Review: Hamakua Plantations - Spam Flavored Macadamia Nuts

For one reason or another Spam is all the rage in Hawaii. It should come as little surprise then that Spam Flavored Macadamia Nuts are available and produced by the folks at Hamakua Plantations.

You can actually buy these online for $3.85 for a 4.5-ounce can. My friend brought this back for me from Hawaii.

The company that makes these states "the savory, slightly salty, smoky flavor is fantastic. This flavor is a totally vegetable based and yet it has the great taste of Spam." I'm going to have to disagree.

The ingredients are listed as: "Dry Roasted Hawaiian Macadamia Nuts, Salt, and SPAM Brand Flavoring."

It doesn't say what's in Spam flavoring, but I can tell you that it's pink and it tastes really weird--not in in a good way. There's a vague meat taste to it, but I wouldn't say it tastes like Spam. For one, Spam is very salty and "slightly salty" doesn't cut it. I also didn't detect any smoky flavor at all.

The macadamia nuts themselves were under roasted and kinda raw without that desired toastiness.

In sum, Spam is good and macadamia nuts are good, but a macadamia nut covered in Spam flavor? Not so good. Bad even.

Nutritional Info - Hamakua Plantations Spam Flavored Macadamia Nuts
Serving Size - 1 oz (28g)
Calories - 200 (from Fat - 150)
Fat - 20g (Saturated Fat - 3g)
Sodium - 145mg
Carbs - 4g (Sugar - 1g)
Protein - 2g