Popcorn Around the World – An Epcot Popcorn Taste Test

Are you a popcorn lover? Maybe you’re like our Grandpa and pop a little bit every single day to snack on and enjoy. One of the things that my family always loves to do is “try all the things” and compare them to see what our favorites are. Today we’re at Epcot and we’re going to sample all the different freshly popped popcorn around the park!

Sadly this isn’t like the Japanese Disney Parks with a dozen different popcorn flavors. Here there are just three different popcorn flavors. Let’s go collect them!

Buttered popcorn can be found at many places, all around the Disney parks. This popcorn stand, which is actually named “Popcorn Stand” near the entrance to the World Showcase in Epcot has our favorite. Because it’s front and center, they are constantly popping corn so it’s always fresh. They also must mix their ingredients just a little differently because we find the popcorn here to be more yellow, flavorful, and buttery. If we’re going to compare it to other types of popcorn, might as well get the best. A regular container of popcorn here is $5.50, though a popcorn refill (as long as you have a souvenir bucket) is $2.25.

Our next stop for our first flavored popcorn is in the Canada pavilion. Canada, known for its maple leaves and maple syrup production, has a popcorn stand presenting…Maple Popcorn. Weren’t expecting that, were you?

To get that signature maple flavor, the popcorn kernels are mixed with Maple Cotton Candy sugar. 

And there’s quite a bit of Maple Popcorn that has been pre-made. A container of Maple Popcorn here is $6.50, though if you have a souvenir bucket, you can still get a refill for $2.25. 

Our last stop is the Karamell-Küche kitchen in the Germany pavilion with handcrafted caramel treats. 

This popcorn machine is a workhorse! I rarely see it not in use when we visit. There are large totes piled with popped kernels, waiting their turn to get caramelized. 

Speaking of, this is something I do not see often. I always see the workers take the popped kernels into the back room, then emerge with caramel popcorn to be bagged. It’s the first time I’ve seen this mixing machine in use, making sure each kernel gets an even coating. 

Look at all that popcorn waiting to be sold. It’s a very popular treat. When we were in line, the person in front of us, and the person behind us both ordered bags. On past visits, I’ve heard people ordering multiple bags to bring home for friends and family. 

Now that we’ve collected all the popcorn, let’s get to tasting it! 

Here’s our three popcorns. Maple Popcorn from Canada, Caramel Popcorn from Germany, and Buttered Popcorn from the World Showcase. 

First up is the Maple Popcorn. I tried this many times before, and honestly, I want to like it, but it never lives up to my expectations. I love the taste of maple— real maple syrup, maple donuts, maple sugar candies, and all that are some of my favorite treats— sadly, I can’t find a hint of it in this popcorn. It’s candy-coated, yes, and I get a toasted/burnt sugar flavor but no maple. That’s unfortunate. 

Next we’ll be trying the Werther’s Original Caramel Popcorn from the Germany pavilion’s Karamell-Küche. 

This popcorn has a sweet buttery flavor. There’s a light caramel flavor to it, but it’s not overpowering. The popcorn also has a bit of a chewiness to it, which means they are taking the temperature of the caramel to the low side of the “hard crack” stage. It’s tasty to be sure. I can see why it’s so popular. 

For our final popcorn, we found the butteriest, most yellow popcorn that we could. There’s a reason it’s so popular and is sold everywhere. It’s delicious! It’s salty and has a lot of buttery flavor. 

For the rest of us, the Werther’s Original Popcorn is the winner. It’s great!

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