Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream

I've seen these around enough places that I'm not sure they qualify as 'strange', but I've never tried them before so I think that counts.  I usually don't like Ruffles that much (at least compared to other, similarly flavored chips) because they always taste greasy I think.  But... here goes nothin!

At first look they're practically neon which is a little unappealing.  I usually think of Cheetos as radioactive, but I suppose these are too.

But what do they taste like?
Wow.  They taste exactly like cheddar and sour cream, but also Ruffles.  Maybe off brand sour cream.  Or sour cream that's nearly past its prime?  They're pretty good, though.  They don't taste as greasy as Ruffles usually do which is a major plus.  It's just that the sour cream tastes a little off.  I realize that it's not actually sour cream so it doesn't matter, but a tiny part of me thinks 'wait... has this sour cream gone bad?'.  Maybe I just don't eat sour cream enough to know the taste properly?

Still... these taste pretty good.  It's kinda like I'm eating Ruffles that I've dipped in sour cream, but without needing a dip on hand.  The cheddar flavor is pretty subtle - kinda overpowered by the sour cream, but it's there.  I think these would be better with a stronger cheese to sour cream ratio maybe.  I dunno, but I am impressed how spot on the flavor is.  It's not the best cheddar or the best sour cream, but it does taste like what it says on the bag, plus a weird chemically flavor that I've come to expect from Ruffles.  Would buy again, but not often I think.

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Joe Chips Sour Cream and Toasted Onion

Who is Joe?  I don't know, but he makes chips.  They're not even Joe's Chips - they are simply Joe Chips.  My dad happened to see these at the store and grabbed me a bag.  Thanks!  I'm intrigued to see how toasted onions stack up against regular onions!

The chips have an odd smell; I'm not sure if it's the toasted onions, or something mysterious and sinister.  The smell a little bit like Ramen instant soup powder.  Not the soup itself, but just the powder.  I'm also used to more seasoning nibblies on my sour cream and onion chips - these don't seem to have very many.  What does it all mean!?

But what do they taste like?
They taste a little bit like the Ramen packet smells, but also with a hint of sour cream and onion.  There's a lot a bit of a flavor which I have to assume is the toasted part of the onion.  It's strange - they both have flavor and don't have much flavor at the same time.

 

There's also a big kick of salt in that first bite before the other flavors make themselves known - and of grease since these seem to be your standard kettle cooked chips.  I also feel like part of the flavor I'm getting is the chip grease taste?  Tough to say.  If I tried these without knowing the flavor I think it'd take me a minute to figure out they're sour cream and onion.

They taste good, but they're not as sour cream and onion-y as most sour cream and onion chips.  Since I rather like that taste, I'll probably stick to other brands, but these aren't bad.  Still not sure why the onion is 'toasted', though.

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