The Higher Taste - Golden Slice

You might think that finding vegan grab & go foods would be like finding a unicorn, and in many places you might be right! But here in the Portland, OR area, we have The Higher Taste to fill that niche. So many grab & go products have a reputation of being pretty awful though, so you may be wondering how this sammich made out. Read on to see for yourself!


Buying. First of all, I don't think you'll find these sandwiches outside of the Portland, OR area. It's a small, local company making them, they are perishable and they don't seem like they would freeze well. I can usually find them at my local New Seasons or Whole Foods, in the cold case near the other grab & go goods. I've also spotted them at Food Fight downtown. Higher Taste's website has a map with locations, too.

For the sammich I'm reviewing here, I purchased it at Whole Foods for $4.69.

Bottom of the Golden Slice

Packaging. All of The Higher Taste's sandwiches come wrapped with cling wrap with clear tape holding it all closed, and a sticker label saying what it is on top. Unless you have something sharp handy, getting through the cling wrap can be a pain, and prepare for carrot bits to get everywhere.

No nutrition facts on the package, just ingredients.

Nutrition. Unfortunately, The Higher Taste does not seem to have any nutrition info* about their sammiches with the whole wheat buns (though they do for their hoagie roll sandwiches and most other products). So I'll just have to use my best judgement here based on the ingredients!

The bun looks pretty decent, it's whole wheat with some other grains. It does have some refined sugars and oil though. The tofu slab is well seasoned and I have to wonder just how much tamari they use, it is a bit salty so I'm gonna guess the sodium content is on the high side, but the tofu will also add a good amount of protein. The tofu slab also appears to have been sauteed in oil (bad fat!). Then there's the vegenaise, I love the stuff but it's really all fat, so between that and the sauteed tofu, fat content is probably high as well. And finally, shoestring carrots, pretty basic but they'll add some good fiber as the sandwich is packed with carrots.

Overall, I would not bank on this being a healthy item. Sure, it's not terrible with the wheat bun or carrots, but all the fat and salt is counting against it. It's probably on par with healthier fast food options, which is pretty much what this sandwich is.

*(After doing this write up, I realized that they did indeed had this information on their website, and since my assessment is pretty spot on, I'm leaving it as-is. Damn I'm good!)

The unwrapped sammich. CARROTS EVERYWHERE.

Nomming. No, it's not the best option out there health-wise, but it is damn tasty and really convenient. Even though the bun is whole wheat, it's still soft and tasty, and it holds its filling pretty well.

The tofu slab is delicious but maybe a little too salty, I really think they could ease up on the tamari a bit. I'm glad they don't go overboard with the nutritional yeast, I know some vegans go crazy for the stuff, but I can't stand it when it's a dominating flavor in anything (for those who've never had it, it has a unique, vaguely cheezy kinda nutty flavor. It is not the same as bread or brewers yeast).

Cross section for viewing pleasure. Look at that golden slice of tofu!
*drool*

There's a liberal amount of vegenaise in the sandwich, but I like it so I don't mind, it help with all the carrots anyway. Can I really complain about there being too much carrot in this? Yes, yes I can, and I will. It's not that I hate carrots, not at all! But, there's so much shoestring carrots in these sandwiches that they tend to fall out and get everywhere, and they're often a bit dry too. Still, I do like the carrots in there, they add a nice crunch where a lettuce would get soggy after sitting on a shelf  for just a few hours even. Perhaps shredded cabbage could be good on here as well, but you don't really get that option with a premade sandwich now, do you?

Bottom Line. The Higher Taste website. I like it. This isn't the first time I've purchased this sammich (and other offerings from Higher Taste), and it won't be the last. While I'm sure that I could easily make a healthier sandwich for cheaper on my own, it's great to have convenience options like this.