Cape Cod Robust Russet

At first glance, you might think you have a bad batch of chips as they come out a obviously dark brown color. But this is actually the natural color of the robust russet potato when cooked, as it has a higher sugar content than your standard chips. But fear not, as it takes nothing away from these fantastic chips.

The taste is relatively unique, with a slightly raw, earthy taste to them. And they are complimented nicely by the salt that has been added to them. This is a very nice chip to try, and is something I could seeing being used to introduce somebody to the more exotic chips that are out there.

The crunch on these chips is fantastic, and exactly what I expect from a kettle cooked chip. Every bite generates a hard crunch, but not enough to make the chip overly brittle.

I’m not sure if it is the robust russet they use for the chip or not, but the chip is unusually dry. In fact, it took me a little bit to find the grease that was there.

Overall, the Cape Cod Robust Russet chip is a fantastic chip, on par with some of the best chips out there that I have had. From the unique taste, the fantastic crunch, this chip is a winner. And if you are wanting a chip to use as a gateway to some of the more exotic chips that are out there, then this is a great chip to start with.

Kettle Brand Sea Salt and Vinegar

Once again, my love for salt and vinegar has over taken me, and I dive into yet another bag. This time however, without the same results.

The bag contains a very distinct and powerful vinegar smell when opened. While not surprising to find this, the strength of the smell was. After biting into the first chip, it became evident that it was not just the smell of vinegar that was overpowering, but also the taste. Unfortunately, when it comes to salt and vinegar chips, an overpowering vinegar taste is too much. And while the vinegar taste is too much, the salt that is desperately needed to counter it is missing as well.

As with all Kettle Brand potato chips, these are kettle cooked for extra crunch. Or at least, I think they are. While I always like the crunch of a kettle cooked chip, these seemed lacking on almost every respect. In fact, I would think that this were just a thick cut potato chip, fried like any other, if not for the Kettle Brand on the outside of the bag.

Overall, I would say a slightly disappointing effort that well missed the mark in both taste, and crunch, which is disappointing for a chip by Kettle Brand. Hopefully their other chips will fare better.

PooreBrothersJalapeno

My second bag of Poore Brothers while I am still in Denver, and I decided to take it up a notch and try something just a little bit spicier, and go with their Jalapeno chips. After tasting their fantastic Salt & Vinegar chips, I had great hopes for what they might bring to these chips. Unfortunately, perhaps those chips set the bar too high, but these chips failed to live up to my expectations.

While the taste has the distinct bite and taste of jalapeno chips that you would come to expect, it also shocked me by having a very salty taste to them as well. While the jalapeno taste is there, it is overpowered by the saltiness, and drags the chip down. With every chip, the taste gets more distinct and more powerful, but unfortunately, so does the salt.

The grease was slightly greater than the grease in the Salt and Vinegar, with a noticeable layer inside the bag. Not enough to make me not want to eat them, but enough to take notice. The crunch was even a little off from what was expected and not on par with the Salt & Vinegar I reviewed earlier.

The heat on this is very mild. I would place it at 2 for the slight bite I feel on my tongue as I eat them.

Overall, while they are a pleasant chip, they fail in the execution by not having a distinct jalapeno flavor, and for being very salty.

Poor Brothers Old English Salt And Vinegar

I stumbled on the Poore Brothers brand of potato chips while shopping at a Walgreens in the Denver area. And me, being a sucker for different chips, and lover of Salt & Vinegar, just could not let the chance to try another chip go to waste.

Once the bag is opened, the first wiff is the bite of the vinegar on the chips. Not overpowering, but lets you know what you are getting in to with the chip. The first taste immediately hits you with the slight saltiness of the chip, and the tangy bite of the vinegar. These two seem to be, dare I say, perfectly balanced, to make you want another. And another. And another. Lay’s may challenge to “Eat Just One”, but in this instance, every bite of these Poore Brothers chips invites you to have another.

The crunch is exactly where you would expect it to be, especially with a kettle cooked chip. A firm, satisfying, crisp crunch, that lets you know that you are biting into a chip you will remember, and that makes you want another. The greasiness is almost as perfect as the rest of the chip, but it in no way takes away from the chip.

Overall, this is perhaps, the best Salt & Vinegar chip I have eaten. Period.

Cheerio!

Lays Kettle Cooked Creamy Queso & Salsa

What’s not to love about the combination of queso and salsa?  Apparently the people at Lays thought the same thing, and decided to throw this combination of flavors together.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t feel like they have put much thought into it, except to add the cheddar cheese flavor and the salsa flavor to a chip and call it a day.  There is a slight cheese taste with a small salsa kick which isn’t that bad actually.  However, instead of a unique flavor, you get the combination of two different flavors that just doesn’t quite do the flavors justice, and is making that kick that should make it stand out.

The crunch is what is to be expected from a lays kettle cooked chip, and the amount of grease is on par with their other kettle cooked chips.  While I have noticed that the smaller brands due tend to have a better crunch, these chips offer a respectable amount of pleasant crunch.

Overall, while a very nice taste and perfectly acceptable chip for those looking for something a little different, Lays dropped the ball on this one and what they could of offered us.

Zapps Limited Edition Voodoo Gumbo

I have already heard such great things about Zapp’s, but this is one of my first chances to actually sit down and have a taste.  These chips have a very unique taste to them.  I taste a mix of sweet onion and BBQ with every crunchy bite, and something else that I can’t just place.  According to the bag itself, “Voodoo Gumbo flavor is a result of an accident.  An employee was moving a pallet of spices off the top shelf and dropped it.  While cleaning up, someone stuck their finger into the mixtureo f about 5 flavors and announced it great.”  I couldn’t agree more.  These chips have a mild, sweet BBQ flavor that I just can’t get enough of.   Although there is slightly more grease than I care for in the bag, most of that grease doesn’t carry over to the chips themselves.  And the amount of crunch that they have is what you would expect from a kettle cooked chip, or in the case of Zapps, Cajun Kettle Cooked.  Overall, here’s hoping they are able to put these into a more permanate rotation in their stock, or at least start introducing more limited edition chips of this caliber.  And give the guy who had the accident a promotion!  Anybody that can have an accident that tastes this good could do wonders if he was trying!

Kettle Brand Death Valley Chipolte

I believe this is first of the Kettle Brand chips that we have had the chance to review, which is a slight shame as kettle cooked chips are some of my favorite chips due to their extra crunch and flavor they provide.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with a name like Death Valley Chipolte, but was ready for whatever they brought to me.  The first thing that hit my taste buds was the taste of black pepper, followed immediately by the sweet and smoky chipolte taste.  I wasn’t sure after the first chip, so I went back and tried again.  Yup.  Black pepper is the first taste and what seems to be generating the “heat” of the chip.  While not an all together bad taste, it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting when I bit into the chips.

While I do prefer kettle cooked chips, and not a bad flavor to these, I can’t help but rate these as just an average chip overall.

Jimmy Johns Jimmy Chips Salt & Vinegar

I never even thought of hitting up my local Jimmy John’s sub shop for their chips, until ThrallMind mentioned it the other day.  So of course, the next time I had some Jimmy John’s, I had to grab some chips.  And none better than one of my favorite flavors, but Salt & Vinegar.

My love of salt & vinegar chips comes from when I lived in England as a child. I loved them, but when I came back to the United States, they were nowhere to be found.  Until Lays was kind enough to bring them to the states years later (THANK YOU LAYS!).

The first thing that always hits me when opening a bag of salt & vinegar chips is the smell.  That familar bite in my nose that lets me know that there is vinegar present.  And these chips do not disappoint.  The tell tale smell of vinegar compliments the delicious taste of the vinegar as you bite into the chips.  And the vinegar is perfectly balances by the salt on these chips.  While the balance is there and it tastes very good, there isn’t enough vinegar on the chips for my tastes.  I prefer a little more bite in my salt and vinegar.

One of the things that does stand out about these chips is the grease.  Not only is there a visable residue on your fingers when eating, but the inside of the bag is coated in the shiny substance.   Not an all together bad thing, but it is definatly something to lprepare for.

Overall, a downright plesant tasting chip that I will most likely order the next time I get some Jimmy John’s subs.  If you can, I recommend them to any Salt & Vinegar chip fan.

Archer Farms Parmesan Garlic

Ah, another day, another chip.  Something about these Archer Farms chips makes me feel like I’m eating a higher class chip than I really am.  Maybe it’s the logo.  Maybe it’s the package.  Who knows?  I do love the fact the bags are reclosable like a ziplock bag.

But this isn’t about me, it’s about the chips.  In this case, a Parmesan Garlic chip.  The problem with cheese chips is that they normally come off tasting like some processed cheese product.  And this case is no different.  While the chips have a light cheese taste, I struggle to find the parmesan taste, and even the garlic taste.  In fact, without looking at the bag, it passes as sour cream and onion in a blind test.  A far cry from the advertised parmesan garlic they are supposed to be.  While not an unpleasant taste, it isn’t exactly what was expected.

And while these are kettle cooked chips, they lack the crunch you expect from a good kettle cooked chip.  Still better than your usual chip, but not up to par with the rest of the kettle cooked products I have tasted.

Over all, these chips were a disappointment to me, mainly due to the fact that the taste just doesn’t live up to its expectations.

And remember, if you have tried these chips, leave your own review in the comments, and give them your own overall rating by rating the review.

Blairs Death Rain - Habanero

Guest Review: Emory Dawson

So, my friend here hands me this bag of chips that he’s too afraid to try. Wuss.  The bag says it is rated “hot”, and is Habenero flavored, and sure enough it is one of the ingredients listed.  After opening the bag, they didn’t smell too hot, and were reminiscent of barbecue flavored chips.  My friend hands me a glass of milk, and I eat the first chip.  Pretty good, I say to myself, very flavorful.  Not too hot.  Good crunch.  Upon the ingestion of several more chips, my mouth ignites in a delightful flame of burning, which the milk helps quell.  A couple more chips later, and I had a small coughing fit, as my throat was tickled by the spices..  Due to the compounded intensity of each successive chip, I was unable to finish the bag of chips.  I would recommend this to anyone who loves really hot or spicy food, because the bag does not lie when it says it is rated hot.

*Editor Note*  Emory also added comments to the ratings, so I’ll show those below.

Tastiness: Very tasty, but must be eaten slowly to avoid excessive burning
Crunchiness:  Good crunch.
Heat: Hot.  Advise caution, especially to asthmatics.
Greasiness: Similar to Barbecue chips, these leave spicy residue upon your fingers after eating them.  Due to the nature of these chips, wash your hands before rubbing your eyes.
Overall: Unless you are a lover of spicy foods, these are more of a novelty.  Unless you are a masochist, makes a poor snack food.