I like pistachios and almonds and, to a lesser degree, cashews. I like almonds and cashews mixed with other nuts. Thus, I figured, there was a good chance I'd like the Planters Pistachio Lovers Mix. I put off buying a can and testing this hypothesis because the mix is usually considerably more expensive than other mixed nuts products. I finally gave in and picked up a can when they recently went on sale at my local Target.
At a mere six ounces, these tall, narrow cans are significantly smaller than most other canned nuts on the market. Most canned nuts are sold in 10, 12, or 16 ounce cans, often for the same price as this can half their size (and sometimes even less). They typically sell for $4-5 depending on the store; sales such as the one I found might drop the price to $3. That's still expensive, but pistachios are not typically found in mixed nuts or nut mixtures (only mixtures with at least four variety of nuts may legally be called mixed nuts; other products are typically called nut mixes or mixtures) so this is really the only game in town if you want to try pistachios with other nuts and don;t want to combine them yourself.
The label promises that the can contains 50% pistachios. I've found they compose a significantly larger portion of the mix. I'd estimate at least 70% of the can is filled with unshelled green pistachio meat. Most of the rest contains roasted almonds with a few broken cashew pieces floating around. The majority of the cashews are about the same size as the pistachios and are generally indistinguishable from them other than color; I think there were no more than a half dozen unbroken cashew halves in my entire can of nuts.
Individually each component of this mix is fairly tasty. I must admit I don't seek out cashews - I used to eat them freshly fallen from the tree when I lived in New Mexico and it quite spoiled me for the canned varieties - but these cashews are blanched and seem to retain a bit more flavor than many canned cashews (which tend to taste very bland to me). The almonds are roasted and included whole. They're crunchy and perhaps just a bit difficult to chew, but have the slightly smoky, slightly sweet flavor typical of roasted almonds. The pistachios are fresh green unshelled pieces with a trace of tartness to them. They're among the best green pistachios I've had (I tend to prefer red pistachios when buying them separately).
Unfortunately, the three nuts simply don't complement each other. The lightness of the pistachios wars with the heavy almonds. The crunchy almonds overpowers the texture of the other nuts. The almond pieces are so much larger than everything else that simply getting a single almond in a handful is enough to make it difficult to notice the other pieces. The cashews may have more flavor than most, but they tend to wash out entirely when combined with the other nuts. I find myself taking a handful and picking out all of the cashews then all of the pistachios and then finally eating the almonds because that's the only way they all taste good.
One thing that is missing from each of these nuts is salt. While the almost have a slight coating of a thin salt, you don't taste much salt here and it really makes all of the nuts feel a bit heavier and less appealing. Many nuts are absolutely drowned in salt and that's not necessary, but it would be nice to find some sort of happy medium because a judicious coating of salt does enhance the flavor of most nuts.
I know I was complaining about the size of this can, but it's actually a fairly dense mix of nuts and you get several snacks per can. Officially one serving consists of an ounce of nuts, but I probably have two ounces at a time. Each ounce has 160 calories, 13 grams of fat, 80 milligrams of sodium, 250 milligrams of potassium, 3 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 6 grams of protein. Nuts are always high in fat (usually a fairly healthy fat) so the fat content doesn't surprise me, but I expected a bit more protein. The sodium content is extremely low, not surprising given how little salt is applied to the nuts. The biggest surprise is the potassium. Potassium can be difficult to find in decent quantities and this nut mix has considerably more of it than I expected. Potassium is helpful to people suffering from a wide variety of medical problems and is also generally good for you so it's nice to see it here,
I liked each of the component nuts in the Planters Pistachio Lovers Mix individually, but unfortunately they don't mix together well. Unless you intend to pick out each type of nut separately by hand, I'd give this mix a pass and just buy pistachios, almonds, and cashews on their own as the mood strikes.
Case of six 6-ounce resealable canisters of mixed nuts (total of 36 ounces) 50% pistachios with cashews and almonds Contains no cholesterol A deliciou...More at Amazon
Case of six 6-ounce resealable canisters of mixed nuts (total of 36 ounces) 50% pistachios with cashews and almonds Contains no cholesterol A deliciou...More at Amazon Marketplace
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