Tuesday, May 17, 2011

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

Friday, May 13, 2011

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