Sardine Tournament of Champions - Finals

After eating what seems to be equivalent to my body weight in sardines over the last several months, as I attempt to find a winner in the sardine tournament of champions, I finally came to a conclusion on what is the best sardine in the state of Maine. While my original plan had been to offer up my final choice of champion on 9/23/11, I have decided that you as my audience have probably had just about all you could possibly take on the topic of canned fish. So without further comment here are the final results of the Sardine Tournament of Champions.

Sardine Championships Final Round
Semi Final Winners of Round 1 and 2 (Bar Harbor VS King Oscar) - A champion is crowned and it is BAR HARBOR!

A clear winner the BAR HARBOR sardines are a rich and flavorful with a pleasant smoky taste. In a recent trip to the grocery store I noted that they are additionally available in a variety of flavors including wild herring in cabernet wine sauce, wild herring fillets with cracked pepper and the classic naturally smoked wild kippers. Next time you are in the supermarket swing down the canned meat isle and give these fish treats a try!

Sardine Championships - Semi Final Round 2
Winners of Round 3 and 4 (Bar Harbor VS Polar) – Winner: Bar Harbor

Sardine Championships - Semi Final Round 1
Winners of Round 1 and 2 (Bumble Bee VS King Oscar) – Winner: King Oscar

Sardine Review – Round 4
Chicken of the Sea VS Polar - Winner: Polar

Sardine Review – Round 3
Brunswick VS Bar Harbor – Winner: Bar Harbor

Sardine Review – Round 2
King Oscar V.S. Beach Cliff – Winner: King Oscar

Sardine Review – Round 1
Crown Prince V.S. Bumblebee – Winner: Bumblebee

Sardine Tournament of Champions - Semi Finals - Round 1

Winners of Round 1 and 2 (Bumble Bee VS King Oscar)

Winner King Oscar

This was an easy one to decide with Bumblebee and Beach Cliff having almost identical flavors. King Oscar with its rich smoky taste is an easy and clear winner!

Sardine Tournament of Champions - Round 4

As I finish up the final round of sardine testing, before moving on to the semi-finals, I want to thank those bravely following me through this fun experiment and providing side humor, to these “sardine” posts, with occasional comments. It has been much appreciated. I promise everyone that this exploratory ordeal of the fishy kind will soon be over and I will then once again lapse back into my usual pattern of inane drivel!

The Contestants:
Chicken of the Sea VS Polar
WINNER: Polar

Chicken of the Sea - (1 BAD, 5 GOOD)
1. Saltiness - 4
2. Moistness - 5
3. Firmness/Texture - 5
4. Fishiness - 3
5. Overall Flavor - 3
6. Appearance - 3
7. Packaging – 5
8. Number of Sardines to a Can - 4
9. Would you Buy Again – N
10. Additional Comments – Worst of all brands tasted. The smell, taste and texture of this sardine are just not working together to make this a product worth buying again.

Polar – (1 BAD, 5 GOOD)
1. Saltiness - 4
2. Moistness - 5
3. Firmness/Texture - 4
4. Fishiness - 5
5. Overall Flavor - 5
6. Appearance - 5
7. Packaging - 5
8. Number of Sardines to a Can - 6
9. Would you Buy Again – Y
10. Additional Comments – I preferred this product to the Brunswick, Bumble Bee and Beach Cliff as an interesting and different alternative to the classically bland taste of these other very similar sardines.

Comments: This wraps up the beginning taste testing! On to the Semi-Finals!

Sardine Tournament of Champions - Round 3

The Contestants: Brunswick VS Bar Harbor
WINNER: Bar Harbor





Brunswick - (1 BAD, 5 GOOD)
1. Saltiness - 4
2. Moistness - 5
3. Firmness/Texture - 5
4. Fishiness - 3
5. Overall Flavor - 4
6. Appearance - 4
7. Packaging – 4 – (Plastic covering over can not necessary)
8. Number of Sardines to a Can - 4
9. Would you Buy Again – No as they are more expensive yet identical to cheaper brands
10. Additional Comments – Similar to Bumblebee and Beach Cliff. After tasting the Bar Harbor Sardines, I didn’t even feel like finishing the Brunswick can.

Bar Harbor – (1 BAD, 5 GOOD)
1. Saltiness - 4
2. Moistness - 5
3. Firmness/Texture - 5
4. Fishiness - 2
5. Overall Flavor - 5
6. Appearance - 5
7. Packaging – 4 (Paper covering over can not necessary)
8. Number of Sardines to a Can - 2
9. Would you Buy Again – Absolutely
10. Additional Comments – From the moment I laid eyes on the Bar Harbor sardines I had been anxiously anticipating their impending consumption. The size of the packaging can seems to provide an outdoorsman more a meal then a snack! Immediately upon opening the can, I was impressed. The rich smoky smell and the two large sardines within had a lightly smoked color. First bite was heaven; flavorful boneless fillets perfect balance of everything that is good. The only contender, currently in this contest, with any hope of beating this sardine is King Oscar.

For more on the Sardine Tournament of Champions See HERE:

• Sardine Tournament of Champions Introduction
• Sardine Tournament of Champions - Round 1
• Sardine Tournament of Champions - Round 2

Sardine Tournament of Champions - Round 2

Sardine Review – Round 2

The Contestants:
King Oscar – www.kingoscar.com V.S. Beach Cliff – www.beachcliff.info

**For additional information on this posting see HERE.



King Oscar - (1 BAD, 5 GOOD)
1. Saltiness - 4
2. Moistness - 5
3. Firmness/Texture - 4
4. Fishiness - 5
5. Overall Flavor - 5
6. Appearance - 5
7. Packaging – 4 – Plastic Wrapping Unnecessary
8. Number of Sardines to a Can - 16
9. Would you Buy Again – Y
10. Additional Comments – Smoky delicious goodness packed into a small sardine.

Beach Cliff – (1 BAD, 5 GOOD)
1. Saltiness - 4
2. Moistness - 5
3. Firmness/Texture - 5
4. Fishiness - 3
5. Overall Flavor - 4
6. Appearance - 4
7. Packaging - 5
8. Number of Sardines to a Can - 4
9. Would you Buy Again – Y
10. Additional Comments – Similar in overall taste and texture to the Bumblebee brand tried in round 1.

This round was easier to decide with the clear winner being King Oscar. From the first bite, I was immediately impressed by the rich smoky taste of the KO sardines. While the Beach Cliff were also good their bland, fishier taste was reminiscent of the Bumblebee brand tried during round 1. In fact, I would be hard pressed to pick out the differences in the two brands should I be blindfolded.

Sardine Tournament of Champions - Round 1

Sardine Review – Round 1
For More See Post: Sardine Tournament of Champions
 
The Contestants:
Crown Prince – (www.crownprince.com) V.S. Bumblebee



CROWN PRINCE - (1 BAD, 5 GOOD)
1. Saltiness - 5
2. Moistness - 3
3. Firmness/Texture - 4
4. Fishiness - 5
5. Overall Flavor - 5
6. Appearance -4
7. Packaging – 4 (Fancy cardboard box was a waste and unnecessary)
8. Number of Sardines to a Can - 5
9. Would you Buy Again – No
10. Additional Comments – Tastes like tuna not a “classic” sardine, skinless

BUMBLEBEE – (1 BAD, 5 GOOD)
1. Saltiness - 5
2. Moistness - 5
3. Firmness/Texture - 5
4. Fishiness - 4
5. Overall Flavor - 4
6. Appearance -5
7. Packaging - 5
8. Number of Sardines to a Can - 4
9. Would you Buy Again – Yes
10. Additional Comments – Bland flavor, silver skin, white flesh, classic sardine taste, hint of smokiness

This round was a difficult choice. Where the Crown Prince was more flavorful the Bumblebee product was bland and reminded me more of the “classic” sardine taste of my youth. Asking the assistance of an innocent bystander, in my final decision, I was left more confused when they chose Crown Prince. In the end, I declare the winner as Bumblebee but would encourage anyone looking for a sardine that contains a rich fish taste to give Crown Prince a try.

Sardine Tournament of Champions

As a serious outdoorsman, you would be tragically remiss in your duties, not to currently have on the shelves of your pantry at least a dozen cans of assorted sardines. Sealed in a practically indestructible container, boasting an impressive 3 year shelf life and laden with serious protein power, sardines are one of the most underrated super foods. How unfortunate that in the last 20 years the noble sardine snack pack has fallen off the radar, of most outdoorsman, and forced to take a back seat to “powerbars”, GORP and dark chocolate as the new choice for 'it" hikers, backpackers, fishermen and hunters. Well Mr. Sardine, have no fear of vanishing forever from the pockets of my hunting jackets, backpacks and tackle boxes for even now my tummy rumbles and heart rate quickens at just the thought of your oily, fishy flesh piled high on a saltine cracker.

In celebration of this most humble yet energy packed denizen of the sea, I am running a 7-week series of blog postings starting 7/1/11 and running on alternating Fridays through July, August and September. These posts will be designed to examine and rate 8 different brands of sardines, readily available in fine supermarkets across the state of Maine. At the end of this arduous process, there will be crowned a winner and I am certain to have much lower cholesterol!!

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The Rating System:
Each and every packet of delicious sardines will undergo an exacting and through battery of tests designed to examine several different components, ingredients and elements. Please see the following rating scale for a sneak peak of what I will be using to determine a winner.

1 BAD, 5 GOOD
1. Saltiness 1-5
2. Moistness 1-5
3. Firmness/Texture 1-5
4. Fishiness 1-5
5. Overall Flavor 1-5
6. Appearance 1-5
7. Packaging 1-5
8. Number of Sardines to a Can - ____
9. Would you Buy Again – Yes or No
10. Additional Comments . . .
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The Contestants:

Round 1 – 7/1
1. Crown Prince – Product of Morocco – www.crownprince.com - Sodium 280mg
2. Bumblebee – Product of Poland – Bumblebee Foods, San Diego, CA 92186 - Sodium xxxmg

Round 2 – 7/15
3. King Oscar – Product of Poland – www.kingoscar.com- Sodium 340mg
4. Beach Cliff – Product of Poland - www.beachcliff.info - Sodium xxxmg

Round 3 – 7/29
5. Brunswick – Product of Canada – www.bumblebee.com - Sodium 250mg
6. Bar Harbor – Product of Canada - www.barharborfoods.com- Sodium 460mg

Round 4 – 8/12
7. Chicken of the Sea – Product of Thailand – www.chickenofthesea.com - Sodium xxxmg
8. Polar – Product of Portugal – www.mwpolar.com - Sodium 300mg

Semi Final Round 1 - 8/26 – Winners of Round 1 and 2 face off

Semi Final Round 2 - 9/9 – Winners of Round 3 and 4 face off

Final Round - 9/23 – A champion will be crowned!
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Readers please feel free to cheer on your favorite brand! If you have any additional information to share on any of the participants please drop me a line or provide comments!  Thanks!