100% Organic Almonds 17.6 oz - Fresh, Raw and Unpasteurized - Small Batch - Sustainably Straight from Farm in Italy - Non-GMO - Recyclable Packaging

I read somewhere that there were once over a THOUSAND varieties of almonds growing in Italy. As in 1,000+! How many of us here in the U.S. tend to think of the almonds we buy in the store as the only kind of almond in existence? Or maybe we don't even think about it.One of the houses I lived in as a kid was next to a river and had a few almond trees growing on the lot, one of which was a bitter almond. Anyone like the flavor of Amaretto and almond extract? Almond pastries? THAT particular flavor - a "true" almond flavor, if you will - is the flavor those bitter almonds had, because that's what is used to make that almond flavoring: bitter almonds. I wonder if that's what some reviewers were referring to when they complained that some of these were bitter. To me, THESE almonds from Sicily have that same "true" almond flavor that I remember from those bitter almonds - without actually being bitter. Just 100% true almond flavor.Yes, they are a little dusty tho NOT containing, as another reviewer claimed, "30%" dust in the package. Sorry, but that's just absurd. 30% of 16 ounces is 4.8 ounces, which would be a LOT of dust! Those almonds would literally be awash in dust, it floating around and forming great dusty mounds, choking anyone who opened the bag. Nope, just not seeing it. Yes, they do have some dust. That means they were shelled and packaged without being run thru a bath to pretty them up for people who expect their nature products to be neat and tidy. Not an issue for me. Anyone having an issue can easily sift the dust off by shaking them back and forth in a colander or a large strainer and most of the dust should come off. Sprouting would also do it. Might also be that this variety has a bit more dust. IDKThese almonds also have a different shape than our standard California almonds, being more boat shaped with one side relatively flat, the other side rounded. And they seem to be somewhat larger too. Makes for a nice crunch!I was set to give 5 stars for value, but then clicked back to my order page and saw the price jumped $2 a bag since I bought them last week. If that price jump is due to increased costs, like the fuel prices going up again for example, I totally understand. If it's something that just changes frequently based on some other thing than increased costs, then I don't understand. I was set to put them on subscription, tho I may do so anyway. $2 isn't really that much in the bigger scope of things. I'll just have to think about it. We are still in the midst of a pandemic and many people are struggling. Think maybe I'll put them on subscription for every 2 months, see how it goes.Remember: when we support growers and the people who sell for them by buying their products, they will all be able to continue bringing those products to market for us to enjoy.I definitely recommend these almonds!

You know how some restaurant bathrooms or office building bathrooms sometimes have the hand soap(normally pink in color) that smells like almond extract? It's a strange reference.. I know.If you know the smell I'm talking about- these almonds have that almond smell/taste. And, it's amazing.I had to sort through the bag and pull out the ugly ones; about 1/3 of the almonds. However, the remaining almonds looked and tasted amazing. I boiled them for 60 seconds, rubbed the skin off, chopped them, and they are currently soaking in vodka. Hoping to have legit Almond Extract by Christmas. I'll leave a follow up review.

Very similar to standard North American almonds. A bit smaller perhaps, but the major difference is a slight aftertaste of almond extract (bitter almond oil). I'm happy overall, but was hoping for more of that flavor.

flavor yuck. pretty old nuts i think, hard, not tasty, unpleasant feel and look. covered in lots of tiny flecks probably rubbed off from the old degrading skins. Hope to find some better onesflavor yuck. pretty old nuts i think

I like the taste. It’s fresh. I eat it raw and I use it to make almond milk also. It’s very delicious. I will buy it again and again.

I’m always concerned with bad reviews, but the almonds appear to be as advertised. There’s is some fine dust at the bottom of the bag, but it’s coming from the shell. I don’t see an issue there at all. I soaked a few of them and the product it’s simply very good. Pricey but very good. The almonds are definitely a different kind that the ones sold in US.

I had high hopes for these almonds and really wanted to like them but I was very disappointed. They look very dried out and there's a lot of brown dust in the bag, both of which I did not really mind. What sealed it was the flavor - or rather, lack of it. They literally tasted of nothing. Not sure if I received an old batch, because so many people have given it high ratings.

These were great---kind of dusty but like almond dust because they are fresh. Good flavor. I usually like to get sprouted almonds so the one star off is only because they are not my favorite type of almonds, but since my current brand is price gauging during the pandemic and almonds are not considered a medical necessity by anyone but me....I thought why not get the fancy almonds as long as I'm going to have to pay. They don't irradiate almonds in Italy, so they are extra good.