Sweet Mustards - East Shore Foods Sweet and Tangy Mustard

     So for this last Christmas season, my family decided that the only logical present for somebody like me would be to send me a plethora of mustards to have. One of these was the fantastic Düsseldorf I reviewed a few days ago; I also received a collection of mustards from Trader Joe's called the 'Mustard Miscellany', which will be a delight to review as the weeks march on. One of these moutardes nouvelles is East Shore Foods' Sweet & Tangy Mustard.  

Actual size is about 1 1/2 inches tall.

The container I got is just... wow. Way too small. I know it was supposed to be a cutesy stocking stuffer sort of mustard, but for heaven's sake, this jar was so small a butter knife could barely fit in it! While I acknowledge that there are larger sizes of this stuff, the simple fact that they sell that bastardized dwarf of a jar takes off points for me. When I have mustard, I want a damn large jar o' the stuff!

The taste itself is weak, as many other sweet mustard are susceptible to becoming. The taste is too sweet, obviously pandering to those unrefined palettes that cannot withstand a full-bodied mustard taste like that offered by Lakeshore's Irish Mustard, for example. The mustard is just not strong enough to even compliment something it's put on - it just gets lost in the background. When this happens to a mustard, I regret even putting it on, as I just wasted time applying something to my sandwich that I wouldn't even taste. But this aside, the mustard is alright; it is a bit tangy, which is fun and different. But the weakness of the mustard is just inexcusable.

Like I said, this mustard isn't horrible. But the fact is, it just isn't that great either. Because of the ineffective holiday packaging meant only to boost sales of stocking stuffers and the weakness of the mustard, this mustard gets a 4/10, a below average.

Honey Mustard Review: Inglehoffer Sweet

The jar is so small. Yet so cute!

Ah, honey mustard. Despite it being quite good, I personally don't see it as much. It's main purpose in my eyes is to be a gateway for new mustard fans into the condiment jungle, not necessarily a great condiment. And unfortunately, this mustard has not proven me wrong.

I'm not saying this mustard is bad, of course; it's just that honey mustards feel a bit adulterated to my refined mustardy palette by now. But frankly, I just don't find this mustard living up to my past experiences with honey mustard either, when I was but a little tyke who ate macaroni and cheese for every other meal. I find the initial taste to be a little off-putting at first. I was taken a little bit aback; the stuff hit my tongue, and I was expecting an immediate, rich honey taste. What I got was a clashing honey and mustard. It did resolve quickly, but it was not a nice entry.

My other criticism is that the mustard was very thin. I'm accustomed now to the thick glory of strong, full-bodied mustards, so this came as a bit of a surprise. The mustard just seems to take a natural back-seat role to anything it's on. I didn't even taste it last time I used it.

And yes, I know, honey mustard is supposed to be used as a dipping sauce less than a spread. But this segways nicely into my next point - the jar size. It's a dinky little thing that makes you want to conserve the stuff, not use it as a dip at a party. The jar is pretty nice and distinctive, but come on! It's just too little.

I'd give this mustard 6 childhood memories out of 10. It wasnt bad, but I just didn't love it either. Stick to what you're good at, Inglehoffer - strong stuff.

Maybe in the future I'll find a good honey mustard. But for now, catch you again on Friday.