Casina Rossa Truffle & Salt, 3.5 oz Jar - Italian Sea Salt with Dried Black Summer Truffle for Seasoning, Finishing & Cooking

I have been buying this for years because it is so good. I have had other brands at friends’ houses, but none are as good as this. I keep it in the fridge and the aroma and flavor last for months.

This is not my first jar, but my third. It does last a long time if you keep the jar sealed well. Great on chickpeas, radishes, pasta....anything needing a bit of saltiness and umami flavor. This jar will last me well over a year. You don't need much.

A perfect finishing salt for almost anything, this is the best truffle salt I've had so far.

I was bored a few weekends back, so I ordered this as well as some black truffle oil and white truffle oil. Figured I'd have myself a little truff party. Well let me tell you, it's been a 2-week non-stop party in my mouth. And you can be invited! Well I guess the party would be in your mouth, but I digress.My kitchen now smells like Umamiville, USA. This is some seriously pungent stuff. Mrs. Philyodaddy put the three aforementioned products in one drawer, which she started calling the truffle drawer (very clever lady that Mrs. P). More like flavor country.So far I have applied small doses of this product on: sandwiches, steak, salmon, other fish, cheese, chicken, pork, lamb, my finger, and other animals I cannot currently think of. Everything was improved. As you can see, I have an extremely healthy diet. I might be going off the deep end a little, because Mrs. Philyodaddy is "getting sick of truffles". Like that's possible. Hey Mrs. P, maybe you should get sick of expensive purses or renttherunway.The ratio is 95 parts salt for 5 parts truffle, not that I could tell. It seems that there is real black truffle in as well as some sort of truffle flavor, but this is my first truffle salt, so I don't know if that's par for the truffcourse. I would say, of the three truffle related products I've tried so far I like the salt the best, and a little goes a long way. Try it out, unless you don't like delicious things.

We initially purchased truffle salt from the Salt Cellar and loved it, but were wanting to find a cheaper version with a similar quality and pungent flavor, so we gave this a try (initially purchased as part of a sampler pack linked below, prior to purchasing full size).WHAT IT TASTES LIKE / FLAVOR INTENSITY:If you've tried truffle anything before, it's a flavor you either love or you hate--no one I know has ever been ambivalent. To me, it's very earthy, and similar to an intense mushroom savoriness with a bit of roasted garlic, but that doesn't really capture what a truffle is, because "mushroom" isn't quite right either. It has a deep umami/ savory flavor that is unique. If you have ever made a beef drippings reduction it's almost savory like that is, in a concentrated, very distinct way--when you taste it, you immediately know exactly what that flavor is.I purchased this salt as a sampler pack and the larger jar indicated here (see pictures for comparison) later after trying the different options this company offered. It says it is 5% truffle (95% salt, but doesn't indicate the breakdown of fresh or artificial flavorant that is added to intensify the flavor. The company says the black truffles used in this product are Italian in origin.This particular brand offers a courser salt than the Salt Cellar version (see MILLING below). The truffle flavor is pretty intense when first opened, but that's fine as this is mainly SALT, it shouldn't be used in large quantities and the stronger flavor allows the truffle to come through without over salting the food you're adding it to.MILLING / SIZE & TEXTUREThis is a courser ground salt, similar in size to kosher salt. It's not as fine as table (iodized) salt, but not as large as course sea salt. It is granular in shape (roundish)--not flaked (flat specs).QUALITYThis isn't best flavored salt I've used, and leave a slight clinging aftertaste I haven't had with other brands, but it's over all a nice flavored salt for the price and honestly once it's in the food I can't tell any difference between this one and other brands. The truffle flavor is intense and when mixed into a dish, the aftertaste I mention above isn't noticeable.HOW TO USEMy favorite ways to use this is salt is to add it to unsalted herb butter to top a seared steak, or to red wine and beef sauce to drizzle over a roast. General rule I use is that if it goes well with a red wine or red meat it would be good with a hint of truffle. This isn't true all the time, or true for everyone's tastes, but it works well for us. This has the serious potential to overpower delicate or subtle flavors, so try it sparingly at first.RATINGIf given the option for half-stars, this would really be a 3.5 for me. It's good and works very well in dishes where you want a milder truffle flavor. It's cheaper, but the quality is relatively on par with more expensive brands and as much as we use this instead of iodized salt, it's a perfectly acceptable substitute for the more expensive brand we was using.PHOTOSPhoto 1 is a comparison of size between this jar and that which comes in the sampler pack and the difference in packagingPhoto 2 is a close up side view to see the truffle mixed inPhoto 3 compares the two tins of this salt with the finely milled version from the Salt Cellar (lower left small jar). Notice the difference in texture, as that's a much more finely milled salt (almost powder) compared to the courser grain of this brand.Other products mentioned and available on amazon for comparison:Casina Rossa Gourmet Sea Salt Gift Pack - 6 x 1.1 oz. Jars

This is the best truffle salt available at a reasonable price, in my opinion. I use it on steaks, eggs, and just about anything else that needs that special flavor.Note that the truffles used are Italian (I think) black Summer truffles, just about the cheapest truffles available. Still, they have a less artificial taste than what is used in cheaper kinds of truffle salt.

My obsession with truffles started at Cinebistro. It’s one of those places you can watch a movie and eat dinner. Not highbrow I realize- but I had to recreate their truffle fries. They’re just so good. I bought truffle oil which was greasy and didn’t taste much like truffles. I bought another kind of salt which very bland. Then I found this - Carina Rossa Truffle and Salt. It must be what they use because the fries (with a little Parmesan added) taste exactly the same. Its very savory tasting if you haven’t tried it. I use this truffle salt about three times a week now, since I’ve bought it. Not on fries though, on my morning hard boiled eggs. It’s like waking up to a little luxury every day. Makes them taste so extra. I’ll add that I’ve converted my teen daughter to the delicious flavor, and she mostly uses it for popcorn. The jar is a nice size, and I like that you can reach in with your fingers and sprinkle it on your food, rather than shake it out.