BIJOU-REVIEW: Deep River Snacks Honchos – Ranch Tortilla Chips

Rating: ©©-1/4 chips  (tolerable)

We have been huge fans of Deep River Snacks for quite some time.  We respect the company’s decision to provide us with a more nutritious snack option, and we quite simply love a lot of their chips.

Unfortunately, these Ranch flavored Honchos are not among that long list of the Deep River chips that we do love.

We were going to simply chock these chips up to being tortilla chips, and that Deep River Snacks perhaps had not yet perfected their new Honchos line, but then we remembered that a couple of years ago we reviewed, and loved, their lip-smacking Peach Habanero Tortilla Chips.  Today these chips are apart of the Honchos line, but back when we reviewed them they were just tortilla chips with In Your Face Flavor!

But, enough about those great chips, today we are dealing with these only tolerable chips.

At first we thought that we were going to really like these chips.  All the usual ranch flavor notes were present and accounted for, but then somewhere in the background was a weird, sorta tangy and very salty intruder…..

And there it was, smack-dab in the middle of the ingredients list – cheddar cheese?!?  Huh?  Sorry, cheddar cheese is not meant to be used in ranch dressing.

Unfortunately, that is not our only issue with these chips.  We are also not very huge fans of the tortilla chips themselves.  Maybe we let the chips slip too close to their expiration date, or maybe they had already taken a wrong turn down the too hard and crunchy chip highway.

No light and crispy chips here.  Simply too dense, too hard and rigid tortilla chips for lthe likes of our palettes.

Sorry Deep River but these are not among our favorites from you.

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 Deep River Snacks for review

Deep River Snacks Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

REVIEW: Popchips Potato Ridges – Tangy Barbeque

Rating: ©©©© chips  (lip-smacking)

OK, we are starting to feel a bit redundant here but Popchips just continues to impress us again, and again, with their Potato Ridges line of potato chips.

Popchips new Tangy Barbeque Potato Ridges are yet another lip-smackingly solid addition to the new-ish line of ridged potato crisps.

It has now become apparent to us here at Chip Review that the unifying element that makes this line of Popchips so great is their potato RIDGES texture.

So as to not have to recreate the descriptive words to describe these chips once again:

The Ridges take Popchips into a tasty terrain that we have never encountered with their chips before – SubstantionalPotatofulLand.  We have always thought of Popchips as light, and airy, and crispy, but these Ridges are hearty, sturdy, crunchy, and packed with lots of potato flavor!  We really like’em.  Same standard shape as traditional potato Popchips, only now those potato Popchips a little bit thick (we think), and they have ridges in them (duh!).

As for the Tangy Barbeque, well it is definitely more tangy than TANGY.  Quite frankly they taste an awful lot like Popchips regular bargeque chips.  Slightly smoky, on the sweeter side, with just a lightest hint of tang.  Nothing unusual, but perfectly eatable.

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

Chips discovered at Walmart; Villa Park, Illinois

Popchips 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: Goldbaum’s – Barbecue Multigrain Quinoa Crisps

Rating: ©©-3/4 chips  (tolerable)

Another all natural, wholesome, gluten, wheat, and a handful of other things free, multigrain snack option from Goldbaum’s.

We’ve tasted an array of different “healthier” snack food options from Goldbaum’s now, and for the most part they been pretty good.

These latest barbecue flavored multigrain quinoa crisps fall right there inline with the rest.

The quinoa crisps’ texture is just sort of……off, or off-putting, let’s say.  Kind of stale, with a soft crunch.

Goldbaum’s tries to redeem the crisps by dousing them with a heavy orangish-red seasoning coat, but it does not quite do the trick.

The barbecue seasoning blend reminds us of a Texas BBQ sauce that is heavy on the Hickory smoke essence.

The inclusion of paprika adds another smoky, and slightly sweet, note, while some sort of chili adds just a touch of peppery heat.

We recognize the necessity of these crunchy crisps in the snack market, but that doesn’t mean that we would be choosing them over tastier, more unhealthy, options.

Crisps provided to Chip Review by Goldbaum’s for review

Goldbaum’s Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

RATING: Cobs – I ♥ Milk Chocolate Caramel Popcorn

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

Deliciously similar to Cob’s Dark Chocolate Caramel version, only we prefer the more savory, toasty, bitter notes of the dark chocolate.

As always, these are our thoughts. Agree or disagree, make sure to let us know.

Popcorn provided to Chip Review by Cobs for review

Cobs Popcorn Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

REVIEW: Late July – Buffalo Queso Tortilla Chips

Rating: ©©©©-3/4 chips  (lip-smacking)

Okay Late July Snacks, we’re not exactly sure where it is that you are trying all of these odd flavored taco truck inspirations (Bacon Habanero – really?! or Sriracha Fresca – whoa!), but if those tacos taste anything like these tortilla chips (which are inspired by them) – well, then we need to get moving right away, and go give these taco trucks a try!  Ahhhh, who are we kidding?  We’re just going to stay put, and keep enjoying these chips instead!

That’s right Chip Review readers, Late July Snacks strikes again!  This time with their lip-smackingly delicious all new Buffalo Queso Clasico Tortilla Chips!!  And dare we say that these are our most favorite flavor to date.

First things first, we’re thinking that these chips should have probably been called QUESO Buffalo, instead of Buffalo Queso, as the cheese half of the equation is without a doubt the most pronounced and delicious aspect of this flavor combination.  In fact, these buffalo queso flavored chips are probably the first of their flavor kind that we have tasted sooo much cheese up front.  Typically the cheese plays second fiddle to the powerful buffalo ingredients, but not this time.  This time, queso takes the lead, and dominates the flavor show!  And that queso is all at once tangy, salty, creamy, a little funky, and of course delicious to the very last crunch.

As for the buffalo notes, they are certainly there, but they just aren’t quite as bold and overbearing as they typically are with buffalo sauce.  We taste a good amount of vinegar and garlic, mingling with just enough cayenne chili pepper, to trigger thoughts of buffalo sauce.  Honestly, these chips sort of remind us of the late great Doritos Blazin’ Buffalo & Ranch (only minus the ranch).  If we had one gripe with Late July’s buffalo though (which would probably be our only gripe with the chips at all), it would be that we wished they delivered a touch more heat.  A bit more burn – zip – pow!

But overall, WOW – these are just top notch tortilla chips!  Really flavorful, and really fantastic!  The flavors are bright, and not muddled.  We can actually taste and identify the multiple layers of flavor, including the superb corn tortilla chip.  You know what, these chips taste like light, fresh, crispy corn tortilla chips that have been slathered with a great melting cheese, and a deliciously, mild buffalo sauce.

If you see Late July Organic Chips in your neck of the woods, do yourself a favor and give them a try – all of them!

Chips discovered at Whole Foods; River Forest, Illinois

Late July Organic Snacks Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

BIJOU-REVIEW: PopCorners – Cheesy Jalapeno Popped Corn Chips

Rating: ©©©© chips  (lip-smacking)

Popped Corn Chips, aka Popcorn Chips are alright in our books.

They certainly have a unique texture, providing a much softer crunch than traditional potato or tortilla chips.  And in the case of PopCorners, an even softer crunch than other popped corn chips we have tasted.

Tasty cheese blend coating that compliments the popped corn chips more than  adequately.

The jalapeño presence is more apparent in its delivery of heat than it is in flavor, but if we strained our taste buds we could sort of distinguish a hint of the vegetal chili flavor.

As always these are our thoughts.  Feel free to let us know your own.

Chips discovered at Pete’s Fresh Market; Lombard, Illinois

Popcorners Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list