A True Blue Taste Test: Tahini Like You’ve Never Spread It
What do you get when you invite chefs, sesame nerds, and a bloke who puts tahini in pesto to judge 18 jars of Aussie supermarket tahini? A surprisingly intense smackdown of what is, technically, just ground sesame seeds.
Nicholas Jordan from The Guardian grabbed a few mates, including chef Sharon Salloum and former hummus devotee Tuli Keidar, for a blind taste test of hulled and unhulled tahini. There were flavour notes, mouthfeels, existential crises, and at least one paste thick enough to build a sandcastle with.
Top-Rated Tahinis vs. Bottom Feeders
| Brand | Type | Score (/10) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Kanater | Hulled | 8.0 | Smooth as honey, nutty, barely bitter – the tahini your dreams dream of |
| Spiral Foods Organic | Unhulled | 7.5 | Intense, dark and toasty – like soy sauce went on a bushwalk |
| Oh So Natural (Aldi) | Hulled | 6.0 | Budget but balanced, textbook tahini with minor bitterness |
| Mayver’s Hulled | Hulled | 5.5 | Bitter, thick, practically unmixable. Warning: potential ceiling texture |
| Macro Organic Hulled | Hulled | 4.0 | Gritty, dry, and so bitter it should be sold with a helmet |
| Gaganis | Hulled | 4.0 | “Wartime ration vibes” meets artificial mustiness |
Texture Wars: Hulled vs Unhulled vs Pure Confusion
Despite every brand insisting their product was 100% sesame and nothing else, the range in flavour was like comparing Vegemite to vanilla.
- Hulled tahini: Lighter, smoother, and generally easier on the palate.
- Unhulled tahini: Darker, deeper, toastier—and often a bit bitter or grainy.
- Organic tahinis: A wild card. The organic hulleds flopped, but the organic unhulleds did well. Go figure.
“It’s extraordinary how different 18 batches of ground sesame can be,” Jordan writes.
Honourable Mentions & Wildcards
- Mezzabibi Tahini: 7/10
Sticky in the mouth like gluey toffee, but tasty and savoury. - Al Wadi Tahini: 7.5/10
Velvety but slightly watered down. Reviewers tasted peanut butter-y vibes. - Kalaajieh Tahini: 6/10
Tastes like straight-up olive brine. Bold but divisive. - Carwari Black Tahini: 6.5/10
Looks like edible tar, tastes mellow, great for experimental hummus.
The Tahini That Could Double as Mortar
Macro Organic Hulled Tahini copped the harshest criticism. Even after a solid workout mixing the oil and paste together, the resulting sludge was:
- Bitter
- Gritty
- So thick it could survive on your ceiling longer than a huntsman
“Thick enough to build a sandcastle,” one reviewer noted. And they weren’t wrong.
Price vs Performance (per 100g)
| Brand | Price/100g | Score (/10) | Value Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oh So Natural (Aldi) | $1.28 | 6.0 | Budget king, respectable taste |
| Al Kanater | $1.53 | 8.0 | Best overall |
| Spiral Foods Organic Unhulled | $2.40 | 7.5 | Best unhulled, premium quality |
| Carwari Black Organic | $2.66 | 6.5 | Unusual, worth a try |
Aussie Takeaway: Not All Tahinis Are Created Equal
Turns out tahini’s not just that gooey stuff you mix into hummus once a year. Some jars are creamy sesame bliss. Others? More punishment than pantry staple.
“Some taste like roasted sesame heaven. Others? Like licking the inside of a plaster wall.” – probably an Aussie chef
So next time you’re slathering a spoonful over roast pumpkin or swirling it into yoghurt, skip the health food aisle roulette. Go for Al Kanater if you want silky gold. Just steer clear of anything with the consistency of tile grout.
