Deep River Snacks Sweet Maui Onion

Of all the Deep River snacks chips I've tried I think my hopes are highest for these.  Will they live up expectations?  Who knows!  I'm not sure where the Maui factors in, but I like onions and I like... sweet?  I dunno, but I'm intrigued all the same.

The chips themselves are pretty generic.  They look like kettle cooked chips that have a flavor.  They smell kinda onion-y, but nothing too overpowering.

But what do they taste like?
They're salty, a little bit onion-y and almost kinda sweet at the same time.  And hey!  They're pretty damn good!  And, unlike the BBQ chips I tried, it's a fairly unique flavor!  I'm not sure if it's just my bag, but the chips are also absolutely covered in seasoning which is a bonus on my book.  It's a bit like they're covered in onion salt.  It also works really well with the kettle cooked-ness of these chips.  They're really crunchy in a good way, thanks to the kettle cooking.

A lot of onion chips have a really strong onion flavor that can be kinda gross after awhile, but that doesn't happen with these.  The salt, onion and sweetness all balance really well.  I ate the entire bag and would happily have eaten more if I'd had any.  I almost would have liked the flavor to be a bit stronger.  For all the seasonings they were covered with they were pretty mild considering.

These chips probably taste even more delicious because I ate them after watching the Men's Individual Sabre during the Olympics where Hungary won the gold and I was super excited!

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Walkers Prawn Cocktail

I got these in the same aisle I got the Hula Hoops and for the same reason.  International chips woo!  I've also always been intrigued by prawn cocktail flavored chips because... what the heck?  Who thinks this would be a good flavor?  In the International Chips post, Ciara and Gemma said they have a fishy smell and I believe they enjoyed them.  What could go wrong?!

These pretty much look like Lay's which isn't surprising really.  Weirdly, they kind of smell like ketchup.  They smell a lot like ketchup.  Have to say I wasn't expecting that!  What other surprises do these chips have in store I wonder!

But what do they taste like?
Wow they are salty.  I mostly just taste salt and kind of a strange sweetness.  It's hard to describe the saltiness of these because they aren't traditionally salty.  It's the kind of salt that burns your mouth - you feel it rather than taste it.  And I really taste a very strong salty ketchup flavor.  It suddenly occurs to me that I have no idea what prawns taste like, but I'm fairly certain they should be fishier than this.  This is such a strong flavor - like a punch to the mouth really.  But weirdly, it doesn't last very long. 

There's a slight burning on my tongue still, but other than that the ketchup is basically gone.  The chips themselves are also extremely flimsy... kinda like Lay's.  You know, I think this isn't so much 'prawn' flavor, but more the actual prawn cocktail sauce flavor.  It's not the worst flavor, but it's strange.

Ciara tried the Tayto brand and these are Walkers so perhaps that's the difference.  I'm also really amazed by this ketchup-esque flavor.  It's not quite ketchup, but it's not prawns.  I don't really like the flavor, but I don't dislike it either.  They're not chips I would buy again, though that weird sweetness is kinda growing on me.

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Deep River Snacks Mesquite BBQ

These are definitely the most normal of the Deep River chips graciously provided by my mom.  But, since Deep River is a brand I don't see most places, I figure they still qualify.  Let's see how they do!

What I've noticed about Deep River chips is they don't seem to smell like their flavor.  These maybe, maybe have a hint of BBQ flavor, but they mostly smell like kettle cooked chips.

But how do they taste?
They taste like BBQ!  I'm not really surprised by that of course, but it's good that they taste like what I'd expect them to taste like.  Interestingly, the BBQ flavor doesn't last very long and I start tasting the flavor of the base kettle cooked chips more.  That's a big change from the painful Aged Cheddar and Horseradish and Zesty Jalapeno chips where it hurt to even eat them.  These are much much sweeter in comparison - I actually like my BBQ chips to have a bit more of a kick, but I'll take these over mouth burning pain any day.  I'd prefer to have the BBQ taste last longer before tasting the chip flavor I think.  These are pretty standard as far as BBQ chips go.

If you're in the market for some really delicious BBQ chips you could do better than these, but you could do worse, too.  The chips are a pretty greasy and the BBQ seasoning has a tendency to get everywhere (as all BBQ chips seem to).  Some of the chips are practically orange with flavoring and others don't seem to have much, but the flavor is consistent either way.  These are the first Deep River chips I've eaten happily and without a constant mouth burn.  It's a refreshing change!

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Pringles Blastin' Buffalo Wing

Since I'm not the biggest fan of super spicy things I was a little hesitant to try these Blastin' Buffalo
Wing Pringles.  Will they just taste like spicy pain?  Maybe!  But you know what?  I'm going to give them a shot.

The can tells me they they are level 3 out of 4 on the Pringles Spiciness Scale.  Level 3 is apparently a fire raging out of control, while level 4 is a fire extinguisher.  Will I need to use one?  Doubtful, because these are potato chips and not actual flames.

But what do they taste like?
Pretty much exactly what it says on the tin.  They taste like buffalo wings.  Well, to be fair, they taste like buffalo wing sauce because there's no chicken flavoring here.  They are kinda spicy, but they're helped by the fact that I love buffalo wings.  Buffalo wings are a place I expect spice and these chips deliver.  They leave my mouth burning, but it works.  My mouth burns after eating buffalo wings.  It goes with the territory.

I think the biggest difference between these chips, and other spicy chips I haven't liked, is that they they're spicy, but they've got flavor.  It's not just painful spice for the sake of having it be spicy.  The only downside is that it gets harder to taste them as I eat more of them.  I get sort of desensitized to the flavor and just taste the spiciness.  Still, even though I can't taste them as much... I can't... stop... eating them.  Mmmm.  Buffalo wing-y.

Also, you know what I like about Pringles?  If you buy a tube of Pringles you know how many you're going to get.  No matter the size of a bag of chips, the amounts you get always seems to be some random number, but at the end of the day, it's always way less than you think.  So props to you, Pringles, for actually giving the amount of chips the size of your packaging promises.

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Deep River Snacks New York Spicy Dill Pickle

Now these Deep River chips I'm looking forward to trying.  I'm wary of the 'spicy' in the title, but I've been trying to find new pickle chips for ages (ever since the amazing Intense Pickle Doritos I tried in Montreal).  Could it be that I've finally found a replacement pickle chip?  These even have 'New York' in the title... will it also taste like NY somehow?  I'm intrigued.

These smell pretty pickle-y so I'm feeling pretty confident they'll actually taste like what they're supposed to.  I'm just not sure how the 'spicy' is going to factor in at this point.  It also looks like they're covered in little dill nibblies and a healthy coating of flavor.  We shall see.

But what do they taste like?
Kinda strange.  At first I tasted mostly salt, then a hint of pickle, and then spiciness.  Deep River snacks seem to enjoy making my mouth burn.  Another weird thing that I don't know quite how to describe is that the flavors are very strong, but don't necessarily seem like they're coming from the chip.  It's very odd.  I eat a chip and then the chip is sort of boring tasting, but there's all sorts of salt and pickle flavors and then the roof of my mouth is burning.  Looking at the chips, they seem to be covered in seasoning.  I guess it's possible that the minute I eat them, all the seasoning falls off, leaving a plain chip and all the other flavors everywhere else.  The 'dill' in the dill pickle is also pretty intense... I taste much more dill than pickle in that brief moment when I actually taste it, before the spice starts up.  And, a less than even flavor coating leaves some chips ridiculous salty which is unpleasant.

The problem I've had with the spicy Deep River flavors so far is that they focus too much on the spice.  Pickles shouldn't be this spicy.  I really only taste the dill pickle flavor for the first few seconds and then it's just spicy.  I would much rather taste the pickle flavor rather than the spice.  Also, where is the 'New York' in all of this??  It's like Deep River decided 'New Yorkers like pickles... we should name our pickle chips 'New York' so they buy them... genius plan!'  False.  There is nothing 'New York' about these chips.

These are better than the Aged Cheddar and Horseradish and the Zesty Jalapeno, but they're still not good is the problem.  The search continues for a pickle chip I can easily find in the US.

Rating

El Sabroso Original Guacachip

I grabbed these a few days after I got the El Sabroso Salsa chips because why not, right?  And happily it's a much smaller bag so I won't have them lying around for ages!

For starters the bag is pretty small and seems pretty empty.  On the plate they look kinda lonely.  El Sabroso seems to have skimped on the chip count in this bag.  They don't smell like much and look a little weird.  With that, let's give them a try.

But what do they taste like?
They don't taste like much strangely.  Definitely not like avocados or any sort of guac.  The chips are kind of hard and bland tasting.  There's a hint of salt and spice every so often, but really there's not much.  These definitely do not taste like guacamole unless it's terribly made.  They don't taste bad, but they're way off the mark as far as decent guac flavors go.  There's a smoothness to them, but it's just mild nothingness.  Compared to the El Sabroso salsa chips which weren't great, but at least had some flavor, these definitely miss the mark.

The green chips are also a little disconcerting.  It's not a fresh green... more of a 'this isn't quite right' green.  These are okay chips, but okay doesn't really cut it when it comes to buying them again.  Also, strangely, some of the chips are covered in seasoning and others barely have any, but they all taste roughly the same.  Usually those smothered chips at least pack a bit of a punch, but not in this case evidently.  That being said, I don't mind eating them.  The very mild flavor (a hint of... avocado maybe) is kinda nice.  I just don't feel it's worth it to eat chips that taste so mild.  I'd like to taste what I'm eating!

These weren't bad, but I wouldn't get them again.  There's not enough flavor to make it worth it really.

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Deep River Snacks Zesty Jalapeno

More Deep River chips courtesy of my mom who spotted them and snagged them for me.  Today's chip is the Zesty Jalapeno flavor.  I've never tried Jalapeno chips before (zesty or otherwise) so it'll be an interesting experience.  I like spice if it's the right spice - flavorful, not just painful.

They don't smell like anything much, but as I've learned, that doesn't always mean much.  They seem almost a sickly green color and have weird brown speckles on them.  Excellent!

But what do they taste like?
It just tastes like spicy nothingness.  Ow.  Nothing that burns my mouth.  Ow.  These are definitely spicy, but they don't have any sort of flavor at the same time.  It's very disconcerting!   And it's burning my mouth still.  I only tried one chip to start and there's still spicy pain everywhere.  I wish I had more to describe about these, but the only defining feature at the moment is that they 'are quite spicy'.

I keep eating them in the hopes that I'll taste something else, but these is really nothing to these other than that they are extremely spicy.  I can't keep eating these - they're burning my mouth and it's the kind of burn that will probably last for a bit, too.  It's like Deep River decided 'Jalapenos are spicy... ok that's thinking enough - put these into production!' because it is just spice.

I'm not sure what other Zesty Jalapeno chips taste like, but if they're anything like this then I'm pretty disappointed.  These were definitely not the chips for me, though I do like the kettle cooked crunchiness that Deep River has going on.

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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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Deep River Snacks Aged Cheddar and Horseradish

My mom found these (and a bunch of other strange Deep River flavors) and picked me up a couple of the weirdest ones!  Thanks, mom!  These aged cheddar and horseradish definitely make my list of 'strange chips'.  The bag is a bright orange and I was actually pretty sure they were sweet potato chips at first glance.

I'm not much of a fan of horseradish, but I do love cheddar so let's see how this goes.  I've also never seen it as a chip combo before, though I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.  They don't smell like much of anything - I was expecting a really potent smell so that's a surprise right there.

But what do they taste like?
Oh!  These... these taste like horseradish.  There's a powerful 'horseradish' taste right off the bat and hardly any cheddar.  It's a very strange sensation - the horseradish flavor overpowers everything with a taste that is distinctly 'horseradish-y' and a spicy burn to match, but then it kind of goes away completely and I'm left with some mouth burn and nothing much else.  It's strange because the chips themselves feel like they're covered in cheddar flavor, but none of it comes out in the bite.  I think the horseradish completely over powers the cheddar; if it's there I've no hope of tasting it.

These chips are definitely a kick in the mouth.  Geez!  Happily, the spiciness doesn't last too long so my mouth has stopped burning which is a plus.  I'm also not sure why aged cheddar and horseradish is a flavor of chips.  Cheddar by itself, sure, but combined with horseradish?  Why?

Hopefully the rest of the Deep River chips are more delightful than this!  I won't be finishing this bag - they just aren't appealing at all.  If you like horseradish, though, give them a shot.  You'll certainly be tasting it every mouthful and may well enjoy them.

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Southern Recipe Original Pork Rinds

It's Thursday and that means it's time for something that's not quite a chip, but is still rather strange!  Dudes, I have no idea what to expect right now.  Like many people, I consider bacon to be pretty freakin delicious.  It's majestic.  In fact, why aren't there more bacon flavored chips?  I'd buy those in a second!  But, back to the point: bacon = magnificent.  Bacon comes from pigs, as do pork rinds, so I'm hoping to find some similarity.  I'm expecting to taste mostly salt, though, and maybe some pork flavor?  I really have no idea - that's one of the reasons I'm looking forward to trying these.

It's not starting off well.  They smell unpleasant.  I can't say I'm surprised since this is a bag of pork rinds, but I'm disappointed.  I had high hopes for this bacon substitute.  It smells like fried...something, but definitely not pork.  Some of them look really weird, too - one has bits of red on it.  I don't think I'll be eating those ones.

But what do they taste like? 
Not at all what I expected.  At first bite they taste kind of like what I expect styrofoam would taste like and then there's a weird taste.  Not sure exactly what it is - it's like a mild taste of 'fried nothing' and then the rinds practically disintegrate.  Before you take more than a couple bites, the rinds sort of melt into a gritty sludge in your mouth.  These are just overall unpleasant. I've only had a few of them, but I already know I won't be finishing this bag.  Into the trash they'll go.  I've heard of ones you can microwave and maybe those are better, but these are decidedly subpar.

Luckily they only cost a dollar.  People actually enjoy these?  I know this is a short review, but there really isn't much to say about these.  They taste pretty blah, aren't enjoyable to eat, and smell weird.  Overall a rousing 'bleh' for the pork rinds.

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