I have to start this post with two apologies. First, I apologize to the Paradise Island Gourmet Popcorn company. We were remiss in sampling your product. Second, I apologize to our readers, for not getting the word out sooner about this delicious treat! I hope this review will earn us a measure of forgiveness.
Naseem and I were both pretty excited about Paradise Island popcorn when they first contacted us. They thought we might like to try their bacon popcorn, and a few other intriguing flavors, such as strawberry, pineapple and cinnamon. Last weekend we were finally able to get together with friends to get some varied and objective feedback. We purposely included one Doubting Thomas just to get all perspectives, but once we started tasting there could be no doubt. We all loved this popcorn! The ranking of flavors was almost unanimous.
#1 – MMMM…BACON. We think we liked this flavor best because it was salty, which is what you expect in popcorn. The aroma was smoky and reminiscent of really well-done bacon; some thought bacon bits. The flavor was salty, smoky, and almost cheesy. Once someone said “cheese” we all started to think of it as smoked cheese popcorn. This bag was gone long before we had finished discussing its nuances.
#2 – CINNAMON TWIST. This was a totally surprise favorite. The aroma reminded us of a warm, fresh churro, and the flavor backed that up. Sweet, but not overwhelming. Yum.
#3 – PINEAPPLE DELIGHT. This was the sweetest of the flavors. It reminded me of pineapple upside-down cake; others tasted notes of other tropical fruits like mango.
#4 STRAWBERRY FIELDS. Although this flavor ranked number 4, the margin was very slight. This one reminded us of Frankenberry cereal, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Paradise’s CEO, Steve Cantin, tells me that everyone (including lovers of bacon) is really excited about their new flavor, Jamaican BBQ, which I’m sure to be trying soon.
We were all thrilled to discover how much we enjoyed this popcorn. We hadn’t actually planned to try all four flavors in one go, but once we got started we just couldn’t stop. (See the stack of empty bags above.) The most exciting thing about these microwaveable wonders is that they’re sugar free (except Strawberry Fields, which has a small amount), contain no trans-fats and are made without hydrogenated oils. They would make a great sweet snack for someone trying to cut sugar and fat out of their diets…and with this in mind my parents will be receiving a variety pack in the very near future.
And now for the best news of all: RBS readers can get this funfood for 15% off! Just click through from the RBS Bacon Store, and use the coupon code RBS15 at check-out. Happy Snacking!
