Appearance: Does it look appetizing? Does it have a natural or artificial color? Can you see mushroom pieces?
Flavor: Does it taste like something you want to eat on its own? Is it one-note or does it have some depth? Is it well-seasoned?
Consistency: Is the soup creamy or watery? Gloopy or smooth?
Shroominess: Can you taste the mushroom? Is the mushroom present or lacking? Does it taste like mushroom soup in a blind test, or does it taste like something else?
Use Case: How versatile is the soup? Does it work straight out of the can, or does it need help?
Fine Print
The Lineup: We tested 7 local and imported brands of mushroom soup—from powdered packets to canned condensed soups—from the grocery.
Why We’re Doing This: Why are there two types of Campbell’s mushroom soup on the market, labeled similarly with different ingredient lists? Is Campbell’s the best mushroom soup you can buy, or is it time to consider other brands? How do our local brands compare? Powdered mixes or canned soups? For such a small category, mushroom soup raises a lot of questions!
How We Tasted: Each brand was freshly prepared to package instructions with the same ingredients, no tweaks or upgrades.
Blind Taste Test: All brands were ladled into numbered bowls and tasted blind to prevent brand bias.
How We Scored: Each product was evaluated across 5 criteria. Final placements reflect the Pepper team’s averaged impressions.
Transparency: No brand paid for inclusion in this taste test. However, Fly Ace (Jolly) and Knorr have been past advertising partners of Pepper.
