Time to report back the results of our family taste test. I mail ordered 3 brands - 2 were from back east - Amarals and the “Three Meal Muffin” and one was King’s Hawaian sweet english muffins (not avail in stores yet). All 3 were toasted, buttered, and quartered. Resounding first place (3 1st place votes, 1 2nd place vote) were the three meal muffin, which, after more detailed inspection of their website, appear to be THE muffin used by THE college resto that I was chasing. However, having graduated 25 yrs ago, I don’t think I remember the flavor of it from back then. These were soft and fluffy, with a hint of sweetness, and could easily be used in a sweet or savory prep. Second place (1 first place, 2 second places, 1 third place) were the King’s Hawaiian. These were very sweet. Not subtle whatsoever. Level of sweetness on par with a lower sugar blueberry muffin. Between the flavor and the shape/size, these looked to be a different beast than the other 2. However, they will be the most accessible universally, as they start selling them in stores. Amarals came in last, with 3 third places and 1 second place. They were dry, and had some type of spice (nutmeg?) undertone that none of us cared for. The one who ranked them 2nd will likely have to finish the rest of the pack! He was also the one who ranked KH third, because they were too sweet.
Other interesting tidbits. Because we liked “3” the best, it was also 2x as expensive as the other 2. $9 per 6pk vs $4 and $5 for KH and A, respectively. However, 3 and KH don’t charge shipping in the US. A charges shipping and here’s what’s really weird. You can get them thru amazon for $5 shipping (to WA), or through their own bakery for $13!!! shipping. To their credit, I complained and they said they would reverse those shipping charges. We shall see.
