I was excited to find an affordable source of almonds since my family goes through a lot of them. Unfortunately, these are less expensive for a reason... compared to other almonds we but, these have a bitter taste as soon you as you put them into your mouth. The aftertaste is not as bitter, but they are not pleasant to eat. A big disappointment, since I bought an 8 pound bag. I should have known better and started with a one pound bag.I purchase almonds and cashews from this seller frequently in 8 and 10 pound bags. I have not had any problem with quality of taste in the past .This purchase was something I did not expect. I made almond butter with them, the taste was as if they are going bad so I threw it all out. I got up the next morning and took one almond out of the bag, it felt like there was dirt still on it and the color of the skin was darker than usual. I held it under water and rubbed it until the grit rinsed off. It still tasted as if it were going bad. I read the label and this bag was labeled as " Italian organic almonds" The picture of the back of the 8 pound bag that is shown at the top of this page simply states "Raw unpasteurized organic almonds " It is unfortunate I have received "Italian organic almonds" that I now need to throw out. I shall ask the seller for replacement keeping in mind that these are not returnable it appears that $86.50 will be flushed down the drain. Be aware . UPDATE 11/10/2019 Contacted seller to explain problem , they have issued a return label ( prepaid) . They will take the bag bag back even though it is open and will issue a full refund. I need to rate this company as a 5 star just for this !! The nuts are not as lucky .I liked the almonds. However, I was concerned to notice a sticky label had been placed over some previously printed information that was originally printed on the packaging. I needed to see the words non-pasteurized on the label and I did not see that. Raw is not raw if it is pasteurized. I had to grow my own almonds in California to achieve this as truly raw almonds are not longer sold in CA. What a shame..Almonds went from a stud to a dud once that pasteurized law was put into practice.I read the 1 star review and wasn't sure I wanted to take the risk, but am really glad now that I did! These are wonderful almonds--so flavorful...just like the ones my family used to get at Christmas time in the 1950's.The package in the picture looks exactly like the package the almonds arrived in. And yes, occasionally you will get a very strong almond. We got the occasional one back in the 1950's also. I just read the other day that those are not rotten or spoiled...just a nut that grew with more "essential almond oil" than normal.The regular almonds I was buying are much harder. These are a little chewier. I roasted a few of these at 350 degrees for 10 minutes in the oven and oh, my gosh--are they ever GOOD!Recent research on the Internet reveals that on the West Coast of the USA, almonds are harvested around September or October, depending upon the weather. So if there is also a harvest time in Spain where these almonds come from, then the longer out past the harvest time that you wait before ordering, the older the almonds will be.For what it is worth, I ordered the almonds at the end of September, and they are delicious. For those of us who have to eat the Paleo Diet way for life, due to health issues, getting really flavorful and high quality almonds is a really big deal, as they are a big source if non-dairy milk, sprouted, and also ground to make flour for a sort of "bread." I will be back for more--these are the real deal! Very, very pleased.We purchased a large bag of these mainly to make almond milk for smoothies and to replace regular lactose milk types, so far they have been working out well! We always soak and sprout them, but they do taste pretty good and smooth with a nice flavor just regular as a snack too. I read all of the info and reviews about raw/sprouting etc and it seems these are popular and legit as far as all that goes, though we are beginners to this area FTL seems to be reputable and well recommended.There were a decent amount of broken/cracked almonds, I suppose this can't be avoided but it did seem a little more than expected - I'd say maybe 15-20% overall. Again totally ok to snack on and taste yummy even without soaking so we just eat the cracked and broken ones this way, but it was a little disappointing - could be how these large bags all come though regardless of brandPrice is definitely not cheap but compared to other raw bags of this size it was a on the lower side, and if you are in the market for these you know you know they just cost more. Worth it though for us at least to have lactose free, healthy fresh almond milk :)Will definitely buy these again!What can I say? These are great! Love that they are organic and just almonds. I bought the 4lb bag as I’ve been making almond milk and the smaller bags don’t last as long.I regularly order these almonds over the years to make almond milk and almond butter. I sprout (soak) them and then make whatever I need to. Basic reason I buy these is because they are not sourced from the United States (which requires processing of all almonds). In the past, these almonds were from Spain and I had no issue with the taste. This time they came from Italy and there were more nuts with a bad taste. Given the amount I purchased (to get the discount), I did not ask for a return. They might have gladly done so, but I did not give the seller the opportunity. I can't see where to give them this feedback not in public via Amazon, so I am doing it here. Beware of buying too many nuts in case the batch is not so great. I would recommend these normally.These are not heavily processed almonds like you get in the store, these are a more nutritious and down earth product. I use them from cooking to making almond milk. I have been buying them for over a year and have not been disappointed.this are delicious BUT I thought I was getting a good deal and in fact I wasn't. They mean that these are nearly £45 a kilo which is 4 times the price of the rest which are just as good. RIP OFF!!!!!!! It was my mistake for not checking however so I only have myself to blame.Fresh and arrived in time. Thank you.Arrived speedily. Really easy to grind in the blender and brilliant addition to my breakfast cereal. Recommend highly.just bland , no almondy taste.Most of the almonds are really, really soft. The taste seemed off and stale compared to other almonds I’ve had in the past. There were a lot of broken almonds that became soggy and mushy in the bag. I can’t eat them raw because they are so soft. I will use the rest of the bag for baking, but I will not but this again.