I usually buy the cheap (for us) 2.79 CAD bag of 1kg popping corn. the 850g Orville Redenbacher is 5.79.
However, they were out of the cheap stuff so I was forced to get the ol’ Orville’s stuff. And I found it there were less kernels unpopped, the popcorn was fluffier and weirdly, it sounded louder too. (same stove, pot and everything)
So my question is why is there such a quality difference? Is there a difference in how it’s prepared before shipping? Anyone know?
Incredibly, if you web search popping corn quality, you’ll find almost nothing but reviews of different brands. I remember reading several decades ago that the difference is really the characteristics of the strain of corn, and that’s probably the difference between brands. Premium brands have cultivated their own sub variety of popping corn with better properties for popcorn.
The key parameters are the amount of moisture and oil trapped in the kernel and the shell strength.