Amy'S - Organic Chili Spicy 14.7 Oz. 158940

So good.

I love this chili SO much. I am trying to find ways to eat healthily on a budget - especially for a quick fix. This is a great college student stable... but the price? Insane. Just a few weeks ago, I was crunching the numbers on a 12 case for $45... but now it is over $60. This product is such a great dorm room staple (or any fast-moving individual staple) because it is fast, easy, and has a lot of good ingredients compared to other canned foods. I can usually split a can with a bowl of rice too, which makes it last longer. So, regarding the product taste - it is my favorite ever. I love it. I am truly obsessed. I still add some extra spice (sriracha), but the main thing that I want to emphasize is that I am super picky about canned food like chili... especially those with meat. This is one that I can eat and not feel squirmy about. That says something in my opinion - and the fact that it is meatless and organic is a huge reason why... and guess what? You couldn't tell the meat difference even if you didn't know this had tofu or no meat. It does not have that sad trade-off taste that comes with most healthy alternative foods... this one is just perfect. AND if you wanted to dress it up (even with meat like a ground turkey or something), you really could for a big family and it wouldn't compromise anything... It is a great staple... BUT... here is my concern: Circling $5-$6 for a can of chili? I know that quality comes with a price, but this is price gauging at its finest and a great example of companies walking the line of $$$ and squeezing in some extra profit versus the availability of their product to demographics other than middle-class incomes (more so specifying that exclusion of general students or young adults who would really benefit from a product like this not being a key target market for Amy's). If they did some simple economic analysis and targeted branding to markets other than dual-income families or at least did some research into gen z (especially since this could really get a huge audience for their product if they started young and maintained a strong and sustainable loyal customer base), they would most certainly make more sales and still generate greater profit (both short and long term) even if they reduced the price to an actually mass-affordable price point. This isn't a huge push against capitalism at all. It just seems like Amy's has a lot of misses in terms of marketing/branding opportunities, extreme inflation trending (literally a 25% jump in 3 weeks), and literally missing the mark (or at least dancing the line) of the value of canned chili... even if it is targeted to be a 'premium'... because let's remember, canned food is canned food and at a certain rate the opportunity cost of buying bulk fresh ingredients and spending an afternoon meal prepping outweighs the convenience of this product.

I'm an omnivore who enjoys good vegan food but doesn't restrict their diet. I decided to try these as a way to avoid low grade red meat when eating canned chili. It's reasonably warm in terms of spicy heat on it's own, but not especially hot. Plenty of room to add a bit of your hot sauce of choice. Which is good, because that bland, creamy tofu flavor is obvious, and you'll want the vinegar in your hot sauce to brighten things up. The people who are claiming you can't tell this is meatless are optimistically biased in my opinion, because you can clearly taste the soy. I don't mind it, but I'm the type of person who eats vegan foods at face value, and doesn't think of ingredients as meat substitutes, or stuff that has to pass for meat. It doesn't taste just like a meat chili, because it isn't one and you shouldn't expect it to. That said, I've had far worse, such as Hormel's vegetarian chili. This product won't blow your mind unless you're trying to put a good spin on veganism, but with the right condiments it totally works. Amy's has always been a bit expensive for what it is. If you're on a tight budget, maybe think twice about that 12 pack. Otherwise, go for it.

Admit it: during finals, when the baby will not stop crying, or when you are moving into a new place, you may want to avoid cooking at almost all costs. You want to avoid using the microwave sometimes too. You may not even have a microwave unpacked, or if you step away the baby will scream again. You may not believe in a microwave and cannot bring yourself to throw a pot on the stove for times sake. I am familiar with all of these situations, yes I am even a mom and a late start student. And you probably have been in a similar, if not the same, situation. In my personal opinion, this chili is good enough to eat from the can. Strangely, during this semesters finals, I found that experience moving enough to bring me in to write a review. This chili perfect, in my Californian opinion. I would say the best in the west, it is organic, spicy, perfectly sweet, and made just north of me in Petaluma. Come on now, this is what I will want to eat when the next natural disaster hits. This is what I will keep sitting in the back and not mind if it is 10 years old, canned food has that secret 30 year shelf life, and I will eat this. This is it :) Okay, sounds a little too passionate, but I am a big Amy's fan. The can liner has brought up debate, but the canned foods are the only ones with any form of BPA. Frankly, at least they are upfront about it. The rest of the products have not had the issue. By now the BPA may not even be in there, the issue is some years old now. Good and bad things considered, I still buy this chili. I love it!

This is some very flavorful Vegetarian Chili, and has a good bit of spice. At first I thought it was overly spicy, but my son just loved it, and asked for it several days in row so I let him influence me and tried it again. I found that with some grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese in it, it was just right, having enough spice to stand up to the cheese. After a couple of weeks we have both eaten multiple cans of it, and we're convinced that when we run out we're going to have to order more, AND try some of the other flavors of Amy's soups starting with the lentil because that's a soup my wife really likes. So my opinion, if you're a fan of flavorful, vegetarian soups, try some of the various Amy's products. We haven't found a bad one in the bunch!