Following the #TraderJoes hashtag on Twitter, I learn about a lot of new products before I spy them on the shelves at my local store. But once in a while, a new product really stands out in terms of both the number of people tweeting about it and the level of their enthusiasm. This is the latest such. It seemed obvious that TJ's had a major hit on their hands, even before I had seen a bag with my own eyes.
The hype continued with an unusual number of news/feature stories on a wide variety of web sites, which came to my attention from an ongoing Google News alert service. From these I've learned that:
- Contrary to its usual practice of secrecy about its suppliers, TJ's allowed the Israeli manufacturer of the original Bamba to announce that, yes, they're the ones making this, and it is the same product in a different bag. I assume that this was because the original is so popular that TJ's wanted to capitalize on its fame, and not have people worry that it was an inferior knockoff.
- About 90% of Israelis buy Bamba regularly; it is by far the most popular snack food there.
- There is some evidence that the Israeli practice of introducing Bamba to their kids at a very early age contributes to an unusually low prevalence of childhood peanut allergies there.
The universal description of the product is that it's like cheese puffs (e.g., the baked version of Cheetos), but peanut instead of cheese. That's pretty accurate.
And how are they? They're great--extremely tasty, just the right amount of salt, incredibly munchable, with a lovely, delicate crunch. They're instantly addictive.
Will I buy them again? Oh, yes. Even after just one bag, I'm confident these are going to be a new
staple in my snack cupboard. They're also the newest member of my
Top Ten list.
