Popouts occupy a strange position in the snack hierarchy. Not quite crisps, not quite Wotsits, they’re puffy extruded things that dissolve on contact with saliva and leave behind nothing but flavouring and vague regret.
The BBQ version commits fully to this format.
The barbecue flavour is intense, almost startlingly so. Sweet, smoky, tangy, with a tomato-ish undertone that screams “American BBQ” in capital letters. Each Popout delivers a concentrated hit that your taste buds aren’t prepared for.
The texture situation
Popouts don’t crunch. They collapse. There’s an initial resistance and then immediate surrender, melting into flavoured mush before you’ve finished chewing. Some people love this. I find it unsatisfying.
Snacking should involve some work. These require none.
The flavour-to-substance ratio
These are essentially vehicles for flavouring. The base snack contributes almost nothing except a means of transporting seasoning to your mouth. If you’re purely interested in BBQ flavour, these deliver efficiently.
If you want something resembling actual food, look elsewhere.
Children love these
Let’s be honest about the target market. Kids go crazy for Popouts. The intense flavour, the melt-in-mouth texture, the fun shape. For adult snacking, they’re less compelling.
Know your audience.
