Trader Joe's Nuts About Elote Mix, Our Very Honest Review

Someone at Trader Joe’s must own stock in elotes. For one smallish grocery store, they simply have too many elotes-flavored products for that not to be the case. If you’re not familiar, elotes are Mexican-style corn on the cob, typically slathered in mayo and then sprinkled with chili powder, cotija cheese, and a splash of lime juice. At TJ’s, you’ll find elotes (sans cob) in the freezer aisle, elotes-flavored corn chip dippers in the snack aisle, and, else where in the store, Everything and the Elote Yogurt Dip, Everything but the Elote Seasoning Blend, and the Elote chopped salad kit (which we love). Now, they’ve added Nuts About Elote Mix to their elote lineup. Yeah, dudes. We could tell you’re nuts about elotes.

This mix consists of crunchy corn kernels (like corn nuts), roasted cashews, pretzels, and pepitas. The most interesting thing about this mix? Each component is seasoned separately. The corn kernels have a coating of Romano, cheddar, and some unidentified spices. The cashews get yet another cheese (parmesan this time) and the chili powder you’d expect from an elotes mix. And for some inexplicable reason, the pretzels and pepitas are unseasoned. The first thing I tried out of the tin was a pretzel. I actually thought my taste buds had gone on strike. Learning from my mistake, I then tried a handful of everything together. Finally, some flavor. But does Nuts About Elote Mix taste good? Let’s discuss.

New Product

Trader Joe’s Nuts About Elote Mix

Trader Joe’s

Pros: Trader Joe’s Nuts About Elote Mix is crunchy and salty. If you had a canister of this on your desk at work, I’m certain you could mindlessly eat it until the can was empty. You won’t get sick of the flavor—mostly because there’s not all that much flavor to begin with.

Cons: The seasoning is such a crapshoot. There’s somehow enough flavor powder to leave a good dusting on my fingers as I eat, but not enough for every bite to be flavorful. Plus, there’s no creaminess that elotes typically gets from a slathering of mayo. It just falls flat. Plus, I’m still not over the absolutely bonkers decision to leave half of the products completely unseasoned. There’s also a weird dryness to this mix. I know. It’s made of crunchy corn, pretzels, and nuts—you’re gonna want water or a beer nearby. But this is a dryness that sneaks up on you. The mix is pleasantly crunchy until it turns into a dry, tacky paste in your mouth that leaves you begging for a splash of water to get things moving again. I know Trader Joe’s products can be hit or miss, but this is even more bizarre than I could have anticipated.

Rating:

4/10

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