Joey
Tebben
Editor
Rachael
Callaway and Felix Timmons
Staff
Writers
Soft pretzels originated in Germany, but
since the late 18th century, the Philadelphia area has been the soft pretzel
capital of the world. We are spoiled with many fantastic pretzels but we have
never really thought about which one is truly the best… UNTIL NOW!
After the great success of The Great
Holiday Nog-Off, the Lion’s Tale taste testers have returned to taste some
solid food: soft pretzels. Felix Timmons returns for his second taste test and
Rachael “The Pretzel Renegade” Callaway substitutes for Colin Keyes who was on
leave to attend the birth of his pumpkin son (not on vacation).
We selected pretzels from 5 businesses
in our area (that could be driven to on one Prius tank): Auntie Anne’s, Jim’s,
Philly Pretzel Factory, SuperPretzel, and Nog-Off champion Wawa. Pretzels were
tasted blind and ranked by the two reviewers. The pretzel ranked first received
5 points, second received 4 points, and so on. The scores from the two tasters
were added together to determine the greatest soft pretzel available for
purchase in our area. Here’s the final rankings. For an all-access viewing experience of the tasting process, see the
video review below.
5. Philly Pretzel Factory
(Felix: 1, Renegade: 1, Total: 2/10)
Possibly
the most popular soft pretzel choice in our area, Philly Pretzel Factory came
into the taste test as an early favorite. The staff at the Lahaska PPF was
enthused when I informed them that they’d be partaking in a taste test for our humble
newspaper and provided us with a free cup of mint cookie dip, but they’re sadly
at the bottom of the pile after our taste test. The pretzel was still very
good, but Felix and the Renegade both put PPF’s pretzel in 5th place.
4. Jim’s (Felix: 3, Renegade: 2, Total: 5/10)
Local
chain Jim’s Soft Pretzels was the underdog coming into the taste test. It was
the only place that would only take cash and its pretzels came in an unassuming
white paper bag, so expectations were not high coming into the taste test.
Felix and the Renegade also liked this pretzel, but with Felix putting it 3rd
and the Renegade 4th, it was no match for the best of the best.
3. Wawa (Felix: 2,
Renegade: 4, Total: 6/10)
Great
Holiday Nog-Off Champion Wawa returned to The Lion’s Tale Taste Tests to defend
its crown in a whole ‘nother food medium: pretzels. As was the case with every
pretzel in the taste test, it was very good, but it wasn’t good enough for Wawa
to defend its title. If the only place you can get a pretzel in your area is a
Wawa, it’s still a good choice, but it’s far from the best.
2. SuperPretzel (Felix: 5,
Renegade: 3, Total: 8/10)
If
Jim’s Pretzels was an underdog in this taste test, SuperPretzel was… an even
bigger underdog (there’s not a more creative way of saying that). While the
SuperPretzel’s wimpy appearance left a lot to be desired, it was surprisingly
delicious. The Renegade only put it in 3rd but Felix put it at the top of his
list. The pretzel that came straight out of the frozen section at Giant was the
Cinderella story of the taste test, destroying favorites like PPF and Jim’s and
taste test champion Wawa to take a shocking second place.
1. Auntie Anne’s (Felix: 4,
Renegade: 5, Total: 9/10)
I
didn’t know if it was going to be worth it to drive all the way to the Willow
Grove Mall for two pretzels. After making it to the mall, navigating through
the labyrinth known as Primark, and contemplating what led to the death of the
classic American shopping mall, I was beckoned by the beaming blue and yellow
pretzel atop the food court’s Auntie Anne’s. Tragedy struck when the cashier
informed me that they were OUT OF SALT. A pretzel store ran out of salt!
Defeated, I walked through the dark, lonely halls of a weekday mall hoping to
find a different fifth pretzel for the taste test. After about five minutes, I
started to lose hope, but it all instantly came back when I found a smaller
Auntie Anne’s kiosk on a bridge on the second floor. I then finally acquired my
two salted pretzels. If this epic saga concluded with even an average
performance in the taste test I would’ve been extremely disappointed, but
Auntie Anne’s absolutely delivered. Its fantastic buttery, chewy, salty pretzel
was at the top of the Renegade’s list and finished second on Felix’s. By one
point, Auntie Anne’s is the champion of the Great Bucks County Pretzel-Off!
