Riska Natto Rice Snacks

Usually when someone mentions the word "acquired taste", it means either, "You might not like it at first, but you'll grow to like it", "It's something you have to grow up with to like", or"You'll never like it how much you'll try it". A few foods fall into the last category; the first food that comes to mind is bitter melon. Many foods fall into the first and second category. Licorice certainly falls into the first category for me. Growing up, I never really liked it, but after high school I liked it more, except for that salted licorice my friends Chris and Brittany gave me. I think something like ume or natto fall into the second category. They're foods that belong to a certain culture and don't really exist outside of them. At first, I tried natto just because of the terrible descriptions people gave it. However, after a while, I kind of like it, or at the very least, I have a higher tolerance to it.


First of all, what is natto, you may be asking. Well, it's basically fermented soybean, and when it gets fermented, it's develops sticky webs not unlike a spider web.The flavor of natto for me is hard to describe. I can easily describe the texture, as it's a bit slimy and sticky. It's like if you ate gel or glue. I guess I could describe the flavor as having a subtle sweetness with hints of bitter. When I opened this bag of snacks, it certainly carried a very strong smell. I wondered if a natto flavored snack would taste a lot like natto or a just a little


A natto rice snack

Well the chip starts off with a sweet flavor, but as you chew, there's definitely some bitter to it. It also tastes like there was a bit of horseradish or wasabi flavoring, but this was not indicated on the ingredients list. After eating a few of these, it does give you the mouth feel of eating natto. The slimy texture that's left behind is one that is very unique. I can say that this snack is certainly not for everyone, and if you have an aversion to natto, you might not like it. Like I said, I haven't really gotten around to liking natto yet, but I am becoming much more tolerant of it.

Riska Natto Rice Snacks: 7/10 (much less if you don't like natto)

Tohato Bokun Habanero Kimuchi Chips

For all the number of cereal mascots there are, I wonder why Chester the Cheetah and the Pringles man are the only mascots representing chips. Of course, I've heard of the Frito Bandito before, but we all know what happened to him (he gave his life in the Battle of Dorito). Anyway, I would think that companies that sell chips would want a mascot to appeal to kids. I guess parents and concerned adults would be against the idea, as it would make chips and unhealthy snacks more appealing to kids, but if Trix Rabbit, Cap'n Crunch, and all the other sugary cereal icons can still exist, why not have more fun characters?


Bokun Habanero, from what I've read, translates into Tyrant Habanero. Imagine having a mascot like that. Imagine Dictator Dorito forcing his people to work on Cool Ranches. Anyway, if you notice at the lower left corner, there is a bowl of kimuchi, which is the Japanese variation of kimchi. At the lower right, there is what seems to be a pepper meter, and this one indicates that this bag of chips is three peppers hot. And dead center, we see a pepper jack-o-lantern.


If someone could translate the picture for me, that would be awesome. I see two peppers side-by-side, with one of them having bright pink lipstick, so I'll assume they're a pepper couple or something of that nature. I have no idea what is going on in the other two pictures at all, so I'm not even going to assume what's going on.


A kimuchi chip

Well, first of all, this was not three peppers hot. This was not even one pepper hot, as I did not detect any spice at all. Maybe this was for kids and the pepper meter thing was just for decoration or fun. The texture is reminiscent of Pop Chips or some other baked potato chip variety. The flavor is slightly sweet, with a definite kimuchi scent. How would I grade this? Well, there are plenty of other American chip varieties I would rather purchase, but none of them, outside of Pringles and Cheetos, offers a pepper tyrant. I don't think I would get these again, unless there was a variety that actually followed the pepper meter.

Tohato Bokun Habanero Kimuchi Chips: 7/10

Honey BBQ Cheeto Puffs

If you recall, in my last entry I wrote about how chip makers don’t put out nearly enough BBQ flavored chips. After this post, it was as if the next chip brand decided to spite me and put out a BBQ flavor to accompany a chip I would have not seen coming.

Honey BBQ Cheetos. That sounds eight kinds of off to me. Cheetos are best known for their Crunchy and Flaming Hot variety. Any sort of deviation from this isn’t TOO far off the cheese or Flaming Hot trail. There are White Cheddar Cheetos, Hot Cheeto Fries, and Chili Cheese Cheetos, but I have to say that Honey BBQ caught me by surprise. The honey part in the flavor name especially got me because not even potato chips come in honey BBQ. The only snack that comes in Honey BBQ are peanuts and other varieties of nuts. This was interesting, to say the least.

A Honey BBQ Cheeto Puff

The first puff was a bit off smelling to me. The flavor was a mild BBQ flavor, but it was combined with some sort of cheese or butter smell. As you can see in the picture, this product still retains the trademark Cheeto orange. Overall, it was a bit odd and I’m not sure if it was good, but I know it wasn’t bad. Confusing, familiar, and somewhere better than below average is where this chip lies.

Honey BBQ Cheeto Puffs: 7/10

Andy Kapp BBQ Fries

In the chip world, most things come in the form of squares, circles, ovals, or triangles. However, there are certain chips that try to break out of this mold. Take for instance Doritos 3D. These came in puffed, three pointed…puffs. Why did they get rid of these? I’m not sure. One popular type of snack that falls into the chip category I suppose are fries. I don’t mean the ones one would get at a fast food restaurant, but rather the sticks that you would get in a bag at a convenience store, such as Hot Cheeto Fries. One company that I’ve seen a bit more of, though not as much as the big names like Cheetos, Lay’s, and Doritos, is the Andy Kapp line of fries. Sticking to the name, the mascot for Andy Kapp, I assume, is Andy Kapp himself. I just noticed that if you put an H in front of his name, he becomes Handy Kapp. That had nothing to do with this review at all.

While on a trip to grab a diet energy drink or two at a 7-11, I saw Andy Kapp BBQ Fries. BBQ is a flavor that is usually made with potato chips. I’m not sure why the corn chip or Sunchip market hasn’t embraced this flavor yet, but if you recall, Tailgate BBQ Doritos got a 10/10 from me. It was then never seen again a few weeks after that entry. Anyway, I decided to grab a bag of Andy Kapp BBQ Fries and go to town.

An Andy Kapp BBQ Fry

The flavor is very reminiscent of Lay’s BBQ chips. If you eat enough of these fries, the flavors become even more similar. This is a good thing because BBQ flavored potato chips seem to be a favorite with everyone. The texture is a bit different, but as you eat more, it all become indistinguishable in your mouth .I liked this product, and would like to see more BBQ flavored chips that aren’t made from potatoes. It’s a known fact that BBQ sauce goes great with everything, so chip makers have really nothing to lose.

Andy Kapp BBQ Fries: 8.5/10

Jalapeno Jack Sun Chips

Though chips may come in many shapes, they are often made of the same things. Most chips are made of either potatoes or corn. However, there is one kind of chip that is made of something other than corn and potatoes. That chip line is the Sun Chips line. Claiming to be made of whole wheat, and also claiming to be "better" for you, Sun Chips are delicious.

Because of they are delicious, I found myself buying this bag on impulse at 7-11. The label states that this flavor is new and I certainly have not seen it anywhere else. Then again, I don't really pay that much attention to Sun Chips. Even though I like them a lot, I've probably only tasted the three original flavors which are Original, Cheddar, and, my favorite, French Onion. I haven't even tasted the ones that come in the loud bags like Harvest...something or another. However, this one came in a handy "big" bag and I decided it wouldn't hurt to give this a go.

A Jalapeno Jack Sun Chip

To be frank, I didn't taste any difference between this and French Onion. If there was some sort of jalapeno heat that was supposed to come off, I didn't feel it at all. Even though I was a bit disappointed that this flavor wasn't that much different from the other Sun Chip flavors I remember, that doesn't it was bad. Like I said before, French Onion is my favorite flavor of Sun Chips, so I still really liked this. However, I feel like I have to deduct at the very least 1/2 a point or maybe even a full point just because I expected something cheesy and spicy, but instead got something I already knew. From a flavor perspective this chip was still great though, so don't hesitate to give them a try for yourself.

Jalapeno Jack Sun Chips: 8.5/10

Doritoes Pizza Supreme

Previously, I had written about a new flavor of Ruffles. In the same entry, I stated that Doritos were among my favorite chips. It's always exciting when Doritos comes out with a new flavor. Doritos Tailgate BBQ earned a 10/10 rating from me. Unfortunately, I haven't seen it since writing the review. Hopefully, the next flavor would be able to fill the void

Pizza, now there's a flavor one seldom sees when it comes to chips outside of Pringles. What does pizza taste like in chip form? Maybe it tastes terrible, maybe it tastes good. I wouldn't know unless I tried this flavor.

A Pizza Supreme flavored Dorito

As my students put it, "This tastes like Goldfish", and I'm sort of inclined to agree. For those that don't know, there are pizza flavored Goldfish. For those that do know, imagine the flavor coating on the pizza flavored Goldfish on a Dorito. That's basically it. It was good, but not great. The flavor didn't seem to be as intense to me as their original flavors such as Nacho or Ranch. A solid flavor on a good chip.

Doritos Pizza Supreme: 8/10

Molten Hot Wings Ruffles

Among my favorite chips are Doritos, Cheetos, and most kinds of kettle chips. Others include Funyuns, and Lay's potato chips aren't too far behind. However, the chips that would be somewhere on the bottom of my list are Ruffles. I'm not sure why I don't like Ruffles as much as other chips. When I eat them, the taste is fine. I think the one of the main reasons why I don't like Ruffles is because they're a bit harder than other chips. Plus something about the ridges throws me off.

That doesn't mean, however, that I won't be willing to try any of their new endeavors. Enter Molten Hot Wings flavor. Besides the picture on the front, you wouldn't know that this was a new flavor of Ruffles. Other chips such as Doritos and Lay's tend to color coat their bags according to the flavors. With a bold new flavor such as Molten Hot Wings, I would think they'd make it flashier. However, it's not the bag of the chip that matters, but rather the chip itself.

A Molten Hot Wings Ruffle

Initially, the flavor was like that of Cheddar & Sour Cream Ruffle. However, the smell and flavor of buffalo wings came through. The flavor was good. What would have made this chip even better is if they had some kick. Even though it has the word molten in the name, there was VERY LITTLE spice. You could eat half a bag and not notice any sort of heat coming from the chip. I think you could recreate this flavor by mixing a bag of Cheddar & Sour Cream Ruffles with some Frank's Red Hot Sauce. This was a solid flavor, but I would have liked it to have lived up to its molten name.

Molten Hot Wings Ruffles: 8/10

Cheetos Cheesy Enchilada and Doritos Tailgate BBQ

I haven't done a review on Cheetos because I never really felt like Cheetos needed anyone to say if they were good or bad. It was generally accepted, I believe, that the available flavors of Cheetos were generally well recognized and there was no need for me to weigh in on them. However, whilst in a gas station I stumbled upon this:

I know that Cheetos had released smaller "bites" with different flavors, but I didn't think they would would have a new flavor for their curls. Personally, I think they had a real good thing going with the regular Cheetos and Hot Cheetos (also their Hot Cheetos w/ Lime). Ergo, this bag intrigued me and I purchased one on impulse

A Cheesy Enchilada Cheeto cheese curl

As the picture shows there's not much difference in terms of appearance between this flavor and regular Cheetos. The flavor is pretty much the same as well. There was a slight hint of some sort of spice but after the first bite it disappeared and it was like I was eating a regular Cheeto again. I'm conflicted by this because I really enjoy Cheetos, but I was expecting more from this. Due to disappointment, I'd probably rate this maybe a half score lower than I would regular Cheetos, because it raised my hopes and brought them down in a hurry.

Cheesy Enchilada Cheetos: 8/10


Next, Doritos are also another variety of chip I haven't written about yet. They have many flavors and I could probably do a series on them. However, I never really had the motivation to do so due to, probably, laze. I found the next flavor at the same gas station and I also felt compelled to get them and write about them:

Maybe it's the fact that there were the words Madden 11 on the bag. Maybe it's because BBQ and Doritos don't really sound right. Whatever the reason, I needed to get it

A Tailgate BBQ Dorito

How should I describe this? I want to say that it was disturbingly delicious. The flavor tasted remarkably like a Western Bacon Cheeseburger from Carl's Jr. in chip form. I kid you not, that is what this flavor reminded me of. I couldn't stop eating them because I was so confused, but so delighted by it. I must say that I hope that they decide to keep this flavor around because its taste is amazing.

Doritos Tailgate BBQ: 10/10

Yoshida's Teriyaki Chips

The item I'm about to write about falls under the category of, "This looks so ridiculous that I HAVE to buy it". When I saw the next item I thought to myself, "Yes...Yes!"

Take a good look at that man. He's some sort of Japanese cowboy. For those of you that watched "King of the Hill", please recall the episode where Hank has to try to get business from the man visiting from Boston. That customer from Boston is what I thought of when I saw this bag. I also thought that the bottle on the bag was BBQ sauce, but it is actually teriyaki sauce. Think about it

Look at this guy, I have no idea what he's saying, but it's probably hilarious and full of American stereotypes

A teriyaki chip

This wasn't that bad, it reminded me of the rice crackers you can get most anywhere except the teriyaki flavor was stronger. The texture was crisp without being too stale or hard. It was a bit pricey, but price was no object when I saw the man on the bag. It was a solid product with great packaging. I was satisfied with the flavor and even happier with the bag.

Yoshida's Teriyaki Chips: 7/10