Peanut Butter

Have you ever been to Costco or Sam’s Membership Club, optimistically sampled something, and then, after the first bite, you’re convinced the seemingly friendly sample lady is part of a larger plot to kill you? Why else would she be standing their luring you toward her with free samples of a product that tasted so awful that after pitching the half-full paper cup in the garbage, you were afraid to walk down the aisle where the full-size product was stored, afraid it might hold a grudge, jump out of the case, and strangle you, seeking out its revenge for unintentionally making such an awful face after tasting the sample that you dwindled the line down to one person—a person like my dear dad, who will eat hospital pudding and swear it tastes like chocolate mousse. Samples are very tricky. Reviewing samples is even trickier.

My mission: A representative from the PB Crave Peanut Butter company contacted me after reading “Food Of The Day” on El Morno and asked if I would try their peanut butter and then write a review on Odd. I was being asked for my culinary opinion! How could I say no?

Soon after contact was made four jars of different flavored peanut butter were delivered by UPS as promised, and with a great deal of excitement, I grabbed a spoon and opened the first jar of Choco Choco peanut butter. It needed to be stirred. First problem. I love being the first one to dip my spoon into a smooth new jar of peanut putter. Did I ever share the story about how my sweet mother snuck up behind her brother, who was staring into a brand-new jar of peanut butter, overjoyed with the idea of taking the first scoop, and with the precision and speed of a cobra, stuck her spoon into the jar of peanut butter he was holding and scooped him? It did not bode well for their relationship. Having to stir my sample jar of Choco Choco did not bode well for our relationship. And yet, I did realize that natural peanut butter requires stirring to mix the flavors and decided that I could not let dipping vs. stirring influence my review.

After mixing the peanut butter, I took an optimistic taste, which was immediately followed by a rush to the sink, where I turned the sink hose on full force into my mouth. What The Heck? Did my mother put someone up to sending me this peanut butter? No, really, it would be just like her. I insisted Cole, the teen who will eat almost anything, try all four flavors. Of course, I told him how wonderful each one was first, and when his first taste produced a “YUCK!” response, I expressed surprise and suggested he might find another flavor more to his liking. Evil comes naturally to me. Three more “Yucks!” and a big glass of water followed his taste test. He might also have whined that his friends’ moms never did things like this to their kids. Oh surely, this is not true. During a Tuesday night gathering at my house, I invited some friends to sample the product—friends who lean toward food with that good-for-you taste. Suffice to say, they were not impressed.

My overall review? PB Crave has a friendly web site, and I applaud their efforts at being a socially conscious company. Amazon (where you can buy the product) has a few positive taste reviews, and on their press review page, other bloggers wax on enthusiastically about how their families love the product. Don’t look for Odd on that page. When it comes to peanut butter, I could never lead my My Odd family astray. Never in a million trillion years. So, based on my taste test and the discerning palates of my family and friends, I cannot recommend PB Crave peanut butter.  However, If you have tried it and liked it, please do let us know.

Do you sample?

Odd Loves Company!

P.S. I feel the need to add that I attempted to opt out of this review, but having accepted the product I was encouraged to give my honest opinion and preserve my reputation as a reviewer. Who knew, I even had this reputation? Do you think the Mont Blanc pen people will find me?