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

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

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

 

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