Review: Peanut Butter & Co. "The Heat Is On" Peanut Butter

Happy Monday, So Good readers! Just your friendly neighborhood Junk Food Guy here, back atcha after another two week holiday. This week, I’d like to review a product from one of my favorite companies – Peanut Butter & Co. Before I moved to DC, I spent some time in NYC. One of my favorite pastimes was to head to Peanut Butter & Co. on Sullivan Street and eat one of their amazing peanut butter and jelly combinations. When they started releasing their spreads in jars to be sold nationwide, I was elated. I’ve reviewed some of their flavors on my blog before.

Peanut Butter & Co. "The Heat Is On" Peanut Butter

Peanut Butter & Co. “The Heat Is On” Peanut Butter is one flavor that I hadn’t tried before, and the good folks at Peanut Butter & Co. sent me some to try. A spicy peanut butter sounded intriguing, especially since sweet/savory has been such a big hit. In their sandwich shop, they serve it with chicken and pineapple jam, sort of like a Thai chicken satay. This does make me nervous – how spicy exactly IS this spread?

Peanut Butter The Heat Is On

This jar of Peanut Butter & Co. “The Heat Is On” Peanut Butter suggests eating peanut butter with celery, which is a combo I have never fully gotten into. I know people love it. BUT I DON’T GET IT. I mean, celery to me is a great vegetable, used to add crunch to my chicken salad, dip into dressing with hot wings, etc. But whenever I eat peanut butter with celery, it feels like I’m eating a mouthful of water plus peanut butter. “But it’s a great low calorie vessel for the peanut butter” my friends tell me. You know what’s even less calories than eating celery? NOT eating celery.

Peanut Butter & Co. The Heat Is On Nutrition Facts

Peanut Butter & Co. “The Heat Is On” Peanut Butter contains chili powder, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, paprika and vinegar. Hooo boy.

peanut-butter-chili

When I opened this jar of Peanut Butter & Co. “The Heat Is On” Peanut Butter, I loved seeing all the little chili specks in the spread. The jar smelled like peanut butter, but I didn’t get any sweetness from it. Not surprising, really, since the ingredients don’t mention any sugar added to it. This is a savory peanut butter spread. Say whaaaaaaaaa?

I licked my spoon clean of this peanut butter, and WOW my head just exploded with spice. HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE this is spicy! Cough cough ….holy moly. Ok, let me gather myself here. Dude.

This peanut butter started out fine – tasted like an un-sugared, fresh peanut butter. Very smooth, and good fresh peanut taste. All of a sudden, the spice kicked in – and kicked HARD. VERY spicy, this borderlined on being almost flavorless because my taste buds started to burn out. The closest flavor I can describe is this sort of tasted like pureed Cajun-spice peanuts. Imagine your favorite spicy-powdered-in-a-bowl-at-a-bar peanut mix. This tasted like that, with more spice, and all ground up into a paste. It was savory and full of pepper.

I almost might say this was TOO spicy, but I can definitely see how this would be good on meat, and then add a little fruit chutney to tame the spice and provide contrast.

All in all, a very interesting product. For what they were going after, Peanut Butter & Co. hit it out of the park. Where/when to eat it? To me, sort of limited opportunities. Thai style chicken is the main one. BUT I could also see dipping salted pretzels into this (YUM). Can’t think of any other instances I’d eat something peanut-y that is THIS SPICY. Can you?

PURCHASED AT: Shop Online or Buy at any of THESE stores!

COST: about $6.00.

Thoughts? Please comment below or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy and read more reviews at JunkFoodGuy.com. Let’s hang out.