Jack Link's Sweet & HOT Jerky Review

  This week I am reviewing Jack Link's Sweet & HOT Beef Jerky, and I want to start by saying I am not a wimpy person. I will attempt to eat something if I know I like no matter how much hot sauce has been dumped on it (within reason). I've willingly drank Tabasco multiple time because "I felt like it" and I thought it'd clear out my stuffed-up nose. Why am I telling you this? Because when I tell you this is HOT jerky, I want you to know that this is not just "a little" hot, it's "turn your face red and make you sweat" hot (ok, not that hot, but close). But how is it otherwise? Read on.

  Taste Spiciness: Let's be honest, you don't eat something like this for taste. About the sweet part, I could only find a few hints of sweetness after searching for it specifically. Now the spiciness, on the other hand, I didn't need to search for, after two small bites I was already getting a little hot and after two more I needed a couple of pieces of plain jerky to cool off. Fantastic spiciness, but not really sweet. 8 out of 10 Points.

  Edibility: Not too chewy, not too tough, just a few inedible bits. Very good edibility. +8 Points.

  Packaging: Standard Jack Link's fare, not amazing enough to get a point but above average nonetheless. +/- 0 Points.

  Summary: Like I said "Fantastic spiciness, but not really sweet" and edibility isn't really a issue. 16 out of 21 Overall.

Jack Link's "Jack Pack" (Original) Review

  This week I am reviewing Jack Link's "Jack Pack"- Original Flavor . So far I've only tried one meatstick by Jack Link's and I wasn't impressed (to put it nicely, check out what I had to say here). Let's see how the Jack Pack does.

  Taste: Seeing as this is a snack pack I can start with what's in it, 2 of each of the following: cheese, pretzel and beef sticks. The pretzel sticks were stale and just okay, the cheese was Velveeta-like and the meat was almost like the other JL's meat stick I reviewed, just with flavor. However, the flavor doesn't help as it actually tastes really, really bad anyway, I can't even describe the flavor. The pretzels would have been really good if they weren't stale, as it is the cheese and pretzels do help save the score a little bit. 4 out of 10 Points.

  Edibility: Actually eats really well, aside from some of the meat getting stuck in-between my teeth. +5 Points.

  Packaging: Really simple Lunchables style peel-to-eat pack, straightforward package design. +/- 0 Points.

  Summary: Everything but the meat tastes good, just don't do this to yourself, Jack Link's is 0 for 2 on meatsticks so far. 9 out of 21 Points Overall.

Turkey Perky Jerky Review

  This week I am reviewing Turkey Perky Jerky "Ultra Premium Turkey Jerky" produced by the same people that make Perky Jerky (duh) which, as you may recall, got high marks from me on this blog for taste, but not much else (click here for that review). So, how does it stack up against it's beef big brother? Let's find out.

  Taste: I have to admit, the only other turkey jerky I've ever had is Jack Link's Turkey Jerky, which has a fantastic salty taste but not much else (read more about that here), so I was expecting something similar for the TPJ. Was I right? Oh, heck no, it seems like they tried to replicate the taste of the regular jerky but in the process created an overly sweet monster instead. I couldn't taste any spice and couldn't even finish the bag it was so bad. Really disappointing. 4 out of 10 Points.

  Edibility: Well, this is one area that they faithfully replicated the beef jerky, instead of keeping the fiber-like nature of turkey meat they managed to make it stringy and chewy just like it's beef counterpart. I didn't choke this time though so I'll only leave it at 0 points. +/- 0 Points.

  Packaging: Same issue as the beef jerky, bag doesn't reseal and that's a big no-no. -1 Point.

  Summary: Tries too hard to be something it's not and runs into the same problems as the jerky it tries to copy. 3 out of 21 Points.

Archer Farms Caramel Cashew Trail Mix Review

  Yeah I missed a few weeks again, but we're both here now so leave me alone and just read the review already.

  But first, I would like to take this opportunity to announce that I am changing my scoring system a little bit, scores are now the following sum of numbers: Taste on a scale of 10, edibility accounting for up to another 10 points (in either direction) and packaging making up one point (also in either direction). So packaging will now require a fair amount effort to get that point from me. If I need to clarify more just ask in the comments. (Also, I will NOT be revising/updating old reviews with the new scoring system.)

  Anyway, on to the review...

  This week I am reviewing something a little different than the norm, it's Archer Farms Caramel Cashew Trail Mix. Not seemingly a "manly" snack until you realize trail mix is a great snack to bring while doing something outdoors like hiking, camping or bear-wrestling. 
  
  But first, a little about the brand and why you won't see it outside of a Target: Archer Farms is Target Corporation's in-store grocery brand, available at every Target store, just like Wal-Mart and Walgreens have their own brand (or brands). Also, in the spirit of full disclosure, I should state that Carmel Cashew is actually my favorite trail mix, ever, and has been for quite some time. But why do I hold it in such high regard? Read on.

  Taste: Where to begin? Well this is a trail-mix so I can start by listing what's in it: unsalted peanuts and cashews, M&M's and chocolate covered caramels. And that's it, nothing else, not a raisin in sight (thank god). How does it taste? Separately, everything tastes good. All together, it's AWESOME, it's sweet and nutty, and not at all oily. I really can't stress how good this is over a printed article, honestly you just have to try it yourself. My only complaint is that the cashews and peanuts aren't salted or honey roasted, but that's really a small complaint in the end. 9 out of 10 Points.

  Edibility: Aside from the chewiness of the carmel and the occasional piece of nut getting stuck, very easy to eat. 7 out of 10 Points.

  Packaging: Nice big bag, easy to read, reseals, not fancy but it works well. +/- 1 Points.

  In Summary: Tastes awesome, eats well and has good packaging, plus the bag it comes in is pretty big. 17 out of 21 points.

  Note: It also comes in a tub that's twice the size of the regular bag, there's no discernible difference between the two and so this also acts as the review for that as well.