SSSSMOKIN'!

Zapp's New Orleans Kettle Style Mesquite Bar-B-Que

After the amazing Voodoo Heat chips I was curious what other surprises Zapp's had in store for me. I bought the bag above from Potbelly's the next time I was there. In a way, just being "good" was kind of a let down.

The newly-opened bag had a decent barbecue scent - not too strong, and no strange notes. The chips also didn't have any significant amount of powder on them that would turn the fingers funny colors. Both of those are good signs.

The taste was pretty good. They had a nice barbecue flavor with a touch of smokiness, but not so much that it was overpowering.

On the whole, these are pretty good but easily forgotten in the sea of barbecue out there.

Rating: 4/5

That Voodoo That You Do So Well

Zapp's New Orleans Kettle Style VooDoo Heat

I picked up these at Potbelly's recently, and I'm really glad I did. I was a bit concerned because of the name - "Voodoo Heat" sounds like one of the Takis flavors that is intended to burn a hole in your stomach. I like spicy foods just fine but I also like them to have some flavor other than just HOT. Reassuringly, the guy behind the counter saw my selection and said it's his favorite flavor.

On opening the package I was greeted by a nice fragrance, both sweet and spicy. The chips have a good amount of color to them without it coming off on your fingers.

The taste of these is really quite good. It's a mix of barbecue, vinegar, and sweet that reminded me a bit of South Carolina barbecue chicken. There's a good amount of heat but it's not at all overpowering. I could eat a heck of a lot of them. In fact it's going to be hard to resist buying more even though I already have a bunch of other kinds of chips at home.

Rating: 5/5

Jungle Jim's Has All the Chips!

Over the weekend I took some time to wander the aisles at Jungle Jim's, America's most unique grocery store.  While I was there I saw all sorts of chips. There were too many for me to buy all of them - after all, if I ate that many chips then I'd be a lot rounder than I already am.

Anyways, I took photos of some of the chips I didn't buy. I'm fortunate enough to live close by so I can always go back and get some of them later.

I think these were in the Korean section. It was the "Roadhouse Barbecue" flavor on the lower right that caught my eye.

Utz is a US brand based out of Pennsylvania.  They've got a lot of flavors that sound interesting, such as the "Crab" and "Baby Back Ribs" flavors pictured above.

Zambos is a brand from Central America. While these aren't potato chips, they've still got me curious.

Barcel is a brand from Mexico. With flavors like "Diabla", "Fuego", and "Habanero" I think I'm detecting a theme. I've tried some of their Takis snacks before.

Mike-sell's is local company based out of Dayton, Ohio.  I hadn't realized they were also getting into the funky flavors. I guess that's another brand I'll have to keep an eye on.

I'm going to need a bigger pantry.