Rating: ©©©©-3/4 chips (lip-smacking)
Long, long ago, in a place far, far away (we’re talking at least eight, maybe even ten miles) Chip Review fell hand over mouthfuls for Zapp’s Original VooDoo chips….
So, when we first heard about Zapp’s new HEAT variation of the original lip-smacking chips we had high hopes. Not high hopes like, oh we sure do hope this pull-tab is a $2 winner. No! High hopes as in these new Zapp’s chips could just be flippin’ amazing!
Before we go ahead and crunch into these new Zapp’s, perhaps a little backstory is in need.
According to Zapp’s themselves, the:
“Voodoo flavor is a result of an accident. An employee was moving a pallet of spices off the top shelf, and dropped it. While cleaning it up, someone stuck their finger into the mixture of about 5 flavors and pronounced it great.”
Now, if we had to gander a guess as to how the VooDoo Heat flavor came about, it would go something like this…
“The VooDoo Heat flavor is a result of someone (perhaps us, who knows) saying that the VooDoo flavor is lip-smacking, and wouldn’t they taste EVEN BETTER if we made them even SPICIER?!?!”
With Zapp’s original VooDoo chips we didn’t understand what exactly the VooDoo name was meant to represent (of course other than Zapp’s is New Orleans), but with these new chips, we totally get it. These chips encompass, and deliver, and absolutely cast a delicious dusting of VOODOO flavor Magic all over the New Orleans Kettle Style Potato Chips!
You really have to taste these chips to really understand the wonderful circus of flavors they have going on. First and foremost, the chips deliver a pungent zing of zippy vinegar. Then came a sugary sweetness that paired nicely with the vinegar’s acidity. Next, came the heat, and a good level of it for sure. One taster thought that they may have tasted horseradish…? Finally, we tasted a touch of sweet and tangy and vegetal tomato flavor, which helped round out the entire flavor combo.
All said and done, probably the best way that we can describe this delicious flavor to you would be to compare it to some spicy version of an American Chinese breaded chicken dish….sweet, tangy, sticky, spicy, and delicious in all of the right ways.
As far as the potato chips themselves go, Zapp’s knows what they’re doing. Their Cajun Kettle Recipe makes for some really crunchy, perfectly greasy, semi-thick potato chips, that we could munch on all day.
Overall, we were really, really impressed with these chips! And, although Zapp’s aren’t always readily available here in the Midwest, we know for certain that these chips are almost always available at Potbelly!
As always, these are our thoughts, we would love to hear what you think. Agree or disagree, let us know.
Zapp’s provided to Chip Review by MunchPak for review
Chip Ratings Scale:
(1/4 increments)
© – return to sender
©© – tolerable
©©© – notable
©©©© – lip-smacking
©©©©© – “A” list
Chip Review 