Popcorn is one of those snacks that I sometimes just really crave. I love the light, airy, crunchy texture of popcorn and I often can’t resist it’s allure when I go out to the theaters. I also usually keep a bag of microwaveable popcorn in the cabinet for when the craving arises and I don’t feel like shaking a pot over the stove.
I haven’t tried too many bagged popcorns though, so when I got the offer to try Gaslamp Popcorn I was more than willing to take it for a taste test. Gaslamp Popcorn was originally made in the Gaslamp District of San Diego back in 1998 when they had a storefront Downtown. The popcorn is now made further up north in Riverside, CA but still retains the name and history!
I was sent two of their bags – White Cheddar and Kettle Corn. They also have a Cinnamon Caramel Popcorn – I have to admit, I kind of wished they had sent that one along, too.
The white cheddar popcorn came in nice, fluffy pieces with a white cheddar coating on every piece. I liked that the pieces seem to be a little big bigger than what I’d get if I popped a microwave bag of popcorn. Also since it was white cheddar, you didn’t get that awful orange all over your fingers which happens sometimes with cheese popcorn.
The white cheddar is a good flavor for this – and it’s not overpowering or too strong. I probably could have even handled a little cheesier of a flavor, but overall it was quite good.
The other flavor I got was the Kettle Corn.
I tried to make my own Kettle Corn once and the top was really good… but I totally burnt the bottom of the batch! Homemade Kettle Corn can be quite pesky and now I know why they are constantly moving the popcorn when you see them making it at street fairs… that stuff burns quick!
This was a nice way to easily get Kettle Corn without the risk of burning anything…
I loved how the popcorn has a kind of “sparkly” look to it from the sugar. This Kettle Corn had a nice, sweet flavor along with the crisp and airy popcorn. I kind of wished for a stronger salty-sweet combination. The sweet is definitely upped a bit more on this popcorn. The thing that I’ve always like about Kettle Corn is the contrast of salt and sugar so I think this would benefit from a little more “salty”. I’d enjoy eating this with a bag of regular, salty popcorn though and throw in handfuls of this throughout to make a better mix.
I found myself leaning much more towards the White Cheddar popcorn in the end for the salty flavor, though both flavors are quite good and use good quality kernels (ie: big fluffy popcorn!).
A list of retailers that carry Gaslamp Popcorn is still in the works, but if you have a serious hankering you can always order a bag of popcorn for yourself online. If you try that Cinnamon Caramel one, be sure to let me know all about it!
