Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Title: Yellow vs Amish Blue (Comparison) Product: Amish Country Blue Popcorn (Hull-less) Rating: 4/5 Stars Before I comment on the Amish Blue, I think readers would find a little context on popcorn varieties helpful. The three major categories of modern corn are (1) Popcorn (aka “Flint Corn” ... as in hard as flint) which is bred and used exclusively for popping, (2) Dent Corn (aka “Feed” or “Field” Corn - the ‘dent’ refers to the distinctive inward dimple that forms in the tip when allowed to dry on the stalk out in the fields before harvesting), which is softer when dried and used for both animal feed and for hulling and grinding into masa (for tortillas) or innumerable corn-based products like corn starch, corn syrup, ethanol, etc), and (3) Sweet Corn (aka “Eating corn” - the kind you buy fresh on the cob in summertime. The latter two are largely useless for popping. Ok, on to popcorn - which is an offshoot family of varieties that (AFAIK) are selectively bred across many many crop generations to select for the following qualities: shelf life, growing yield, disease resistance, popping yield, appearance, and flavor ... pretty much in that order. Integral to shelf life and popping efficiency are kernels that are compact, hard, and have a strong protective skin (pericarp) that not only protects the kernels from rough handling during processing, but also starches within from oxidation during extended storage, and is able to hold enough pressure during cooking for the residual moisture trapped within each kernel to steam the interiors until they finally pop explosively. If the pericarp is damaged during handling, or for whatever reason is unable to maintain enough internal pressure during cooking to achieve a strong pop ... you guess it ... it doesn’t pop, and the result is an “old maid” (unpopped kernel), which is the signature measure of ‘popping efficiency’. Moving on to “Heirloom” varieties - not all popping corns are created equal, and different strains have been developed over time to target different niches. The hands down champion strain of popping corn offering the best balance of growing yield, shelf life, and popping efficiency appears to be classic yellow popping corn, sold by companies like Orville Redenbacher. It’s relatively cheap, plentiful, reliable, stores well (10 years or more, if stored properly), and has a VERY high popping efficiency, as well as decent flavor. White popping corn is very similar to yellow, and seems to have a slightly paler (less yellow more white) appearance when popped, and is arguably slightly more tender and milder in flavor. Everything else is pretty just older heirloom varieties targeting niche preferences like color, tenderness, or popping size (ex: mushroom) ... which brings us at long last to the Amish Blue featured in this review. I uploaded a side by side photo showing equal batches (as measured by unpopped weight) of classic yellow popcorn on the left, and the Amish blue on the right. The classic yellow has a distinct faint hint of straw yellow in the color, pops larger, and has a very slightly more pronounced corn flavor, whereas the Amish blue has a slightly more compact shape when popped (about 15-20% smaller), a slightly whiter (less yellow) appearance, a slightly more neutral and delicate flavor, and a slightly more tender bite (read: thinner pericarp). That last one (tenderness), comes at a price however, because the attractive blue pericarp is slightly thinner which results in a lower popping efficiency (read: a higher percentage of old maids) as well as a slightly smaller size when popped. Another difference I noticed is that the yellow popping corn is highly consistent in terms of popping time ... it takes slightly longer to get to critical pressure, but once it gets there, all the kernels tend to pop rapidly and trail off faster, whereas the Amish blue tends to start popping a little earlier, pops a little more slowly, and trails off more slowly. That’s not as much of an issue for air popping, but for people like me who vastly prefer stovetop popping in clarified butter, knowing when to stop in order to avoid scorching can become an issue. Bottom line: The Amish blue is very good, and as far as niche heirloom varieties go the price is quite reasonable. However, in my experience, while colorful heirloom varieties tend to command a higher price, they also tend to lack any significant advantage in terms of flavor or appearance after they've been popped. The oft ballyhooed claims of tenderness, while true, are slight and come at the price of smaller size (when popped) and a slightly lower popping efficiency (more old maids) - so you need to ask yourself if that extra minor difference in tenderness is really worth the smaller ultimate yield. Personally, I've found the blue popcorn (after popping) to be remarkably similar to most varieties of white popping corn in all but size. So, if the price is reasonable, and it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy to give someone a bag of blue (instead of yellow or white) popcorn, I say go for it ... but if you’re a regular consumer like me, price, yield, shelf life, and whether or not it's non-GMO & organic, are the real drivers, and for that reason I only buy heirloom popcorn as gifts, if at all. However you like heirloom popcorn, the Amish blue is indeed good quality and reasonably priced, and for that reason it gets 4/5 stars (good to excellent). Add a star if you like your popping corn extra tender, extra pale, and don’t mind a slightly lower yield. UPDATED 20-Jun-2019: As mentioned in the generalization above, the flavor and appearance of the amish blue is indistinguishable from many varieties of white kernel popcorn.