The Good: Great flavor, Fairly nutritious.
The Bad: A little pricey when not found on clearance.
The Basics: The Vanilla and Caramel Flavor Grove Almonds from Planters are a wonderful snack that tastes far less like almonds than one might expect, making for a delightful sweet snack.
I’ll admit it; I am getting just a little tired of almonds. Truth be told, I have grown to appreciate them, but I have not, traditionally, been a fan of them. I have been eating them more and more of late because they are a healthy nut and my wife and I have discovered many of them on clearance at a local grocery store. Planters nuts, specifically, seem to be on clearance locally and we found the Flavor Grove Cocoa and Cinnamon almonds (reviewed here!). We also found the Vanilla and Caramel Flavor Grove Almonds and I found they were even more enjoyable.
The Vanilla and Caramel Flavor Grove Almonds were very good and surprised me with how much I would enjoy them together. My only wish would have been that they were a little healthier and, of course, less expensive. The expense is more of an abstract idea; getting these on clearance for $1.74 a bag makes these more than reasonable on the price front!
Basics
Planters Vanilla and Caramel flavor Flavor Grove Almonds are a ready-to-eat snack that combines two complimentary flavors of lightly sweetened nuts. Packaged in a 6 oz. stiff plastic resealable bag, the Flavor Grove Almonds are kept fresh until opened. After removing the safety seal, consumers have access to the almonds that are dusted with a powder that gives them their Vanilla or Caramel flavors; the two types of almonds are mixed together. The two types of almonds are very easy to keep straight; the caramel almonds are dark brown and the vanilla ones are white with what appears to be more of a glaze than a powder.
Outside their frosted appearance, the Vanilla and Caramel Flavor Grove Almonds look just like ordinary almonds. Each 6 oz. container has six 1 ounce servings easily dispensed through the wide top of the bag.
Ease Of Preparation
These are flavored, roasted nuts, so preparing them is as easy as opening the bag they come in and consuming them. There is no trick or work needed to eat Vanilla and Caramel flavor Flavor Grove Almonds.
Taste
The Vanilla and Caramel Flavor Grove Almonds smell amazing when the bag is opened. The combination of vanilla and caramel results in a warm, inviting aroma that begs the consumer to start eating. The resulting aroma actually smells like honey and cinnamon.
Planters made the Caramel almonds very subtle. When placed on the tongue, the caramel almonds have a decent amount of flavor. They are very sweet and have a dry quality to them that is a great embodiment of caramel. When the nut is broken, though, the buttery almond flavor completely overcomes the taste of the caramel powder coating.
The bad of nuts is completely sold by the vanilla almonds. These are light, sweet and this might well be the only almond I have ever had that did not taste dry. The lack of skin on these almonds allows the full vanilla flavor to resonate and permeate the almond. These sweet, delicious coated almonds are exceptional and perfectly embody the flavor of vanilla.
Mixed together (which seemed reasonable to me because Planters combined the two flavors), the caramel and vanilla flavors blend together in the mouth to ultimately taste like brown sugar. The two flavors combine to make exactly that sweet, smoky flavor of brown sugar that is absolutely delicious.
Nutrition
After my recent experiences with almonds, I was not surprised that Planters Vanilla and Caramel Flavor Grove Almonds are fairly healthy! A serving is considered 28 grams which is about an ounce (an estimated twenty-four nuts). With the standard recommended serving size, the nuts have 12 grams of fat! That's 18% of the RDA of fat, with 5% of the RDA coming from the one gram of saturated fat! There is 6% of the RDA of calcium and five grams of protein, these surprisingly full of nutrients. In addition to potassium (170mg) and a fairly low amount of salt (55 mg sodium!), these nuts have iron, Vitamin E, riboflavin, Magnesium, copper, and Manganese. Other nuts I have had lately have had more nutrients, but these are still not bad at all.
The ingredients list for these Vanilla and Caramel flavor Flavor Grove Almonds is fairly short, which is nice because most of the ingredients are natural. Planters are made primarily of almonds, sugar and honey. There is nothing unpronounceable in these nuts and the ingredients are very healthy. Obviously, these nuts are manufactured on equipment that processes peanuts and other tree nuts.
Storage/Clean-up
Just as with the preparation, Planters Vanilla and Caramel flavor Flavor Grove Almonds candies are low stress when it comes to storage and cleanup. Storage is simple when the nuts are kept in their bag at room temperature or cooler. Kept sealed in their bag, these nuts would not expire until May 16, 2012, which is why I suppose they were on clearance.
Planters Flavor Grove Almonds are easy to clean up after as well. Simply wash your hands after eating to get any stray flavor dust off. There should be no other residue, but if there is, it may easily be wiped away with a damp cloth.
Overall
Planters Vanilla and Caramel flavor Flavor Grove Almonds are entirely delightful and are a flavor well worth picking up!
For other nut reviews, please visit my takes on:
Planters Crème Brule Almonds
Blue Diamond Cocoa Oven Roasted Almonds
Wonderful Pistachios
7/10
For other food and drink reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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