25 Chips to Christmas – 2016….

On the last day of Chips to Christmas our true love gave to us……

#1

Broad Ripple Chip Co. – Sweet & Spicy Potato Chips


Broad Ripple Chips - Sweet & Spicy

Original Review Here

Best chips of the year!!  In fact, some of the best chips of all-time!!!  We only wish that they were available to buy in our neck of the woods.  Hopefully, someone out there sees this and decides to give Broad Ripple distribution nationwide…..but, then again, that’s also what sometimes changes a company, and can lessen the product quality.  So, in this case, we’ll just have to make a quick jaunt down to Indianapolis to try some more of best chips ever!

REVIEW: Broad Ripple Chip Co. – Sweet & Spicy Potato Chips

Rating: ©©©©© chips  (“A” list)

Broad Ripple Chips - Sweet & SpicyAs if we needed any more reason than the promise of a terrific brunch at Milktooth, or the deliciously spicy iconic shrimp cocktail at St. Elmo’s Steak House, to make a trek to Indianapolis these days…… Broad Ripple Potato Chip Co. has possibly given the greatest reason of all: some absolutely delicious, 5-chip, “A” list, Sweet & Spicy Potato Chips!

Last year around this same time we reviewed (and very much enjoyed) Broad Ripple Chip Co.’s lip-smacking Original Potato Chips.  We explained to you how the company’s name did not actually reflect the style of potato chip as we had assumed it did, but rather was chosen as a representation of the neighborhood they are from – Broad Ripple Village in Indy.  Sounds like our kind of place!

As for the chips themselves – WOW!!  Seriously, here at Chip Review we eat a lotta-lotta….LOTTA different chips, and while many of them are very good, only a fair share of them are “A” list amazing.  And these chips are just that absolutely “A” LIST!  And yet, at the same time these potato chips taste a little different than most of the others……a little more REAL!  You know what they taste like?  Like hand made potato chips.  Like something your grandmother would have made while you were growing up (only better).  Something that simply cannot be faked, or mass produced, and exemplifies the time and effort and love required to create delicious potato chips of this quality.

Broad Ripple Potato chips are made with Russet Burbank potatoes, and we’re starting to think that they may just be the perfect potato for chipping.  Thick cut, hearty crunch, fried perfectly to a golden brown, exuding a nutty, rich, POTATO-FUL flavor!  To say that we could not stop eating these chips would be the understatement of the year.

As for the Sweet & Spicy seasoning blend, well it is the perfect Yin & Yang flavor combination to compliment the robust potato chips.  The sweet half of the flavor equation almost tastes like honey, and it pairs excellently with the rich potato flavor.  We also tasted light notes of garlic, along with a good scattering of sweet onion flakes.  As for the spicy heat, well, it is certainly no joke.  Like any great spicy seasoning worth it’s weight in chiles, this one gets it’s burn from our most favorite of them all – habanero.  The orange chili pepper delivers a ample sting on the initial crunch, and a delightfully perfect slow burn on the swallow!  Overall, this Sweet & Spicy combo was flawlessly balanced.

On the back of the potato chip bag with the cute little pug on it, Broad Ripple Chip Co. says “every step of the process is done by hand: selection, slicing, seasoning and packaging.  They are made in small batches in pure, heart-healthy canola oil and delivered fresh….We think you’ll agree that these chips are pretty, pretty good.”  Well, sorry Broad Ripple Chip Co., while we certainly do believe in all of steps you take to create these chips, we just cannot agree with your understatement that these chips are pretty, pretty good.  These chips aren’t even remotely close to pretty good, they are absolutely delicious!  Plain and simple, if we taste better chips than these this year, we would be pretty, pretty surprised!!

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:

(1/4 increments)

© return to sender

©© tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©©“A” list

25 Chips to Christmas….

#18

Broad Ripple Chip Co. Potato Chips

Broad Ripple Chip Co.

Original Review Here

First things first, these chips do not have broad ripples.  In fact, they do not have ripples of any kind.  Apparently, Broad Ripple is the name of a neighborhood in Indianapolis, which is what these chips are named after.  Indy – we sure hope you know how lucky you are to have these delicious potato chips, and we sure hope you continue to support them!!

REVIEW: Broad Ripple Chip Co. Potato Chips

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

Broad Ripple Chip Co.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:

(1/4 increments)

© return to sender

©© tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©©“A” list