Customer Reviews

Azar Nut Company Pignolias (Pine Nuts), Shelled, Raw, 32-Ounce Resealable Bag

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

These pine nuts are a product of China. Had I known that I would NOT have purchased them.

Why? These Chinese pine nuts leave a distinctive and extremely unpleasant metallic flavor on the tongue which lasts for as long as two weeks depending on how many are eaten.

Being a raw foodie, I use a lot of pine nuts in my raw food preparation, so it didn't take long for me to isolate the food which was causing the terrible, disagreeable reaction on my palate. The nuts are expensive and I thought I was getting a good value with Azar but as it turns out, since the Azar Chinese pine nuts are not edible for me, they were a tremendous waste.

Perhaps not every body will have the same reaction as I but I thought I must still flag a warning about Chinese pine nuts.

I should add finally that I do NOT have any problems with domestic pine nuts or Italian pignolias and I much prefer them, especially if they are organically grown. The flavor of USA and Italian grown pinenuts is far superior. The metallic issue seems to come up with Chinese pine nuts only.

"Pignolia" generally refers to pine nuts from the Stone Pine. The nuts from this tree are superior in their taste and health benefits to other pine nuts. The packaging here seems intended to make the buyer think they're getting Italian Stone Pine nuts, but they're not; they're Chinese pine nuts, which tend to be blander in taste and to have fewer health benefits.

For a long time these were difficult to get. It is much easier now so the price is a little out of line. The issue is that they don't keep well. The product is very good, but I lost over half by not storing it in a freezer. Remember to do that and you might be OK. Using an airtight container doesn't work as it is the nuts themselves.

The price of Pine Nuts is through the roof right now which for me is prohibitive. I found these because I buy their Macadamia nuts and I'm always happy. These are fresh and the least expensive I've found anywhere. I wish they were organic, but I'm grateful to get them at this price.

Update: When I wrote the review, the price was half of what it is now. I can't buy these again until the price comes down.