Trader Joe's Synergistically Seasoned Popcorn

I am one of those people who asks - what was so wrong with the first Lion King that it had to be redone? As much as I love a new snack, I am that person here to remind you that this beautiful new snack DEFINITELY REPLACED a much beloved, though somewhat niche, snack. That's right. Trader Joe's adheres to the "one in, one out" rule we should all be doing with our closets. I'm willing to bet that this new popcorn has replaced my beloved pickle popcorn. Of course, there's a chance that I'm wrong. But it just doesn't make sense for TJs to carry two sour/tang flavored popcorns...I'm conflicted y'all.

Because there are many things quite nice about this popcorn. Diversity. Flavor. Synergy? ...the marketing on this one works. Plus, I love a good educational but fairly aesthetic packaging design. It's almost political, innit it? Like it looks good and totally vibes with my taste preference values but is also absent of anything I might find negative or questionable! I see salt, garlic powder, and cayenne - nice - but no picture of "natural smoke flavor" or "citric acid." I mean to some people those might not even be entirely bad things but nevertheless, what would including those other ingredients do to the wholesome natural indulgent-but-still-better-for-you image? Or maybe everyone agreed that three is an aesthetically pleasing number and called it a day.

Here we have a definition of a nice vocabulary word (that one would definitely plop into an essay somewhere to sound smarter) AND a description of exactly what flavors were utilized for this combo. 

Vinegar and citric acid - definitely for the tang. I can already sense that this popcorn matches my taste preferences.

1) I was not expecting the popcorn to have a similar hue to barbecue potato chips. But who wants to eat an anemic-looking popcorn?

2) The seasoning distribution is pretty reasonable, which is pretty key if you're using multiple flavors. For me, the tang hits first followed by the slight sweetness akin to the sweetness found in a barbecue-flavored chip and then the smoky spice flavor. The salt and vinegar flavor is definitely there but not as strong as a salt and vinegar potato chip.

3) I'm not a huge fan of the smoky flavor alone because it has an artificial quality to it- they used the smoke flavor for a baconesque popcorn from years ago. But here it's balanced by all the other flavors and definitely rounds out the spice.

4) I don't find this popcorn particularly spicy, but for those who can't eat any spicy, you'll find that this does have a kick.

5) I'm not used to having all of these flavors at once in a snack, so it did get some getting used to. But once acclimated, I do find it a little addicting.

6) Does this popcorn replace the pickle popcorn for me? It's a reasonable substitute. Replace? Debatable. But likely more universally appealing to people who aren't as enamored with pickles.

7) $1.99 for a 5.5oz bag.

TL;DR: Trader Joe's Synergistically Seasoned Popcorn. All the flavors you find at a summer barbecue - hopefully we can still have those without causing a spike in COVID cases - combined into one for better snacking. Like a nice KPOP group or something :P. 8 out of 10. Mantou Joe repurchase? Yep, definitely up my alley.