I have tried so many brands: Skippy, Sun Pat, Snickers; but I never tried the value ones because I always find the colour is unpleasantly darker and I thought they had more sugar and salt.
One day when I was doing my usual shopping trip to an Asian store to buy some curry pastes and some oriental herbs and spices; I spotted a different pot of peanut butter and it was ORGANIC.
First, what brand of peanut butter I'm talking about?
The name is Suma Organic Smooth Peanut Butter. Maybe you haven't heard of it before and that's because it's rarely available in supermarkets, you can mostly find it in cash and carry shops, wholesale stores and surprisingly some small corner shops!
The pot
I have to mention that they have crunchy and smooth peanut butter and each one has salted and unsalted selection. All of them have the same look glass clear pot showing the content of it with the same greenish earthy label referring to organic with a basic picture of few peanuts! The only difference you can tell is the writing on the label stating whether it's salted, unsalted, crunchy or smooth.
The smell
Once I have opened the jar a very strong but freshly pleasant aroma came across. The smell of perfectly roasted peanuts and yes there is a difference between the smell of raw peanut, roasted peanut and burnt peanut! I can say that the smell was astonishingly very inviting!
The colour
Most peanut butter are varied between dark and light brownish sort of colour which is not very appealing, this one was slightly different. Of course it was brown (I won't say it was green or yellow) but it was a likeable shade of earthy golden brown but it has something that I only saw in almond butter; which is the layer of oil on the top which indicates a good quality and using appropriate amount of peanuts.
The texture,the smooth variety
It has a firm body very thick but smooth, not lumpy or clotty, the only thing that was disturbing me was the oil on the top. I wanted to taste the peanut butter without the oil which I found it extremely hard to shift aside so I emptied the oil and put it away ,there wasn't much, about a tablespoon; then I used a teaspoon to spread the mixture, it tasted nice.
The texture ,crunchy variety
The consistency for the crunchy was exactly the same smoothness with slightly big chunks of peanut, which can be a little irritating and unpleasant for some (like small children can choke easily; and they can stick under the teeth or dentures of elderly persons) but if you are a peanut addict, you will like the chunks and search for more.
The taste
The taste is heavenly delicious . . . not very salty (I used the salted version), actually it was on the sweet side. Unlike some other brands, I didn't experience a burnt taste; what I can only taste was the roasted peanut very well. Thick and creamy and very addictive but as for most peanut butter; it stuck on my tongue and to be honest I found it hard to swallow on it's own. Sorry I cheated a little by spreading a thin layer of orange marmalade (I'm not British therefore I'm allowed to combine peanut butter with other spreads!)
Aftertaste
Incontestably, there was an after taste and smell as well! As far as I concern the taste was nearly perfect but what about the aftertaste? I left out the dry mouth and tongue, which didn't bother me really, it always happens, not only when eating peanut butter but when eating the nut itself, so you should already know that. This can be rectified easily by drinking water or any other liquid.
Avoid consuming it if
. You are allergic to peanut and nuts in general.
You have high cholesterol.
Have asthma or breathing difficulty.
Do not give to a baby or a toddler under the age of two because choke hazard or risk of allergy developing.
You have sensitive teeth or your gum gets irritated easily don't use the crunchy peanut butter, try the smooth one.
Good points
It is organically grown, natural and with no preservatives.
Can be found unsalted if you are controlling your salt intake.
It has a good fat and it's high in protein as well
Suitable for a gluten free diet.
Suitable for vegan and vegetarian.
Can be eaten on it's own, with spreads and jams and can be used in both savoury dishes like meats, chicken and sauces and in sweet dishes like cakes and desserts.
Prices, sizes and availability
The prices are depending on the size. There are two different sizes;
They have the usual size 0f 340g for 2.15p
The other size is doubled at 700g a family size and a super saver for 3.89.
It can be found in some Co-op supermarkets, a few corner shops and some cash and carry stores but most definitely through their own website.