Taste Test-Hummus

      Before I even tried hummus, I assumed that I didn't like it. I eventually tried it, and loved it! Hummus is mashed up chickpeas blended with olive oil and various spices. There are many different brands of hummus and even more flavors. I typically eat the roasted red pepper flavor. Which got me thinking, which brand has the best tasting hummus? By taste tasting three different brands, I hope to come learn which brand produces the best red pepper hummus. The three brands I chose were Tribe, Sabra, and Oasis Naturals.

The three hummus brands that I tasted.

I typically eat the Sabra brand. Mostly, it is just a matter of convenience and that brand happens to be at the most stores. Due to this bias, I had my mom dish up the three different types of hummus without letting me know which one was which. Each were numbered so my mom knew which dish belonged to each brand. I almost always eat hummus with carrots, so I thought this was a good way to taste test. I ranked all three based on appearance, taste, and texture. After the tasting, my mom revealed to me which number belonged to each dish. Additionally, I drank a bit of water between each tasting and a bite of plain carrot, just to ensure an accurate taste.

     The first hummus was a smooth, very faint orange color that had flecks of red pepper throughout it. The second hummus looked similar to the first but was a shade or two lighter. It had smaller flecks of red pepper in it. The third looked the most different, it was darker orange color, it did not have any red pepper in it, and it appeared to have a grainy texture. The third hummus looked the least appealing, mostly likely due to the color, and the fact that it looked so grainy.

     The first hummus was very smooth, slightly salty, and as I was chewing I could only taste the red pepper flavor when there was a piece of red pepper. It appeared that it was plain hummus with pieces of red pepper in it. The second hummus was also smooth but it had more garlic and salt in it and a more consistent flavor regardless if you got a piece of red pepper or not. The third hummus had an overwhelming amount of seasoning in it, specifically too much cumin which overpowered the entire dip. It did not have any pieces of red pepper in it, so I am assuming it was blended into the hummus. It also had a grainy looking texture, which looked unappealing to the eye.

Couldn't help but eat more of the Sabra and Tribe.
I left the Oasis Naturals alone after the testing. 

     I preferred the taste of the first hummus, the Sabra brand the most. It had the most mellow flavor and the consistency of it was extremely smooth. The second hummus, Tribe was an extremely close second it had a great blend of seasonings, I just enjoyed a more subtle flavor which the Sabra brand offered. I would rather buy the Sabra brand, but Tribe would be an excellent substitute. The third hummus, Oasis Naturals was extremely disappointing the overwhelming amount of seasoning and the grainy texture, and the unappealing orange color was a major turn off. I would probably never buy the Oasis Naturals red pepper hummus again, and would be extremely reluctant to try any of their other flavors.

     I was surprised that I could detect differences between brands and I'm glad I found out which one I preferred the most. I encourage everyone to try hummus if you have never tried it before, and specifically the Sabra and Tribe brands!