Tabasco Pipcorn Popcorn and Cheese Balls taste test

While perusing a Market World, I found a snack I've been wanting to try for a while! Pipcorn! 
I first saw this brand of popcorn on Shark Tank years ago (like 2019). Back then, you could only order it online, and when I went to place an order, they were overwhelmed by the Shark Tank success and had sold out. I hadn't thought about them much until I saw these again in stores years later. Tabasco flavored popcorn and cheese balls! Yum!

I had first tried a licensed Tabasco popcorn while visit my brother in Texas during his flight school. It was some of the most delicious popcorn I've ever tried and I've been trying to find something like it again ever since. Will this Tabasco Pipcorn satisfy my spicy popcorn cravings? Read on and see!

Here's a closer look at both the Tabasco Pipcorn and Cheese Balls. The Pipcorn is a much smaller variety of popcorn than normal. And the cheese balls are also a bit smaller than your typical cheese ball you'd get from Utz or Planters. 

Heirloom Pipcorn comes from seeds that are not genetically modified and have been unchanged for at least 100 years. 

Comparing a fully popped piece of regular popcorn versus a fully popped piece of Pipcorn. 

Tabasco definitely enhances the flavor of everything. I love putting it in chili, sandwiches, and even pizza! 

Just three simple ingredients for Tabasco. Distilled vinegar, red peppers, and salt. I hadn't realized that Tabasco puts their relative spice level on the bottle. Three fires out of five. The bag is also labeled 3 of 5 on the spice level too. 

Theresa is also a lover of spicy foods. In our backpack, she has a mini bottle of Tabasco ready to go. And while Theresa loves spicy, the kids are still working their way up to it. They are no longer spice wimps, but they don't seek it out either. I'm just happy they're participating in the taste test without complaint. 

First up, we'll be trying the Pipcorn Spicy Cheddar Cheese Balls. 

Joe - It starts a little spicy, but goes away pretty quickly. 

Megan - I love Tabasco, but only on certain things. 

Theresa - Eggs. Tabasco is great on eggs. Any kind of meat. Or potatoes. 

Patrick - The aftertaste is not good. 

Joe - It has a bit of a vinegary taste. The vinegar from the Tabasco really comes through. 

Ian is about to try his first cheese ball. His water bottle is at the ready. He normally loves cheese balls. 

Tasting and considering it...

No water needed. Good job buddy!

Ian - It's a little hot. But it gives a nice tang to it. 

While the rest of us moved on to the other popcorn, Ian continued to eat the cheese balls. I guess he likes them! 

Alright, what about the Pipcorn Spicy Cheddar mini popcorn? 

Megan - I love popcorn. But I feel like they're a little stale. 

Joe - But they're not. They don't expire for another 6 months. 

Megan - I think that's how Pipcorn is. Since it's smaller, it's more dense and isn't as fluffy. 

Theresa - I like this better than the cheese balls though. 

Megan - Me too. 

Theresa - I would eat all of it. 

Megan - I like the cheesy flavor of this one. 

Alli - I don't really like either of them. 

Theresa - The small pieces are almost like the crumbs at the bottom of the bag. 

Megan - Like, you'd have to eat it with a spoon. 

Theresa - If this was a big kernel, I'd like it much better. 

Megan - Is it really specialty popcorn, or do you think it's just the crumbs from other popcorn? Like, these are the garbage kernels and they put them in a bag and sold them special. 

Megan - After eating the popcorn, the cheese balls are terrible. 

Patrick - I don't really like either of them. 

Theresa - I can't buy bags of popcorn like this. I'd eat it all. 

Megan - My tongue feels nice. It's happily tingly. 

Theresa - Spicy foods help you stop eating! Your mouth is satisfied and you can stop, where as if it's a regular popcorn, you just keep eating. 

In the cabinet, we just happen to have a bit of Skinny Pop White Cheddar Popcorn. I also have a bottle of Tabasco. Is there a reason we couldn't make this ourselves? 

I poured a few drops of Tabasco onto the cheddar popcorn. 

Ha, I love Patrick's face in the background. And incredulous "What are you doing?" kind of look. 

How was the homemade stuff? You know, the flavor is good, but we didn't like how the Tabasco made the popcorn "wet". It messes with the texture of the popcorn. If we could have a large fluffy kernel plus a dry powdered Tabasco to flavor it, it would be perfection. 

Going around the table, what are everyone's choices for the best?

It was nearly unanimous with the Tabasco Pipcorn mini popcorn being everyone's favorite. The lone dissenter was Ian, with his love of the Tabasco Cheese Balls.