Rating the Blue Diamond Almonds Variety Pack

My friend, Irene, is a gifter extraordinaire. I have never known anybody else with such a big heart and a desire to share.

Recently Irene sent me a nifty care package of healthy snacks which included a variety of super seed crackers. One was made with chia seeds and flax seeds. My favorite had a funny name. - "Mary's Gone Crackers" - one of the best crackers I have ever eaten.

But, I am here to talk about the almonds she sent me. I love almonds so this was the perfect gift to send me.

She sent me the Blue Diamond Almonds Variety Pack. This pack includes ten different flavors; Smokehouse, Roasted Salted, Lightly Salted, Habanero BBQ, Whole Natural, Sriracha, Blueberry, Wasabi & Soy Sauce, and Roasted Coconut.

After eating the first bag of almonds and enjoying it tremendously, I decided I would rate and review each flavor.

I devised five categories in which I rated each flavor:

1. Authenticity of Flavor / 2. Blending of Flavors / 3. Unique-Exciting Flavor / 4. Flavor Appeal / 5. How much did I like it

Each category was rated on a scale of 1 through 5 with 5 being the best.

The following is my review and ranking of each flavor. I am starting with #10 my least favorite and working my way to #1.

10. Habanero BBQ

Authenticity 3 / Blending 3 / Unique-Exciting 4 / Flavor Appeal 3 / How much I like it 3 / Total Points = 16

The first thing that hit me about the Habanero was it's mildness. It was too mild. The person that buys a habanero flavored is going to do so because they like that spicy hot heat. The habanero pepper is one of the hottest peppers you can get. It also has a slightly sweet fruity flavor. Blue Diamond's Habanero BBQ misses the mark on both the heat and sweet flavors of the habanero pepper but does capture a nice tangy smokey barbecue flavor.

I will however say, it is a unique flavor combination that blends together moderately well.

9. Wasabi & Soy Sauce

Authenticity 4 / Blending 3 / Unique-Exciting 3.5 / Flavor Appeal 3 / How much I like it 3 / Total Points = 16.5

Blue Diamond did a decent job of capturing the wasabi and soy sauce flavors. Although, like the habanero it was a tad bit too mild. The one thing I love about wasabi is the burning sensation I get in my nose. While the wasabi flavor is there the burn is missing. It's kind of like eating a mint candy that does not leave that refreshing cool feel on your tongue. It's the flavor without the punch.

8. Sriracha

Authenticity 4 / Blending 2.5 / Unique-Exciting 3.5 / Flavor Appeal 4 / How much I like it 3.5 / Total Points = 17.5

By now you've noticed a trend here. The three flavors that Blue Diamond has labeled as BOLD received low marks from me. Mostly for the fact that all three are mild and lack that spicy heat you expect from these flavors. According to my taste buds none of these are bold. But to be fair I did enjoy these three "bold" flavors, they just are not my favorites in the variety pack.

Of the three spicy flavors, in this variety pack, Sriracha is my favorite. It has a nice tangy taste to it. It is also the most authentic in flavor of the three as Sriracha is actually a milder pepper. With that the Sriracha flavor still lacks that little bit of heat and edge I expect from the Sriracha pepper of for that matter the sauce.

I guess the next step for me, since I love to feel the heat, is to try Blue Diamond's Extremes flavors - Carolina Reaper, Ghost Pepper, and Cayenne Pepper.

7. Whole Natural

Authenticity 5 / Blending 3.5 / Unique-Exciting 3.5 / Flavor Appeal 3 / How much I like it 3.5 / Total Points = 18.5

I like the Whole Natural quite a bit because it's just the almond as it comes from nature. Not salted, no roasting just the perfect raw heart-healthy almond which I have come to love.

Whole Natural scores high in authenticity of flavor but average in all the other categories. I tend to prefer the flavor and crunch of the roasted almonds.

6. Lightly Salted

Authenticity 5 / Blending 4 / Unique-Exciting 3.5 / Flavor Appeal 4 / How much I like it 4 / Total Points = 20.5

Lightly Salted is the flavor I eat most often. It has everything I look for in an almond - it's superbly roasted and has just enough salt to create a pleasantly agreeable taste.

5. Salt 'n Vinegar

Authenticity 5 / Blending 4.5 / Unique-Exciting 4 / Flavor Appeal 3.5 / How much I like it 4 / Total Points: 21

We are now entering the top half of this list. These are the flavors that tantalized my taste buds the most.

With my first bite the pungent taste of vinegar tickled my palate with a flirtation of delight.

In my youth vinegar was a condiment that repulsed me. Even the smell made me run the other way. But now I can't get enough of that fermented sour taste. Even dallied with putting it on my honeynut cheerios once.

Just for that initial burst of vinegar flavor I give this one high marks.

4. Smokehouse

Authenticity 4.5 / Blending 4.5 / Unique-Exciting 4 / Flavor Appeal 4 / How much I like it 4 / Total Points: 21

Smokehouse is one of my longtime favorites.The rich smoky mesquite flavor of this one is perfect. It's not too mild, it's not too rich. It's exactly the perfect blend of flavors.

What makes Smokehouse unique to some of the other Blue Diamond almond flavors is it's saltiness. The nut is completely coated with salt and rich savory flavor lingers in your mouth for several minutes after you've eaten them.

For those of you concerned about sodium levels a 1.5 oz serving has a total of 230 mg of sodium which is 10% of the RDA.

3. Roasted Salted

Authenticity 5 / Blending 4 / Unique-Exciting 4 / Flavor Appeal 4.5 / How much I like it 4 / Total Points: 21.5

It's obvious that Roasted Salted is one of my enduring favorites. It's the basic almond with salt. I will admit it - I love salt. This one is not overly salted but perfectly salted to compliment the toasty nutty flavor of the almond.

What I like about Blue Diamond's almonds is that the ingredients are very basic - almonds, vegetable oil and sea salt.

2. Toasted Coconut

Authenticity 4.5 / Blending 4 / Unique-Exciting 4.5 / Flavor Appeal 4 / How much I like it 4.5 / Total Points: 21.5

Here we are down to the nitty gritty, the Top Two of which I gave the highest marks.

Before I opened the bag, I thought to myself, "Toasted Coconut, I don't know about this one." I figured I would try a small handful and if I don't like it I will give the rest to my roommate. Ends up I was surprised by this one. I really liked it a lot.

Blue Diamond describes Toasted Coconut as a "tantalizing tropical treat" and I must agree with them.

I really felt happy eating these. It is such a pleasant taste combination - the crispy roasty almond with a light coconut flavor and a hint of salt. I was truly in flavor heaven.

This is a new almond flavor that I didn't think I'd like. But it's one I will seek out and buy in the near future.

1. Blueberry Roasted

Authenticity 4 / Blending 5 / Unique-Exciting 4.5 / Flavor Appeal 4.5 / How much I like it 5 / Total Points: 23

To say the least I am very surprise this is my top choice. I was even more skeptical about this flavor than I was about the Toasted Coconut and I ended up loving it.

Right from the very first bite there was this delicately sweet blueberry taste which instantly won me over.

Like the Toasted Coconut this one blends a hint if sweetness with just a whisper of saltiness covering the almond, which these days I call my favorite nut... I've come a long way Gilligan used to be my favorite nut back in the late 1960s. Anyhow, I get so much pleasure out of crunching into an immpeccably roasted Blue Diamond almond. There's that twinkle of buttery flavors lingering inside the comfortably crunchy nut. It's like biting into a slice of paradise.

This wonderful little nut is rich in Vitamin E and makes for a satisfyingly healthful snack.

I loved this blueberry flavored treat so much that when I finished this 1.5 ounce bag I was ready to dig into another bag of the same. In the end I was left craving more of this little delicacy.

Now, if Blue Diamond really wanted to make this a really special little treat. They could design a nice quality tuck box or tin so this stunning variety pack can be given as a gift.

Here is a link where you can purchase your own Blue Diamond Almonds variety pack:

Thank you for visiting my friends!!!