Brand: Peeps Oreos, Cadbury Origin: USA Type: Cookies Flavor: Really sugary cookies on both accounts Verdict: Mixed
Welcome to my new channel!! Please be sure to unsubscribe from QUERD and subscribe to my new channel to get all of my latest videos. QUERD and I have parted ways. Please see my first Snack Plate video for more details on that.
More importantly, though, I ATE EASTER SNACKS! I also got a guest cohost. Check out the video below to see what I think of the new Cadbury Creme Egg cookies and Peeps flavored Oreos.
Did you try any of this? Let me know what you think!
Brand: Boy Bawang Style: Garlic and Lechon Manok (Roasted Chicken) Origin: Philippines Type: Corn Snack Flavor: Mixed bag - garlic wasn't very flavorful but the lechon manok was very savory, salty, and addicting! Verdict: Approved!
People in my past have often made fun of me for my love of Corn Nuts. I'm a bit scarred by it and now rarely mention them and never dare to eat them around others. It's tragic! I know they can have a strong smell and they're very crunchy, but so help me, those little nuggets of deliciousness are just too good to resist!
Today's review isn't Corn Nuts, but I grabbed these Boy Bawang corn snacks the other day hoping that they would be similar, just with new and exciting flavors, like lechon manok, or roasted chicken. How did they stack up? Well...I tried the garlic first and it wasn't awesome, but it wasn't terrible. It just didn't really taste like garlic, despite smelling like a vampire's worst nightmare! Very weird...I still don't quite understand how that works. The lechon manok flavor, however, was freaking DEEEELISH! So addicting! I couldn't stop eating them.
How do they compare to good ol' American Corn Nuts, though? I think they're better for one main reason: they're slightly less crunchy and don't make your teeth feel like they're about to crack and fall out!! Awesome!!
Thumbs up for Boy Bawang! I'm looking forward to trying more flavors in future reviews!
Brand: Boulder Canyon Style: Grilled Brats, Sweet Corn, and Peach Cobbler Origin: United States Type: Chips Flavor: A complete cookout but in potato chip form! What??!! Verdict: Approved!
Obviously, I absolutely CANNOT resist a weird-flavored chip, and Boulder Canyon's seasonal weirdness always is at the top of my list! They aren't always the best, but I think with each passing year, even if I don't like the flavors themselves, they are getting more and more true to what they are trying to taste like. Today, I tried the summer Backyard BBQ set, which has Grilled Brats, Sweet Corn, and Peach Cobbler flavors. Fun in the summer sun time!!!
Here's my video review of the flavors:
Ultimately, the sweet corn was kind of a bust, but the other two were good. The peach cobbler definitely threw me for a loop because it tasted JUST LIKE peach cobbler!! How they managed that, I don't even want to know! Miracles of science, I'm sure. It even tasted good with some vanilla ice cream - seriously. The grilled brats didn't taste as much like what I remember brats tasting like (I haven't had one in many, many years), but they still tasted good and I definitely ate the whole bag.
Purchased at Fred Meyer, Portland, OR
Friday, August 19, 2016
Brand: Pique Tea Style: Earl Grey, Unsweetened Black, Green Sencha, Mint Green Sencha, and Jasmine Origin: United States Type: Tea Flavor: The black teas were great, the jasmine was great, the senchas were not so good Verdict: Approved (except for the senchas)
Thank you so much for all of your support and views of my video last week! This week, I am reviewing Pique Tea organic tea crystals. I ended up getting these because I got a really great coupon and, of course, I'm a sucker for weird yuppie snacks and treats. Put organic on the label, and I am so there!
I tried all five flavors that were in their variety pack. First off, I was surprised that these didn't really look so much like "crystals" as little flakes. I was expecting it to look more like brown sugar crystals or something, but looks aren't everything! I just thought the name was a bit misleading. Overall, they also did not dissolve completely in the water which looked slightly odd, but I didn't notice any kind of texture in my mouth while drinking it, so it didn't bother me at all.
I tried the black teas first. The unsweetened black was slightly above average and I would definitely drink it again. It had a good, strong flavor, and definitely tasted high-quality. This isn't any old gross Lipton type tea! It's the real deal, even in crystal form. The Earl Grey flavor is the other black tea, and I actually like it the best, even though I don't normally care much for EG. It just tasted really crisp and clean and the bergamot was strong, but not too astringent. It would probably be really good with some milk/cream of some kind in it as well, accompanied by cookies or cake :)
The green teas didn't fare so well with me. I found the senchas to be a very odd color (more brown than green), and the taste was not like any green tea I've had before...and not in a good way, unfortunately. :( It was very astringent, bitter, and just all around not good. The mint flavor I was hoping would hide the bad green tea flavor, but it just tasted like someone dumped some spearmint mouthwash in my drink :( Sad times!
The jasmine green tea, however, was my second favorite flavor. I LOVE jasmine tea in general, so I was really overjoyed that this one was good! The jasmine was light, floral, and sweet, just like it should be :)
So overall, I would approve these, I would just avoid the sencha flavors. But the rest are good, and I would definitely order from them again. Also, the customer service was excellent! They made a mistake on my order and sent me a whole new order, plus a sample pack, which I will be including as the second surprise prize in my giveaway! Please enter below!!! :)
If you would like to see the video version of this review, here it is!
Please enter my giveaway below to win a full set of Lay's Passport to Flavor chips and a sample pack of Pique Tea! All the prizes are being provided by me, this isn't sponsored or anything, it's all out of the goodness of my snacky little heart! Here it is:
Brand: Lay's Style: Passport to Flavor Origin: United States Type: Potato Chips Flavor: Indian Tikka Masala tastes amazing, the rest are good to not very good Verdict: Approved (except for the Chinese Szechuan Chicken)
OH EM GEE SNACKIES!!! I am officially launching my video taste tests!!! This project has been in the works in my snacktastic little brain for literally years, and in reality for several months, so I cannot even express how freaking excited I am right now to be sharing this with you all! I LOVE snacks so much and all I have ever wanted to do is share my love with the world...so hello world, here I am! Love me! Eat snacks with me! <3
To celebrate the launch of my new show and of the new channel I will be featured on, Querd Collective, I'm having a giveaway! Enter below to win not only a full set of the Lay's Passport to Flavor chips, but another special snackie prize that will be announced in next week's video! What will it be?! Who knows?!?! I do! But I'm not telling :D
First off, though, the moment you have really been waiting for...my Lay's Passport to Flavor review! Every summer I get really stoked because Lay's always has some kind of weird flavor promotion going on. The past few years, it's been the Do Us A Flavor contest where you get to vote on a new flavor, but this year, they are featuring four globally-inspired flavors. I'm really excited because these were actually better than a lot of the Do Us A Flavor entries. The flavors were stronger and felt much more inspired.
The worst flavor, by far, was the Chinese Szechuan Chicken. It smelled like the bathroom after you've eaten too much Chinese food, if you catch my drift, and the taste wasn't much better. It was minimally spicy, and just had a very heavy, meaty, soy sauce type flavor. Somehow, it was complex yet boring all at the same time...really difficult to manage that, but they did it, and it was not a good. Womp-womp.
The best flavor was the Indian Tikka Masala. It was SO GOOD! It smelled like the inside of an Indian restaurant in the best way. The taste is divine. They are in the running for my favorite chip flavor ever, and if you know me at all, you should know that is a big freaking deal! There is a dish called Aloo Gobi that I get fairly often at my favorite Indian restaurant that's made of potatoes and cauliflower and these chips taste just like that. I've never actually eaten tikka masala, so I can't speak for whether it tastes just like that, but it doesn't matter, because these are so, so, so good!
The Brazilian Picanha chips were also pretty tasty, although not quite as much as the masala. These are supposed to taste like steak and chimichurri, and they didn't quite nail it, but they got pretty darn close. The steak flavor is pretty incredible - you can definitely taste the smoky meat flavor throughout the whole bite, but the chimichurri is a little less potent. I would have loved for these to have more of the herbal, sour, and spicy flavors of chimichurri to come through more.
Finally, the Greek Tzatziki chips - these were also pretty good. Tzatziki is a Greek dip made of yogurt, cucumbers, dill, and garlic, and for these chips, the strongest flavor was by far cucumber. They tasted like Bath and Body Works cucumber melon spray, but not really in a bad way. There's a slightly sour undercurrent representing the yogurt, and at the end of the bite, you can taste the spices a little bit.
So basically, if you can get a hold of these before they all fly off the shelves, grab for the Indian ones first!! And whatever you do, don't get the Chinese ones unless you're just looking to taste all of them. Or do, if you like soy sauce? *shrug*
If you would like to see the video version of this review, here it is!
Anyway, on to other important things, like my giveaway!! All the prizes are being provided by me, this isn't sponsored or anything, it's all out of the goodness of my snacky little heart! Here it is:
Brand: Funyuns Style: Steakhouse Onion Origin: United States Type: Onion Rings Flavor: Like onion rings dipped in ranch Verdict: Approved!
Although I began apprenticing to become a Snack Master from a very, very young age, there was one type of salty snack that I actually never tried until this past year, believe it or not! That elusive snack was Funyuns. I don't really understand exactly *how* that happened, given that onion rings are one of my favorite foods. I think my mom thought they were gross and wouldn't let me have them, or something like that. Anyway, that's neither here nor there.
What is here, in my hands, right now, is Funyuns Steakhouse Onion flavor. I grabbed these as a quick snack from Plaid Pantry the other day, having literally no idea what to expect. I actually don't really care for plain Funyuns for some reason; I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about them just doesn't jive with me. These ones, however, are awesome! They're basically like Cool Ranch Funyuns, if that was a thing. They are super salty and savory, and basically taste like plain Funyuns dipped in ranch sauce. Given that ranch is one of my favorite flavors, I am sooooo into these! Approved!!
Brand: Frito Lay Style: Cheetos Salsa con Queso Crunchy Origin: United States Type: Cheese snacks Flavor: Spicy, like cheetos dipped in salsa Verdict: Approved
Yesterday's Burger King Mac 'n' Cheetos adventure had me craving some real Cheetos goodness, so I decided to meander down the snack aisle and grab myself a little bag. However, seeing as I am the Snack Master, not just some mere snack apprentice, I couldn't pass up trying out this new flavor I found: Salsa con Queso! A very, very long time ago, I found some enchilada flavored Cheetos, and I don't really remember what they tasted like, but I feel like these are pretty similar. When you open the bag, you get a strong cheesy, Cheetos smell, and not too much of the salsa smell. That made me a little worried that they might not be very salsa-y, but once I tried one, my fears melted away in a wave of spicy...well, not quite bliss, but they are pretty good. They're not too spicy; I'm not crying over them or reaching for water, but they definitely pack a little punch. The other main flavor I get is a bit of a vinegar taste, like hot sauce, and some lime aftertaste. These are definitely good for what they are, although they don't really taste like any salsa con queso I've ever had. I'm trying to put my finger on why they don't really taste like a good salsa con queso, but I can't quite nail it down. I think the tomato flavor doesn't quite come through enough, to be honest. Regardless, I'd still buy them again! Thank you, Cheetos, for redeeming yourselves after yesterday's blunder.
Brand: Good Health Style: Disney Mickey Shaped Veggie Chips Origin: United States Type: Chips Flavor: Savory, delicious, and only slightly healthy-tasting Verdict: Approved!
I've mentioned a bit on here that I have some kind of intense food sensitivities. Because of this, I like to try weird "health food" snacks fairly often, but I feel like most of you snackies out there are probably more interested in reading about the super weird, chemically, non-organic stuff, so I don't write about them too often. However, today's snack is shaped like Mickey Mouse, so...I figured you could forgive me this time. ;) I was at Target the other day, wandering aimlessly down the snack aisle, obviously not planning on purchasing anything (*ahem*), when I happened to see a smiling Mickey Mouse on a chip bag. I might technically be an adult, but I'm perpetually about seven years old on the inside, so I get overly excited about this sort of thing. I might have really loudly said, "Oh em gee!" and grabbed them off the shelf as fast as my little paws could get on them. Maybe. These are your regular "veggie chip" flavors - potato, spinach/green, and tomato/red, but they were actually quite better than most I've had, and not just because they happen to be shaped like one of my favorite cartoons. That only *slightly* improved the taste. Of the three flavors, the green ones were my favorite. The green comes from parsley, green pepper, celery, spinach, and broccoli, and tastes like instant soup, but in the best way possible. I could eat a giant bowl of just this flavor, seriously! The red ones were the second best, and are made of tomato, beet, and turmeric. They taste faintly of tomato soup. The white ones just taste like potato, like a less greasy and salty Pringle. Still good, though. They are a little smaller than I thought they would be from the "enlarged to show detail" photo on the package; they're about the size of a slightly enlarged quarter and two dimes. The texture is similar to a Pringle, but thinner and crispier. Very pleasing to eat! I had to try really hard to stop myself from eating the whole bag all at once and I will definitely be buying these again. The other bonus is that they actually do have a fair amount of vegetables and vitamins packed into them, so I can feel better about eating them than a bag of Lay's. Yay for "health food!"
Brand: Lay's Style: Kettle Cooked Cream Cheese + Chive Origin: United States Type: Chips Flavor: Unsurprisingly similar to sour cream and onion, but slightly better somehow? Verdict: Approved Hi snackies! Sorry for the radio silence. I was promoted at my job recently, so I have unfortunately had less time to tell you all about the glorious (and less glorious) snacks that I've been eating lately. I've got some goodies to tell you about though, it will just be a little bit slow going. To start things off, here's a quick review of some new Lay's I picked up. These are from the Kettle Cooked line, which I actually hadn't tried yet, believe it or not! I tend to stray from anything marked "low fat," because why would I want low fat when I can have high fat, right? However, the flavor called to me, and I couldn't resist picking one of these up! What can I say, I'm a sucker for anything creamy and herby! I wasn't expecting much from these. I figured they would be dry and have the faintest taste of sour cream and onion, but I was wrong! Sort of. They are less greasy than the regular Lay's chips, but in a really good way! Yes - you heard it here first, folks - I am actually praising the benefits of having a lower fat chip! What is this world coming to?! Aside from being less greasy, the texture of the chips was also better than regular Lay's. I get a bit sad eating them sometimes because the regular chips are so thin and sad. These, being kettle cooked, were nice and thick and crunchy! Yeah! Taste-wise, yes, they were nearly identical to sour cream and onion, but I love sour cream and onion, so...no problems there. Ironically, sour cream was listed higher in the ingredients than cream cheese, and onions were listed higher than chives. Go figure. In conclusion, these were like a super awesome leveled-up version of sour cream and onion. Yeah! *insert Mario mushroom noise here* Highly recommended and good(er than the regular kind) for you!
Brand: Lay's Style: Southern Biscuits and Gravy Origin: United States Type: Chips Flavor: Legit biscuits and gravy! The new and improved flavor is great! Verdict: Approved!
Brand: Kettle Style: Thick + Bold Carolina BBQ Origin: United States Type: Chips Flavor: Beanie weenie. Verdict: Unsure...they kind of grow on you, but so does a fungus...
My partner and I recently went on a road trip and of course, road trip = snack time!! No good vacation is complete without some fun new snacks! We made a pit stop at our usual halfway point between Portland and Seattle (Centralia, WA), and found a couple of country-flavored chips. My partner was extremely happy to find that their favorite chips from last summer's Lay's flavor contest had made the cut: Southern Biscuits and Gravy - and to boot, they were now being sold in a small bag! That was a no-brainer for their road snack. I had a bit more difficulty finding something to snack on, but I finally settled on the new Kettle Thick + Bold Carolina BBQ chips. I don't get BBQ too often because I'm kind of picky and it feels a bit, you know...pedestrian for my refined palette, but what the hey, I was on vacation! I should have listened to my gut and gone with something more adventurous, pun somewhat intended, but that's neither here nor there. First - you might recall that I didn't care too much for the Lay's Do Us A Flavor options this past summer. I felt that the flavors I would have liked were wimpy and sad and the others were just not good. The Biscuits and Gravy, in particular, was a let down because it had a lot of potential and fell very, very flat. But you may now dry your tears, snackfriends, because Lay's has kicked it up several notches in the new batch! Just opening the bag smells like fresh biscuits, and each bite offers a peppery punch that makes you feel like you're back at Bob Evans, tossing down a big ol' plate of sausage gravy smothered biscuits. Thank you, Lay's! Unfortunately, the Kettle Carolina BBQ didn't fare so well. At first, well, let's just say "bold" is not the first word that came to my mind. "Bland," "uninspired," and "odd-in-a-bad-way," perhaps, but definitely not "bold." Snackies, do you ever get that feeling where you just know you have a sensory memory tucked waaaay back in one of your brain files, but you just can't quite reach it? That taste or smell is so, so familiar, but it's from so far back that you just can't quite place it? That's exactly what I was feeling as I was munching on these in the car. Finally, I shouted out, "BEANIE WEENIE!" as my partner was in mid-sentence talking about something totally not food-related, which was really rude of me, but that is exactly what these chips taste like! (For those of you who are not from the midwest or the south where beanie weenie is a thing, it's a kids' camp type food where you slice up hot dogs and mix them with canned baked beans.) Perspective is a big thing, so had these chips been marketed as being beanie weenie flavored, I would have been like, "Dang!!! Kettle knows their stuff!! These taste perfect!" However, expecting a mature Carolina BBQ and getting cheap camp food left me sad and disappointed in these. Womp womp.
Brand: Lay's Style: Smoked Gouda and Chives Origin: United States Type: Potato Chips Flavor: Like Cheddar and Sour Cream and Sour Cream and Onion had a baby Verdict: Approved, I guess
These chips are actually what finally inspired me to start this blog back up again! Currently, Lay's is running a contest where they pit new and old chip flavors against each other. People taste the new and the old, then vote on the website for the one they like better. There are four different flavors - 2 spicy ones (not gonna touch these), 2 BBQ (Honey BBQ vs. Korean BBQ), 2 Kettle Cooked (Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper vs. Olive Oil & Herbs), and 2 cheese flavors (Cheddar & Sour Cream vs. Smoked Gouda and Chives). I thought it would be great to do one of these Lay's challenges to jump back in the snack game! I tried some of the summer contest flavors back in August (Biscuits and Gravy, Reuben, and Gyros) and was somewhat underwhelmed, but I picked up this bag of Smoked Gouda & Chives, hoping that these guys would live up to the really, really delicious sounding name. The ones I *actually* wanted to try were the Korean BBQ, but sadly, they seem to be sold out everywhere in my area. Anyhoodles...on to the chips! They're...ok. Pretty underwhelming, really. It's not that they taste *bad*, per se. It's just that there's nothing exceptional or different about them. They taste about 30% Cheddar and Sour Cream (which they are positioned to replace, if they win the contest) and 70% Sour Cream and Onion. If the contest were to vote on these vs. Sour Cream and Onion, I would definitely say these are the superior chip, but I think Cheddar and Sour Cream is actually a better option than these. Also, despite the fact that these are supposedly smoked gouda, there is very little smoky taste to them, and they aren't particularly gouda-y either. They just taste like any other generic cheese-flavored snack, except with an onion finish. All in all, these are a pretty big WOMP-WOMP if you are expecting some bold new flavor. Lay's, step up your game! Stop making such weenie, boring chips! To be honest, after how bored I've been with all of these new flavors, I think I might stop buying Lay's chips altogether. There are so many other, more exciting brands to choose from. What are y'all's favorites? Purchased at Fred Meyer in Portland, OR
Brand: Tastykake Style: Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes Origin: United States Type: Snack Cakes Flavor: Bland angel food cake with a sugary chocolate kick in the behind and a peanut buttery finish Verdict: Approved!
"Any food with a purposefully misspelled name has to be good," I said to my coworker in the breakroom the other day when presented with an infamous east coast goody by the name of Tastykake. I had the Peanut Butter Kandy Kake variety, and I'll have to say, all of those excessive K's were definitely brought out in the taste of this sugar-laden treat. As I type this review, I still have the aftertaste of chemical-laden peanut butter in the back of my throat and my leg won't stop shaking from the sugar rush. Good stuff!
When I first took a look at the package, I was imaging something similar to a Tagalong (of Girl Scout cookie fame). However, the taste turned out to be completely different than what I expected. The cake is a nearly tasteless, fluffy, dry angel food cake, not a white or yellow cake like a Hostess treat. The chocolate is good, strong and sweet, and the thin layer of peanut butter adds a delicious extra dimension to the flavor.
Now I'm definitely curious to try some other varieties of Tastykake brand sweets, so I'll definitely be getting some on my next trip east. I'm not usually into sweets as much as I am salty snacks, but if I saw these in the store and needed a quick junk-food sugar rush, I'd grab one of these.
Brand: Frito Lay Style: India's Magic Masala Origin: India Type: Potato chips Flavor: Indian sweet and spicy with a kick Verdict: Approved!
Ah, how I love friends from faraway places. Well, Pittsburgh isn't really all that exotic, but my friend there has a source for zany snacks and just sent me a huge box of them for the holidays! Merry Christmas and Happy Channukah to me!
The first selection I tried from the box was one that came most highly reccommended from my friend: Lay's India's Magic Maslala chips. They taste somewhat like I imagined they would - like Indian food, but they've got a real kick that I wasn't expecting! The flavor is more complex than a lot of American styles. First of all, the potato taste is good, strong, and definitely a better quality than American Lay's. It's emphasized with a thicker, ridged cut, similar to Ruffles.
The spice on it taste very Indian, and I don't have a cultured enough pallette on Indian food to draw comparisons more than that, unfortunately. I eat it often, but I just get whatever the special is at my local lunch cart and don't really pay attention to what any of it is called. I can taste a sweet undertone at first (likely from the 'artificial raisin flavoruring substances' toted on the back of the bag), then the spicy and the salty flavors come in. It has a slow burn, dying down after the initial shock, then sitting at the back of your tongue for a few minutes. My nose is even running a little after having a handful of these.
The bag says that they'll make my heart go, 'DHAK DHAK!', but I wouldn't necessarily go that far. They do make my tongue happy, however, and I'd definitely get these again if I saw them at a market here in town. Approved!
Brand: Frito Lay Style: Cheetos Giant White Cheddar Jingle Balls Origin: USA Type: Cheese Puffs Flavor: A mild, more bland version of a regular toxic neon-orange cheddar Cheeto Verdict: Approved, if only for the name
Seasons eatings, my snacktacular friends! In the spirit of the season, I picked up these guys in an impulse buy, unable to resist eating something called "Jingle Balls." Yes, I'm perpetually 12 on the inside, it's true. The sad fact of the matter is, I was actually at the store to purchase one specific item only, yet the magical magnetic forces of the snack aisle reined me in, whispering sweet nothings to me across the store until I decided to peruse the aisle, you know, 'just to look.' Next thing I know, I've got these things in hand, plus some plain tortilla chips and salsa to warm myself up on these cold winter nights. My life.
But all of that is neither here nor there, and you're not here to read about my grocery store adventures, you just want to know the results of my snackapades. Well, first things first, these Jingle Balls look like giant marshmallows, which threw me off initially. I have this thing about food that looks one way and tastes another (Pringles being my only exception), so I was a little worried about taking the plunge. Nevertheless, I swallowed my fears, opened wide, and shoved one in my mouth, as one has to do with these awkwardly-shaped cheese puffs. I was hoping for something fantastic and amazing to happen in my mouth, but I was rather let down. Usually I'm a fan of white cheddar flavored things, such as the many varieties of white cheddar popcorn, but this was just bland and uninteresting.
Honestly, I think Cheetos didn't really think this one through very well. The thing is, white cheddar is more mild than your run of the mill sharp orange cheddar, so white cheddar flavored snacks need to be either saturated with cheese powder or on a very compelling vehicle to really achieve a good flavor. These unfortunately, aren't quite cheesy enough for my tastes. The initial bite is okay, like a mild regular Cheeto, but as you chew, the cheese powder dissolves quickly and you're left with nothing but a film of grease and the taste of mediocre corn puff on your tongue due to the large size of these puffs.
Would I buy these again? Maybe, because I do like the satisfying feeling of the giant puff melting in my mouth, even if it doesn't taste quite as I'd like it to. I'd likely purchase the regular flavor though, or the red hot kind, just to get more flavor with that feeling. Approved, but just barely.
Brand: Alexia Style: Savory Seasoned Onion Strips Origin: USA Type: Onion Snacks Flavor: Very similar to a Bloomin' Onion, but without the stupid name. Verdict: Approved!
Do you like that delicious, heart-stopping appetizer known as a Bloomin' Onion? I know I do, but I also know that I hate steakhouses, and that's where those are usually served. Lucky for me, Alexia came out with this new product line with the amazing, to-the-point name, Crunchy Snacks. They have several different varieties, but today, I chose the Savory Seasoned Onion Strips. Let me tell you, I made the right choice.
They taste just like a crunchy, take-home version of the real deal. They're like onion petals, and they actual onions inside! (Spanish ones at that. I'm not sure why that's special, but the bag assures me it is.) They're seasoned well - a little spicy, a little peppery, a little salty - just enough to toe the line of overwhelming without crossing it.
Now that I've had these, I'm anxious to try the rest of the line! They had jalapeno onion strips, then several flavors of waffle fries (!!!), including ranch, spicy BBQ, and cheddar. If any of you devoted readers out there in Snackland try these out, let me know how they are, please!
Bonus: Chinese Cherry Blood Clot Candy
I feel nauseous right now. If you'd like to know why, try one of these strange cherry Chinese candies. It looks like a Tearjerker; one of those gumballs with the sour coating on the outside that we used to eat by the pailful as kids, but it's not. It's so, so not.
The outside is actually a medium-sized layer (slightly thinner than a hollow gumball) of barely cherry-flavored, sickly sweet sugar. Okay, a little gross, but I could handle that. However, unlike a gumball, this sucker ain't hollow. No, it's full of actual cherry. Some kind of horrifying, brown, mushy blob that was once a beautiful red cherry. I have no idea what these are or what they're called, as the label is entirely in Chinese, but if a stranger tries to give you one, run far, far away. In fact, run all the way to China and punch the dude that came up with these in the face for me, please!
Onion Strips purchased: Whole Foods, Portland, OR and Chinese candy purchased: Aji Ichiban, NYC
Brand: Utz of Hanover Style: Baked Cheese Curls Origin: USA Type: Cheese Puffs Flavor: Like cheesy manna from heaven! Very similar to the old Planters Cheez Balls. Verdict: Approved!
In the days of yore, there was once an amazing line of cheese snacks put out by Planters, the peanut people. I'm not sure exactly why they made cheese snacks in addition to nut mixes, but it was the best idea ever. They came in a blue can with a yellow lid, and those cans contained the best cheese snacks know to mankind. There were curls and balls, and my favorite was the balls, because you could have contests to see how many of them you could fit in your mouth at one time (37 is my personal record).
Why, you might ask, am I reopening the wound left after finding out that Planters discontinued this snack line some years ago? Because the Utz Cheese Curls are the closest cheese snack I've found to those Planters ones. They're terrible for you, despite a creepy girl on the bag claiming that they give you a cozy feeling with every bite, but they have that perfect slightly tangy and strong cheese taste that only Planters Cheez Balls could provide for me in the past. The texture isn't quite as pleasing as the balls, it's similar to any cheese puff product, but the taste is out of this world. It makes me sad that I can't purchase these in my hometown, although I'm sure my butt is thankful for that.
An added bonus: Thai Pizza Candy of Love!
My friend that sent me the box o' snacks also included a giant bag of assorted Asian candy. Most of it is in languages I don't speak well or at all, and some isn't even labeled. However, I'm determined to eventually get through all of it and let you all know the best of the best and the worst of the worst.
Today's choice is entitled Thai Pizza Candy of Love. It's a hard candy with one of my favorite wrappers I've ever seen. There's a stereotypical Italian chef declaring this Pizza Candy of Love in English and (what I can only assume is) Thai. It's mango flavored, as indicated by the wrapper and the ingredients list, which informs me that this contains "natural identical flavor (mango)". I'm not sure what that means, but this little pizza-shaped delight is pretty tasty! It has a sweet flavor that is definitely identifiable as mango. The triangular shape is a little weird on the soft palate as it's rather pointy, but that's my only complaint. I'd be interested to try other flavors of this candy and I'm hoping there's more buried in the candy bag.
Puffs purchased: Pittsburgh, PA Candy purchased: New York, NY
Brand: Snyder of Berlin Style: Cheddar Jalapeno Kettle Cooked Chips Origin: USA Type: Potato Chips Flavor: A perfect marriage of mild jalapeno and sharp cheddar. Verdict: Approved, approved, approved!
Upon first glance of these chips, I thought that they were an offshoot of Snyder's of Hannover, a brand we have here on the west coast, but the back of the bag has informed that these are not affiliated with that company. It also informed me that these chips are made with Pennsylvania Pride, and upon eating these, I can say they have definitely been crafted with care. I am all about these chips.
I was a little skeptical at first, seeing as I've only just begun to tread into the world of spicy snacks. Just recently, I got over my fear of jalapenos by trying jalapeno poppers, so I wasn't too nervous about these being too hot. My fears were subsided once the chip hit my tongue. These have just enough kick to feel, but the cheddar mellows it out nicely in the aftertaste, lingering around boldly. The potato taste is strong on these as well, and I almost feel like I'm eating a really crunchy baked potato. This could also be explained by the fact that these are thick-cut kettle chips, which give them more body than their thinner counterparts.
I'll claim Pennsylvania Pride for these delicious, crunchy morsels of MSG-laden heaven any day! Approved!
Brand: Eagle Style: CrunchFused Peanuts, Buffalo Wing flavor Origin: USA Type: Nuts Flavor: Zesty, not very spicy, not very buffalo-y Verdict: Approved, but not firmly so
Many good things in life come from Asia, like my Mitsubishi, Ramune, bubble-eyed cartoons, peanut sauce, and hot pots. Another thing that I'm pretty sure originated somewhere in Asia (although this is purely conjecture, as I'm too busy eating snacks to do any real research) in what I've always known as "cracker nuts". Cracker nuts, or as Eagle calls them, 'CrunchFused' nuts, are peanuts with a wheat cracker coating. The odd thing about these Eagle ones, though, is that they say it's, "the crispy crunch of a chip," but I really feel that it's unmistakably a cracker. There were no potatoes harmed in the making of these snacks.
So before I bought these, I perused the ingredients list to ensure no animals were harmed either, and I'm pretty darn sure they're vegan. Ironically, there is something listed as "chicken flavor", but the ingredients after are a lot of chemicals and no chickens. There's also a "buffalo flavor", which includes no buffaloes. To top things off, there's also hot sauce powder, but these aren't particularly hot, and I've got a fairly weak tongue for spice.
The buffalo flavor is more like a mildly spicy barbecue sauce with an undertone of bleu cheese (although they definitely don't contain any cheese...creepy!). It's not that it's bad, it's just not...awesome. When I eat something buffalo wing flavored, I expect my mouth to burn, preferably to the point where it's slightly uncomfortable and I have to stop eating after a few bites. I could easily tear through a bag of these without a second thought, which is unfortunate considering the nutrition label and the ingredients list (hellooooo, MSG!).
All in all, these aren't anything you need to run to the nearest store to find, but if you're hungry and it's this or octopus chips, go for it, man! Purchased: Safeway, Portland, OR
flavor. I grabbed these as a quick snack from Plaid Pantry the other day, having literally no idea what to expect. I actually don't really care for plain Funyuns for some reason; I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about them just doesn't jive with me. These ones, however, are awesome! They're basically like Cool Ranch Funyuns, if that was a thing. They are super salty and savory, and basically taste like plain Funyuns dipped in ranch sauce. Given that ranch is one of my favorite flavors, I am sooooo into these! Approved!!
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