Review of Tomato and Sweet Basil Bisque
The Rating #
Didn't come in a can but it tasted like it did, which isn't necessarily a bad thing in my book! Five stars.
Vendor #
Bill #
15.5 oz. container for $2.98
Review #
Bisque #
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, bisque is:
A term for the odds which one [tennis] player gives the other in allowing him to score one point once during the 'set' at any time he may elect. Also in Croquet: An extra turn allowed to a weaker player.
There is not a single element of this definition that rings true with my experience of the bisque currently under review. But as an empiricist I will not let this odd definition phase me.
The stuff I have in front of me is rich; it's almost a sauce. I like that. But it's intensely salty. Like everyone, I like salty things, but this soup left me dying for a glass of water.
The taste of the bisque recalls SpaghettiOs, and while I enjoyed SpaghettiOs in my youth I don't believe for a second Campbell's was aiming to emulate them for this "Slow Kettle-Style" line of soups. With the Slow Kettle-Style soups they are clearly appealing to contemporary consumers' increasing demands for the natural/organic/raw/unprocessed/etc. And yet this particular soup tastes so similar to that quintessential processed food. Try again, Campbell's!
Non-Bisque Components #
A smattering of tomato chunks. I would need more tomato chunks to be able to call this soup hearty.
Spice #
more basil please!
Smell #
This soup made sure it was remembered for at least a two or three hours after consumption. After that, no lingering smell.
Mode of Consumption #
Shout out to my pals from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland! This cup doesn't hold much, which ensures slow consumption due to my reluctance to get up for a refill. I drank from the cup, used a spoon, and also used my toast to consume the bisque.
Portion #
I ate the whole thing.
Presentation #
I ordered the soup from Amazon and here's what I got. Some kind of plastic container but opened with a pop-top sort of arrangement.
Comparison #
My experience with canned tomato soups is limited to Progresso, Amy's, and Campbells' other styles. Amy's offers a low-sodium tomato soup that would, I'm willing to bet, solve the problems presented on that front by the soup currently under review.
On the side #
I've always enjoyed putting crackers or dunking bread in my soups. In this case, I made some rye bread toast on my stove and topped it with a bit of salt and pepper.
Frame #
Under the weather.
Slideshow #
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