Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

UPDATE - June 3, 2013 I received an email from Amazon saying my review of this product had helped someone. I checked out the product again and just couldn't understand why there were so many 5-star reviews, especially since this really isn't harissa. I started to read the 5-star reviews and noticed that almost every single one had all sorts of hyperboles -"This is the best harissa ever!", "It goes with everything!", "Amazing!", "I love Mina Harissa!!!!!" (yes, five exclamation points). You get the idea. So then I looked at how many other reviews these enthusiastic customers had written. The far majority had written only one review on Amazon - coincidentally for this product. Most of the others had only written 2 total reviews. And there's the person who has written a total of 5 reviews on Amazon - all for Mina Harissa. I disapprove of shills as much as I disapprove of people who unfairly give poor reviews to a competitor's product. Yes, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but at a certain point you start to wonder if the manufacturer is trying to over-compensate for something. We all know that biased reviews - both for and against a product - proliferate sites. These actions aren't breaking any kind of law, so there is nothing that can be done to stop them. So when I encounter one of these situations, I do what I can do: call them out. Just a little background on my experience with this product. I became acquainted with this product when I went to my grocery store and discovered they no longer carried Mustafa's harissa; they had replaced it with the Mina version. I was utterly disappointed with the first taste - as I mention below, this is not harissa. Since I can't find Mustafa's any more, I now just make my own. So anyway, below is my original review... -------------------------------------------- I am giving this product a 1-star review not because it tastes bad, but because it is not what it claims to be. Harissa is a north-African condiment comprised primarily of chile peppers. This product claims it can be used as a dip and is comprised primary of red bell peppers. (Of the seven ingredients listed, chile peppers are next to last. No traditional Moroccan spices, such as cumin, are present in this product) To put it in American terms, this is equivalent to purchasing a product called "Traditional American ketchup", only to discover that it is made out of red peppers instead of tomatoes. Again, I am not saying that this is a bad-tasting product - you might enjoy it. My complaint is the claim that it's a "Traditional Moroccan" condiment. As other reviewers suggest, a product like Mustafa's harissa is closer to the real deal.