and edges of the ravioli with my bread, almonds, arugula, and my own additional vegetables, but I can't say it was something I'd get again.

Dessert: Salt & Straw ice cream.

A while after our meals were cleared, ice cream was offered.  A seasonal Salt & Straw Alaska exclusive as always, this time, Peppermint Cookies & Cream.  I believe this was rotated in on Dec 1, after the Pumpkin Spice Latte I had in September that stuck around all fall.  It was served at a decent eating temperature, not rock solid.  No bowl provided, just the mini tub.

Salt & Straw Peppermint Cookies & Cream.

It was ... ok.  Mine wasn't properly sealed, and it was a bit freezer burnt.  I wanted more peppermint flavor.  I feel like a broken record here, but, I don't really like cookies & cream in general (really, I don't care for Oreos), so I wished it was something more like mint chip, but I think this is likely a crowd pleaser.  Low 3/5.

About an hour or so before landing a snack basket was passed with Lesser Evil cheddar popcorn, Community All Dressed chips, Kind granola bar (blueberry I think?), and lemon Skinny Dipped almonds.  I grabbed the popcorn and almonds, as always.

Update Review, August 2024 Flight

I don't fly with Alaska Airlines much (in fact, I hadn't flown with them at all until 2 years ago), so I am not yet well calibrated to the service and food standards.  Overall, it seems to me like a good compromise airline: the prices are generally lower, the food is decent, the service and amenities minimal, the comfort mediocre.  So, depending on your priorities, a compromise on something at least.

Flight Details:

• Flight #: 20
• Departure: 1:25pm (scheduled) 3:12pm (actual)
• Arrival: 9:25pm (scheduled) 
• Route: SFO to JFK
• Seat 3C

Service & Amenities

There is not much to say about Alaska amenities as there isn't much to them.  

Seatback.

Standard domestic first class seat, that at least has under seat storage, and a small cocktail table with cup holder, but little else.  Not a very comfortable seat, no adjustments other than recline.  Yay for a foot rest.  Thin blanket provided.  No pillow.  No seatback tvs.  Pay for wifi. It is fine for short flights, but definitely leaves much to be desired for transcon.

A pre-departure beverage of water, orange juice, or a can of sparkling wine was offered.  I selected the sparkling wine, and was handed the can.  Before takeoff, orders for drinks to have post departure were taken, and our pre-orders confirmed.  Those who didn't pre-order really did not fare well.  The first person got the chicken (only 1 loaded), the next two had a choice of salmon or pasta, the 4th person had only salmon option, and the rest ... sorry there is nothing.  No main dishes left.  This seems like a mis-cater? They were offered a snack box from the back.  Wow.

Service was not particularly friendly, and remarkably not proactive.  Empty drink glasses were never collected.  Refills never offered.  I saw every passenger need to lightly aggressively get attention to take their empty glasses away.  I was particularly amazed when I asked for two more drinks (water and wine), and was handed them, and the two empties I had on my tiny cocktail table were not taken as they were delivered.  He just gave me two more, even with no where to put them.  

Food & Drink

PDB: Waterbrook Brut Bubbles.

The pre-departure offering of sparkling wine was Waterbrook Brut.  The can was handed to me unopened, but chilled.  It wasn't bad really. I don't gravitate towards bubbles, but it had a nice balance of dryness and sweetness.  ***.

I'd get it again.

Wine & Sparkling Water.

Once underway, I started with red wine.  No choice of reds, and no explanation given of what varietal, let alone winemaker.  Served in what I think of as a water glass, tall and thin.  Not really what you want for red wine.  Anyway, it was fine, average, table wine though, very fruit forward, no real structure to it.  At least low acid and tanin. Bo-ring.  Low ***.

I also asked for sparkling water.  I was not given the option to decline ice.  It came with more ice than water, and I needed a refill nearly immediately.

Tip Top Old Fashioned.

Later on I moved on to an old fashioned, as I've enjoyed them before on Alaska flights (they are the canned Tip Top brand).  It was served with more ice than cocktail, and got watered down far too fast.  But otherwise was great, very boozy, very classic old fashioned. ***+.

Nuts.

Awhile after, not with our beverages, nuts were brought.  Lightly warm.  Good mix of almonds, cashews, and pecans.  Very low (if any?) salt level.  ***.

Finished beverages were not proactively cleared when the nuts were brought (a theme throughout the meal).

Menu.

Alaska does have a fair amount of variety in their meal choices, even for a domestic flight, I had 5 options, including fish (salmon), white meat (chicken), red meat (well, just sausage in a pasta), vegetarian, or, a cheese plate.  Pre-order was available.  

As I don't like cooked salmon, chicken, or quinoa/rice, my decision was easy.  Pasta it was, and the dish did sound pretty interesting, better than the standard ravioli choices so many airlines tend to do for pasta.  Shells, creamy cheese sauce, now we are talking!

All dishes are served with salad, bread, and dessert, although not listed on the menu.  Tray tables were not pre-set with table clothes prior to meals being delivered.

Tray.

My meal tray arrived unceremoniously and was served without a word, e.g. no "here we have the pasta" or anything.  My drinks were empty, but no refills were offered.  The tray included a salad, bread with pat of butter, and salt/pepper packet, along with napkin and cutlery. 

Roll.

The roll was warm, and not bad actually.   Simply white roll, but soft, good chew to it, and most importantly, not stale.  Better than average airline bread.  It was perfect for soaking up the chili crisp from the pasta, and the pesto from the salad. ***+.

Appetizer: Salad.

The salad was meager in the greens department, just some very sad compressed spinach that really didn't seem fresh.  The body of the salad was 3 balls of mozzarella, 4 juicy sundried tomatoes, and pesto.  The sundried tomatoes and pesto were both really quite flavorful, and I enjoyed them with the bread.

* greens, ** as a salad, but *** for those two components.   

Pasta Primavera with Italian Sausage.

"Pasta shells tossed in a creamy white cheddar cream sauce, served with summer squash, sun-dried tomatoes, edamame beans, and savory Italian sausage. Topped lightly with a chili crisp."

The main attraction, the pasta.

Well ... this was a very mixed bag.  As you can likely see, the "creamy white cheddar cream sauce" was ... not there.  At all.  It wasn't on the bottom of the dish.  It wasn't anywhere.  I was looking forward to that creamy cheese sauce, but alas, I had plain pasta.  That said, the shells were well cooked, not mushy, not totally dried out.  The chili crisp oil was flavorful, and added something to it at least.  The edamame were tender and tasted fresh if that makes sense, the sausage was actually very good, classic Italian sausage.  The tomatoes in here were different from the sundried tomato in the salad, they seemed just like roasted tomatoes, although the menu said they were sundried.  Juicy.  The squash I didn't care for at all, patty pans, that were just strangely bitter.

So, meh to the squash, yay to the sausage and chili crisp in particular, and better than average pasta, but a shame I didn't actually have any cheese sauce ... *** overall despite the lacking sauce.

Dessert: Salt & Straw Strawberry Rhubarb with Cinnamon Crumble.

We all finished our meals.  All trays were cleared.  No refills were offered.  No empty drink cups collected.  I thought ... dessert must be coming next right?  I waited and waited.  No sign of dessert.  An hour passed.  I finally asked if there was a dessert.  I was told there should have been.  The FA who I asked seemed as confused as me that it hadn't happened.  About 10 minutes later, it came out.  Served directly in the tiny tubs, with a far too big spoon to go with it.

It was Salt & Straw ice cream, as per usual with Alaska.  For the summer, they introduced two new flavors on flights, and I was quite happy to see that we had the strawberry rhubarb with cinnamon crumble flavor.  I don't think this is sold directly by Salt & Straw to consumers, I think it is a special collaboration with Alaska.  The ice cream featured swirls of strawberry rhubarb jam and cinnamon snickerdoodle cookie pieces.

It was served quite hard, but it did melt nicely eventually.  It was fabulous ice cream, smooth, rich, creamy, and the fruity swirls of jam were quite flavorful.  I liked the texture from the softened snickerdoodle bits.  It was a flavor I could enjoy on its own without adding too much to it (although, of course, I did add some fresh strawberries too).

****.

Original Review, August 2023 Flight

Flight Details

Flight: AS 20

Aircraft: 737-9 Max

Departure: SFO, 2:25pm

Arrival: JFK, 10:25 pm

Seat: 3D

Service

This was my second ever flight with Alaska Airlines, and my first longer flight (previously I had only flown SFO-SEA, which you can read about here).  We were slightly delayed boarding because the plane was deemed too hot to be safe (!), and then slightly delayed pushing back because bags were still being loaded, but, the delays were minor, we took off only 15 minutes late.  We had significant tailwinds helping us still arrive early.

No PDB, although there was boxed water at our seats.  No amenity kits, no pillow, but a thin blanket was waiting at our seat.  It was really quite cold on board, and the little blanket didn't do much to help.   The flight attendant was efficient, but barely spoke to us.  She wasn't unfriendly, she just ... didn't really talk to us.  No hello, meal trays dropped off without a word, no offers of refills, that sort of thing.

Food & Drink

The main meal served is ... linner.  The timing of the meal on this flight is definitely awkward, 3:40pm in SF time, 6:40pm in New York time.  Too late for lunch where we came from, too early for dinner, but, at what will be dinner time where we are headed.  When there was exactly 2 hours remaining, a snack basket was passed with Border Canyon chips, Lesser Evil popcorn, Kind bars, beef jerky, and Karma toasted coconut cashews.  I was pretty happy to see the popcorn, as it is definitely my snack of choice, and the flavored nuts definitely called out.  I've had many of Lesser Evil's popcorns before, but had never tried their basic Himalayan Gold, which is what the snack basket contained.  Drink refills were also offered.

Drink Menu.

Orders for our drinks were taken once underway. There was only one choice for red wine, even though the menu listed two. 

Seltzer, Nuts.

Our drinks were served with a small thing of nuts (almonds, cashews, tiny bits of pecans). Not warm.  The sparkling water was Polar seltzer.  I was given a (mini) can and ice, it wasn't poured for me.  No offer of lemon nor lime garnish.

Ste Chapelle Winery Red Blend.

I went for the red wine, which turned out to be Ste Chapelle Winery Red Blend.  This is a cheap $12 bottle, definitely not as premium of wine offerings as the competitors on this route.

It was non-offensive.  No complexity at all, but, not too much tanin nor acid, so it was fine.  ***.

Straightaway Oregon Old Fashioned.

"The Old Fashioned is revered for its versatility and simplicity. This variation on the classic speaks to wistful days spent in Milton-Freewater, OR, and we’ve transposed our fondness for the Pacific Northwest bouquet into our own bitters. Whether consumed around a mountain-top campfire or from the safety of your drawing room, tradition has it that one’s first Old Fashioned should be served by a friend."

Later on, I moved on to the Old Fashioned, which I'd had before.  I was handed a can, and glass of ice.  Not poured for me, no garnish.  I still thought it was a nice cocktail though, same as my previous review.  ***+.

Menu.

The menu was available online to pre-order, which I did.  Pre-order gave 5 options, 2 of which were pre-order exclusives (the fruit & cheese plate and vegetarian white bean chili).  I nearly went for the chicken dish, not for the chicken obviously, as I'm extremely chicken adverse, but, for the grits, asparagus, and lemon caper sauce, all things I quite like!  But I opted for the lemon fennel manicotti instead.  

For those who didn't pre-order, they could select from the 3 onboard choices.  Well, technically they could.  The steak ran out in row 1, seat A.  Um, yeah.  They loaded 1 for the entire non-preorder cabin!  The chicken ran out in row 3.  I was surprised how few people had pre-ordered, perhaps lots of upgrades?

Meal service was pretty quick, with the first row getting served at exactly the 1 hour post-takeoff mark, mine arrived within 10 more minutes.

Linner.

So at 3:40pm, my meal showed up.  I had eaten a fair amount in the lounge (mac and cheese!), and definitely wasn't particularly interested in food at this point.  Which turned out to be fine, as the meal was pretty lackluster.

Meals come all one one tray, with a roll, salad, the entree you ordered, along with butter, and packet of salt and pepper.

Bread, Butter, Dressing.

The roll was lightly warm.  Pretty average airline quality.  Not stale, but, not particularly good, no real crust to it, just, soft. 

Salad dressing was fairly solid, seemed to be lemon vinaigrette.  Butter also very solid, impossible to spread. 

**.

Salad.

The menu didn't provide any details on the salad, and everyone got the same.  It was just mixed greens, with a few bites of cooked beets, a few pickled red onions, and goat cheese.  Given that I loathe goat cheese, and don't really care for beets, this was a miss for me, but, I suspect if you liked those things, and liked the lemon vinaigrette, this was a decent salad.  The greens were fresh and crisp.  **+.

It was also served in a bowl that was kinda too small, it was hard to eat without bits falling out.

Lemon Fennel Manicotti.

"Lemon ricotta stuffed pasta | grilled baby fennel | tomato basil ragout."

The main dish was served moderately warm.  I certainly wanted it hotter.  The portion was three large manicotti, plus a decent amount of fennel and the chunky tomato ragout.  

The pasta was microwave dinner quality.  The pasta itself was not dried out or overcooked at least, but was as boring as it gets.  The filling was, well, ricotta.  Some minor lemon flavor.  Very, very boring, and essentially cafeteria/frozen dinner quality.  I gave up on it after eating one of the three tubes. *+ pasta.

I did like the fennel, it was well cooked and flavorful, and the chunks of tomato and onion in the ragout were tasty as well.  *** toppings.

I combined the salad + fennel + tomatoes + onions to make a quasi-ok dish, but I certainly wouldn't get this again.  I wish I had gone for the chicken, just for the grits, asparagus, and tasty sauce.

Salt & Straw Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons.

"Our reimagination of the classic. We spike our cream with just enough Guatemalan fleur de sel to bring out its nuances, then drizzle in ribbons of our hand-burned caramel."

After our trays were cleared, the flight attendant came through offering ice cream.  Just as I was shocked by how many people didn't pre-order, I was even more shocked by how many turned down the ice cream.  Yes, timing was odd, but ... Salt & Straw is good ice cream!  The flavor was Salt & Straw's most famous, sea salt with caramel ribbons, which I've had before, and loved.

It was served quite solid, so it took a while to become possible to eat it.  But once it softened, I dug right in.  It matched my memory of the flavor - nice quality base ice cream, and TONS of very gooey, very sweet, caramel.  I added my own fresh strawberries and sprinkles, and quite enjoyed.  And then I enjoyed an extra, which I volunteered to take off the flight attendants hands (so generous of me, right?).  She happily obliged, given how many extra there were.  ****.

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