Doug's Nuts

Press Sample
Who doesn't love a good nut joke? Doug's Nuts call out to the snickering kid in all of us with their interesting directions for consuming their product: Place Doug's Nuts gently into warm, expectant palm. But jokes aside, there's nothing childish about snacking on nuts! In fact, it's downright healthy.

Doug's Nuts come from the small startup of Happy Nibbles, located in Eugene, Oregon. According to their website, many of the nuts used in the mix are local to that area. The mix contains almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, and pecans, and they are flavored with vanilla, honey, and oatmeal stout. Most importantly, I want you to know that this sample was sent by Doug's Nuts for review.

Eating in small handfuls, I could mainly taste the peanuts and hazelnuts, but also the vanilla in the glaze. Still, the best way for me to tackle a product like this is to go through each nut, one by one, because that's how I usually eat mixed nuts.


The pumpkin seeds were green and wonderful. They had a slightly sweet, toasty flavor that went very well with the slight saltiness and subtle caramelized flavor of the glaze, and I loved the vanilla aroma on the finish. The seeds were mild with a lovely crunch – I could eat a ton of these.

On that note, the almonds were also one of the stand-out nuts in this mix. They were plump and had just the right crunch, and the mildly woodsy flavor was also excellently matched with the glaze. The slight saltiness from the sea salt was perfect!

Walnuts have an earthier, slightly bitter flavor that almost overpowered the subtle seasoning in this mix. Walnuts aren’t my favorite, but they were done well here.

In this mix, the cashews didn’t blow me away. They were good, but not outstanding like some of the other nuts. I suppose I was expecting them to be crunchier, and the glaze seemed to add less here.

The pecans were excellent – I really got a sense of the vanilla and oatmeal stout in the glaze, and the texture was lovely – nice and crunchy! Wow – can I make a pie out of these?

Full disclosure – I just don’t care for hazelnuts, but that’s how mixed nuts go, isn’t it? The glaze went well with the strong, earthy flavor, and my husband loved them. He’s the hazelnut lover in the house, so please take his word for them.

In this mix, the peanuts were very earthy and flavorful (but not bitter). They were extremely well-roasted, noticeably better than the average peanut! The seasoning was just a bit player for the peanuts, but I was okay with that because the nuts were toasty and wonderful.

Both my husband and myself really enjoyed this mix. He liked every nut and ate handfuls at a time, whereas I ate around the hazelnuts (and sometimes the walnuts), but that's just my personal tastes. The subtle flavor of the glaze was just lovely, rounding out a tasty, filling snack. If you try Doug's Nuts, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

A

Doug's Nuts

Côte d'Or Noir de Noir

Always looking for new chocolate, I picked this Côte d'Or up at my local fancy grocer for $3.99. It seemed like it was extremely thick, but this bar is actually two bars packaged together. The wrapper was covered in English stickers, so it seems like it comes straight from Belgium.

Côte d'Or is a Belgian chocolate brand that was acquired by Kraft Foods in 1990. I wonder if that sale was as controversial as the more recent Cadbury acquisition?


For 56% chocolate, this bar had a beautiful satiny dark brown finish. The chocolate had an earthy scent, but rather than fruity, the flavor was more milky and almost sweet for a dark chocolate. Though a bit bitter, it was rich and almost savory, and the earthiness carried over into the finish.

The melt was just a bit dry, but not chalky (and I definitely prefer a little dry to sticky). I prefer my dark chocolate to be darker, but this bar was pretty good. My husband loved this one, but I think I'll have to try the Côte d'Or 70% Noir Intense bar.

B+

Côte d'Or website

Salazon Dark Chocolate, Sea Salt, and Coffee

This bar might have the longest name I've ever seen. The title of this post was shortened to fit on one line, but the full name is Organic Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt & Crushed Organic Coffee. It was part of a birthday gift from my sister, her husband, and their adorable son. Even though he was only about 6 months old at the time, I like to think he picked it out.

Before trying this bar, I was unfamiliar with the Salazon Chocolate Company. They seem to be very serious about sustainability, and this bar was USDA organic and certified sustainable by the Rainforest Alliance. According to the website, these bars are made in small batches in the United States, not to mention hand-sprinkled with sea salt. That's all great, but how does it taste? After all, Salazon's website also states that these bars are meant to be "energy food" rather than candy.


The unwrapped bar is striking, on both the top and bottom. The back was especially gorgeous. I love a textured bar, so seeing the little flakes of coffee was exciting. The coffee aroma was dominant in the scent, and the bar had a firm (almost hard) snap.

At first, the chocolate was very salty, but this gave way to a mild, bitter chocolate flavor. The chocolate didn't melt on the tongue right away, and combined with the crunchy coffee flakes, it made for a very crunchy bar. The flavors worked well together, but it was a bit dry for my tastes. I suppose that's why it's "energy food" rather than candy.

B

Salazon Chocolate Company website

Vosges Amalfi Bar

Though I haven't been blogging as much as I used to, I have continued to sample chocolate avidly. One of the consequences of this blog is that I've become somewhat of a chocolate snob. When I started blogging, I didn't think it was worth it to buy expensive chocolate for myself very often, and now it's no big deal. I still enjoy a Twix bar or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, but there is simply no comparison to some complex dark chocolate. But more on that in another review.

Having said that, buying the Amalfi white chocolate bar was kind of a gamble. The fact that this one was 36% cocoa, combined with the fact that the local fancy food store had this one on sale, convinced me. Aside from the white chocolate, this bar also features pink peppercorns and lemon zest.


The pink peppercorns were quite mild and not as aromatic as the Dolfin pink peppercorn bar, but the subtle pepper flavor did go well with the tart but not sour lemon zest. Both provided a bit of a woodsy sensation, and I was surprised at how tasty the combination was!

The white chocolate was very well done. It was milky and neither too rich nor too sweet. The texture was smooth, slightly buttery, and thankfully, not sticky. While I don't see myself buying this bar again, it was a pleasant surprise.

A-

Have a look at Rodzilla Reviews, The Food Buster, and Foodette Reviews for more on this bar.

Vosges website

UHA Fizzy Apple Cider Puccho

I know it's a little childish, but I can't resist bright colors and fizzy candy. Puccho delivered on both accounts with Fizzy Apple Cider, and they even threw in a cute mascot. Look at Captain Pu from the wrapper! I can't get over how adorable it is!

Cute gimmicks aside, Puccho is sort of like a kid cousin to the more famous Hi-Chew. It has a similar chewy texture, and lively fruit flavors, but Puccho also has firm jelly pieces to enhance the chew. This variety even has fizzy candy bits, too!


The candy smelled faintly of apples, but thankfully, not in an artificial way. The main chew tasted like apple juice, and the little Puccho jelly beads didn't seem to add much flavor. The fizzy balls, however, had a sour apple flavor at first, becoming sweeter as they dissolved.

The texture in general was firm, but not uncomfortable to chew. It was a bit rubbery, but that's pretty typical for Puccho and similar fruit chews. I was pleased with the apple flavor, and of course, the fizzy bits. Puccho is always fun to eat, so even though I'm not big on apple candy, this flavor was enjoyable.

B+

Puccho website