BIJOU-REVIEW: Perri – Thai Rings (Oriental Spice Flavor)

Rating: ©©-3/4 chips  (tolerable)

Yep, that’s right, these unusual Thai Rings are another unusual snack from the box full of different chips, and chip like snacks, that we were sent from our new friends at MunchPak.

And wouldn’t you know it, they of course hail from none other than…..that’s right….

Ireland!?!  Really?

Well, that may just explain why they did not really taste anything reminiscent of actual Thai flavors.

Not that the snack rings were bad necessarily, they just did not taste anything like the best Thai food, or Thai chips, that we have tried over the years.

The rings sort of reminded us of a smaller, and denser, version of Funyuns.  Easy to pop a few in and crunch’em down.

The seasoning though, was just pretty generic.  A lot of sweet, mingling with a bit of indistinguishable chili heat.

Thai Rings provided to Chip Review by MunchPak for review

MunchPak Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

BIJOU-REVIEW: G.H. Cretors – Chile Jalapeño White Cheddar Organic Popped Corn

Rating: ©©©-3/4 chips  (notable)

We certainly would not consider ourselves pessimists here at Chip Review, but upon opening G.H.’s bag of popcorn to the left, we would also certainly call this bag more than half empty with popcorn, or should we say not nearly half full.

In G.H. Cretors’ defense , we’re sure that there is some sort of logistical transport reasoning behind their bag-to-popcorn-to-air ratio, but quite frankly we found this bag’s fill level pretty disappointing.

Luckily the bag was filled with some pretty tasty popcorn!

Large white fluffy popcorn kernels, coated in a savory, slightly funky, white cheddar cheese powder.

Despite the mention of two types of spicy ingredients – both generic “chile pepper”, in addition to jalapeño – we really didn’t get very much chile flavor, or heat from the popcorn.

The white cheddar cheese seasoning did a fairly good job of making up for the lack of heat.  A rich, and creamy, and tangy white cheese powder that sufficiently coated the popcorn.

Is this the greatest popcorn?  No.  Is it more than adequately eatable?  Yes.

As always, these are our thoughts, we would love to hear what you think. Agree or disagree, let us know.

Popcorn discovered at Whole Foods; Elmhurst, Illinois

G.H. Cretors Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

RATING: Lay’s Kettle Cooked Limited Edition Flavor – Spicy Chili & Cheese Potato Chips

Rating: ©©©-3/4 chips  (notable)

As we thought to ourselves “Lay’s All New Limited Edition Spicy Chili & Cheese Kettle Cooked Potato Chips are a pretty darn tasty addition to the L.K.C. line-up….and yet, at the same time…..also very familiar.”

Apparently, a little bit too familiar.  A few minutes of Chip Review research and we discovered that a couple of years back we tasted and rated (but no review) Lay’s Kettle Cooked Spicy Cayenne & Cheese Potato Chips, or in other words, what we’re guessing were the SAME EXACT CHIPS!!  We can’t verify the accuracy of this statement for, but if we could locate the  Cayenne & Cheese list of ingredients we’re more than certain they would look exactly like THESE.  We mean come’on, both bags are using the SAME EXACT INGREDIENT PIC!  Bunch of kettle cooked, heavily seasoned potato chips, with a large block of white cheese, and a couple of red chili/cayenne peppers sitting directly in front.

So, long story short, we’ve eaten these chips before.  That being said, technically we did not review them the first go around, so we will take this time to scribe a few descriptive details regarding their flavor.

Lay’s Spicy Chili & Cheese seasoning is not lacking in flavor.  To more or less quote the great Junk Food Guy, these taste a lot like Spicy Nacho Cheese flavored Doritos did a bit too much mingling with Ruffles Sour Cream & Cheddar chips.  In other words, the seasoning has plenty of salty and tangy cheese flavor, a decent enough dash of chili pepper heat, and a surprisingly tasty splash of tart sour cream.  The flavor combo has been used plenty of times before, but that does not make it any less tasty.

All in all, tasty “NEW” limited RE-edition of Lay’s.  We’ll enjoy them while they last.

Chips discovered at Walmart; Villa Park, Illinois

Lay’s Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

BIJOU-REVIEW: Popchips Potato Ridges – Chili Cheese

Rating: ©©©© chips  (lip-smacking)

Ever since we tasted Popchips lip-smacking Potato Ridges earlier this year we have been excited to try another flavor from this same “new” style of Ridges Popchips.  Well, finally that time has come, and the newest flavor offering is Chili Cheese.

First of all, the chili cheese flavor is not as tasty as Popchips’ cheddar & sour cream flavor.

Second of all, they are still very crunchable.

There may not be anything extraordinary about them – they don’t taste like some extra funky or tangy cheese, and they don’t use some especially unique chip flavor chili seasoning like Ancho, or Aleppo – but, overall, they are exactly what you would think, or in the end hope, they would taste like…..

Delivering an ever so slightly spicy chili flavor, with a good dashing of salty cheese powder.

Certainly savory.

And maybe a touch heavy handed with the chili powder…but then again, Popchips is making sure that there is no denying what we are tasting.

The seasoning mingles pretty well with Popchips greatest chip creation – their ridged style of potato chips.

You know what, maybe this seasoning would pair even better with some ridged corn tortilla version of PopChips that have not yet been created – but they should be!

As always, these are our thoughts, we would love to hear what you think.  Agree or disagree, let us know.

Chips discovered at Jewel Osco; Clarendon Hills, Illinois

Popchips Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

BIJOU-REVIEW: Simply Balanced – Sweet Chile Organic Rolled Tortilla Chips with brown rice, sesame seeds and flaxseeds

Rating: ©©-1/2 chips  (tolerable)

Sweet Chili flavor, as far as chip flavors go, has forever been one of those flavors we do not get excited for.  If we were picking our own flavor team, we’re more than certain that sweet chili would be one of the last picked, if picked at all.  Sorry Sweet Chili, you and Sweet BBQ are going to have to try again next year!

Another thing we noticed regarding sweet chili flavored chips is that here at Chip Review we tend to enjoy the sweet chili seasoning much more on a potato chip, than we do on a corn tortilla, or some other style chip.  We’re not going to try and determine why that is, we just wanted to let you know.

All that being said, here we have Simply Balanced (Target) Sweet Chile Organic Rolled Tortilla Chips with brown rice, sesame seeds and flaxseeds, and wouldn’t you know it, we don’t really like them for any reason.

The best part of these chips by a long side is the inclusion of the seeds strewn throughout.  The seeds add just enough textural difference to entice the pallet but not quite enough to distract us from the seasoning like we wish they would.

The sweet chili seasoning is exactly like so many others we have tried before.  Of course sweet, very sweet in fact, followed by a strong presence of garlic, and finished with a touch of flavorless heat.

The rolled tortilla chips are fine.  We could certainly crunch on them if someone had set them out at a party or something, but nothing about them has us screaming for more.

Well, there you have it.  Anyone else out there tried them yet?  Thoughts?  As always we would love to hear what you think.  Agree or disagree.  Let us know.

Chips discovered at Target; Hillside, Illinois

Simply Balanced Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

REVIEW: Sabritas – Pake-Taxo – Mezcladito (Rancheritos, Cheetos, Sabritones, Fritos)

Rating: ©©©© chips  (lip-smacking)

And yet another pretty great Frito Lay Mexico find from our favorite Illinois Tollway Oasis!

We had to dig deep into the archives to make sure that these Pake-Taxo were not just another reboot Sabrita Mix of sorts, but as much as they may be similar to Sabritas Fiesta Mix, they are also slightly different.

In fact, if we were being really picky, these Pake-Taxo are just another Frito Lay’s / Sabritas snack mix reboot that simply combines preexisting snacks.  Similar to the likes of Cheetos Mix-Ups, Frito Lay’s Munchies, and Doritos Mixes.

And just like with all of those other mixes, the sum of those parts are not quite as delicious as the individual items themselves.

Sabritas Pake-Taxo Mezcladito are a fun mix consisting of a sort of weird combination of three different flavors of Fritos (chile y limón, sal y limon, chorizo chipotle), some Rancheritos (aka Sabritas “Doritos” Ranchero flavor), and Cheetos Spicy/Chili-Cheese Bolitas (aka cheese balls!).  Many of these different items we have tasted and reviewed individually.

For the most part the overall flavor theme sprinkled throughout this mixed bag is most definitely chile and lime, aka chile y limón.

It is blatantly apparent that the vastly abundant mix ingredient here are the Sabritones.  Seriously, easily half of the bag is made up of Sabritones’ puffed wheat based, chicharrones inspired, crunchy snacks.

The rest of the mix consists of a fairly even combination of the remaining components.  That being said, it was fairly difficult to distinguish the differences in flavor between the three Fritos.

We really can’t stand it when a mix cannot be enjoyed in a single harmonious handful.  And yet, the individual components themselves are still lip-smacking enough on their own that we did not have any problem crunching our way through this Pake-Taxo Mezcladito!

Discovered at 7-eleven; Hwy. 294, Hinsdale Oasis, Illinois

Pake-Taxo Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

BIJOU-REVIEW: El Sabroso – Spicy Chile & Lime Flavored Potato Chips or Papas Fritas Sabor a Chile Picante y Limón

Rating: ©©©©-1/4 chips  (lip-smacking)

El Sabroso – Papas Fritas Sabor a Chile Picante y Limón

Translation: The Tasty – Spicy Chile & Lime Flavored Potato Chips

Quite frankly, that translation is spot on.  These are definitely some tasty chile and lime flavored potato chips.

These are not El Sabroso’s first attempt at the popular flavor combination of Chile y Limón, but we would say that they are their most delicious.

El Sabroso’s potato chips may actually be the most heavily seasoned chips that we have ever encountered.  They are loaded, practically caked, with a heavy dusting of ultra flavorful, bright red seasoning.

Extra tangy sour lime paired very nicely with a potently spicy red chile seasoning.

They are definitely fake-fake-fake….  There is no way anything natural in this world is this vividly red; but we can appreciate how they have committed themselves by providing the most boldly colored chips, with an equally tongue burning seasoning!

The chips themselves are no slouch either.  Medium, to medium-thin, potato chips, with an adequate potato flavor, and semi-crispy crunch.

These are our thoughts, agree or disagree, make sure to let us know!

Chips discovered at Shell Gas Station; Hillside, Illinois

El Sabroso Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list