Butterbeer, the fictional beverage from the world of Harry Potter, is having quite a comeback. I’m not sure if it’s in early preparation for the new HBO series (coming 2027) or if the snack-powers-that-be simply wanted the wizarding world to remain in the social zeitgeist, but Harry is back in the snack, big time. Mr. Potter’s Butterbeer has already had collaborative releases this year with Hershey’s Kisses, Keebler Fudge Stripes, and Goldfish, so if next in line isn’t going to be a new bizarro sweet and salty Lay’s, why not some Skinny Pop Popcorn?
I am not a wizard and have never been to the Wizarding World at Universal Studios to try the Butterbeer. However, I am a popcorn connoisseur and lover of butterscotch, so I went into this new fantasy-flavored kettle corn quite excitedly.
The aroma is distinctly that of sugary popped kettle corn with an extra rich burnt sugar flourish that mostly translates to the flavor as well. The taste of the popcorn is 70% that of the standard Skinny Pop “Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn” — corn-forward with a nice little boost of sweetness — but the other 30% is something magical. There’s a deep, toasty, brown-sugar-meets-browned-butter flavor that lands somewhere in between kettle corn and caramel corn. Occasionally, a kernel pops up that’s more coated and crunchy than the others, with an extra dose of buttery sweetness.
Speaking of crunchy, the texture is excellent. Every piece has a firm crunch, but a perfectly soft, airy crumble underneath makes the experience really pleasant. In the finish, there’s a touch of spice. The ingredients say cinnamon but I get a little more of a mild nutmeg. In any case that spiced quality helps contribute to the excellent burnt caramel profile. This is, without a doubt, my favorite unadorned bagged kettle corn I’ve had (not including drizzled varieties), and one that is very snackable without feeling cloying in the slightest.
Initially, despite how much I love the flavor, I thought this popcorn wasn’t quite sweet enough to be a proper butterscotch. But after a touch of proper research, I learned that in the Harry Potter books, Butterbeer is “a little bit like less-sickly butterscotch,” and you know what? I think they nailed it.
Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: 8.4 ounces
Purchased at: Amazon
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2.5 cups, 28g) 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 25 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 8 grams of total sugars, and 1 gram of protein.
Hi, very long time lurker here, I made my very first comment in maybe 7 years right as the last site layout was changed, and I think my comment got lost in the shuffle. Anyways, can you fine folks at TheImpulsiveBuy PLEASE stop posting and buying and reviewing and giving free publicity to things related to Harry Potter and the Author That Must Not Be Named? She has done so, so much harm to me, my friends and loved ones, and our communities. She continues to profit from her IPs continued popularity and ongoing expansion and uses that profit and platform to spew the most vile, hateful rhetoric about not just trans people, but gay people too. She’s done actual holocaust denial/revisionism, which is a federal crime in germany. Shes signal boosted and idolized Magdalene Burns’ and Kelly J Kean’s frequent calls to violence against whom they perceive to be trans. Youtuber Contrapoints has a very theatrical and entertaining video essay called JK Rowling about mis JoAnn herself, and Youtuber Shaun has a much more dry, matter of fat video essay about all her new, violent, actual “Not-Cee” (hopefully avoiding moderation here) aligned friends called JK Rownling’s new friends.
This has been a really long first and likely last comment- I recognize you have absolutely ZERO obligation to your readers on which products you do or don’t review based on the IP owner’s ethics. But, with so many new products every day, you are not lacking for products to review, and this would mean a lot to many other potentially silent queer readers.
While I was excited about the HarryPotter Butter Beer SkinnyPop Pipcorn I was disappointed about not enough of the flavor. Needed more butter beer flavor.