The novelty peanut butters of New Zealand, ranked from worst to best

# What was tested Ten novelty peanut butters available in New Zealand were assessed by a panel of ten in-house judges. Each spread was evaluated on a mark out of 10 using concrete criteria such as mouthfeel, aftertaste and how moreish it was. Judges tasted each product two ways: smeared on plain white bread and as a standalone spoonful, to judge both how the spread behaves in use and how it reads on flavour alone.

# What counted (and what didn't) The ranking had one firm rule: no other nuts. That excluded mixed-nut products and almond, cashew or pecan butters, even if they have been praised elsewhere. The aim was to assess what manufacturers do to peanuts themselves — adding chocolate, caramel, seeds, chilli or fruit — rather than to compare different nut families.

# Notable inclusions Some formats that don't change flavour much but alter texture were still considered novelty entries. For example, Bega's whipped peanut butter was included because its texture makes it feel like a different product. Pic's Smoochy — a peanut butter nested inside another peanut butter — also made the list despite being a relatively standard flavour profile, because its concept counts as an innovation.

• Pic's Peanut & Chocolate Butter — 4.9/10. Price: $8.90 for 290g ($3.07 per 100g). Judges widely disliked its appearance and found its flavour oddly muted for a chocolate-peanut product. Comments called it flavourless and undercommitted: the chocolate component didn't register strongly enough to justify the combination. Several reviewers singled out its unappealing look as part of the negative reaction.

• Pic's Seed & Nut Mix — 5.65/10. Price: $10.30 for 490g ($2.10 per 100g). This jar split the panel. Some judges praised its texture and complexity — one gave it top marks for the abundance of seeds — while others hated the sensation of seeds left in the teeth and compared it to trail mix or bird seed. Reaction was binary: panelists either loved the seed-forward approach or rejected it outright.

# What the ranking shows The panel's work makes clear that novelty in peanut butter is polarising. When a product commits clearly to a direction — heavy chocolate, boldly seeded, or texture-first — some tasters will love it and others will reject it. Middle-of-the-road attempts that neither commit to a clear flavour profile nor deliver satisfying texture tend to score worse.

# Practical takeaway If you want a novelty peanut butter, pick one whose defining characteristic is deliberate and strong: either a clear flavour intent (e.g., pronounced chocolate or caramel) or a textured identity (e.g., lots of seeds). Products that attempt subtlety or half-measures risk disappointing a broad panel of tasters.