Tayto Cheese & Onion

These are the 'original Irish crisp' according to the bag.  If this is true I do not know, but surely they will be delicious?  I like cheese and onion things.  So perhaps these will be delicious!?  They are also made with 100% sunflower oil so... that's... probably good?

The bag has a super happy potato on it, which is surely a sign of good things to come?  Also, um... sorry for the vacation last week.  I will try to make it up to you lovelies with a double post at some point.  Hurrah!

But what do they taste like?
Onion-y over cheese-y surely - I mostly taste the onion rather than cheese, but the onion flavor is good!  It's a bit of a mild onion - not raw and painful which is good.  The chips themselves also have some nibblies of potato skin on them which is kinda neat?  While the cheese isn't quite there, I do think the onion flavor is pretty spot on.

Interestingly, these aren't as salty or flavorful as I was expecting.  They certainly taste onion-y, but I guess I expected more cheese and punch?  The mildness probably isn't a bad thing, though - I can see how onion could get suuuper overpowering, making this rather unpleasant.  I suspect this is the balance of 'you can taste the onion, but everything doesn't taste like onions' which is fine by me!

I feel like maybe these are supposed to be put on sandwiches?  Maybe that's why - it adds a bit of onion/cheese punch to something?  I dunno, but if you're looking for a chip that tastes of onions and the slightest hint of cheese then give these a shot!

Rating

Bamba

Today I'm trying 'Bamba' which are, as described by Wikipedia: "...made from peanut butter-flavored puffed corn. ... Some describe it as "Cheez Doodles without the cheese.""  These were bough in Israel by my friend Maggie (thanks!), who knows my quest to try strange new chips.  I don't even think there's English on the bag!  Excitement!  But... there is a strange, blue diapered baby... I'm not sure what that means.

After opening the bag, I certainly smell the peanut butter.  And they do look like Cheez Doodles!  Perhaps this will be exactly what it says on the tin?

But what do they taste like?
Peanut butter-y, but also kinda dry?  It's also not very salty, which was unexpected.  I think they'd actually benefit from a bit of salt.  It kinda tastes like eating a spoonful of creamy no salt added peanut butter, with rice puff powder in it?  I mean - I like em, though they, like saltines, make your mouth feel super dry.  Actually, come to think of it, peanut butter does that too.

I guess my biggest confusion with these comes from them tasting creamy, like you'd expect peanut butter to, but then tasting dry and puffy?  I don't know if there's a way to make a creamy chip necessarily, but peanut butter flavor doesn't need puff.  I don't think so at least.

But still!  If you're into peanut butter, and like the texture of Cheez Doodles, but hate the cheese... I'd give these a shot.  Or, if you just like peanut butter flavored things (as I do).  They're yummy, but it's disconcerting to taste peanut butter with the texture of a Cheez Doodle.  For me, at least!  Perhaps you'll have a different experience?

Rating

Annie Chun's Roasted Seaweed Snacks: Sesame

Bit different this week since these aren't strictly 'chips', I suppose.  BUT!  I keep finding them in the chip aisle, and I would certainly eat seaweed like potato chips, given the option.  And I HAVE been given the option!  I've been known to, from time to time, get sheets of nori from the supermarket to just eat.  No plans of making sushi or any of that nonsense.  Just seaweed.  Nom.

So this, this is exciting!  It's also yet another purchase from 7/11.  They like to keep me well stocked.  Personally, and without trying them, I'd prefer a different flavor to sesame (even plain!), but my options were sesame or wasabi and I'm not a big fan of wasabi.  Who knows, though - sesame seaweed might be my new favorite thing!

But what do they taste like?
Salty!  Always a good sign for seaweed.  A more intense, sort of... deeper salt flavor than the usual nori.  I'm not sure if it's the sesame or what, but I don't taste much sesame otherwise.  It's also thinner than regular sheets of nori, I suspect because no one would make sushi with it, so it doesn't need to hold together.

Also strange is that they're too big to eat in one bite.  These are little chip nibblies!  Why must they be just a bit too big?  It's not too bad, and this seaweed isn't as flaky as regular seaweed, so it works out.  Still - one bite would be easier.  I'm digging the saltiness of these, but I'd prefer a bit punchier seaweed flavor.  I like the taste a lot, and feel there should be more of it, as I'm just eating bits of seaweed.  It also suffers from seaweed's problem of 'turns to mush very quickly'.  Not at all like a chip, where it stays 'chip-y' while chewing.  I expected this, but you perhaps, might not!  And now you shall.

Anyways - I'm absolutely going to eat all of these right now, even though they could taste a bit more like seaweed and a bit less like salt.  I really don't taste 'sesame' much at all, though it is a pretty mild flavor I suppose.  If you like seaweed (or, if you find seaweed a bit too seaweed flavored, and not salty enough), I'd definitely give these a shot!  Just... don't expect to feel full after - they're not very filling!

Rating

Cheetos Mix-Ups Cheezy Salsa Mix

Sorcery and witchcraft!  It's a mix of different Cheetos types in the same bag!  There was another bag in the store, but it didn't have a strange green 'jalapeno cheddar' thing in it, so I passed.  Why get normal Cheetos when I can get strange green ones?  No reason is why!

The flavors are:  salsa picante, chipotle cheddar, jalapeno cheddar and cheddar.  Cheddar seems like a standard cheez doodle type chip, while the salsa picante is more like a cheeto.  The other two are like a waffle fry (chipotle cheddar), and a green tater tot (jalapeno cheddar).  Let the battle for ultimate mix flavor... begin!

But what do they taste like?
Salsa picante: I thought these would have more flavor actually.  They're like cheetos, but there's... the tiniest hint of tomato flavor?  Not much spice and not much cheese though.  They really don't taste like much of anything other than some slight spiciness.  These were the mildest of the bunch, which was unexpected.
Chipotle cheddar: chemical-y, chipotle flavor right off the bat.  It tastes the way cheese sauce smells, if that makes any sense.  It's a strong, sort of smokey cheese flavor that stays pretty strong throughout.  It's not bad, but it's definitely the strongest chemical flavor of the bunch.  It's also a very thick chip, while the others are smaller bites.
Jalapeno cheddar: jalapeno-y, but not in a painful way yet.  They get a little spicier as you go, but not too bad.  A tiny bit of a kick, but they taste pretty good!  The green is... a little off-putting, but I guess you... might not know it's jalapeno otherwise?  All things considered it's pretty mild - like a cheez doodle that tastes spicier than cheez-y.
Cheddar: pretty much your standard cheddar flavor, but weirdly, every single chip seems to have the jalapeno green on it, so they all have a bit of a punch.  Basically... think 'cheez doodle' and you've got the cheddar flavor.

All four flavors at once: it's... weird.  Pretty much a spicy, chemical-y mix that has a strong cheez doodle flavor.  The problem with these is that the 'cheddar' and 'chipotle cheddar' are all way bigger than the others, overpowering them.  It's not much of a mix and match bag.  Eating a handful without the 'cheddar' flavor is actually better, just because the cheddar flavor is pretty overpowering.

Overall these are fine, but a bit strange.  The green from the jalapeno cheddar is pretty strange looking, and when it gets on the cheez doodles it makes them look moldy, even when they're not.  The flavors are aren't bad - bit cheesy and spicy, but, all the same, I don't think I'd buy them again.

Rating

Doritos Jumpin' Jack

As with the Doritos Tacos, these are in the weird throwback bag.  I'm not sure why since it looks weird.  I saw these in 7/11, which, all things considered, does a pretty good job of stocking strange chips, so I snagged a bag.

On first open, they remind me a lot of Cool Ranch Doritos (super delicious), so that's a good start.

But what do they taste like?
They taste a bit like pepper jack cheese, as you'd expect, since that's what the label says, but it's mostly 'Doritos chip' flavor.  More than anything else it's just salty with a little bit of kick (and when I say a little bit - it's barely there) from the cheese and... that's about it.  There's some weird 'cheese' sense when you first bite into it on some chips - I suspect it's on ones that were especially flavor blasted.  But, unfortunately it doesn't last for long and you're left with tortilla chip and spice flavor.

Do they taste good?  Sure!  Hard to go too far wrong with Doritos that taste like a chip, but is there some sort of magical awesome pepper jack cheese flavor going on?  No... not really.  I certainly wouldn't eat these and think 'ah yes, pepper jack flavored Doritos'.  It's like... a very mild Cool Ranch and maybe the slightest hint of pepper jack cheese.

So, while they taste fine, I wouldn't really go out of my way to get these.  I'd much prefer some Cool Ranch, or even regular Nacho flavor over these, just because it's a more distinct flavor.  All I get after these pepper jack chips is a tiny bit of mouth burn and tortilla chip taste.  And... that's kinda boring.  It seems like, unless the cheese flavor is 'nacho' Doritos is kinda out of its depth on cheese flavorings.

Rating

Lay's Cheesy Garlic Bread

So Lay's is doing this promotion I guess where they have three new chip flavors: Chicken and Waffles, Cheesy Garlic Bread and Sriracha.  We, the American people, get to decide which is chosen!  These are Cheesy Garlic Bread and I'm excited.  I love a good garlic bread, especially the cheesy sort.

But... the smell isn't particularly cheesy or garlic bread-y.  They smell more like plain chips than anything, and there are no seasoning nibblies on it.  This isn't super promising.

But what do they taste like?
Garlic-y.  Actually... these are pretty good.  They don't do the cheesy part well, but they do the base garlic bread part well I think.  I'm actually pretty impressed that they taste like garlic bread, and not just garlic.  But, the problem is that they rarely taste like garlic bread.  Maybe it's the lack of seasonings that keeps these from having a stronger flavor, which is disappointing because the flavor that's there is tasty.  This tastes a bit butter-y, too.  Yummy!  There's now a stronger flavor of buttery bread than garlic and cheese.

Buuuut, the big problem is that the flavor just isn't that strong.  I'd imagine that with the Chicken and Waffles chips I'll appreciate a lack of flavor, but cheesy garlic bread is delicious!  Why hide this flavor with potato chip flavor?

Bottom line?  These are pretty good, but they just don't pack much of a punch for me.  What I'd like to see is actual, powerful garlic bread flavor.  That sounds delicious!  I want this chip flavor times three or four.  And maybe some actual cheese taste, too.  That'd be nice.

Rating

Lays Garden Tomato & Basil

I've seen these around enough that I'm not sure they're 'strange' anymore, but I can only find them at a few places (Duane Reade being one of them) and I've never tried them so I pronounce them: 'strange chips'.  And now I shall eat them!  I'm not sure how the 'garden' bit factors in... perhaps these are certified organic?

But what do they taste like?
Tastes tomato-y and basil-y, but not super strongly of either.  There's a satisfying tomato taste at the first bite, and then the basil follows, but it disappears pretty quickly after that.  Where do you go, flavor?  Has someone stolen you?  For the most part these taste a bit like they have tomato paste on them... not quite tomatoes, but something a bit chemically.  This works well for me as I love the taste of tomato paste, but it's perhaps misleading from the bag.  I am not tasting garden fresh tomatoes, Lay's!

Are they bad?  No, certainly not.  Are they good?  Yeah, they're pretty good.  Would I seek them out again?  Ehhhh - if it was the choice between that and plain Lay's then sure.  If I had other options?  Probably not.  They taste kinda like a tomato-y BBQ chip almost, but the regular Lay's BBQ chips are better... stronger.  These are pretty mild, and if you like tomato or basil I suspect you'll like these.  If you're looking for something that will punch you in the face with flavors then you'll probably do better elsewhere.

Rating

Walkers Tomato Ketchup

I've found that I kinda like ketchup flavored chips so I'm pretty excited for these.  They certainly smell ketchup-y.  I'm a bit confused by the added 'tomato' in the title... what other sort of ketchup would it be?  I'm quite sure I don't know.

Bag is pretty basic and pink-ish which I guess stands for... ketchup?

But what do they taste like?
Wow salty.  Not in a bad way, but surprising.  They're salty and have the tanginess of ketchup without all of the tomato flavor.  It's an odd mix.  It tastes a bit like what I'd imagine the clear stuff that sometimes comes out of the ketchup bottle would taste like.  They're also a bit deceptive, as they don't look particularly ketchup-y, but, in fact, they are!  Mysterious.

Tangy is definitely the word I'd use to describe these.  I happen to like tangy, so I like these just fine, but I can see someone expecting a more traditional 'ketchup' flavor being confused.  Do I like 'em?  Sure!  They're ketchup chips and those are neat.  I don't remember much about the Lays version, but I'd be interested in comparing the two.  Which ketchup chip is supreme!?  Who knows?!

Rating

Kettle Honey Dijon

Honey dijon seems like such a weirdly specific chip flavor.  Not just honey mustard, but honey dijon.  That distinction is maybe important.  Equally possible that it's not important!  I also like how the bag is very very orange.  It's like a pumpkin.  So festive.

The bag is pretty small, and there are even fewer chips.  Not off to the best start if these are delicious.  But, on the other hand, if they're terrible... I don't have to eat as many!

But what do they taste like?
Very strongly of honey mustard.  And... maybe a little dijon?  There's a kick to this honey mustard, but it is definitely honey mustard.  The only problem is that Kettle chips tend to be weirdly greasy in an unpleasant way.  I always feel like I need to wipe my hands after every chip.  They are pretty salty as well which I enjoy.

Sometimes the flavor seems to be a little inconsistent - some chips have a very strong taste and others less so.  It is a very sweet honey mustard for the most part - there's a bit of a bite, but it's mostly pretty mellow.  I wish they weren't greasy kettle chips, but the flavor's tasty!  Would buy again, but only if I had napkins on hand to get rid of the grease.  Tooooo greasy.

Rating

Walkers Quavers

Billed as a 'light curly potato snack' I somehow thought these would be like Cheetos.  They are not!  Well - they might be taste-wise, but they aren't shape...wise.  Got these at the British shop where I've purchased some other goodies.  Actually... I probably need to go back soon.  Anyway - these are 'cheese flavour' so I expect these will taste like cheese.

Off the bat - I was confused by the shape.  They look like Fritos, but smell like Cheetos!  How do they do such sorcery?

But what do they taste like?
A little, and not unpleasantly, like a cheese Funyun.  And... I'm kinda okay with that.  It's like a Funyun without all the little nibblies that fall off of it, and with a hint of cheese.  Salty, yet a little savory, but mostly salty.  The cheese is pretty fake tasting, but that's to be expected really.

Eating them is noisy, but the actual chip isn't hard - it's rather soft.  They're also weird shapes which is fun, but sometimes hard to grab a handful as bits fall off.  I mostly taste salt over cheese, but hey - I am a big fan of salt, so that's no problem for me.  I think I'd like these better if they were cheesier (hey - they're cheese flavour - I want what I pay for), but I am rather fond of them.

I'd definitely get these again, despite the cheese tasting a little chemically.  There's something fun about eating them and how noisy they are while also being delicious.  They're almost a little too salty, but not enough that it bothers me.

Rating

Bissli Falafel Flavor Wheat Party Snack

I have no idea what these are.  Well... that's not entirely true.  My friend got these for me (thanks!), but they're falafel flavored wheat party snacks.  So... I understand what they are, but not how they came to be I suppose.  Was there a falafel shaped hole in the chip market?  Evidently.  I do like falafel so these could be pretty delicious!

First thoughts: they're like the nibbles that go on top of salads.

But what do they taste like?
They taste a lot like falafel actually, but they're far crunchier than I thought they'd be.  And a little saltier, which is never a bad thing.  But these actually do a pretty good job of tasting like falafel!  It's just the super crunchiness that's a little weird.  I expect something that tastes so much like falafel to be softer I guess?

Otherwise these are pretty good!  If you don't like falafel you won't like these either because its' really kinda amazing how much they taste like an actual falafel.  They are truly falafel flavored.  I do wish that they weren't so crunchy, but otherwise I'd eat them again.

I guess the biggest problem is that they have a very specific flavor.  Most chips I'm happy to eat whenever, but these I feel like I'd need to want to eat falafel.  Oh man - I just realized... I bet these would go great with humus.  Anyway... if you like falafel and happen to see these weird chip type things... give 'em a shot!

Rating

 

Barcel Mini Takis Fuego

Sorry for the delay on this!  Christmas had me all tied up, and I missed my usual Tuesday post.  So... here's a Wednesday post?  I bought these the same place I bought last week's Barcel Chipotles Chipotle & Cheese, as they seemed intriguing and were a small bag so if they're crap then hey - at least there aren't many.

At first glance these seem pretty much exactly like the Doritos Dinamita Chile Limon chips I tried a few months ago.  I've also, via the internet, discovered the Fuego means fire?  Apparently I'm in for some mouth burn-y ness.  Hooray?  I should've known when the bag said it was a 'hot chili pepper & lime flavored corn snack'.

But what do they taste like?
Not fiery pain at first - they're actually pretty good.  A very lime-y type thing going on.  But then the pain.  Ow - it was so strong I actually coughed, just because what else was there to go?!  Trying again.  A bit better this time, but then as soon as I try to actually eat the chip, rather than just chew it, it burns my throat something fierce.  Spike-y bits of ow that still make me cough.  There's kinda... no way around it which is a bummer, as I like how they taste.  Even the mouth burn I'm getting isn't unpleasant... it's just the fact that I can't actually eat them without my throat hurting.  It's a bit better with each subsequent chip, but it still hurts.

At first bite they actually taste a lot like Fritos and then there's a kinda nice chili-lime flavor, but then I try to swallow and pain.  I can't eat these in polite company, or in any company for that matter!  I'd just be sitting there coughing, with my eyes watering and my nose running.  That sounds super appealing, no?

The problem is... I actually kinda like the flavor.  Despite the pain... I keep eating them.  It helps a little to take a drink of water while eating, which kinda dilutes it, but defeats the purpose of a chip really.  So, while I like the flavor, I can't eat them without coughing and having mouth pain so I can't really rate these highly.  Still... I do like the flavor if only it didn't try to hurt me.

Rating

 

Barcel Chipotles Chipotle & Cheese

I saw these chips in several different stores, in equally battered bags, before finally finding a not destroyed bag in Brooklyn.  Am I excited to try these?  Not... particularly.  The cheese appears to be Swiss, which I'm not a huge fan of, and the chipotle part of it seems to just be a wrinkly pepper.  Awesome.  BUT!  I am trying these chips for SCIENCE!  Not to enjoy them!  Okay... sometimes to enjoy them.

These are corn chips, which I only realized when I dumped them onto the plate.  It says on the bag, but I apparently chose to ignore it.  I'm unsure why they're corn chips, or if it will make for a better experience.  I suppose we shall see.  Some of the chips are covered in the seasoning, while others seem to be a bit skimpy.  As far as the smell... have you had Japanese seaweed salad?  They smell kinda like that.  Promising!

But what do they taste like?
Very corn chip-y.  Then there's the painful spice, but it's more of a spicy salsa burn, rather than just pain (which I've found in other chips).  On the first bite I actually taste a slight hint of the cheese and it actually tastes a little like Swiss.   Well done, bag designer.  You know... weirdly, and despite making my eyes water a little, I kinda like these.  Yeah, they're painful, but the flavor is kinda working for me.  There's sort of a... smoothness, that I expect is the 'cheese' part and then a pretty strong spice kick that's the chipotle.  But it's more than just spice - it's spice with flavor.  Weirdly, the first flavor I taste each bite is a bit like what it smells like which is still that strange seaweed salad flavor.  Not super appealing, but it gets better from there.

Also, they're kinda shaped like apostrophes, so that's fun!  I do, in fact, think the corn chip helps these out.  There's something nice about the solid chip with all this spiciness, instead of something flimsy.  I wasn't kidding about my eyes watering, by the way.  They totally are.  And yet... I keep eating these because, pain aside, they actually taste pretty good.  I don't think I'd get them often, as they are kinda really hurting my mouth, but I'd eat them again, assuming I had some tissues handy.

Rating