REVIEW: Pringles Exclusive Flavor! – Mango Salsa

Rating: ©©©-1/2 chips  (notable)

Just the other week we went into detail on our thoughts and concerns over the controversial Exclusive Flavor!  We’re not sure how many other stores are exceptional (rich, big) enough to have their own versions of Exclusive Flavors, but so far as we can tell most, if not all, Exclusive Flavors that we have spotted have both been from blue and white behemoth – Walmart.

Plain and simple, these are some of the oddest tasting chips (crisps) ever!  Just weird!!  And, not because we haven’t reviewed mango flavored chips before.  Most recently we tasted and reviewed last year’s Lay’s Wavy Do Us a Flavor Finalist, who gave us their variation of the mango salsa!  Unfortunately, our initial reaction to those was yuck!  A very surprised, and disappointed, YUCK!  We were thinking that the mango salsa flavor was going to be our favorite among the four flavor finalists.  So, the question at hand is, will Pringles Mango Salsa disappoint as well?  Does mango salsa just not work as a chip flavor?  Because it is worth mentioning that other chip brands have proven that mangoes plus habaneros plus potato chips can actually be a fantastic combination!

Pringles Mango Salsa potato crisps are a combination of zippy – sour, with a sort of real fruity mango essence, plenty of garlic, a little bit of heat, the sweet and aromatic balance of onion, loads of salt, and sort of like mango salsa actually….  OK, so we’ve settled that.  These do kinda, sorta, taste like mango salsa….in powder seasoning form of course.  That being said, do they really taste good?  In our opinion, sort of, well, not really!  Initially, we taste those delicious mango salsa flavors, but then on the back end of the tasting experience our enjoyment sort of transitions to an off-putting experience.  We’re pretty sure that our negative feelings are a result from the combination of the mango salsa flavor and potato crisps.  It just seems unnatural to combined those two!  Who eats salsa with potato chips?! Not us, and there is likely a good reason for that.  The combo does not seem organic. It just doesn’t jive! Corn and fruit = works.  Potatoes and fruit = not so much!

In the end, we appreciate Pringles mango salsa flavor accuracy, but this is not a combo we would be buying again for any reason.  That being said, of course we would crunch a few if we spotted them on a snack table at some great chip party we were attending!

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

Discovered at Walmart; Countryside, Illinois

Pringles Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

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REVIEW: El Sabroso – Salt & Lime Flavored Potato Chips or Papas Fritas Sabor a Sal y Limón

Rating: ©©©-3/4 chips  (notable)

Well, hello El Sabroso!  If we had to guess we would say that this particular bag of chips is bilingual!  On the top Spanish half of the bag we’ve got El Sabroso – Papas Fritas – Sabor a Sal y Limón.  On the bottom English half of the bag we’ve got Salt & Lime Flavored – Potato Chips.  But, what about the English translation for the brand name – El Sabroso?  We don’t think that we have ever looked up what the name means, and apparently it would translate to – The Tasty or The Delicious!  Sounds like a great name to us!!

It has been quite a long time since we have tasted or reviewed any strictly LIME flavored chips.  In fact, looking back through the database we discovered that there aren’t very many solely lime flavored chips.  Tons of lime plus chile flavored chips, and plenty of lime plus some other ingredient flavored chips, but when it comes to strictly lime flavored chips we have not tried very many.

While these chips are not very significant in any texture, flavor, or form, it is their refreshing simplicity that just sat very well with us.  And, while these potato chips taste very similar to so many other artificially lime flavored chips, (translation: they taste very much like salt & vinegar seasoning, or in other words, like potato chips that have been thoroughly coated with tongue zinging, ultra-sour, citric acid), we were more than prepared, and satisfied by them.  Mingling with the heavy dose of citric acid, was a dash of real lime juice, giving us just enough of that tingling lime flavor perception.  On the tail end of the flavor, our tongues also noticed a slight hint of sweetness that was a welcome addition to help counter the citrus sour.  Although we are not typically huge fans of very thin potato chips, these papas fritas were pretty good this time.  Very thin, no real potato flavor detectable, only a slight, soft, crunch, and what we would consider a medium size chip.

Overall, these chips were really nothing special, but sometimes that is more than enough, and expectations do not need to be exceeded, but only met!

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

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REVIEW: Broad Ripple Chip Co. Potato Chips

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

Here at Chip Review we have tasted and reviewed potato chips of every shape and form over the years. Probably one of our most favorite style of chips, one we knew and loved as youngsters, were the wider rippled, or RIP-L, or wavy, or what ever you want to call them – potato chips (honestly, we were practically raised on Old Dutch’s classic potato chips!).  So, we were obviously excited when Broad Ripple Chip Co. decided to send us a sample of their hand crafted locally made potato chips!  Of course we assumed that Broad Ripple was simply yet another way of describing the classic potato chip shape.  However, one quick peak through the potato chip bag’s small viewing window and we’re a little baffled?!  We do not see any ripples to these chips!  Tear bag open and still nope!  What we have here are ripple-less Broad Ripple potato chips!  An oxymoron if we’ve ever seen one!!

A little bit of investigative work and we discover that the Broad Ripple Chip Co. most likely derived its misleading name from a small neighborhood in its hometown of Indianapolis.  Whether the potato chip company is actually based in this specific Indy neighborhood, or began there, or simply has some sort of connection or affinity to it, we’re not exactly sure.  However, we are more than confident that the Broad Ripple neighborhood is where these chips got their name from!  And, we are more than confident that Indianapolis better embrace these delicious potato chips, because they are so lucky to have them!

Before we bite right down into the skinny of these chips, or should we technically say, before we bite down into to the thick of these chips, because these are no thin potatoes!  We just wanted to point out that even Alton Brown, Mr. Good Eats himself (and quite possibly the most intellectually charismatic Food Network television star of all-time!), has tried, and loved, Broad Ripple Chip Co.’s Potato Chips!  If that isn’t just the type of endorsement every small, local company hopes for!!

Luckily for you, and us, no endorsement is needed for these potato chips as they speak delicious volumes all by themselves!  These are some really great, hearty, thicker cut russet potato chips.  For those of you unaware of russett potato chips, and their uniquely dark color, and caramelized-nutty-sort of burnt notes, may we suggest that you make yourselves aware as soon as possible, as you are missing out on one of, what we consider, the tastiest potato chip varieties that there ever were.  That being said, we have come to the the hypothesis that there are really two types of russet potato people in the this world.  Those who love them for their uniquely dark, nutty, pure potato essence, and those who think that they are actually burnt, and just don’t get it.  We pity those people!!

Broad Ripple’s chips are probably the thickest cut russet potato chips that we have encountered in our chip tasting years.  The chips have a solid and toothsome crunch, but still remain crispy.  But, above and beyond all else when it comes to describing these chips, we think that it is most important to focus on the potato flavor.  Broad Ripple lets the potato chips speak for themselves.  Pure potato essence!  Of course they have taken some measurements to help compliment and highlight the potato flavor.  Frying, being one of them, but also seasoning them with just a few of those classic seasoning ingredients.  Simply garlic and onion – a delicious combination that is typically used to compliment other flavors, but here has been allowed to shine with just a touch of sugar and salt.  Simply great tasting potato chips!

We imagine that the shelf life of these chips cannot be very long, and we’re assuming that the chips are made and distributed in very small batches.  They are packaged in thick paper bags, with a small viewing window so the potato chips can actually see who is going to buy and eat them!  Once you have purchased a bag, and especially opened them, you should finish them very soon afterwards.  One small complain would be that the chips did become a bit greasy after being opened for a day.

Before we go, we should probably point out the little pup on the front of the bag.  The pug is named Zeus, he is the family dog, and is the potato chip mascot!  And if we had to guess, we’re betting he eats chips for treats!!

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 Broad Ripple Chip Co. for review

Broad Ripple Potato Chip Co. Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

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©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

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RATING: Old Mill Kettle Corn – Zesty Cheddar Popcorn

Rating: ©©© chips (notable)

Chip Ratings Scale:

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©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

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REVIEW: Ziggy’s Kettle Corn – Tomato Basil with Himalayan Pink Salt

Rating: ©©©-3/4 chips  (notable)

Two years ago we tasted Ziggy’s Kettle Corn for the first time here at Chip Review.  To call the experience deliciously amazing would be an understatement.  While Ziggy’s Buttery Bliss Kettle Corn was a lip-smacking rendition of the classic combination, it was Ziggy’s two other flavors (Sweet & Salty and Happenin’ Jalapeno) that really knocked our socks off!  In fact, just this past year we finally put together our Top 5 Popcorn list, and guess who landed at the top spot!

Well, it is now 2015, and we are betting that it will be yet another great year popcorn!! And, one of those reasons will likely be due to the fact that Ziggy’s has made the superb decision to release 4 all-new flavors!!  Yep, that’s right, everyone’s (at least ours!) favorite kettle corn brand has decided to branch out, and try their hand at combining some other flavors with their deliciously sweet and salty popcorn!  Lucky us, we have all four of those flavors in the snack vault, and will be reviewing each and every one in the near future!

First up, Tomato Basil with Himalayan Pink Salt.  To be completely honest, we chose this flavor first because the combination sounded the least interesting to us.  Obviously, tomato and basil is a time tested classic combination that has stood the test of time!  Maybe the flavor would work with kettle corn because it is very likely that the natural sweetness from the tomato would compliment the kettle corn’s sugary sweetness, while contrasting the salt, and the fragrant basil would lighten and freshen up the entire package.  Unfortunately, we didn’t actually taste the tomato basil flavor doing any of that!

Short and simply, we do not taste any fresh, herb-y basil notes, and only the very slightest possibility of tangy-sweet-sour tomato notes.  In fact, what we really thought we actually tasted was a splash of sweet honey!  Huh?!  Was our bag actually mislabeled?  Did some popcorn batches get mixed up??  To top it off, somehow Ziggy gets away with not having to list his top secret ingredients on the back of the bag, but rather simply tells us: Tomato Basil Seasoning…..??  Any which way we crunched it, we do not really taste a tomato and basil seasoning here!

Regardless of all that, the kettle corn tastes great as always!  The kettle corn once again includes Ziggy’s delicious, minerally, slight spicy Himalayan Pink Sea Salt that we love!!  Freshly popped, large white popcorn, that has been perfectly glazed with the sweet sugar coating.  We love Ziggy’s Kettle Corn!  But for now, we are going to stick to the original three flavors.

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

Popcorn provided to Chip Review by Ziggy’s Kettle Corn for review

Ziggy’s Kettle Corn Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

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REVIEW: Trader Joe’s – Partially Popped Popcorn …with Butter & Sea Salt!

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

We’re guessing that many of you out there are familiar with the Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, otherwise known by its bleach-blonde, spiky haired host Guy Fieri as ‘Triple D!”  Well, we are sort of the host of this little Chip Review “show”, and we have decided to coin this latest Partially Popped Popcorn snack from Trader Joe’s as ‘Triple P!!’  Ingenious, right?!  Well, at least easier to say three times fast, and for us to type out for the remainder of this review.

From Trader Joe’s website:

It’s popcorn, for sure, but popcorn that’s not fully popped. Our supplier uses a proprietary method in which they first steam a special hybrid of so-called “mushroom” kernels (instead of the fluffier, “butterfly” variety enjoyed in theaters), before heating them in canola oil to a state of half popp-ed-ness.

The finished corn resembles those (accidentally) par-popped kernels found in the bottom of your popcorn bowl. But, unlike those kernels—which can be real jawbreakers—this Partially Popped snack has a blissful bite that exists somewhere between the extreme crunch of corn nuts and the tender chewiness of fresh, fully- popped corn.

Correct us if we are wrong but that process sounds awfully similar to the process used by everyone’s favorite crunchy, corn, gas station snack – Corn Nuts.  According to legend, “Corn nuts are prepared by soaking whole corn kernels in water for three days, then deep-frying them in oil until they are hard and brittle. The kernels are soaked because they shrink during the harvesting and cleaning process, and rehydration returns them to their original size.” (Wikipedia.com)

Well, there’s probably more of a difference in the process than we are alluding to, and we’re guessing that Trader Joe’s and Corn Nuts each use a different style of corn, but the similarities between the two products must be noted.  In fact, we would throw a third corn snack into the mix, to complete the triple popped theme of this review!  Pop’d Kerns are a crunchy corn hybrid snack that we have enjoyed, and reviewed, a few times on this site.  Their popped kerns are closer to a fluffy, fully-popped kernel of popcorn, than either Triple P or Corn nuts.  All three products are lip-smackingly delicious and crunchy in their own way.  In fact, one day we may have a popped corn party, invite all three of these guys, and a whole bunch of popcorn, and just let the good times roll!

Trader Joe’s Triple P embodies a real strong corn essence, and flavor.  They do in fact look like those partially popped kernels you find at the bottom of the popcorn bag or bowl, except that they don’t break your teeth when you chomp down on them.  They do have a very solid crunch, but not one that will send you running to the dentist.  Probably our favorite part of the snack is the dried, real butter powder that is amply coating each of the Triple P’s.  The powder really tastes like butter.  Not like fake, bright yellowish-orange, butter powder on microwave popcorn, but real melted butter.  We love it!

So, if you like Corn Nuts or Pop’d Kerns or the bottom of the popcorn bowl, you will undoubtedly like these too!

P.S. this Partially Popped Popcorn looks an awful lot like another product Trader Joe’s released over a decade ago called Corn a Copius….granted that snack wasn’t butter flavored.  But still, are you trying to pull one over on us Trader Joe’s?!

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

Triple P discovered at Trader Joe’s; La Grange, Illinois

Trader Joe’s Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

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©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

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REVIEW: Pringles Tortillas Exclusive Flavor! – Chile y Limon

Rating: ©©©-1/4 chips  (tolerable)

We just need to ask it.  What’s the deal with all of the exclusivity between Pringles and Walmart these days?  We just don’t quite get it?  Wait, we probably do get it.  But, what we really want to ask in our whiniest of voices is – WHY oh Why?!  Our best guess is that Walmart sells more canisters of Pringles than any other retailer, or who knows, maybe all other retailers combined!  In turn, Pringles throws them an exclusive canister flavor, and Walmart promises to sell, or more accurately buy, X-amount of canisters.  Pringles keeps their largest distributor happy-happy, and Walmart now controls the one and only reason why any of us from Chip Review would ever frequent the blue and white giant retailer on a regular basis (of course we can pick up some Waffle Crisp and toilet paper while we are there!).  Is Walmart fully aware of what consumers such as ourselves will inevitably do? They just know that we will purchase other merchandise on our way back up to the register after visiting the chip aisle?  Are we over-thinking this?  Is it more simple than this, as in, does Walmart own Pringles?  Any which way you crunch it, we are not big fan of this exclusivity, as we often do not discover these exclusive flavors until we finally make the pilgrame to the big blue and white, and finally cross chip aisle paths!

We have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Pringles.  We love how often they create new flavors, and along those same lines, the boundary pushing limits of some of those flavors (ie. Pringles various pie and chocolate flavors).  Every so often the those new flavors pan out and we get a real hit from Pringles!  On the hand, we quite often dislike the quality and execution of many of Pringles flavors.  That being said, overall we have been very pleased with the majority of Pringles Tortillas style of crisps that we have tasted!

Pringles Tortillas are a heartier, denser, crunchier, and can we just call them a more “rustic” corn variation of Pringles traditional potato crisps.  Their mouth-feel is similar to the potato-based Pringles, only less brittle on the bite, with a grainier texture.  The crisps do still inhabit Pringles’ classically curved, oval, uniform design, allowing them to stack perfectly in their canister.  And the corn flavor is definitely front and center within these crisps, and lit pairs very well with this seasoning.

Our relationship with the chile & limón (or lime) flavor combination is similar to that with Pringles; as in we have found some amazing examples of this pairing.  However, overall we would say that we just don’t like most chile & limon flavored chips.  The flavor combo may have been unique and daring 5, or 10, years ago but lets move on already.  The combo is now getting very old and tired, and has become a mainstay among the standard U.S. flavor options.  And, it seems like, for the majority, every chip company utilizes the same stock chile and lime seasoning ingredients – and these Pringles Tortillas are no different!  First, a giant splash of citrusy-acidic-(slightly sweet)-lime-sour zip tingles the tongue.  The chile seasoning then makes an appearance, slightly burning the mouth and throat, and providing some of those smoky chile notes; but eventually it loses out to the powerful lime blast.

In the end, these are good enough to enjoy, but we won’t be running back to Walmart for another exclusive canister anytime soon!

**Note – we were thinking of lowering our rating of these Pringles due to their inaccurate spelling of the Spanish word ‘Limón’,….  (As we looked back through past reviews and ratings for other chile & limón (or lime) snacks that we have ever tasted, not a single one that utilized the Spanish translation for lime was missing the accent over the ‘O’.  Obviously, Pringles is going for a certain level of authenticity with these, so spelling one of three words incorrectly seems like a big oversight / mistake.  We mean come’on, Pringles must have enough workforce to have someone who can properly translate their products for them!)…..but in the end we opted not to lower their rating for this mistake, as we’re sure it was an oversight, and of course holds no real bearing on the crisps themselves.

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

Discovered at Walmart; Countryside, Illinois

Pringles Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

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