Hello Twisties,

I hope you’re all well and having a wonderful Saturday! We had a chuckle in the past few weeks when, no sooner than our last SnackCrate arrived, so the next one turned up on the following Monday! Alas, not to be outdone, we did what we do and got busy readying our next bunch of opinions and tasting notes for you.

This month’s SnackCrate box comes from… Brazil! In a way, I couldn’t help wonder if this was a conscious decision, maybe? I mean, we had South Africa last month, and Brazil this month, both of whom have been associated with variants of Covid-19. Could it be that SnackCrate are trying to promote these countries and show that they have something to offer besides infectious, deadly diseases? Who knows, maybe. It seems a bit coincidental, don’t you think?

We’ve also made up the recipe once again, so do be sure to check back later if you’d like to learn how to make your very own Brazilian brigadeiros. I’ll also leave a link here once the post is up so that it’ll be easier to find.

Alright, let’s get onto the tasting!

Club Social

We knew that we’ve had something like this before, so it would be really interesting to see how they compare. We don’t get anything like this in the UK (we have looked!) so when they turn up in our international snack tastings, it’s always a welcome surprise! These crackers are light and crisp and boast a cream cheese, tomato and basil filling. Let’s check it out!

Winner or Binner? This cracker was considerably sweeter than it’s Swedish counterpart, and not quite so flavourful, either. The tomato is there, but the basil is very, very mild. However, because we really can’t find any similar comparison available here in the UK, it was still a Winner for us.

Lobits Requeijão

These fun, wiggly puffed corn snacks are covered with requeijão flavour, which according to Wikipedia, is a cream cheese popular in Portugal and Brazil. I’m curious! Let’s give it a try.

Winner or Binner? Okay, I can see where the “mild, salty ricotta” idea comes from. It’s stronger than most soft cheeses, and yet, it’s not tangy like the cheese of our locale, the humble cheddar. cheese. Once you start on these, it’s quite hard to stop, so we’re giving them a Winner!

Tira Tiema

In the US, they have Goldfish crackers, here in the UK, we have cheese savouries, and in Brazil, they have Tira Tiema! These quaint, puffed little cheesy rectangles. We love cheese savouries, so we can’t wait to tuck in!

Winner or Binner? These are considerably lighter and crisper than cheese savouries, but they deliver a great cheesy flavour. In Potuguese, tira teima means “take it easy” – cute! It’s a Winner from us.

Ruffles Churrasco

Ruffles crisps are something else that we have tried before and we were a fan back then, so I was really keen to give these a go. These are Brazilian barbecue flavour and we do like a barbecue, so these should be good!

Winner or Binner? I wanted to like these, and yet, I just didn’t really care for them. There’s a smoky flavour here, but it’s also quite strong with white pepper. Maybe that’s it? I’m not sure, but I didn’t really dig it. Matt was a fan, though.

Pipocas Açucaradas

Well isn’t Emilia a cutie? This sweet popcorn is apparently similar to the kettle corn found in the US, which we also haven’t tried before. Not to worry, call it a learning curve!

Winner or Binner? Oh my goodness.. we had to put the bag up high to stop up razing these in one go! They’re light, they’re sweet, they have a toasty flavour.. just wow! There’s also no husks like you get in popcorn, so there’s nothing to leave you with painful gums and teeth, either. They’re similar to Sugar Puffs cereal that we get in the UK, which left me asking myself one simple question – why don’t I start eating Sugar Puffs when I watch movies, instead of popcorn? It’s a Winner!

Trento Allegro

Peanut butter, wafer, peanuts and white chocolate… There’s a lot going on here! We couldn’t think of anything with peanuts and white chocolate that we’ve had before, so we were really curious to see how this pairing would go down.

Winner or Binner? This bar melts, even in single-digit temperatures here in the UK! We also found that the flavour of the white chocolate takes over a bit, dominating over the mild, nutty flavour of the peanut butter. It’s not bad, but we wouldn’t hunt it out again. It’s a Binner from us. SOrry, Brazil!

Lacta Bis Oreo

An interesting twist on the humble Oreo, the Oreo wafer! We really loved that these quaint little wafers come as a multipack, making them perfect for parties and packed lunches. I’m not that much of a fan of Oreo but I do like a wafer, so let’s check them out.

Winner or Binner? YES! This is the way Oreo should be! They’re not too heavy and not too sweet. A great mix of bitter cocoa and sweet, creamy vanilla., they’re exactly what I hoped they’d be. They’re the perfect “because I can” treat, unlike the original Oreo. A Winner all round.

Paçoquita

The flyer calls these “candy”, which I’m curious about because I would have said “bar” was more appropriate. Semantics aside, this is a peanut candy, apparently.

Winner or Binner? A mixed result ba-ndy? Bandy? Can we call it a “bandy” and keep the peace? .Either way, Matt approves, but for me it’s a mix of two things that I’m not keen on – peanut butter and icing (powdered) sugar. Think what’s inside Reese’s peanut butter cups, now sweeten it, that’s pretty much Pacoquita. It’s either for you, or it’s not.

Pé De Moça

Brazilian peanut brittle? How curious! I’ve made peanut brittle before (little secret, the first Girl Guide badge I earned was my confectioner’s badge. Another secret? The three patrols that I was in were thrush, swallow and tit – go ahead and laugh 😉 ) so I’m quite familiar with it, but how does a Brazilian recipe compare? Only one way to find out!

Winner or Binner? I mean… it’s not “bleurgh!” bad but it’s just. Not. Anything. Did it spoil in transit, maybe? I don’t know. It’s very soft, like sticky caramel sauce soft, covering peanuts and covered in sugar. It seems both sweet and flavourless (and definitely not salty) and the peanuts feel slightly rubbery in the mouth. I want to believe that just maybe this snack spoiled in transit, but I’m not sure. Either way, it was a Binner for us.

Trento Bites Ao Leite

Little nibbly things, who doesn’t love nibbly things? Apparently, these wafers have rich chocolate inside and out. They definitely look and smell rich, but how much of that flavour is there?

Winner or Binner? I mean.., we’re not blown away by them, but they’re still very good! The chocolate is rich and silky smooth and melts in the mouth and the wafer is lovely and crisp. They’re the kind of thing you would want to last, rather than eat all in one go. Again, good for a movie night, maybe? Another Winner for us.

Tortuguita

Oh why must I.. why must we?! If you remember Flipper, you’ll remember that I hate butchering anything that’s made to look like an animal – I’m getting ridiculously soft in my old age! Still when it’s called “Little Turtle” and it actually looks like a little turtle, I just want to call up my local aquarium and terrapin centre and see if they can rehome these guys! My own soft centre aside, these adorable little creatures have a vanilla and brigadeiro filling.

Winner or Binner? To be honest, these guys are nicer to look at than they are to eat. The vanilla flavour is quite sweet and creamy, and the brigadeiro flavour is rich and slightly fudgy. The chocolate is not bad, but it’s not mind-blowing either. Apart from being cute, they are unfortunately forgettable. For us, they are a Binner.

What Surprised Us Most Was…

the popularity of the peanut! We were really curious about this, given that it’s not something we really associated with Brazil. Do they grow more readily in Brazil? Do they have special significance? We’d love to know!

I hope you enjoyed this snack tasting. Be sure to check back later to learn how to make Brazilian brigadeiros!

Until next time,

Stay safe & have fun,

Helen & Matt xx