Pan's Mushroom Jerky!

We first heard about Pan's Jerky via one of our readers that pointed us to their twitter account. The whole idea of this jerky really called out to us thanks to its definitely plausible concept.

I mean, mushrooms in general have been used to make plenty of very good meat substitute products (As a non vegetarian, I can attest to the yumminess): Portobello burgers, Chik'n products and more. They were nice enough to send us
some samples to review.

For some back-story about this product, this Mushroom Jerky recipe is a family recipe from the island of Borneo, Malaysia that's been prepared for 15 years by the Pan family. The recipe was recently brought over to the US, and we can happily say that it impressed all of us. There was some skepticism about how close to a beef jerky experience this variety would come, but we were pleased by the result.

If presented out of bag, you really cannot tell that this is a vegetarian product. The color, texture and general look are really reminiscent of any other beef jerky. This can probably be attributed to the usage of the mushroom stems to make this jerky. Their fibrous, meat like texture lends itself really well to making it fit in as a Jerky.

This jerky is damn good, with a tough consistency that is very easily chewed. There are a few things I noticed about this flavor wise off the bat: It’s more sweet than salty, and it has quite a pleasant aftertaste. The jerky also has a mildly moist quality to it, unlike most other dry jerkies. This could be thanks to the palm oil used in its preparation. I really enjoyed that aspect, because unlike other jerky products I wasn't reaching for a glass of water every few minutes.

The oddly appealing mix of mildly salty and sweet flavors kept us reaching into the bag until there was none left. We give this jerky a resounding awesome for pulling off a delicious vegetarian jerky that has the right mix of elements to appeal to any meat lover(Myself included!). Two thundering thumbs up for waaaaaay exceeding our expectations. Link below for purchasing a bag of this goodness($3.99!)

-Sirio & Rachael

Buy this snack! :)

Kukuruza Gourmet Popcorn!

Kukuruza Popcorn is a local Seattle based gourmet popcorn maker thats been around for a few years now, creating all kinds of amazingly flavored popcorn to cater to every taste bud there might be! Having personally gone to their store regularly to pick up their amazing caramel corn for our office on various occasions, I've learned the difference between store bought and truly gourmet popcorn.

Offering 25 flavors ranging from naturally air popped, to the classic butter or caramel corn(my absolute favorite), to the very decadent cookies n' cream or rocky road popcorn varieties. If you ever have a chance to drop by Seattle and visit the store, an amazingly sweet aroma hits you the second you step in the store, only to be greeted to a grand spread of all colors and varieties of popcorn. Kukuruza takes great care into using only the best ingredients for their popcorn: The finest caramel made by hand, top of the line cashews, pecans and almonds, and fine chocolate to be drizzled on the flavor of your choice. They have also introduced a new line recently called "After 5," possibly the first alcohol popcorn line for adults!

The caramel corn I mentioned earlier is my favorite because it is hands down the best I've ever had the chance to try. The caramel is light and sugary with a mild smoky flavor, and once you start its hard to stop. Every time I've shared these at our office the bag disappears by the end of the day. Let that quality speak for how good this popcorn is.

I've had the chance to take home their lovely bags and tins for various occasions and this popcorn really stands heads above the competition. They also deliver internationally! Go check out their website and see what the fuss is about.

Buy this snack :)

Alice's Stick Cookies!

For our first artisan snack review, I wanted to cover Alice's Stick Cookies, a truly amazing biscotti like cookie which really blew our minds here at SnackOverload. I got a chance to try the vanilla flavored version of these cookie with some tea and instantly fell in love.

These cookies are rich, buttery and complex. Its an amazing transition from vanilla to a toffee finish, and the cookie, despite its semi firm exterior just melts in your mouth instantly. Absolutely not what I expected from a cookie that looked like a rigid biscotti on first glance. Dipped in tea, milk, or just alone..These cookies left a very positive impression on everyone who had a chance to try them. They're delicate and delicious, moist and pure awesome!

These are a little harder to find and little pricier, but worth every penny. There's other flavors we haven't had the chance to try, like Orange Chocolate, Lemon and other delicious flavors. These cookies are handmade with a lot of love, and it shows! A must try.

Buy this snack :)