Lorenz Snack-World Nicnacs

Product name: Lorenz Snack-World Nicnacs
Purchase details: £0.85 for a 40g bag (monstersweets.co.uk)
Calories: 212 per bag
Country of origin: Germany

I thought I might have been a bit silly to buy these Lorenz Snack-World Nicnacs as they were described as ‘double-crunch peanuts’ and I don’t actually like peanuts on their own! The red and yellow wrapper had shown that the second crunch came from some kind of shell coating, though, so I hoped this extra flavour would transform the nuts.

There wasn’t much information given in English on the packaging so I obtained the nutritional and ingredients information from the brand's website. Apparently, the ‘full-on peanut power’ came from 49% peanut kernels, whilst flavouring included spices, ‘smoke flavouring’ and cheese powder.

The thick coating on the nuts was orange and crumby and did look like they could be cheese flavoured. However, texturally, I didn’t think they looked that much different from standard roasted peanuts. What surprised me was the impact of the smoke flavouring – the aroma was like peanuts mixed with bacon!

The shells tasted very savoury. Again, the smokiness gave a meat-like illusion, but there was also an element of onion, and even the tiniest spicy hint towards the end of each mouthful. It was really enjoyable to suck this coating off as it had a satisfying juiciness, although its salty aspect did make me feel thirsty! I also found that, when eating this way, the odd nut had a particularly tangy cheese flavour. Overall, the seasoning tasted like the kind you’d find on crisps.

The peanuts inside each shell were whole and tasted standard. The coating was by far the main feature but this didn’t cancel out the flavour from the peanuts and I found the balance just right. I also loved the combination of the crispy shells with the crunchy peanuts – for me, this was a far more enjoyable method of peanut consumption.

I definitely didn’t make a mistake in ordering these Nicnacs. I’d found the wrapper hard to open but I ended up liking its design as it prevented me scooping up handfuls at a time. I’m sure they would have tasted nice that way too but I’m glad that I was able to savour them instead.

Appearance: 7/10
Aroma: 7/10
Taste: 7.5/10
Texture: 8/10
Overall score: 7.38/10