These Mabuti Sardines in Pure Olive Oil and Tomato Sauce also came from International Loft. Based upon my experience with the spiced variety, I am hoping these will be as impressive, but there's an unexpected aspect to this tin I'm curious about. Time to find out.
Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.
I'll cut right to the chase. The unusual thing about this tin is its date codes. The spiced variety I received at the same time was imprinted 145/25 and DEC/31/32. I took that to mean canned on the 145th day of 2025 (over a year ago) and an expiration date 7-ish years thereafter. But this tin had 014/22 and DEC/31/29. Again, a 7-plus year gap, but why are these more than three years older than the other? I decided to be optimistic and hope what I had in hand was potentially a vintage sardine experience.
Out of the unblemished wrapper, the tin was not rusty nor did it appear compromised in any way I could see. I forged ahead, and opened it. There was no suspicious aroma or appearance of degradation. In fact, they were not much different looking than almost any other tin of sardines in tomato sauce I've tried. Some loose skin like the other tin, but to a lesser extent. No scales apparent.
Let's See What We've Got Here
The sauce has a good bright color, with the appearance of crushed tomato in olive oil. A sip of it is somewhat bland, there being no additional seasoning to it other than salt.
In this case we have 6 fish as opposed to the 8 in the other tin, only mildly disappointing. Lifting them from the tin, they are not the "fall-apart-y" tender I was anticipating from the extra time in the can. I poured the remaining sauce over everything.
Digging in, they are still firm and have quite good sardine flavor that shines through the just-serviceable tomato sauce. I wouldn't characterize them as dry, but the moisture level I rate as acceptable. They're not too salty, despite the stated 500mg. sodium.
These pale in head-to-head comparison with the spiced version I received. That may or may not, however, have more to do with the three year difference in harvest and packing. Not the vintage experience the age might have implied, but then I wasn't paying for vintage sardines, either. My advice, if you order some, is stock up on the spiced and maybe try one can of these.
Main Takeaways
- Good sardine flavor
- Unremarkable tomato sauce
- Not the vintage sardine experience cans of this age often exhibit
Brand: Pinhais/Mabuti
Description: Sardines in olive oil and tomato sauce
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.17 oz.
Price Range: $6