Ruffles Max Loaded Bacon & Cheddar

I've heard good things about these Ruffles Loaded Bacon & Cheddar chips so I'm pretty excited.  Also, bacon.  So... you know... my hopes are pretty high.

 

I'm guessing that the baked potato part is the chip, while the rest of the flavors are the seasoning bits.  Somehow I thought these would be orange-r, but they look more like sour cream and onion.  They also don't smell great.  I'm not sure what they smell like, but... maybe a little tangy?

But what do they taste like?
They taste like sour cream and onion with a hint of bacon.  And, as with all Ruffles chips, they taste strongly of greasy potato chips and they feel like it too.  Overall I'm pretty unimpressed.  They don't taste bad, don't get me wrong.  I'd happily eat these, but they're not very bacon-y.  Each chip is actually less bacon-y than the last.  They taste more like sour cream and onion than anything else actually.  If these had more bacon flavor they'd be pretty awesome.

Maybe it's just me, but the flavor I taste most when I eat Ruffles is grease.  The flavor is nearly always either drowned out, or at least muted, but it's never as strong as I'd like.  I just can't get over the greasiness to want to eat more of them.  Maybe I got a bad bag?  I really thought these would have a stronger flavor.  All I'm left with right now is a lingering taste of sour cream and onion.

Rating

Walkers Worcester Sauce

I'm a bit nervous about these Walkers Worcester Sauce chips, as I don't particularly like Worcester sauce.  But I am willing to give these a shot for chip tasting science!

The bag is purple, the chips are from the UK chip shop I sometimes go to.  They also smell a bit like ketchup.  Kinda tangy ketchup maybe?

But what do they taste like?
Salty and tangy and... not that bad!  I'm honestly kinda shocked.  They won't be my favorite chips, but I actually... like these.  Not a lot, mind you, but enough that I'll keep eating them.  Though... the more I eat them... the more I like them.  I know!  I'm as surprised as you are!  I forget what Worcester sauce tastes like, as I don't eat it often, but these... are... a little like BBQ sauce maybe?  But they're not!  It's like tangier BBQ sauce.  Maybe... it's a bit like salt and vinegar chips and also BBQ sauce?

Let the record show that I've happily polished off the whole bag.  I opened these up figuring I'd eat a few and give up on them, but no!  I'm still trying to properly define the flavor.  Okay - here's what it comes down to.  The flavor isn't super overpowering, but it's subtly delicious.  I don't know if it tastes like Worcester sauce (it might!), but I like it.  If anything, I'd almost prefer it to be a bit stronger. 

Does this mean I need to try Worcester sauce again?  Maybe!  Does it mean that I want to find and eat these chips again?  Absolutely.

Rating

Doritos Blazin' Buffalo & Ranch

If you know me you may know that I think ranch is awesome.  On salad?  Sweet - best salad ever.  Dipping things in it?  Sup, buffalo wings, you're looking delicious.  Blue cheese?  No thanks - that's gross.  Check plus ranch dressing.  So, needless to say, when I saw these I decided I should buy them.  I would've preferred  a smaller bag in case these are awful, but they didn't have a smaller bag!  Of course, I ended up finding a smaller bag at a different store later in the week, but that's not the point.  I have these now.

Let's hope they're good because I have a ton of them.  First off - they look like regular cheese Doritos and kinda smell like them.  Not getting much of a buffalo or ranch smell.  The orange flavor dust is so orange it's nearly radioactive.  Exciting!

But what do they taste like?
Spicy.  But not buffalo wing spicy, like the Pringles Blastin' Buffalo Wing - it's more of a generic spice.  Maybe it's just me, but I'm not really tasting the buffalo or the ranch taste.  To be fair, it probably isn't easy to make one chip taste like two flavors, but I don't think they've quite done it.  The actual taste isn't obvious.  My mouth mostly just burns a little right now.  It really doesn't taste like much, weirdly.  Or, at least, not of buffalo wings or ranch.

They don't taste bad - Doritos rarely do, but they're also very much not buffalo wings and ranch which is kinda strange since some of them are nearly neon with flavor.  They're a bit spicy and mouth burn-y, but not really anything more than that.

As far as wanting something that tastes like buffalo wings or ranch these definitely miss the mark.  That being said, they don't taste bad necessarily... they're pretty much just mildly spicy nacho Doritos that don't quite taste like cheese.  Weird.

Rating

Wild Bill's Bacon Jerky

It's Thursday!  And on this particular Thursday you shall get another non-chip review!  Aw yeah!  Bacon.  I know.  Bacon.  I was at 7/11, a surprisingly good place to find strange chips and/or snack products, and saw these in the beef jerky section.  There was no way I was leaving the store without these.  And now they are mine!

Wild Bill himself looks a bit odd, but I have high hopes for his bacon jerky.  Also, it's 'bodacious' apparently.  And why wouldn't it be?  Bacon.  Aw yeah.  At first glace this is actually kinda promising.  It smells super bacon-y and it looks like thick cut bacon.  The color is a little off, but I'm assuming that's because it's jerky.

But what does it taste like?
Saltier than regular bacon (if that's possible).  Super salty.  That's actually what I taste more than anything.  The bacon taste is secondary to the extreme saltines.  And I like salt - don't get me wrong.  But this might actually be too salty, even for me.  You kinda have to look for the bacon taste under the salt.  Still, it must be said - it does taste like bacon.  They actually do a really solid job with the taste (under the salt).  It's also a little disconcerting how old it seems.

I know it's jerky and it can last, but I can't quite shake the feeling that I'm just eating old bacon.  You'll also never confuse this with actual bacon.  Something critical is missing - these just look kinda lonely and weird.  I don't think it's something that's fixable necessarily, but if you're expecting these to be exactly like bacon... well... they aren't.  These are so salty I actually think I won't be finishing them.  It's just too much.

Would I get these again?  No, I probably wouldn't.  I know, I'm shocked too.  But it's just too salty to really be appealing.  I like salt and I like bacon, but too much salt can ruin anything.  As long as you're prepared for how salty it is... if you want some bacon without actually doing any work you could do worse than this.  Also, they somehow gets less appealing as time goes by.

Rating

 

Good Health Natural Foods Barcelona Barbecue

This name is certainly a mouthful!  I can't actually tell which brand they are.  Avocado Oil chips?  Good Health?  I don't know.  But I'm intrigued!  My dad saw these at a natural type supermarket and picked up a bag for me.  Excellent!

First things first.  These were weirdly hard to open since the top bit is so thick.  Other than that, seems pretty standard.  Mild barbecue smell when you first open it, but that's about it.

But what do they taste like?
Pretty mild actually.  I can't really taste the barbecue flavor - maybe Barcelona doesn't have strong bbq?  I also don't know how the avocado oil factors in.  They don't taste all that different from regular kettle cooked chips.  They are a bit saltier than I'd expect - somehow I feel like the avocado oil would be less salty.

Even though they're mild... I do like 'em.  They're just not exactly what it says on the tin, as it were.  I'm not getting any sense of Barcelona (which is fine since I have no idea what that would mean), but there's really not much barbecue to speak of either.  There's something kinda smooth in the flavor... maybe that's the avocado oil?  They do seem to get saltier as I eat them, which is odd.

Would I get them again?  Yeah, probably, since they grew on me, but I wouldn't get them if I was hankerin for some barbecue chips.  You do get a BBQ flavor, but it's pretty mild - not as mild as the Lay's Honey BBQ, but I wouldn't necessarily eat these and think 'ah yes, barbecue'.

Rating

Walkers Sensations Thai Sweet Chili

More Walkers chips - thank you, UK candy store nearby that also sells chips!  They had this bag and I bought them.  Simple as that, friends.

The bag itself has two chili peppers on it, so I'm expecting to be in some pain.  Wahoo!  But, when I open the bag up... possible deception!  These mostly just smell like potatoes.  And look a little like Christmas with their red and green speckles.

But what do they taste like?

Like weirdly spicy potatoes is what they taste like.  My tongue is burning and I can't even pinpoint which taste of the chip caused it.  It's just burn-y.  They're really pretty mild, apart from the sudden onset mouth burn that disappears nearly as quickly as it arrived.

I wish I had more to say, but these don't taste like much more than spiced potatoes.  This is not what I expected from Thai Sweet Chili - or from Sensations!  With a bag like that I thought there'd be sensations.

Overall?  Not worth it.  The spiciness is without any real flavor and if I wanted chips that tasted like potatoes, I'd buy plain chips.  They're not awful, but I wouldn't buy them again

Rating:

Dirty Potato Chips Sundried Tomato and Basil

These I've been looking forward to!  I love sun-dried tomatoes (and tomatoes in general, come to that) and basil.  Let the chip eating commence!

To start, they have a very strong smell that smells more like strange basil and maybe a hint of tomato paste.  They also have weird brown seasoning nibblies everywhere which I can only imagine is the basil flakes?  Some chip are an orange-y/red which is the tomato, no doubt.

But what do they taste like?
Salty.  They taste very salty.  With a very strong, sweet sort of tomato paste aftertaste.  I don't know if I'd call these tomato and basil - I'm not sure what I'd call them, but they're not bad.  They're also weird.  I don't quite know how I feel about them.  The strongest taste is the taste of tomato paste and salt I think, and a bit of sweetness after (leftover from the paste taste?).

One thing that's so nice about chips is they go with so many different meals.  These?  Their flavor is so strong I'm not sure what you'd eat them with that they wouldn't completely overpower.  There are also some absolutely giant chips in this bag which seems strange.  Somehow kettle chips seem like they should be smaller.

While I like these, the flavor is so strong and... unique... that I can't see myself eating them again unless I want this specific tomato paste-y flavor.  I can't think of anything these would go well with other than overkill on tomato soup maybe.  Still, they aren't bad - I like the flavor well enough... it's just that a few of these go a looooong way.

Rating

Walkers Cheese and Onion

I picked these up at the UK store near my apartment.  I think I've heard that the cheese and onion are good, but I can't remember.  Still... I like cheese and I like onion so how bad can it be?  They had a bag of these in MAX style, that looked like Ruffles (with ridges), but I opted for the original after the salesguy recommended them.

Walkers seem to be the Lay's of the UK so they look pretty much as expected.  Though, Walkers never seem to have flavoring stuff on them.  I'm used to onion nibblies being green (from sour cream and onion chips) so these chips seem deceptively plain.

But what do they taste like?
Salty!  The strongest flavors are the salt and onion.  The onion has a bit of a bite to it - almost like eating raw onions, rather than cooked ones.  I'm not really getting much 'cheese' actually.  The flavor doesn't last very long, which isn't that surprising considering the chips look like they have no seasoning on them.

I wish I tasted more cheese - or knew if I was tasting cheese.  I can definitely taste the onion, but the cheese is much more subtle.  Maybe the cheese is supposed to be that saltiness that hits the first time you bit into a chip?  Not sure, but the onion is definitely the main flavor. 

Still, despite not being cheese-y enough, they're pretty good!  I do wish the flavor lasted longer - after a minute or two I just taste a hint of onion and chip, but other than that it's pretty mild.  These aren't my favorite chips, but I'd get them again.  I like onions so the stronger onion flavor doesn't bother me.  If you hate onions, though, I'd give these a pass.

Rating

Lay's Spicy Ketchup

I bought these right before seeing Dark Knight Rises and I'm fairly certain they got a bit crumpled in my bag, but oh well.  I bought 'em because I hadn't seen them before and of course I suddenly saw them all over the place after.  If they're good that just means I'll be able to find them again!  Sweet.

The bag is bright red and the chips are bright red.  They clearly understand that ketchup is red.  The only thing that isn't red (minus parts of the Lay's logo) are the bowl the ketchup is in, and the jalapeno.  Everything else is red as all get out.

But what do they taste like?
They taste ketchup-y and spicy.  It's the kind of spice that burns my throat, rather than my mouth, which is kinda weird.  There's also a little bit of saltiness in there too - these are Lay's after all.  The flavor isn't actually all that strong after a minute - I tasted more of the chip than the ketchup.  I kinda like these, but the extra spiciness isn't really needed I don't think.

Eating these is a lot like eating plain Lay's chips that got some ketchup on them.  You taste the ketchup from time to time, but you also taste the plain Lay's.  Also, the 'spicy' gets stronger than the actual flavor quite quickly so I really didn't find myself tasting much ketchup.

There's also a very uneven seasoning distribution.  Some of the chips are practically red with flavoring, and others look like they barely got any.  These chips did make me want to try regular ketchup chips, though.  I think without the extra spice these could be pretty good, but as is they leave my mouth burning a bit too long.  If you've tried the ketchup chips and felt that they didn't make your mouth burn enough, you could do worse than picking up a bag of these.

Rating

Marmite Flavour Potato Crisps

I'll be honest.  I'm terrified.  I don't like Vegemite (and I've tried it properly with a friend who likes it fixing me a sandwich of it) and I don't like Marmite.  Even my friends who like Vegemite don't like Marmite.  But here these chips sit.  Mocking me.

Bag open.  They smell awful.  They smell like Marmite I guess.  Potent.  It smells like an old shoe maybe?  I'm trying not to be biased against these from the start, but the smell is really not helping here.  Ok... here it goes nothin.

But what do they taste like?
I picked one without a lot of Marmite flavor on it and mostly tasted chip.  Tolerable.  A bit like eating weird tasting cardboard I'd imagine.  Time to stop mucking about - I'm going to try one that's covered in flavor.  It's not as bad as I thought, but it's not nice either.  And the chips themselves weirdly disintegrate as you eat them.  I'm actually shocked at how not awful these are.  But, let's not kid ourselves here - I am never eating them again after this.

They're very salty for the first bit and then weirdly bland.  Rarely eating Marmite, I can't verify if these taste all that much like it, but I don't think they do.  I remember a strong dislike of Marmite and I can't even muster up the energy to dislike these.  I really expected to have my socks knocked off with horrible flavors and these were just pretty meh.

Is it weird to be disappointed that chips weren't worse?  Maybe.  There's something very unappealing about the first bite - the way that weird cardboard-y flavor just hits you.  They're not as bad after a bit though - it's mostly just a weird savory salt taste that's not particularly appealing.  I could stomach eating more than one, so they don't get a 0, but barely.

Rating: