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Restaurant Reviews

Taste Test Thursday: Creamy Peanut Butter

Some are all-natural, while others are packed full of added sugar and additives. So, which one is the best?
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The last couple of taste tests have been less-than-scrumptious. Two weeks ago tasters sipped different bottled waters, and then last week we tried to differentiate between various sea salts. It didn’t go well.

This week we’re taking things back to the basics with a food that most people can get behind, peanut butter. I picked up a variety of creamy, nutty pastes from area grocery stores. Some are all-natural, while others are packed full of added sugar and additives. So, which one is the best according to D Magazine staffers?

The peanut butter:

A. Jif
B. Peanut Butter & Co.
C. Sweet Ella’s
D. Krema
E. Peter Pan
F. Reginald’s Homemade
G. H-E-B

Tasting notes:

Jif

  • Oily, but in a good way. Mass produced.
  • Mmm. Choosy moms would choose A.
  • Good texture.
  • Really creamy, and not too sticky.
  • Very smooth and sticky. Nice, but doesn’t taste natural.
  • Very smooth texture. It has a nice sticky factor. Not too much, not too little.
  • OK. Tastes like regular peanut butter.
  • Light brown, creamy, thick, sweet.
  • Looks and tastes like Jif. Classic peanut butter experience.
  • 1f615 copy

Peanut Butter & Co.

  • I like the thick consistency of this a lot. Very good.
  • Sweet and salty.
  • I tried to take a small bite of it and it came in one big clump. I felt like there was less of a strong peanut taste.
  • Tastes like the rest.
  • Maybe a hint of honey in there? A little too on the sweet side.
  • Pretty sweet, but still smokey. I expected more grain in the mouthfeel based off the way it looks, but once I ate it, it was very creamy.
  • Slightly less salty.
  • Darker than A, nuttier than A, not as sweet.
  • Very thick, somewhat difficult to spread. Good flavor, though!
  • 1f31f copy

Sweet Ella’s

  • Pretty flavorless. Looks terrible. This is garbage butter.
  • First of all, not creamy. Not a fan of the lack of roastiness. Also, weird aftertaste.
  • Judging on looks alone, ew. It’s too gritty and swimming in a pool of oil. Tasteless.
  • Watery nature was a turnoff. Also, not smooth.
  • Not actually creamy — grits of peanuts in it. Very sticky.
  • Tastes very natural. I’m stuck trying to decide whether that’s good or bad. The oil separates from the peanuts when you eat it, which adds some interest.
  • Really gross looking. Couldn’t really taste over cracker.
  • Looks like cat puke. Runny, not sweet, raw peanut taste. Crunchy.
  • Looks organic. Watery, but chunky. Very bland, probably heathy, too.
  • 1f474 copy

Krema

  • Even worse than C. Chemically.
  • Texture is a little too runny for my taste, but the flavor is BOMB.
  • Too runny, natural? Doesn’t have a lot of flavor to it.
  • Really sticky, and hard to eat.
  • Thinner, more watery-looking than the others. Blander.
  • Very spreadable, and nice aroma. It pretty much ends there for me. Not much taste to speak of. So in a word, “mehhh….”
  • Also doesn’t look very appetizing. Not very flavorful.
  • Runny and smooth like an ill dog’s poop. Bland. Not sweet. mainly a filler so you’re not hungry.
  • Liquid-y and easy to spread. Tastes healthy.
  • 1f475 copy

Peter Pan

  • Sort of tastes like coffee? Mouthfeel is weird.
  • Mildly sweet.
  • Smooth, creamy, sweet. Now I’m thinking this one’s Jif?
  • Love the creamy texture.
  • Very creamy, and thick. Also a hint of honey, a little on the sweet side.
  • By fat the sweetest, most manufactured taste. So if you’re into that sort of thing, this one takes the cake.
  • Tastes like regular peanut butter, but I like it.
  • Thick and creamy. Sweet. Not too sweet. Perfection.
  • This might actually be Jif. Looks, acts, tastes like classic peanut butter I know and love. Salty and sweet.
  • 1f31e copy 1f31f copy 1f308 copy 2728 copy

Reginald’s Homemade

  • The graininess is really off-putting, and it tastes like licking a yoga mat.
  • There must be raw peanuts. Give me roasted or give me death!
  • Gritty, not in a good way. Bland.
  • Darker roast, nuttier flavor.
  • Not really creamy. Gritty and very sticky.
  • I might suggest substituting this for a cigar next poker night. It’s that smokey. Pretty tasty.
  • Bland.
  • Awful. OMG who buys this? Runny and watery.
  • Dark rich color but taste is subpar. Tastes like mashed peanuts alone.
  • 274c copy

H-E-B

  • I don’t know at this point.
  • Weird aftertaste. Like sitting in a plastic jar too long.
  • Jif? This tastes the most familiar. It’s smooth and has a good finish. Slightly sweet. I could eat this with a spoon.
  • Was thinking how these taste the same, but then I tasted G. We have a winner.
  • Like the nutty flavor. Thick.
  • Glad I ended on this one. I think it’s the most balanced of sweet, smokey, smooth, but not soupy. Delicious.
  • Weird aftertaste.
  • Thick and creamy. Really sweet. Kinda like honey.
  • Rich taste and good spreadability. Close runner up to E. YUM!
  • 1f300 copy

Tally up:

Jif 0
Peanut Butter & Co. 1
Sweet Ella’s 0
Krema 1
Peter Pan 4
Reginald’s Homemade 0
H-E-B 4

The winner is:

It’s a tie between Peter Pan and H-E-B. I was going to do a tie breaker, but somebody had already taken the Peter Pan peanut butter home with them. I won’t name names. What’s your favorite peanut butter? Let’s talk about it.

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