Spill The Tea

Get more than just the traditional options of sweet or salted — local startup and halal-certified gourmet popcorn maker, The Kettle Gourmet, has launched their Christmas Gift Box Special and it is a treat!

Coming in 6 eclectic packs — Salted Caramel, Chocolate, Nasi Lemak, Chilli Crab, Chicken Floss, and Kaya Butter Toast — the box redefines the popcorn experience with a plethora of flavours to suit every taste bud.

TheHomeGround Asia were thrilled to receive the Christmas Gift Box Special and here are the honest reactions from our team:

Chilli crab

Shiva: Oh it’s got a kick! Very spicy but also very sweet.

Amy: The crab taste is not strong enough. The spiciness overwhelms the crab taste.

Huda: I love this! It’s a bit tangy at first then the spiciness kicks in. As a fan of spicy food, it’s the kind of spiciness that’s addictive and I don’t want to stop eating.

Alvin: CMI. It tastes weird.

Raewyn: As someone who has eaten a lot of chilli crab in my life, this is not it.

Ziyaad: I thought it would have an overwhelming taste, but it’s surprisingly quite mild, which makes it easier to eat. If it’s too flavourful, I might refrain from eating a lot of it and popcorn is meant to be eaten generously.

Ming En*: So spicyyy!

*Low tolerance for spicy food

Nasi Lemak

Ming En: Can’t really taste the coconut at first but leaves a coconut aftertaste. Also, spicy!

Amy: Nice! The “lemak” aftertaste is just right.

Huda: I’m impressed, it really does taste like nasi lemak! It embodies the taste of the nuts, anchovies and sambal of a pack of nasi lemak.

Haqim: Oh got the sambal taste, this one my favourite.

Alvin: I think unique flavours don’t suit well with popcorn…

Ziyaad: Has a kind of fishy smell and taste starts off a bit weird but when the sambal kicks in, it brings the nasi lemak experience together.

Raewyn: Not a very traditional nasi lemak taste but I can see the inspirations behind the flavour profile.

Salted Caramel

Amy: It’s good, has a well-balanced taste.

Alvin: Pretty standard, nothing special.

Ziyaad: Very nice; the salty flavour really cuts through. A tie with the nasi lemak!

Huda: A classic flavour done right.

Shiva: It’s pretty basic; the go-to if you don’t want to experiment.

Chicken floss

Amy: Oh it’s covered in chicken floss, that’s a surprise! I like this but I think the floss coating might take a while to get used to.

Ming En: A bit sweet but savoury at the same time. My favourite of the lot!

Shiva: Oh it has a very unique texture. I like this the most.

Alvin: Tastes like Chinese New Year.

Raewyn: Reminds me of chicken floss bread from Bread Talk, which is a good thing!

Kaya butter

Amy: Definitely an acquired taste. Tastes like processed butter with none of the kaya taste. A no for me.

Ming En: Kaya taste not strong enough.

Huda: It’s a mild taste, not overwhelming.

Alvin: Can really taste the kaya and butter. Tastes weird but in a nice way. This is my favourite.

Ziyaad: The kaya was not really pronounced, a mild kaya taste. Otherwise it tastes more buttery.

Raewyn: It’s more caramel than kaya. I like the saltiness of it.

Chocolate

Amy: Normal lor, doesn’t really stand out.

Huda: Underwhelming, I was expecting a stronger chocolate taste.

Ziyaad: Not a fan. Very basic.

Raewyn: It’s quite normal. It’s what you’d expect chocolate to taste like, but it’s not a fully developed chocolate flavour.

Claudia: It’s sweet but not overwhelming. It reminds me of dark chocolate, which is why I like it.

Concluding thoughts

The popcorn tastes fresh so it’s no surprise to learn that its labelled as non-GMO, air-popped, no trans fat, and freshly baked daily.

The most contentious of the lot was the Kaya Butter — is the kaya taste strong enough? Is it more butter than kaya? — with strong opinions on both camps. Chicken Floss is a hit for those who are already fans of the taste while Chilli Crab is not for the faint-hearted in terms of spiciness. Nasi Lemak wins the most votes as the fan favourite; The Kettle Gourmet did well in adapting a tricky flavour that’s so familiar to the local tongue. Surprisingly, Chocolate fared poorly with majority of tasters underwhelmed by its uninspiring take.

First-time buyers may ask which are the most popular flavours — and seeing the varying taste buds in our team, the gift box idea is brilliant because why choose sweet or savoury if you can try all six flavours? The best part is when you find your favourites, you can share the rest with family and friends, making it a snack to be enjoyed collectively.

Priced at $32, the Christmas Gift Box Special is available in all 27 NTUC FairPrice Finest outlets and via their website with delivery islandwide within 1-2 working days. It also comes with a small personalised gift card that fits up to 25 words, and a 5% discount code voucher for the next purchase.

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