I'm finally able to see the light at the end of the pumpkin tunnel! I have about a week's worth of items left, and then I'll be done pumpkin items until 2015!
Let's get right into it! So, this pumpkin walks into a bar...
The design for this package is more modern looking than other Trader Joe's items I've reviewed, like that Pumpkin Spiced Granola, but it doesn't feel like it's complete. I love the imagery, that photo is gorgeous, and I like the color palette, but that font is a little hard to read. I get that the name itself is hardly serious, so they tried to go with a playful typeface, but that font, in that color, with a similarly colored drop-shadow? If they had gone with something else, maybe even just a different color for the shadowing, I think the packaging would have looked a lot better. Then again it could just be me. Do any of you think the "Pumpkin walks into a bar" text is hard to read? (I'm also not a big fan of the little pumpkin clipart character.)
Inside the box, the individually wrapped bars have a similar design, but I found this one to be a lot easier to read. Maybe the problem with the box is that it's too busy, because this is the exact same logo, and the white background makes a HUGE difference in readability.
Once opened, the bar smells sweet, spiced, and oatmeal-y. The aroma reminds me of a brown sugar oatmeal mixed with apples and pumpkin pie spice. This is very reminiscent of the Pumpkin Spiced fig bars I reviewed during Halloween. (Man, I love those little fig bars. I need to hurry and review the other flavors before I eat them all.)
When compared to my mini fig bars, the exterior for this Trader Joe's one is a lot drier and less flavorful. (I think those mini ones have spices mixed into the actual dough as well as the filling, but I could be wrong.) Other than that, the fillings for both products were nearly identical. The insides of this bar tasted sweet and apple-y, which is the usually go-to filler fruit, and there was a decent amount of pumpkin spice mixed in.
Out of the two products, I actually like my little fig-based bars more. They are the perfect size to be tossed into my purse, and they are my favorite on-the-go breakfast item. The Trader Joe's bar is nice, and the size is much more suitable for snacking or lunch, but the flavoring of the mini bar I reviewed was just better in my opinion.
On a Pumpkin Scale of 1-5 (5 being the most pumpkin-y) I’d give this a 3. The filling is a bit more apple flavored than pumpkin, but the spice blend is well done and none of the spices really overpower one another. To me, this is more of a yummy fall-based-bar than a straight up pumpkin one.
© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net
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