Phil Lempert's SupermarketGuru
 

Ratings Criteria

With over 50,000 products in the average supermarket, people don't have the time, or the money, to test every product on the shelves and with 15,000 new products every year consumers need to know what's out there!

So Phil does the testing and the tasting for you and gives the product a rating out of 100 so you know what you can expect when you try something new!

SupermarketGuru does not sell the foods we review, nor receive any compensation from the manufacturers for reviewing or rating them.

Phil taste-tests and judges each product based on the following 8 criteria:

  1. (30 points) Taste: The most important attribute of any food
  2. (20 points) Value: Is it worth it?
  3. (15 points) Health: Based off the nutritional information, is it nutritionally balanced?
  4. (15 points) Ingredients: What's in it, how natural is it?
  5. (5 points) Preparation: When applicable, how accurate or good are the directions *
  6. (5 points) Appearance: Is it appetizing and does it resemble its photo or description
  7. (5 points) Packaging: Is it appropriate for the product and does it have any benefits such as resealability, added freshness, better storage, etc.
  8. (5 Points) Sustainability: Is the packaging biodegradable, is it wasteful, is the company endeavoring to offset their carbon footprint?

* products that do not have any preparation will have the full value of these points included in their total score

Raven’s Brew Coffee Santa Caws Holiday Blend

[Image of: Coffee]
84
I happen to love my coffee black, which sometimes is a joy and sometimes, especially when it is over-roasted, can be horrible. Raven’s Brew Coffee Santa Caws Holiday Blend is a medium roast, organic, subtle brew. While they highlight that it has notes of caramel and pecans, those flavors do not come through as much as I would like them to. However, it is a delicious cup of coffee that is smooth and sweet and it has a nice, sweet aroma. The package is cute and definitely festive, but here is a problem – the inner package does not designate the variety, nor does it have the date it was roasted. It also does not tell us the source of the coffees used in the blend. Retails for $12.95 for 11 oz.

Raven’s Brew Coffee
800 917 2836
http://www.ravensbrew.com

Scoring Breakdown:

Just Chill Beverage Tropical Chill Flavor

[Image of: Enhanced Beverage]
89
This product is a HIT! We have tasted energy drinks and we have tasted relaxation drinks. This one is a combination of both. It is designed to calm you down and add focus. The focus is coming from the ginseng, gingko and B vitamins; the calming is coming from the lemon grass. This flavor – Tropical Chill has a very floral aroma, so at the first sip it may be a little off putting. Open the can, pour it into a glass and wait 30 seconds before drinking. It is a very good tasting alternative. Retails for $1.99 for 8.4 oz.

The Chill Group, Inc
N/A
http://www.drinkjustchill.com

Scoring Breakdown:

Funley’s Cookie Clusters Original Stix in the Mud

[Image of: Chocolate Candy]
92
This product is a HIT! If you are looking for a treat – this is it. Whole grains, surrounded by a blend of dark and milk chocolates make a terrific tasting crunchy treat that I guarantee you will love. No artificial colors, no preservatives, no high fructose corn syrup and individually wrapped – what could be better? The fact that this company has a great sense of humor on the package and they donate a percentage of their profits to support educational programs. Don’t be a stick in the mud and try them. Retails for $3.99 – 4.29 for 4.5oz.

Funley’s Delicious
N/A
http://www.funleys.com

Scoring Breakdown:

Sir Kensington’s Gourmet Scooping Ketchup Spiced Flavor

[Image of: Ketchup]
92
This product is a HIT! If you typically add ketchup to your food (and who doesn’t?) you have got to try Sir Kensington’s. With a thicker texture than you are used to and a great spicy flavor, this recipe is exceptional. The first ingredient is tomatoes (what a concept) and it is sweetened with a blend of brown sugar, honey and agave. Mix in cider vinegar, diced onion, olive oil and spices and this can truly be called ‘gourmet’. You are not going to want to waste it on a typical burger, but do it – it will turn that ordinary burger into a special treat. Retails for around $7 for 11 oz.

Kensington & Sons, LLC
646 450 5735
http://www.sirkensingtons.com

Scoring Breakdown:

Popghum Popped Sorghum Premium Atlantic Grey Sea Salt Flavor

[Image of: Savory Snack]
93
This product is a HIT! If you can get past these mini sized popcorn-like kernels, you will love these sorghum snacks. These are crisp and delicious and are high in fiber. The only problem is because they are so small it takes a lot more effort to eat a satisfying portion. What I love, besides the taste, is their commitment to the World Wildlife Fund which receives 5% of the sale. Retails for $3.89 for 3 oz.

Popghum, LLC
888 338 5963
http://www.popghum.com

Scoring Breakdown:

Thank You

We hope you enjoyed this edition of

New Product
Hits and Misses

If you would like Phil to consider your new product for review, please send 4 samples of each flavor you to submit for review, with the suggested retail price and other product information. We regret that we can not review all products submitted. Please send to:

New Product Review
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Santa Monica, CA 90405

Product reviews are conducted by randomly selecting one flavor of a product and taking into consideration the information available on the package itself as it would appear in the retail environment. Information contained in advertisements or on websites is not taken into account for evaluation or ratings.

Email danielle@supermarketguru.com with any questions and whenever possible please be environmentally friendly when packaging your products.