Product Review

So I was at Trader Joe's the other day, looking through the oils/spices/condiments/canned goods/pasta/rice/sauces/crackers aisle, when I remembered that I needed peanut butter. Peanut butter is one of my current breakfast staples, along with raspberry jam and whole wheat bread. I like to have one slice of toast with PB and one with jam. Like a deconstructed PB&J. I know, I know, just sign me up for the next season of Top Chef, right?

Anyway, I was about to pick up the usual TJ's salted creamy peanut butter when I noticed a new product next to it: new organic peanut butter. Now I have my hippy granola tendencies just like most of us, and naturally tend to choose organic over non- when given the option. So I said what the hey and went with the organic stuff. Even though it's twice as expensive, it's organic, so it's better for the environment, and probably tastes better too, right? Oh, and I got the crunchy kind too. Carpeing the diem there.

To sum up: the organic peanut butter does not, in fact, taste better than the regular stuff. It's grossly undersalted, so it tastes quite bland. You might figure with the undersalting and the organic-ness that it would have a wholesome, nutty flavor. You'd be wrong. You could say that I could just put salt on my peanut butter toast, to which I'd say, "Hey, stop telling me how to live my life! I don't tell you how to live yours. Besides telling you what kind of peanut butter not to buy, and that's really more advice than anything." Also, I don't care to add an extra step to my already-busy breakfast routine.

Trader Joe's Organic Crunchy Peanut Butter: just say no.