BzzAgent sent me a sample in the mail and then in another campaign, a coupon for more free HemisFares pasta, so I got to try it for free TWICE!
The first pasta I tried was the one sent by BzzAgent: the Fusilli Bucati Lunghi, which is described as a "long pasta...made by twisting a pasta thread around a fuse or spindle." For 16oz it retails at 3.99 which is significantly more than most dry pasta, and is more than I would pay for this particular noodle, because although it had a fun shape it wasn't particularly more flavorful and the cooking directions resulted in it being more mushy than al dente. Combined with an artichoke sauce from Jungle Jim's and a lot of mozzarella and salt, it was mostly forgivable, but I was still pretty disappointed. The texture was just off. Plus I had to rinse the pasta in cold water (which is a big pasta no-no) as soon as I realized it was overcooked, in an effort to stop it from cooking anymore.Luckily I also had my coupon for a free package due to being in a second Kroger themed BzzAgent campaign. This time I picked up Tagliatelle, an "egg-based pasta...originally crafted by generations of local women from Campofilone....made from durum wheat and over 35% eggs, then worked by hand without the addition of any water." The quality of this pasta was evident: it was rich and tasty, with a great texture, and the cooking directions were spot-on. I also appreciated the hint on the package to use sea salt specifically because it would pull the flavor without making it salty. I used pink Himalayan sea salt and it was delicious. When it was done I rubbed butter on the egg noodles, sprinkled salt, pepper, and garlic over them and then topped with some shredded Italian cheeses. It was amazing.
So flavorful there was no need for sauce, though my fiance did eat it with sauce and was perfectly content as well. It retails at 3.99 for 9oz but I would purchase it, even though it is significantly less pasta. It's that good.
