Purplesful Snacking – Plant Based Jalapeno Cheddar Popcorn
The whole shtick with this brand is they use purple corn. While I haven’t had purple corn (at least not to my knowledge), popcorn made from it doesn’t seem all that different to me. It feels largely the same, though slightly different, but not in an obvious enough manner that I can articulate. But hey, popcorn is popcorn, and I love me some fluffy goodness, so here we are.
They smell very white cheddar like, though with a more onion quality to it then a dairy one. Unlike a white cheddar flavour, this one is more of a savoury, umami flavour that reminds me more of a yellow cheddar. The flavour is also very noticeably hot in the sense that the pepper hits your tongue immediately, but it’s not that strong on it’s own. It’s sort of like if you licked a bell pepper or chewed on the seeds for a bit. It’s hot, but it doesn’t really get unbearable at any point. Even after a few handfuls. Overall the flavour is pretty good and while it’s not as dairy like as an actual cheese powder, the flavour has the right amount of savoury and slight sweet from the onion to make this a tasty flavour all on it’s own. Tasty enough that I find myself finishing handfuls a little too quickly.
The texture is nothing too dissimilar to other brands I’ve had. I don’t know that I’m enough of a savant to be able to tell you this is made from purple corn or be able to pick it out from a lineup, but I do notice that these aren’t nearly as puffy as Smartfood, and seem to have more of a mouthfeel when you crunch in to them, as opposed to being like chewing on air. I imagine preference for that is mostly up to each individual, but personally I don’t find it to be different enough for me to want to swing either way. All I can say is these seem balanced, and I like them.
Now I don’t know if it’s just my bag, but I do feel like I had less kernels stuck in teeth after a couple handfuls, so maybe that’s a plus? It could also be incidental to the fact that I am now wiser, older, and have more experience and naturally know how to be more careful with kernels and the shells. But I’m going to just give them the credit that they did a good shake down to clear off most of that. The overall experience was quite pleasant, and I would happily recommend this to other people, even if they are a bit hesitant to try something vegan. It may not be as cheesy as actual cheese powder, but it does a pretty solid job and enough that I would eat it on it’s own merits.
