Taste Test Dummies

Which Oreo knock off is best? The original creme filled chocolate sandwich cookie was released in 1908 by Hydrox, a couple years later Nabisco responded with Oreo.  Despite Oreo not being the original, they somehow ended up changing the snack game forever.  Although there are alternatives out there (including Hydrox being an Amazon exclusive) we are going to anoint Oreo king and compare them to 3...

This week we bring Joe back for another visit, and this time he chose to challenge our past results by making us retry some things we have had on the pod in the past.  We will jump straight to some FAQ: Q: What Items are being retried?  A: Tortilla Chips, Hot Salsa, Lemon Lime Soda, Lime Seltzer, Light Beer, Whisky Q: John and Nick are known to have the best taste buds in the world, what is the po...

Which Lime Beer is best? At first glance lime beers feels like a typical lager with a small maybe gimmicky change to sell more cases. Then the grueling summer months hit and suddenly the lime beer feels like a refreshing change.  This week we try to find another glimmer of hope in a long, hot summer by trying out 4 lime beers, and 3 of them advertise the addition of salt so we will also see if thi...

Which Gummy Bear brand is best? Nick, our senior sweet snack specialist, has always been a big fan of gummy snacks. But the combination of negative memories (unfair) and a plethora of other gummy snack options, gummy bears have never been his go-to option.  This week we give gummy bears their day in court to figure out which is best, and really if this category deserves our attention in the first...

Which Brie is best? When you are feeling a bit charcuterie-ey Looking through the cheese options in a grocery store can be intimidating.  Normally Nick and John just look for sales and try to at least buy a cheaper option then forget what we purchased. But do you really want to live your life eating everyone else's leftover cheese?  Those of you who said yes can see themselves out. Those who staye...

Which American IPA is best? A while back the Hazy IPA hit a level of popularity which pressured Nick into bringing it as the first IPA on this podcast.  Now a year or so later, we find ourselves missing the good old fashion IPAs we originally fell for.  Today we are taking a strangely nostalgic trip through some of the American Style IPAs that used to be our go to (and only) option.  The contender...

Which Diet Cola is best? Sodas with alternative sugars are becoming more popular all the time as it presents a way for the consumer to drink their beloved sodas, while still feeling good about themselves because they just consumed a  calorie free beverage.  Although health benefits are much more complicated than a calorie counter, here at Taste Test Dummies we fully endorse the "pretend this is go...

Which French Onion Dip is best?  On their own, a ruffled potato chip is a mediocre chip on a good day.  When you take the Ruffles and use them as a vessel to get dip into your mouth, we are looking at an entirely different story.  This week we are trying 3 pre-made French Onion Dips, the undisputed best dip to pair with potato chips (legally I am required to point out that my prior statement was a...

Which Tortilla Chip is best?  We've tried Salsa and Guacamole, but we haven't yet asked what the best vessel for these dips are, that is until today.  The tortilla chip is often overlooked in the dip formula, but small differences in texture, and salt level can make a surprisingly big difference.  The contenders for today are Late July, On The Border, Tostitos, and Xochitl.  Please like and subscr...

Which Orange sports drink is best?  Our first round of sports drink was with a more obscure flavor (grape), but this time we are getting back to one of the original flavors.  Non-Gatorade versions of lemon lime proved hard to come by, and Fruit Punch is disgusting, so the obvious choice was to try out Orange flavored sports drinks.  The contenders are Gatorade, Ghost, and Powerade.  Please like an...

Which canned Paloma cocktail is best?  The cocktail in a can idea seems to be getting more popular all the time so it's time to try out a second offering.  The problem with the canned Paloma specifically is how simple it is to make, so is it even worth buy it premade?  Today we put 3 already made cocktails to the test, and later on try our own creation.  The contenders are Cazadores, Cutwater, and...

Which Jelly bean bag is best?  This week in celebration of Easter candy being at the store, we are going to try out some bags of jelly beans that are available for the holiday.  Nick (somewhat controversially) excluded Jelly Belly because they are available year round and have too many flavors to compare to the other bags.  Some may disagree with this decision, but obviously those people are incor...

Which Dark chocolate with sea salt and almonds is best?  This week we try out some dark chocolates.  Every brand seems to have random ingredients added to their products, but the sea salt and almond variation seems to be rather popular although this specific combination is not something either of us have much experience with.  Today the contenders are Chocolove, Ghirardelli, Lily's, and Theo.  Ple...

Which Irish stout is best?  Which Irish Red Ale is best?  This week we do something a little different and do two head to head matchups of different Irish beers in a celebration of St Patrick's Day.  We both try Irish Dry Stouts from Guinness and Left Hand, as well as Irish Red Ales from Killian's and Smithwick's.  Please like and subscribe and if you have any suggestions, let us know by tweeting...

Which Aged Cheddar is best?  Looking over the backlog of episodes, one category jumped out to us as being unfairly neglected.  We have reviewed string cheese in the past, but the list ends there (unless you count Oreos with Cheese Whiz).  This week we are going to ease our way in with some aged cheddar.  The competitors are Cabot, Cracker Barrell, and Kerrygold.  Please like and subscribe and if y...

Which Gruner Veltliner is best? This week we are back trying out wine, and this time we have 3 Austrian Gruner Veltliner.  For the non Austrian listeners, this is a white wine known to be of higher acidity and also drier than most white wines. The competitors are Biokult, Hasen Sprung, and Pratsch.  Please like and subscribe and if you have any suggestions, let us know by tweeting us @tastetestdum...

Which Raspberry sweet tea is best? This week we are trying out 4 raspberry sweet teas.  The competitors are Brisk, Gold Peak, Peace Tea and Pure Leaf.  Please like and subscribe and if you have any suggestions, let us know by tweeting us @tastetestdummies or email us at nickandjohnpodcast@gmail.com .      SPOILER!  Below is a list of which tea corresponds to which numbered glass it was in: 1. Peac...

Which Pisco is best? Fresh off his trip to Peru, Nick wanted to bring something unique from his travels to try.  Pisco is an unaged brandy most commonly made in Peru and Chile.  The most common way to drink this liquor is in a Pisco sour, but this week we will be trying out 4 brands neat to see what Pisco has to offer.  The competitors are Inca Pisco, Lablanco, Santa Maria Magdalena, and Taberno. ...

Which Strawberry Soda is best? This week we take another plunge into the world of fruit sodas by trying some Strawberry soda.  Usually with similar products we try to bring in the winners of past episodes, but unfortunately Welch's has made their offering impossible to find.  Instead we will stick with stalwarts (Crush and Fanta) being joined by two new commers (Faygo and Jarritos).  Please like a...

Which Rose Prosecco is best? A while back we compared the Proseccos of three brands, La Marca, Mionetto, and Ruffino.  This week in an (accidental?) celebration of New Years, we are doing a rematch of these three brands but instead with their Rose variety.  Please like and subscribe and if you have any suggestions, let us know by tweeting us @tastetestdummies or email us at nickandjohnpodcast@gmai...

Which Ginger Ale is best?  Last time we did Ginger Ale we brought in some more obscure competitors in hopes of getting more ginger flavor.  This plan didn't work out super well so now the big names in the Ginger Ale industry are here to see if they can do any better.  The competitors are Canada Dry, Schweppe's, Seagram's and Vernor's.  Please like and subscribe and if you have any suggestions, let...

Which Boneless hot wing is best?  This week we bring in some popular hot wings from national food chains.  The first two contenders are a little obvious with Buffalo Wild Wings and Wing Stop.  The last restaurant to be included was Applebees simply because there is no Hooters anywhere near us, and Applebees has a Hot Boneless Wing on their menu.  Please like and subscribe and if you have any sugge...

Which Fruit Punch is best?  This week Vivi comes back and we bring in a juice with the intention of changing some minds.  Fruit Punch is a term that causes all three of us to shy away, but in this episode we will try out 4 Fruit Punch juices to see if we can get past out pre conceived notions.  The contenders are Juicy Juice, Simply, V8 (fruit medley) and Welch's.  Please like and subscribe and if...

Which Japanese Curry sauce mix is best?  This week we make try three different pre made Japanese curry sauces.  In order to make this applicable to a real setting we added in some vegetables, served over rice, and added some pork Katsu.  The contenders are S&B Golden Curry Hot, S&B Curry Sauce, and Vermont Curry Hot.  Although two of the contenders seem similar, we find out that the "golde...

Which Classic Potato Chip is best?  Sometimes categories are so obvious, deep thinkers like Nick and John are operating on too high of a level to consider them.  This week we are finally getting to a classic potato chip, but with a little bit of a twist.  Of course the first contender is Lay's Classic, with a similar product of Munchos joining them.  Then for the other half of the field we are thr...