Critique of some new Penzey's Spices

Last week my friend Jody and I stopped at the local Penzey's Spices store to stock up on spices and use our coupons for a free new spice. We could choose a 1/2 cup jar of one of three new spices. Unfortunately, they were sold out of her choice, the new Tuscan Sunset, "a salt-free Italian-style seasoning." Apparently it's very popular with the spice enthusiasts. I do way too much Italian-style cooking and my spice drawer is overflowing with "Italian-style seasonings," so I opted for the Smoky 4/S Specially Seasoned Sea Salt. Jody swears by the original 4/S blend, so I thought I'd give this a try.

When I got home with my free jar of Smoky 4/S, I noticed two other new jars of spice I'd gotten during recent Penzey's visits. So, I decided to cook 3 chicken breasts on the grill that night, one flavored with each of the new spices. Here's my critique:

Smoky 4/S: While the smell was rather strong in the jar, the flavor was surprisingly subtle. Jason commented that it just tasted salty. I agree - it was like using salt with a dash of paprika. Okay, but not great.

Northwoods Seasoning: This one smelled a lot like the Smoky 4/S in the jar, but it had a lot more flavor on the chicken. We both really liked this flavor. Not too salty, some smokiness and very flavorful but not overpowering. This was my favorite.

Mural of Flavor: despite its lame-ass name, this spice was good. It's a blend of a dozen spices. This was Jason's favorite, which I expected because it was very similar to an Italian Seasonings blend. Like Italian Seasonings with a little citrus twist to it, but not overly tangy. I thought it was okay.

BTW, Penzey's website navigation sucks and it looks like the owner's 16-year-old kid designed it. The information is pretty much what is in their catalogs, and it is informative. I hope they re-design it soon and make it more modern and funky.