REVIEW: Kettle Brand – Moscow Mule Potato Chips

Rating: ©©©©-1/2 chips  (lip-smacking)

We finally found you!  That’s right, you thought you could hide from us by completely selling out of the entire Chicago area, but NO! we have Chip Review friends everywhere, and with their help you have shown up at our front doorstep, ready to be reviewed just like all the others!

First of all, we’re going to assume that most of you out there know what a Moscow Mule is.  If you do not, a quick Google search will solve that, and we would also recommend finding your local watering hole and procuring one.

Next, let’s take note of the gorgeous copper colored packaging that Kettle Brand has chosen for these chips (sorry our pic is not as nice as it could be – here are some more examples).  There’s no doubt that the shiny metallic top-half of the bag is meant to represent the classic copper mug that a proper Moscow Mule cocktail is traditionally served in.  We are very impressed with the amount of creativity and consideration put into this packaging.  In fact, we’ve quite liked the packaging for all three of the newer Kettle Brand chips.

As far as the Moscow Mule flavor itself goes, well, it is another delicious home run from Kettle Brand.  For what it is worth, it has become very apparent to us here that Kettle Brand has either gone GINGER CRAZY – because all three new flavors that we have tried of theirs, have all been very ginger focused; or, perhaps Kettle Brand just came across a free supply of ginger and thought that they would make the best out of it?!  Either way, it has worked out in our favor, because these are really delicious.

These chips may not be for everyone as they do definitely lean towards the sweeter end of the flavor spectrum, but there’s just something about that unique sweet-sour-pungent combination of ginger and lime that we really enjoy.  The chips are just so aromatic, and refreshing, and tropical, that we felt like they perfectly compliment Kettle Brand’s always fantastic, medium-thick, slightly greasy, potato-ful kettle cooked potato chips.

Don’t quote us but as far as we know it, both these Moscow Mule, along with the new Korean Barbeque, can only be acquired at World Markets. That’s all we know, and we’re sticking to it!

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

Chips provided to Chip Review by LRH & RLH for review (thanks you two)

Kettle Brand Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

REVIEW: Fritos – Sal y Limón (Mexico)

Rating: ©©-3/4 chips  (tolerable)

Oh no, another case of the the mistaken translation…..

What you aren’t seeing is that prior to taking the picture to the left we removed a large, white, hand-printed label from the front of this bag that was 1) just plain old ugly, and 2) stated that these Fritos were salt and LEMON flavored.

It would seem fairly apparent to us that the green piece of citrus fruit, next to the salt shaker, on the front of the bag is in fact what we call a lime… But, in the translator’s defense limón does accurately translate to both lemon and lime geographically speaking (in fact, this is a very widely discussed topic in Latin America).  However, in this case, we feel like it should be pretty darn apparent that limón is referring to lime.  We’re talking about Fritos from Mexico where they use limes predominantly over lemons, especially when paired with corn.

Once again we found these particular Fritos on a small end cap at a local 7eleven that just so happens to offer a variety of Frito Lay Mexico snacks.  These salt & lime mark the third new Fritos’ flavor that we have found on this end cap, along with being our least favorite of the trio.  Fritos Chorizo y Chipotle are far and away the best from the brand that we have ever tasted, and their Chile y Limón version was simple and así así.  But, these Sal y Limón are just unenthusiastic.  They pretty much taste like plain old original Fritos, except without the usually delicious amount of salt!  In other words, they should really just be called Fritos without salt & lime.  The only reason we didn’t rate them lower was because even unseasoned Fritos corn chips are still pretty great to crunch on.  So full of greasy corn flavor.

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

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

Fritos Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

REVIEW: Doritos – Caribbean Citrus

Rating: ©©©© chips  (lip-smacking)

Well, well, well, what do we have here?

Are these really the first new chips from Doritos this year?  COME’ON DORITOS, what is going on?  That’s some real chip slacking!  Oh, and just in case you are keeping track (like we do), here at C.R. we do not exactly count their “new” line of Doritos Mix snack mixtures as a new product this year (although they did technically come out this year).

You want to know what?  We are not going to count these chips as brand new Doritos either!  Yeah, that is right, we are getting a bit salty here – why you ask??  Oh, well, because Doritos hasn’t released any all new chips lately of course!

Alright, let us explain.  First, we can go as far as to call Doritos Caribbean Citrus half new chips, but that is definitely as far as we can go.  Half new because Doritos has never put this seasoning blend onto their regular Doritos tortilla chips before (it has been on their JACKED chips thought).  Also half new, because they have technically changed the name up and removed the original “jerk” aspect.  We’re guessing that they removed this portion of the description/name because 1) it did not quite live up to flavor qualifications or execution, and 2) jerks aren’t very nice!

Ok, we can quit beating around the bush here.  These “new” Doritos Caribbean Citrus are just a reboot of their JACKED Test Flavor: 404 released a couple of years ago (they had us fooled too, until we tasted them).  As some of you may, or may not recall, the final flavor reveal named the 404’s – Caribbean Citrus Jerk.  This test flavor was a true mystery when it first came out.  People were describing it as everything from curry, to Asian wings, to Cajun crawfish, to even Samosa Girl Scout cookies!  Of course we knew what the flavor was right from the get go…..”Our money is on (actually we are not willing to put our money on anything for these ones, that’s right Doritos you stumped us!).  However, if we were using your money, we may be willing to put some on: sweet garlic mojo!!  Or, maybe lime splashed chorizo tacos? Spicy chile margherita? Sweet and Sour? Sweet & Sour Chile?  Oh heck, we’re sticking with 404.”

We aren’t going to bother writing anything new about this flavor.  If Doritos can reuse their flavors, we can reuse our words.  Let’s just take a look at what we wrote two years ago.

As for Test Flavor: 404, well, let’s just say that this bag’s ingredients made us think we were going to love them the most!  But, what they really ended up tasting like, versus what we expected them to taste like, were not one in the same.  Yet, despite still tasting pretty lip-smacking, we really cannot pinpoint what we were tasting.  Let’s break down what we thought: 1) Loads of sweet citrus notes propelled from the bag when we opened it.  The aroma really accentuates the true corn tortilla essence.  2) CITRUS – lime and orange.  3) The sweetness is evident, but not overwhelming.  Very complimentary to the citrus.  4) The more JACKED chips we ate, the more pronounced, and powerful, the citrus flavor really became.  5) garlic.  When combined with the sweet citrus, evoked thoughts of Asian sweet and sour.  6) Light vinegar splash added some depth.  7) The real stumper was the indecipherable combination of generically defined “spices”.  It definitely did not help matters for distinguishing what we were tasting, but it did help us to not stop eating!  8) Have we mentioned citrus?!

In the end, we think that Doritos should have just actually done a reboot of their Mojo Criollo flavor from their Rollitos line of chips….We like those A LOT more.  We’ve decided to give Doritos “new” Caribbean Citrus one-quarter less Chip Rating due to the fact that they tricked us into thinking that we were going to be trying new chips!  And, honestly, the flavor may have worked better on their JACKED style tortilla chips better.

As always we would love to hear what you think.  Agree or disagree.  Let us know.

Chips discovered at Costco; Oak Brook, Illinois

Doritos Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

BIJOU-REVIEW: Miss Vickie’s – Lime & Black Pepper Kettle Cooked Potato Chips

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

Aren’t Miss Vickie’s available here in the U.S.?  Yeah, we’re positive they are, but apparently Miss Vickie’s is actually a Canadian chip company that just so happened to be acquired by Frito Lay a few years back.  In other words, Frito Lay does offer a certain few of Miss Vickie’s kettle cooked potato chips throughout the U.S., but for the most part Miss Vickie’s offers their large flavor line-up in Canada.

We have tried a number of Miss Vickie’s chips over the years, but it is safe to say that these are certainly our most favorite of the bunch!

All at once salty, creamy, sour and even a touch spicy, the combination of lime and black pepper is not a flavor combo we see very often.

The black pepper is very fragrant, and permeates the nostrils; actually delivering a spicy tickle to the mouth that we don’t normally get from just black pepper.

The lime aspect doesn’t necessarily taste anything like the real green citrus fruit but more like that fake, overly acidic, tongue punch we’ve come to expect from salt and vinegar chips….and don’t get us wrong, that is not a bad thing, we often crave that flavor.

Miss Vickie’s medium-thin kettle cooked potato chips are delightfully crispy, with just a touch of greasy.

In case you were interested in a little backstory on The Real Miss Vickie.

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

Chips provided to Chip Review by JK – acquired in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Miss Vickie’s 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

REVIEW: Fritos – Chile y Limón (Mexico)

Rating: ©©©-1/2 chips  (notable)

Sorry Fritos, but compared to your fantastically delicious, and plain old amazing brethren, that we just recently reviewed, these Chile y Limón flavored corn chips are just sort of así así.

Really, it just comes down to these chile and limón not having nearly the depth of flavor, or the originality, or the funk of the delectable chorizo and chipotle.

Short funny story about finding  these Fritos at our local tollway oasis 7-eleven.  This particular gas station likes to relabel their Frito Lay Mexico snacks with the English flavor translation.  Most of the time they are usually accurate with these translations, but with this particular bag they had labeled them with Chili and Lemon…..WRONG!  Now, in their defense limón does accurately translate to both lemon and lime geographically speaking (in fact, this is a very widely discussed topic in Latin America).  However, in this case, we feel like it should be pretty darn apparent that limón is referring to lime.  We’re talking about Fritos from Mexico where they use limes predominantly, and we’re talking about a practically classic chip flavor combination used throughout the United States.  Not to mention that there is a green piece of citrus fruit in the bottom right hand corner of the bag……

Getting back to the corn chips themselves, they were, again, just so so.  We did get a pretty decent splash of citrus-y lime sour, but only the slightest dash chile pepper flavor.  Even less impressive was their complete lack of any chile heat.

All that being said, the corn chips are perfectly edible and crunchable, but we will be sticking with the impeccable chorizo and chipotles.

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

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

Fritos Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list