Ruffles Ultimate Sweet & Smokin' BBQ

I got these Ruffles Ultimate Sweet & Smokin' BBQ at the same time I got the Kickin' Jalapeno Ranch chips.  Considering how crap those were my hopes aren't high for these.  The bag doesn't fill me with confidence as it has what looks like a bowl of brown sugar and some jalapenos on it.  Call me crazy, but that doesn't scream BBQ to me.  Oh well - here goes nothin.

It's more promising immediately because they don't smell awful.  They actually smell like BBQ and my hopes lift slightly.  A little sweet and smoky smelling which is what I'd expect given the name.  The chips themselves are practically neon orange - maybe they're radioactive.


But what do they taste like?
Well, just like last time the chips are too big and the oversized ridges detract from my enjoyment of the chips.  The taste, though?  No horrible Jalapeno Ranch experience here!  They taste pretty good for a few seconds - like your typical barbecue chips really, but the flavor is a little stronger which I like.  But then there's this weird spicy kick that I'm not a fan of.  Don't get me wrong - spiciness isn't out of place in BBQ sauce and I'm not surprised because there were jalapenos on the bag, but it's been at least ten minutes since I had one and I can still taste them, even after drinking water.

Overall these are actually pretty good.  At first I wasn't a fan of the extra spice, but it actually really grew on me as I ate them.  Unfortunately I still find the large Ultimate chip size annoying, but they aren't as greasy as regular Ruffles so that's a point in its favor.  The flavor is also very strong - nothing at all like the supremely mild Lay's Honey BBQ I tried.  There's something that both works and doesn't work about these chips.  I think if this flavor was on different chips I'd like them better - as it is, I like how they taste, but don't like the chip itself.

It's strange how much better these are than the Kickin' Jalapeno Ranch.  Why were those so bad?  There are so many BBQ flavors out there, but basically no decent ranch flavors.  Bummer!

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