Michelle's Gourmet Popcorn

Michelle's Gourmet Popcorn

Michele's Sweet Shoppe, Epsom, NH

Michelle's Sweet Shoppe

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As you all know by now, I, and those who guest review for me as well, have an endearing love for local products, local businesses, and ofcourse local food. As a lover of popcorn, you can imagine how excited I was to discover that there was not only a local company that made popcorn, but infact they're a very big deal when it comes to the popcorn business, winning not only best in New Hampshire several times in their few years in business, but also being a favorite of hollywood red carpets and award shows, many of which include their product in the swag bags given away at such events. I was elated to discover this, and even more excited when one day I discovered that my butcher shop, The Meat House, which I have spoken of here before, was one of the places you can buy Michelle's products, which I happily started buying and trying their many different flavors sold there.

Michelle's Popcorn comes in 25 regular flavors with anywhere between two to four seasonal flavors as well as a special limited run of a special Christmas flavor available only in December. They vary in flavors from the common flavors like Carmel, White Cheddar, Salt and Vinegar, Nacho Cheese, Chocolate, and the like, to more creative and distinctively regional flavors like New England Maple, which is a carmel and maple flavored popcorn, and the new england stand by Moose Tracks, a sort of chocolate, carmel and peanut butter combination that is found in everything from ice cream flavors to chocolate bars here, they also have some interesting flavors i've never come across anywhere else, flavors like pizza, ranch, garlic and rosemary, peanut butter, apple, cinnamon sugar, and many others that just sound like the kind of thing you have to try or you'll feel abit like there is a hole in your life. 

Though I've tried many of their flavors, I can tell you, my favorite is by far their classic carmel flavor, sure its simple, and its like getting chocolate or vanilla in an ice cream shop with dozens of flavors, but I like the classic stand bys, something comforting and homely about them. Though I do admit their dark chocolate and their peanut butter cup are amazingly good, as is their cookies and cream, though if i am to be honest, these aren't the kind of thing you can eat in one setting, the chocolate they use is so excellent but its also so rich and sweet that you really can't have it all in one setting, well atleast I can't, but that is by no means a negative thing, and i will admit their Nacho Cheese flavor really isn't all that good, personally I felt it tasted a tad stale, but I assume that might also be just the bag I got, so I can't really hold that against them, or their otherwise stellar popcorn that I tend to go abit crazy for when I can get it.

My only real complaint, if I have one at all, is that you can't get all their flavors at all of the places they sell their product outside of the home store in Epsom, and though I can order the flavors i can't normally find, I think their shipping rates, for something that will only be traveling about an hour and 20 minutes, is abit expensive, but thats a personal gripe not really anything about the company themselves. As a whole I am very impressed with their products, and really should make a trip to their home store and pick up some of their other products, after all I am a sucker for fudge covered oreos and home made peanut butter cups.

So if you happen to see some Michelle's in one of their many locations they sell at, or if you're outside of New England and wanna try this lovely local treat, and order it over the internet, pick your flavor carefully, and then try not to go crazy waiting for the package to arrive, you will not be disappointed, its truly something special. So much so, infact, when I recently shipped out some sauces i made to some friends around the world, I included a bag of Michelle's Carmel popcorn as a surprise, which I was told was a very welcome one indeed.

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Chris