Pic's Peanut Butter - Smunchy product reviews

I was fascinated when this product came to my notice. I have never committed to smooth or crunchy for good - probably a little more of a preference for crunchy but this really has never been the deciding factor for my peanut butter purchases. I am not the biggest consumer of peanut butter feeling it has a place on crumpets and grainy toast on the weekends but thats really it for me. I never really understood why people get so incredibly loyal to their peanut butter.

This was therefore a really intriguing concept. I initially thought it would be a marketing gimmick and was very surprised as to how incredibly good and different it really was. I found the texture a great mix of moist and solid with a few small bits to add depth of flavour. I have not tried Pics before but am now convinced it is worth paying the price for. I have tried more expensive butters that I don't believe as as good for the kiwi palate as this one. This was a hit with the whole family. I now understand how people get so loyal to one peanut butter. This has been a welcome additional to our toast toppings.

The texture was a great mix and made it feel like a real luxury product. You can see from the photo it has some bits but they are not large or stopping it spreading at all. The smell was not artificial or distracting and it seemed to feel like it had lots less salt than some others. I felt it was a healthier option and at the same time a treat.

I loved this and will most definitely be buying more. Its true that new can I will also be adding this peanut butter to hampers for treats/gifts as I think it has a real all around flavour.
be better.

Peanut butter is one of those pantry items that our household seems to power through, we were buying the cheaper brands of peanut butter until we tried the more expensive brands, then we realized that it was a worthwhile investment to spend the money and get the decent quality peanut butter. We now tend to buy the larger jars of peanut butter so that it lasts a bit longer, the only problem with this is that we need to have a large jar in stock of both the smooth, and the crunchy variety. When I saw the Pic's Smunchy peanut butter had popped up on the KIWIreviews page I instantly thought that it was a brilliant idea and why had it not been done sooner!

The jar is 380g in size, so is considerably smaller than our normal jars, I worried that this would not even last through the week, but we gave it a go. The packaging is fairly simple with a large red circle predominantly on the label stating the brand and the flavour, there is also a quote stating that this product is "the perfect blend of smooth and crunchy". This product is made with 99.5% Hi Oleic peanuts, and salt, the Pic's company roasts their peanuts in their solar powered roastery before they use them to add to the flavour.

Once I popped the lid off the jar the smell of peanuts wafted out, there was a thin layer of oil across the top of the jar contents, so I gave it a quick stir to mix it back through, then took a knife and spread some on a sandwich. I was pleasantly surprised that there was a good ratio of crunchy bits to smooth, but the real test I thought would be how easy it would spread on bread, this was actually quite easy to do, and the bread did not tear at all. The children tried some after me and quickly stated that this was the best combo they had tried, and that it needs to be in our pantry always, the texture is pleasant with the crunchy pieces being small enough that they were not overpowering.

Overall, I think this product is definitely a winner and I would love to see it be produced in larger sized jars in the future if that is possible. This jar did well and it managed to last us just over 2 weeks and that was with daily use, the jar was nearly scraped clean! I think that Pic's is onto a winner with this product and am keen to see what other genius ideas they come up to next in the field of peanut butter.

A 1kg tub of Pic's Crunchy Peanut Butter is always in our pantry. My hubby is very particular about his peanut butter and has found, after trying numerous brands and variations, that Pic's crunchy peanut butter is the best. I have to say, although I love Pic's peanut butter, I sometimes find the Crunchy Peanut Butter a little bit too chewy. The smooth can be a bit too plain and boring, so I was excited to try Smunchy Peanut Butter, the 'perfect blend of smooth and crunchy'. After recently visiting the Pic's factory in Nelson, I know for a fact that they are the only New Zealand company to roast their peanuts before making them into peanut butter. This gives them a delicious fresh flavour. They don't add any unnecessary ingredients (like sugar) and upon inspection, Smuchy Peanut Butter contains 99.5% Hi Oleic Peanuts and Salt. A quick Google search told me that Hi Oleic peanuts stay crunchy and taste great for up to 10 times longer after roasting than regular peanuts.

Upon opening, there was, as is the norm with most peanut putters, a layer of oil on the top which quickly disappeared with a stir of a knife. I could see crunchy pieces of peanut but not in the same concentration as Crunchy Peanut Butter. I had a quick scoop and it was delicious, thick, and tasty. It was easy to spread on toast - something that I often struggle with the Crunchy as it is so thick and sometimes rips the toast. It got the thumbs up from all family members and hubby has taken to using this on occasion, although he is still #TeamCrunchy. I have to say, I am a #TeamSmunchy as it is a great combo of both and really is the best of both worlds!

Although it is more expensive than other brands, the adage 'you get what you pay for' really is true and this is definitely a quality peanut butter.

When it comes to peanut butter, smooth is too boring and crunchie can have too much texture. This gives the perfect balance - it goes smoothly on bread and you don't need to use too much - it's just the perfect combination - reviews from my family.

When it comes to peanut butter my family go crazy for it. Growing up my youngest brother could happily have eaten peanut butter and nothing else. Even when we went to restaurants his first question was 'do you have peanut butter'. My youngest is pretty much like him and just loves the stuff. I am constantly having to buy peanut butter every other day because it just does not last.

During the hotter months, my husband loves his peanut butter on toast for breakfast. So over the years, I have brought every brand out there but all three of my family agree Pic's is miles ahead of the other brands out there and now they all agree that their new favourite is Smunchy and they don't want to have any other brand or flavour.

My issue is when I go to the supermarket I usually buy whatever is cheapest or whatever is on special. With Pic's I do find that more often than not it is always more expensive. But I guess you do pay for qualiity. Honestly I do not care for the stuff. Hate the smell. Hate the texture especially it being stuck to the roof of my mouth. But funnily enough, if I am forced to have any, Pic's is my choice... well, the chocolate flavoured one.

We currently have five peanut butters in the pantry. Two review items and three other brands. Sitting back and watching, the three of them have pretty much polished off the two review items (leaving me a blob in both jars) and not touched the other three jars which says something in itself. Pic's is always the jars they go for.

We are looking at going down to the South Island for a holiday and have been watching YouTube videos for recommendations and all the various blogs that I watch all rave about Pic's and usually have in their possessions. They all highly recommend the tour in Nelson - so I have added it to our itinerary. Going forward whenever you look in our pantry from now on you will now only be seeing Pic's and from the sounds of it, only Smunchy.

Peanut butter is such a versatile spread to use as it pairs so well with sweet and savoury meals, snacks, and desserts. I have always liked peanut butter for as long as I can remember and when I was younger I preferred it smooth but now in my older and wiser age, I always go with it crunchy so I was keen to try out this mix to see how it stacks up. I opted to give it a shot with the best way I know to test peanut butter and that was straight off of a spoon.

I really like the consistency of the small ground-up pieces of peanuts through the smoothness so much so that it really delivers on its name of being truly smunchy and I cannot fault it on that, but I still sit as being a fully-fledged crunchy fan and will opt to stick with crunchier peanut butters. I also thought the peanut butter lacked salt which is disappointing considering salt is the only other ingredient besides peanuts.
Next, I gave it a try on a nice crisp piece of Vogels thin toast and this is where the peanut butter shines as the smoothness breaks the crunchiness of the toast and the crunchiness of the peanut butter adds a good fulfilling substance to the meal that fills you up well.

So all in all this is a peanut butter I myself would not really use too often but if you're looking for something that isn't as crunchy as normal crunchy peanut butter and smooth is just too boring then this is the perfect mix for you. My eldest son loves it and has said this is his favourite peanut butter.

Smunchy - what a wonderful name! Even before I removed the lid, I was sold on this product. The name sums up what it is all about (the fusion of smooth and crunchy) but it is more than that; it is quirky and funny and whoever came up with it is only brilliant. Anyway, enough about the name. Time to try the contents and they were delicious. The flavour is not quite the same as regular peanut butter; it is nuttier if that is possible, with a smooth aftertaste. My partner had major oral surgery some weeks ago, so nuts have been off the menu, but this mixture had no large chunks in it, so all was fine. I spread some on toast and ate a little more on its own as well, and then we got to trying other ways we could use it.

Our first experiment was on a chicken pizza, resulting in an ersatz satay flavour. We used the smunchy instead of our usual tomato puree which made it quite different - moist but not runny. We also added red capsicum so it looked pretty; other additions were mozzarella, basil leaves, sliced scallions, grated courgette, and baby tomatoes. We put the cooked chicken on the top part way though the cooking process so it did not dry out too much. I can recommend that combination for anyone who has problems chewing because there were no sudden surprises, and because none of the flavours was too strong, it would be kid-friendly as well.

A few night later, I cooked maafe for dinner. This is a West African dish with regional variations; my recipe is a simple one whose main ingredients are beans, mince (animal or plant based) and peanuts. Instead of using whole nuts, I used some smunchy. The finished texture was delightfully creamy; I served it on rice and decorated it with sliced avocado and tomato. It was so mild that we actually had to add some flavour (salt for my partner, and hot sauce for me). Like the first meal, it would be suitable for children.

Although this product is relatively expensive, I think we did get good value from the jar. We got four main meals out of it as well as topping for our toast and a planned prawn and cream cheese dip. Given that nuts are high in protein, it is possible to cut down on other items like mince or chicken - and these proteins are more expensive. We have a little smunchy left, and I plan to use it as an ingredient in a dip. That might have less kid appeal, but that is all good. I am sure there will be none left!

When this first hit the supermarket shelves, I admit I was a bit confused. It must have been obvious, since the lady standing next to me eyeing up the various jams asked me, with a bit of a smirk, "So, #TeamSmooth or #TeamCrunchy?" "Depends on whether I am using it as a topping or an ingredient, I suppose." Y'see, I find crunchy is better as an ingredient, while I prefer smooth as a topping.

To be honest, I was a bit hesitant to try this out... I mean, the difference between 'smooth' and 'crunchy' is big, and there's certainly room for an intermediate grind... but was it going to be one of those things that has so much promise and then fail to impress? NOPE! From the first bite, I was hooked. I feel like I could just skip buying one of each and buy two jars of this and get all the same usage and joy from it... and it will prevent accidental crossover if I feel the craving for a nocturnal snack and can't be bothered to turn on the kitchen light.

To test the theory, I made a dish that usually requires a spoonful of each type - satay stir-fry. Normally, I will use the crunchy grind that the recipe suggests, but only use half the recommended amount and top it up with an equal dose of smooth for a super-creamy sauce. This time I simply dolloped in two tablespoons of Smunchy. Because I didn't have as much chicken in the freezer as I had thought, I overdosed on veges to make up the bulk and the result was astounding. Even through the satay spice mix, I could still taste the peanut butter, which really gave the dish a more rounded flavour than using half-n-half. Don't ask me to explain that any deeper, I can't. My brain keeps insisting that 1 tablespoon each of smooth and crunchy should be the same as 2 tablespoons of Smunchy, but it's not. No big chunks of peanuts to get wedged in my teeth, but the sauce wasn't as creamy, which actually helped it stick to the veges better, ensuring maximum flavour in every bite.

I also made a big batch of my favourite Peanut Butter Choc Chip Oaty Cookies too, which turned out to be noticeably superior to the ones I usually make with Crunchy. On toast, it's as easy to spread as smooth but has texture and richness from the little pops of peanuts... again without the bigger chunks found in Crunchy. It really is the best blend you could want, if you're an utter peanut butter nutter.

Overall, while not the cheapest option on the shelf, you get the quality that you pay for - it's definitely one of those slow-burn treasures that, after a while, you wonder why it wasn't done a lot sooner. To the youngster who wrote to the company to ask for it, you are a legend. Thank you!