We've been sampling products for a few weeks now and quite honestly, I'm sick of the sight of the stuff about now. I have, however, noticed something pretty interesting which contrasts perfectly in these two sets of products, and I thought I'd share it with you. It's confirmed to me that the age-old saying "You get what you pay for" is a load of rubbish.
Once you've tried products from ten or twenty different suppliers, you get a pretty good idea of the spread of prices and qaulity, and it just so happens that these two types of products exhibit completely different characterstics.
The market for Iberico meats is extremely competitive in Spain, with a lot of manufacturers fighting for a reduced customer base. The spread of prices, then, is pretty narrow - with the top end perhaps only 10-20% above the lower end. The spread of quality, on the other hand, is incredible and the difference in taste and texture from one manufacturer to the next is astonishing. What this goes to show is that with careful selection, you can obtain an outstanding product for virtually no difference in price to a bog standard one. For the consumer, that's problematic. Price doesn't offer a good indication of quality and without trying them all, there's not a lot you can do to make sure you're getting a great product. Luckily, that's where we come in. I've tasted a tonne of meats over the last few weeks and can honestly say that we've identified an absolutely superb product, that will cost more or less the same as the vast majority of the other, blander, poorer products.
With the turron, the reverse is true. Again, I've tasted a lot of this stuff, and can honestly say that there is very little taste or texture difference between brands. Mashed almond and honey, in percentages fixed by the regulator, just seems to taste the same whichever way you package it (OK, there might be small differences in taste, but these are probably only noticeable to the trained palette). The spread of prices, however, is insane, with the top end up to 6 times the price of the cheaper products. So, we've tryed to identify a manufacturer that offers this 'standard' quality at the most reasonable price possible. After all, if you can't tell the difference between a £4 turron and a £10 turron, why bother?
