WNNER: ORTIZ JAR (6.9/10)
Ortiz is certainly the most gourmet brand that we tried—every other sample cost us less than $2.00 per ounce. What sets it apart? Tasters applauded its "smooth texture," describing it as "tender and meaty." A number noted its relatively mild, clean flavor, a certain "pleasant sweetness" and "cheesy Parmesan flavor."2ND PLACE: MERRO JAR (6.8/10)
Merro sells for a mere $1.26 an ounce—a pretty huge drop from Ortiz, especially considering how close they were in the final scores. Again, it was a mild flavor and tenderness that was most appreciated. Some actually complained that it was too mild, and one even "wished it was slightly more fishy." All in all, it's a product we'd happily buy and eat whole any day.3RD PLACE: AGOSTINO RECCA CAN (6.5/10)
A few tasters were turned off by the salinity level in the Agostino Recca can ($1.65/oz.), though most praised the large size and remarkable tenderness of the fish. "Very firm, meaty like good canned tuna" seemed to be the consensus. Well, that and, "Wow, this is salty!"4TH PLACE: ROLAND JAR (6.33/10)
Roland ($1.46/oz.) seemed to slip into the higher ranks primarily due to its blandness. A few noted that it tasted over-cured or dry, but all found it "inoffensive." If it's your only option, it's not a bad one, but we think there are better choices if you're into eating your anchovies plain.5TH PLACE: AGOSTINO RECCA JAR (6.3/10)
From here on out, the mean and median scores look significantly different, and tasters were extremely split—in fact, the Agostino Recca Jar ($1.76/oz.) garnered some of the highest and lowest scores doled out during the taste test. Interestingly, comments from disagreeing parties noted similar traits—those traits were just valued differently. For a "nice clean flavor" and "slight chalkiness," Agostino Recca is the way to go.5TH PLACE: ROLAND CAN (6.3/10)
Once again, our tasters were split. One disgruntled participant wrote, "Very prickly bones, plasticky texture. Classic canned flavor." Another took the opposite stance, exclaiming, "Very smooth tasting. I could eat this plain; not too salty." What's clear is that the Roland can ($1.25/oz.) doesn't have a very full-bodied anchovy flavor or a meaty texture—it was more likely to dissolve on your tongue than hold its own.6TH PLACE: CROWN PRINCE CAN (6.2/10)
Folks were not fond of Crown Prince ($1.15/oz.), deriding it as "ridiculously firm," with a "cardboardy, pulpy texture." As for flavor, saltiness took the lead, with very little fishiness coming through.7TH PLACE: CENTO CAN (6/10)
No question here, Cento ($1.29/oz.) is not the way to go. In fact, it's the only product that was even recognizably distinct in the prepared samples. 7TH PLACE: CROWN PRINCE JAR (6/10)
Nearly every taster noted a certain mealiness and funkiness to the Crown Prince anchovies ($1.86/oz). Some commented that it had the texture of an overcooked fish, while others thought the flavor was "almost funky" and "overwhelming."8TH PLACE: POLAR CAN (5.6/10)
Polar ($1.15/oz) evoked some deep and profound reflection from some tasters. "Deep, heavy-tasting. Not sure if that's a good thing?," asked one. Another wrote, ""Dissolves on the tongue. Can't decide if I like that or not." Others were adamantly anti-Polar, calling it "chemically" and "gritty, like undissolved salt." Chances are these little fish spent too much time curing.9TH PLACE: BELLINO JAR (5.1/10)
The hands-down loser, Bellino ($1.41/oz.) seemed to have a quality control problem at hand. Commenters all noted that the product tasted off, wafting an odor that was "stinky and a little ripe." The flavor and texture weren't much of an improvement, described as "thin, fishy, too soft" and even "a little wimpy."
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