REVIEW: Terra Celery Root – Aged Cheese

Rating: ©-1/4 chips  (return to sender)

WOW!  These real vegetable chips are easily….. E-ZAH-LEE, by a large landslide, the most unique, and challenging chips that we have tried in a long time!  We’re talking more weird than Chicken and Waffle flavored potato chips, or White Chocolate Peppermint flavored potato crisps, or Thick Juicy Steak and Horseradish, or Thai Coconut Curry flavored popcorn.  Yep, Terra’s Aged Cheese flavored Celery Root Chips (yes, we said Celery Root Chips) are a first of a kind, both perplexing, and off-putting, and as much as we respect them, we just can’t quite stomach them.

First of all, can we take one second and discuss the image of the chips on the front of the bag.  Take a good look at them, and tell us what you see.  Aren’t they beautiful?  Doesn’t it sort of look like the chips have been piled up in such a way that they resemble a plant?  We’ve decided that it looks like either an exotic mushroom, or something from the bottom of the ocean.

Let’s move onto shape and texture next.  These celery root chips are extremely thinly cut.  Almost paper thin.  Lots of different sizes and wiggles and folds, all with a burnt-orange, sunset hue.  On the surface everything seems pretty normal, no red flags, but then we pop the first chip into our mouths and….are these chips CHEWY?!?  We aren’t kidding, literally chewy.  No crunch, no crispy to them at all.  We bit down, and the semi-soft celery root chip folds in upon itself, and then your teeth begin working on these chewy chips!  Unlike anything we have ever tried.  And believe it or not but the texture isn’t necessarily off putting to many of us (we’re pretty sure that it may be to the majority of people), but really just peculiar and different and unexpected.

As for the flavor, well first and foremost these chips really do taste like celery root!  And celery root tastes very much like celery, with a dash of parsley thrown in.  So, celery root chips that taste like celery, we are off to a weird start.  And then Terra, sticking with their strategy of weirdness, decides to season these new chips with what else…..aged cheese.  That’s right, now our mouths are tasting stinky, sort of sweet and bitter and tangy seasoning mingling with celery and parsley.  All we can say is that in our opinion the combination is really off-putting, and barring on disgusting.  We did not like this flavor in the least.

In the end, we recognize Terra’s willingness to push the boundaries and deliver something completely unique to the industry, but we are more than certain that all we want to do with this delivery is return it to sender!

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

Discovered at World Market; Willowbrook, IL

Terra Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

RATING: Archer Farms – Wasabi Soy Kettle Cooked Potato Chips

Rating: ©©©-3/4 chips  (notable)

Chips discovered at Target; Willowbrook, Illinois

Target Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

BIJOU-REVIEW: Popcorn, Indiana – Chicago Style Caramel & Cheese Popcorn

Rating: ©©©© chips (lip-smacking)

Chicago Style / Mix = Caramel & Cheese Popcorn. Or, as we like to call it, popped perfection!

Others may not relish in the this deliciously sweet and salty, ying-yang, combination the way we do; but that would just mean that those people are wrong (just kidding, or are we?).

Popcorn, Indiana gives us a very respectable version of the classic combination.

Their caramel kernels are pretty straight forward. Glazed with a sweet and crackle-y brown caramel coating that hits the sweet tooth just right.

The cheddar cheese kernels on the other hand are a bit unique.  Substantially coated with a dull, orange-ish yellow powder that tastes of generic Cheetos (and we mean that in the most complimentary way possible).  You know what we are talking about – cheese seasoning that is devoid of any real, fatty, rich cheese essence, and yet can deliver a delightfully, tangy and salty, cheddar cheese flavor that hits the spot.  Quite enjoyable.

The kernels themselves are full bodied, with plenty of crispy, fleshy chew.

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

Discovered at Target; Willowbrook, Illinois

Popcorn, Indiana Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

BIJOU-REVIEW: Doritos Royal – Tandoori Chicken (Japan)

Rating: ©©©-1/4 chips  (notable)

Doritos Royal = Rich Taste Tortilla Chips….. Okay, we can buy into that.

A few weeks ago we told you that just for the heck of it we recently ordered a variety of unique flavored Japanese Doritos and Cheetos from eBay.  First review was of Doritos Black Pepper flavor – which were decent enough.  Next up is the classic Indian dish of Tandoori Chicken, getting the Doritos Royal treatment.

Now, this is a unique flavor for Doritos, and one that we’re guessing many U.S. palettes have never laid their lips on.

According to our records these mark our very first tandoori chicken flavored chips of any type.

Tandoori Chicken is a classic Indian dish, that has gained popularity throughout many parts of the world.

Opposed to flavor?  Then stay the heck away from these tortilla chips!!

We’re talking about a combination of garlic, cayenne chili, pepper, ginger, lemon, yogurt, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and paprika.  Plus, Doritos is probably also trying to represent the chicken flavor, using a handful of other ingredients as well….. although, it is fair to say, we can’t really taste anything beyond the bold tandoori seasoning blend!

So, does the flavor work well with corn tortilla chips?  Nope, not really.  We would much rather prefer eating this comforting Indian dish at a candlelit dinner table, next to a crackling fire, on a balmy winter evening; or at the very least on real chicken, with a knife and fork.

Last little thing to make mention of is the Doritos Royal tortilla chip shape.  The edges have been rounded, which sort of makes the chips resemble a bell??  Round edges?  Are these supposed to be child safety shaped or something?  No more injuries to the tops of peoples’ mouths?  Who knows.

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 purchased from market_tokyo on ebay.

Frito Lay – Doritos Japan Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

REVIEW: Pringles Exclusive Flavor! – Hot Diggity Dog

Rating: ©©-1/2 chips  (tolerable)

Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog!  Has someone over at Pringles been watching one too many episodes of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse?!  We can admit it, diggity is a great word!

Pringles new Hot Diggity Dog flavored potato crisps are an exclusive flavor for…..  drum roll please…..  Walgreens.  Looking back at all of our Pringles Exclusive Flavor reviews, we would say that Walmart has gotten the best selection so far, and Target easily the worst – Walgreens would fall somewhere in between.

As for the Hot Diggity Dog flavor itself, well that falls right to the bottom of Walgreen’s Exclusive Flavors!  Sorry, but these crisps are just another forgettable addition to the short list of hot dog flavored chips.  For a much finer example of how a hot dog flavored snack should actually taste, check out our review of International Popcorn’s Jersey Dog Popcorn.

It is not that these Pringles taste bad in any way, because they really don’t.  However, what they also really don’t do is taste like hot dogs in any way, shape, flavor or form!  Quick sidetrack….

• Question: “Are you a ketchup person?”  No, no, no, don’t try and give us that well what does that mean exactly…?  You know what we mean.  “Do you like ketchup, or don’t you?”  Doesn’t matter on what, or what kind, or anything else.  Simple, straightforward, yes or no, sort of question – “are you a ketchup person or aren’t you?”  As for us here at Chip Review, some of us are, and some of us aren’t.  The ones that aren’t, are very passionate about disliking ketchup.  No ketchup on anything, anywhere, ever.  Those that like the ketchup, seem to be more take it or leave it, as opposed to need it on everything, all the time (well, unless we’re talking about our Chip Reviewers who fall into the less than 5 years old range, that’s an entirely different story….who new ketchup was meant to go into milk?).

Okay, getting back on track here; as we were saying, these Pringles do not taste like hot dogs.  What they do taste like is mustard.  Lots and lots of mustard and salt.  Not an overly harsh mustard, just your typical sort of sweet-ish, vinegary sour, and pungent yellow mustard.  Also, way way way back in the flavor background, we can just recognize some very minimal sweet tomato ketchup notes.  The pretty pink Pringles canister only shows mustard being applied to the slightly charred tubular dog, so you can imagine the disgust on the faces of those Chip Reviewers who are “not ketchup people”!!

So, there you have it, these Pringles taste like mustard, with a heavy dash of salt, and a light splash of ketchup – but not like hot dogs.  For another mixed review of the Diggity Dogs check out Junk Food Guy’s review.  And for a much more glowing review, check out The Impulsive Buy’s review.

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

Discovered at Walgreens; Burr Ridge, Illinois

Pringles Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

REVIEW: International Popcorn – Jersey Dog

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

International Popcorn may be a catchy brand name suggesting a diverse, multi-cultural variety of flavors, but as unique and varied as International Popcorn’s flavor line-up has been (remember Everything Bagel?!), we wouldn’t necessarily say that the flavors we’ve tasted are “international” by any means….(although, there are a few more exotic flavors on their Flavors Around The World webpage).

Case in point – take their newest flavor – Jersey Dog.  Can’t get much more national than that!!  Our point is, we really love the spectrum of International Popcorn’s flavors thus far, but we’re hoping that they will branch out even further in the future to include more “international” flavors.  Do we taste Argentine steak & chimichurri, or Brazilian fejoida, or Szechuan dan dan noodle flavors in our future?!  We hope so!

As for the Jersey Dog popcorn itself, we are happy to report that we have yet another lip-smacking flavor from International Popcorn!  Who knew that encased meats and popped corn went so well together?!  Plain and simple, WOW – this popcorn tastes more like smoky, grilled, meaty wieners than any other hot dog flavored snack we have tried before!  In fact, it is fair to say that this Jersey Dog popcorn is also our favorite hot dog flavored snack that we have ever tasted.

So, what sets this stuff apart from the rest?  Well, we think that it really just boils (or grills) down to letting the smoky hot dog flavor shine.  Not overwhelming the meaty presence with all of those other supporting condiment flavors like mustard (pretty sure we do taste a little), or relish (nope – nada), or pickles, and certainly not ketchup (not a drop, thank you!).

In the end, all we can say is that this is some delicious and savory hot dog flavored popcorn!  It may not be international, but it most certainly doesn’t get much more inner-national than popcorn and hot dogs from Jersey!

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

Popcorn provided to Chip Review by International Popcorn for review

International Popcorn Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

BIJOU-REVIEW: Target – Sweet Saucy Barbecue Rib Popcorn

Rating: ©-3/4 chips  (return to sender)

Ish.

You know what this popcorn tastes like?  Sweet and saucy barbecue flavored popcorn.  And you know what flavor does not taste good on popcorn?  Yep, you’re right – sweet and saucy barbecue!

You know the one – overly sweet, generically tomato heavy with no character or depth whatsoever.  We loathe the stuff!

Popcorn itself was OK.  Airy, slightly crispy kernels without much body or chew to them.  And certainly no level of fat or richness to them at all – despite the popcorn actually having 11g of fat…

Popcorn discovered at, where else, Target; Hillside, Illinois

Target Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list