REVIEW: Yumnuts Toasted Coconut Cashews

Today's product:  YUMNUTS TOASTED COCONUT CASHEWS

Actually, the first part should read, Yesterday's product, but I thought that sounded too weird so for my own, selfish, purposes I titled it [falsely], Today's product.  Do you care...????

Anyway, I saw these Yumnuts at Whole Foods (where else?) and the bag's graphic design-y-ness caught my eye so I decided, what the hell; I'll spend four bucks on a little bag of cashews.  I do like cashews (as of late, I'm realizing I really like cashews) and coconut?  Uhh, yes please.

When I got in my car I was all ready to tear the bag open and begin stuffing my face with cashews, but then I realized I wanted to review these cashews, which meant taking pretty pictures (not on my lap in a car).  So I waited to get home, then I took a picture, then I tore open the bag and ate a cashew...then another...then another, critiquing them with every chomp.

TASTE:  **

Well, my taste buds had very high hopes for these nuts both because they enjoy cashews and they worship coconut.  Additionally, the "Yum" in the product's title sort of sets up a level of expectation.  Alas and alack, though, my taste buds were disappointed.  The coconut was barely discernable and there was not even the eensiest bit of salt to be found.  I have read, in places, that salt is bad for you.  I think this applies to people who consume gross quantities of the stuff.  With cashews--and with other food, for that matter--some salt can really amp it up!  Yumnuts Cashews DEFINITELY could have benefited from salt.  They could even appeal to people by advertising their product as "lightly salted."  Also, there was an odd aftertaste.  I would like to expound on what I mean by "odd" but, regretfully, I cannot...which is somewhat disconcerting, as I don't know how to describe the taste...

TEXTURE:  ***

The texture was definitely better than the taste.  Unfortunately, like Simon and Garfunkel, you can't have one without the other.  I could not just eat the texture of these cashews, I had to "eat" the taste (why do my sentences sound like those of a cyborg from the 28th century?).  Getting to the texture, though, which I give three stars to, the cashews were very crispy, which I liked.  When I bit down, the nut did not mush into my molars, as cashews sometimes do, but rather, they crunched and broke in the chasm of my mouth, which allowed me to continue chomping and crunching.  The experience was kind of fun for my mouth!  So good job here, Yumnuts.

APPEARANCE:  ***

This was a tough rating because the bag is super cute, and I mean, SUPER cute.  I love the eye-catching but simple logo, the natural colors chosen for the design elements, and the ease in locating all important information on the bag.  Additionally, there are little stick figures on the back of the bag, which are precious, as well as easy-to-understand "Gluten-Free," "Kosher," "Certified Vegan," etc. labels, which, as a vegan, I appreciate.  The nuts, however, are rather dull to look at.  I kicked the saturation up a notch for my photos (I want my blog to look pretty, after all), but the actual nuts are kind of a diluted taupe color, and the "dusting" of white-colored coconut only makes the nuts look drabber.  Hence, my difficulty with rating this category:  bag = frickin' adorable, cashews (ie: the PRODUCT) = meh.

PRICE:  **

Keeping it short and simple:  These cashews were too pricey, especially since they weren't great.  

OVERALL:  **

I love the bag these cashews come in and I like the name of the product line, Yumnuts, but the nuts aren't so yummy.  And that's what matters.  Because they're so expensive, too, I hesitate to give another flavor a try.  I would like to give Yumnuts one more chance but before I rush back to try another Yumnuts flavor, I think I'll first scope out new products altogether.