Flavor: What does the ham taste like (smoky, salty, sweet)? Does it taste smoked or cured? Can it stand on its own, or is the overall flavor carried by the glaze?
Glaze: Does the ham come with glaze or sauce? What does it taste like? Is there too much or too little? Does it complement the ham?
Appearance & Texture: Is the ham tender and moist? Does it bite like real meat? Is it visually pleasing when sliced and served?
WYBI (Would You Buy It?): If you had to gift one grocery Christmas ham to a friend, would you get this brand? Would you get this for your own Noche Buena?
Fine Print
The Lineup: We tested 8 Christmas hams from the grocery freezer aisle. We focused on hams priced at least P400–P500 per kilo, representing the premium options in a brand’s frozen ham line. We did not include jamon de bola and pear hams, which fall into a different category in terms of price and quality, as well as hams from membership-only warehouse clubs (S&R, Landers).
Why We’re Doing This: Christmas ham is usually something you get, not something you buy. But if you’re the buyer this time, you want to impress without blowing your budget. The grocery is your friend here: no pre-orders, no hour-long lines in Binondo, just grab and go. We tested grocery Christmas ham brands to find the ones worth giving and serving.
How We Tasted: Each brand was removed from their packaging, labelled, and tasted blind to prevent brand bias. Each brand was prepared as is, gently heated with glaze.
How We Scored: Each brand was evaluated across 4 criteria. Final placements reflect the Pepper team’s averaged impressions.
Transparency: No brand paid for inclusion in this taste test. CDO and Purefoods have been past advertising partners of Pepper.
