NoochPop – Kinda Chili Lime & Cheesy
By most accounts NoochPop would be considered a healthy brand. The type of brand of brand that would be stocked in specialty health food stores or high end grocery stores. It’s kind of hard to argue with that logic when you look at the packaging. Something about it just screams healthier. That and all the labels indicating what it’s free of. That’s usually a pretty good tell tale sign.
Visually these are noticeable in that they have distinct colour different from the other flavours that were just normal looking popcorn. There’s some orange and yellow kernels every so often, so the coating looks promising from a looks perspective. The strongest smell I can notice is actually the lime.
These are the favourite flavour that I have tried by NoochPop so far, and honestly it’s in the running for most interesting and memorable flavour I’ve had of packaged popcorn so far. This one may have more ingredients than the other, but that’s to be expected to get all the flavour notes here. There’s the nutritional yeast substituting for cheese, lime juice and oil to give it the zesty kick, and a combination of paprika, garlic onion and cayenne for the chili. Interestingly enough despite having no meat or dairy, this flavour is surprisingly savoury. There’s a lot of flavour notes going on here, but the first one that hits you is the chili flavour, with a quick and fast follow of the lime. The two work together surprisingly well, and now I’m wondering if I should be throwing lime into my chili. There’s a very slight heat from the cayenne peppers, but it’s more a flavour than a sensation, so spice wimps like me can enjoy without fear.
Texture is not dissimilar to other varieties and brands of packaged popcorn. It has the right amount of fluffy and crunchy, and it’s not too hard, not too soft. The kernels also don’t feel too dry despite all the seasoning, likely due to the 3 different oils they use. The coconut oil gives it a distinct taste, but not a noticeable coconut flavour. It’s more like a slight richness to the flavour, and makes you think it will be more filling than normal popcorn.
Some may say nutritional yeast being used as a popcorn topping will come and go as a fad, but I see it as something that’s here to stay. If more companies can come up with creative ways to incorporate healthier alternatives to just more MSG and salt to get the desired flavour, I am all aboard that train. As it stands, this flavour is my favourite one by NoochPop to date, and I can only hope that my wary test subjects will feel the same as I do when I inevitably share this with them.
