Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Yeah, I know Aleppo is this year's poster child for all the "celeb" chefs (how many of them have actually done anything worth celebrating?). Like pretty much all the past flavors of the month, like Chipotle and Gochujang, the real story here is trying to come up with something we've never heard of just to keep us interested in the TV shows. The Aleppo fails to deliver on all fronts. It's hot, but not as hot as Cayenne. So save yourself a ton of money and just use less Cayenne. Want a broader spectrum of flavor than just the heat? Save even more and use a pinch of Ancho. There's just no worthwhile flavor in the Aleppo not already found in my spice cabinet at a fraction of the cost and less hassle to obtain. In fact, I'm going to guess that one part Cayenne, three parts smoked Paprika, and two parts grocery store chili powder just might duplicate the flavor profile of this stuff to a tee. Making me wonder how I benefit by buying this stuff. The other possibility, of course, is that this particular batch is just cruddy Aleppo. I've gotten inferior Saffron before, and could have been turned off Saffron entirely had I not experienced the good stuff. Either way, this bag was a bust. Freshness? Who can tell? Value for the money? Low at best. If anyone can genuinely comment on some other supplier's Aleppo (I'll probably stop in the Penzey's store before long), I'd be interested. Trolls who only want to snipe at my opinion on this bag are invited to keep their thoughts to themselves, where they belong.