Honey Mustard Review: Wegman's Honey Mustard

Unassuming and affordable

National quarantine has taken my time, energy and conviction, but it has yet to seize my appreciation for the finer things in life: chiefly, some good mustard at lunch. Whilst it is no secret that HY has been on a very long hiatus, I am finally encouraged to return, riding upon the fervent praises of friends and family, to share a rather overlooked gem: Wegman's store label Honey Mustard.

What makes this mustard special enough to return to the hallowed halls of Hard Yellow? If you are familiar with my past work, you may remember a certain tirade about my issues with mass produced honey mustard. Many honey mustards manage to bastardize both parts of the equation, creating a sauce that has both lost its mustard flavor, and yet, none of the bee-syrup goodness of honey. Too often you are left with a product like Inglehoffer's, which, although their mustard is often supreme, leaves me disappointed with an off-yellow, runny sauce that is weaker than French's and no sweeter than a dijon. When I am sold a damned honey mustard, I want this sauce to at the very least represent one of the two it is made from.

Wegman's has managed this. Their honey mustard leans firmly towards the former of its namesake, producing an incredibly thick, sultry sweet mustard that finally satisfies my sweet tooth. You can actually pick out the tiny floral hints real honey carries, those little notes that tell you that yes, this is real. (Real in the lowest sense in that it is mass-produced without the actual magic of local beekeepers' honey, but I digress.) I've found great enjoyment with introducing this condiment to hams, darker & savory breads (like pretzels!) and more; much like how you use normal honey sparingly to not blow out your tongue with sugar spots, this mustard plays best at complimenting heavy flavors. I've even mixed it with hot sauce, which was a nice experience.

Hotness, however, brings me to my main qualm with this mustard. Nothing has changed in my hawkish perceptions of mustard containers, and I'm afraid Wegman's does not score high. The plastic container provides no slippage to ease the viscous mustard out; a wide-mouth glass jar would have been preferable. As well, I am disappointed in how it advertises this mustard as 'hot', when it is most certainly not. The mustard takes a back seat in this condiment: as I have shown, I am not cross with this, but I do hate false advertising.

In conclusion, this is finally a honey mustard that I would purchase again. This is not the pinnacle whatsoever - it could have reintroduced the actual mustardy heat it was missing for a truly wonderful thing - but it scores above any honey mustard I've seen before. All told, a 7 out of 10, and the impetus I needed to get back to my home here on Hard Yellow.

Coming soon: Inglehoffer's Creamy Dill!
Please leave any suggestions in the comments below!

Dijon Mustard Review - French's Dijon

Hon hon hon!

Did you know that French's made more that yellow mustard?

Probably. Here is one of the finer mustards I have tasted from French's. Apparently mustards is spelled wrong, but I think this is lying to me. I actually have only had French's yellow though, so I'm not exactly the most credible person to say that. But it was much better than I expected! Being French's, I assumed this would be a rather mediocre mustard. Surprisingly enough, it was pretty good. I actually had it twice, two days in a row. After making my first sandwich, I figured, "Hey, this is dijon. That might be too much." It probably was. This is a rather strong dijon, with a nice spicy, strong taste. I personally find mustard with a strong taste to be preferable, though I do dislike overpowering mustard. Back to the mustard.

French's Dijon is quite an experience. With a desirable texture and a strong, dijon-y taste, I'd give French's Dijon mustard a good 7 bottles of chardonnay out of 10. A delightful experience, I would recommend this mustard to any classic BBQ, or even for a small dinner or something. I don't know. It's pretty alright though.

Dijon Mustard Review - Edmond Fallot Basil

C'est une belle moutarde, oui?

Welcome, fellow mustardeers, to the world of French mustard! Or, should I say, la monde des moutardes françaises! (My French is horrible, just warning you now.)

Mustard has been a part of French cuisine for centuries, chiefly dijon mustard, a classic variety of mustard made with white wine in lieu of vinegar. Now, most dijons do not actually sire from the original French city of Dijon. However, the Fallot Mustard Mill, which creates Edmon Fallot-brand mustard, is actually located in the Burgundian region of France, of which Dijon is the capital. (Their website is honestly fantastic, if translated a bit wonkily.) It doesn't get much more authentic than this!

Walking through my local HomeGoods the other day, I found this noble-looking jar with an orange mark-down sticker upon it. Half an hour later, I was home with my surprisingly inexpensive little prize. May the mustardy gods bless thee, HomeGoods!

Upon opening the stately jar, you find that the mustard is very, very pungent in smell, like many traditionally made mustards. Do not see this as a turn-off, however - the strong smell of white wine is not what it will taste like. In fact, the mustard does not taste much like white wine at all - it has an incredibly powerful basil taste. I found it overpowering when used as a dip for meats, so I recommend using it in conjunction with starches or bread. The mustard flavor is not the strongest, but I find that acceptable, given that the centerpiece of this particular mustard is it's basil attribute.

This mustard is quite the experience, and I recommend it to all those who enjoy pesto more than anything. I give it 7 basil leaves out of 10; it was often overpowering, but all in all, it was a formidable mustard that is worth your time.

Deli Mustard Review: Kosciusko Spicy Brown

Just look at it's spicy brownness!

Welcome back, my mustardy fellows, to Hard Yellow!

Before we get started, I'd just like to announce that these reviews will be coming out more slowly than our past rapid-fire posts. This will ensure quality of posts, so you will get the best reviews of mustard possible!

So, onto the mustard. Just look at this thing. How can a mustard in a barrel-shaped bottle be bad? (It's also 100% natural. Apparently.) It looks like a dignified mustard, without being complacent enough to come in a glass jar. And dignified this mustard is!

The taste of this mustard is very nice. Not super vinegary, it carries that clean deli mustard taste I have grown to love in recent years. The spiciness that Kosciusko vouches isn't horribly strong. It's not the swift kick that Colman's offers, it's more of a hard yet friendly pat on the back. Because it's not so overpowering, it's good for when you want the mustard to take a supporting role, like on a good sandwich. In short, this is your "eating-a-sandwich-at-3-in-the-afternoon" kind of mustard; something that comforts, helps you along, but doesn't blow your taste buds immediately away.

I'd give this mustard 7 lazy summer days out of 10. It's a nice mustard, goes well with a good amount of stuff, and generally can hold it's own. It's a great addition to a mustard geek's collection.

Deli Mustard Review - Grey Poupon Horseradish Deli Mustard

Oh, deli mustards. How I love them. When you need a flavor to liven up your otherwise dull entrée, a fine deli mustard like this Grey Poupon has you covered. This specific specimen of deli mustard, otherwise known as spicy brown mustard, is a fine addition to any burger, sandwich, or other food. The squeeze bottle doesn't prove to be much of a problem, if you're careful of the destructive effects of having a desolate wasteland of a cap.

Grey Poupon is always a good baseline for mustards in general, but it seems to me that they always run a little on the weak side. For instance, last night I had a burger with this stuff slathered all over it, and it just wasn't very strong. (Granted, it was a burger, which are famously good at negating condiment flavors, but still.) Despite this, the mustard is still well balanced with a good base texture and flavor and some spice from horseradish.

In case you don't know what a horseradish root looks like, I've stuck a photo to the left. You're welcome.

When I think of a horseradish mustard, I think of Boar's Head. Now there's some flavor. I'll have to do a review sometime...





WALROR EDIT: I think this is a 7, so I'll stick that in.

Dijon Mustard Review - Trader Joe's Whole Grain Dijon Mustard

Another installment to our line of dijon mustard reviews is this versatile mustard by none other than Trader Joe's. With a strong dijon flavor and a nice grainy texture, this mustard breaks away from the pack. Also, it keeps well, and has a nice jar curvature unlike common mustard of the condiment jungle. Of course, there is the problem with convenience with the cap, but that is to be expected from any jar-based mustard.

I prefer this mustard above others on sandwiches. It's nice on ham, turkey and roast beef with a slice of muenster (which are basically the only sandwiches I make for myself). The interesting texture of the seeds helps to liven up an otherwise uniform meal. It complements other non-meaty flavors well too; it's a good go-to mustard for any mustardy activities that need a dose of uniqueness.

This specimen of a mustard can be hard to track down in your area, as it is sold exclusively by Joe himself. But no matter what you need to do to get your hands on it's glassy surface, it's definitely a mustard worth your time.

WALROR EDIT: okay this looks pretty mediocre so a 7 will do

HY is still unsponsered! I swear!

Dijon Mustard Review - Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard (With Recipe for Honey Mustard)

Ah, Grey Poupon. Much like Ingelhoffer, we have no idea what it means, it's not gray, and the name does make it sound disgusting. But ah, is it versatile. It's one of the first dijon mustards, and is smooth like yellow mustard, yet more complex like stone ground mustard. It comes in (more recently) a fairly basic oblong squeeze bottle, but is more commonly found in a neat glass jar, and it always seems like mustard tastes better out of the jar. It also means that you don't get a desolate wasteland of a cap, even though you have to use a knife.


I'm quite a fan of this mustard. It has a fine white wine flavor (as advertised on the jar), and a nice "bite" of spice at the end, without much spice before, but still keeps that quintessential mustard taste, although it is a bit more acidic than I generally like. It's my favorite kind of "regular" mustard (I'll expand on that later), as it has a nice surprise with the kick of spice, and is good on just about anything.

As I said before, Grey Poupon is my favorite kind of "regular" mustard. By this I don't mean that all mustards are the same, I just try to use that to differentiate honey mustard from the regular mustard taste found with most other varieties of mustard. What happens when I don't have any honey mustard laying around? Simple! Grey Poupon has me covered, as I just make some honey mustard with it (versatility in a nutshell). If you want to make it, it's really not hard. Simply take a small cup, put some Grey Poupon (the squeezable kind works a bit better here for ease of use) in it, and pour in about an equivalent amount of honey, and mix it until combined. It's a bit thinner than the stuff you'd find in a bottle, and couldn't really be squeezed that well, but man is it delicious. Besides, by being thinner, this means you can also use it for easy dipping, and even as salad dressing, allowing you to eat your mustard on even more foods.

WALROR EDIT: This seems like a solid 7 poupons.