Rating: ©©©©-1/4 chips (lip-smacking)
Well, if that isn’t the longest snack title in the history of the snack universe then we don’t know what we are snalking (snack talking) about!!
Similar to Trader Joe’s other relatively recently released chips (South African Style Seasoning), these chips are sporting a sleek jet-black packaging; (proving one thing for certain – that if we see a new salty snack at Trader Joe’s, and it comes in a shiny black bag, then we are all over that like ornaments on a Christmas Tree). Seriously though, could Trader Joe’s possibly fit any more words, with any more different fonts, onto this packaging?!? Actually, it does look like there is a tiny bit of room under the swoosh directly below sunflower seeds…
The kettle popped popcorn chips remind us a lot more of those good old fashioned puffed rice cakes, than most of today’s more popular popped chips. You know the ones that parents of the 80’s tucked into their kids’ lunchboxes? But before any of you shrug your face in disgust at those crumbly, styrofoam textured discs, we simply meant that Trader Joe’s popcorn chips seem a lot more like they are pieces of popcorn that have been pressed and formed together to make a thin rustic chip, rather that somehow poppped in a magical hyperbaric chip champer!
Visually, these chips are quite interesting. Extremely grainy. We could actually see the flax and sunflower seeds scattered throughout the mostly yellow popcorn discs. We can only assume that the quinoa has actually been pulverized and mixed into the chips somewhere because otherwise those little grains would be breaking some teeth! The addition of those different grains and seeds (besides for their heath benefits) adds a nice textural variance with lots of little crunchies, and at the same time, adding some delicious nutty background notes. The sea salt and cane sugar dusting is ample enough to exude that classic kettle corn sweet and salty pairing. Weirdly though, both of those white seasonings have been so finely ground that it looked more like the chips had been sprinkled with confectioner sugar or dandruff, than normal salt and cane sugar.
Overall, these are quite impressive, and certainly delicious. Another fine example of Trader Joe’s unique selection of salty (and sweet) snacks!
These are our thoughts, agree or disagree, make sure to let us know!
Chips discovered at Trader Joes; La Grange, Illinois
Chip Ratings Scale:
(1/4 increments)
© – return to sender
©© – tolerable
©©© – notable
©©©© – lip-smacking
©©©©© – “A” list
Chip Review 