Eenie Meenie Pepperoncini

Kettle Brand Pepperoncini

I've got a strange love/hate relationship with pepperoncini. Most of the time I really like them but every now and then I get one that tastes just a little too ... green?  I'm not sure what the disliked flavor is, really, though it's really strong in bell peppers and I sometimes taste it in green beans.

All of that is pretty tangential though because we're talking about potato chips here, so I'll get on with it.

I picked these up at the local Kroger. It turns out my store has a surprisingly large selection of chips - including more varieties of Kettle Brand than they even list on their website. Coincidence? Or are they aware of my compulsion?

The scent of these chips is pretty light. I only got a slight vinegar smell that was close to what I would expect from dill pickle chips.

The chips had a moderate amount of powder on them, with a color that made them look almost dirty. They also had that kettle-chip greasiness.

For flavor they had a good pepperoncini taste with a light hint of garlic. After eating a few they seemed to be a cross between garlic pickle and sour cream and onion dip. Not bad, but not fantastic either. Then again, I'm not really sure what I was expecting from them.

Rating: 3/5

Honey Chipotle Don't Care

Lay's Kettle Cooked Honey Chipotle

I have to admit that the fact that the flavor has the word "honey" in the name made me hesitant to buy it. I kept remembering back to the dreaded Cappuccino chips and freezing in terror. Still, it's all for science, or at least all three of my dedicated readers, so I lied to myself and bought a bag.

The scent on opening the bag was actually pretty good. They smelled honey sweet with pepper undertones. The chips had a light dusting of red-brown powder and the slightly greasy sheen I now associate with kettle chips.

Celeste tasted them first and said, "Be ready. The flavor comes at you really fast."

She was right. The taste was a mildly spicy zing quickly followed by a strong honey note.

My initial reaction was, "Huh."

Cindy tried one and said, "Huh."

They're not horrible, but I think they're a bit too sweet.

Rating: 2/5