The Better Chip

Update Review, May 2020

Given that I never really want tortilla chips, I did not seek out more of the veggie forward versions from The Better Chip, but, they wound up in my snack cabinet when my partner was gifted a snack box.  

I still tried a few bags (one new flavor for me, one repeat, see my earlier review), since it had been 6 years since my last try of the product.

Conclusion?  Yup, I still don't ever want tortilla chips!  That said, the 2 flavors I had were the most boring in their lineup - perhaps sweet potato & plantain or chipotle & poblano are more interesting?

Spinach & Kale.

"These whole grain chips are made with straight-from-the-farm, fresh spinach & kale for pleasant, balanced flavor. Enjoy them right out of the bag or pair them up with warm artichoke dip or your favorite hummus. The spinach and kale we dice and blend into each chip go from farm to chip within a week."

I have tried this flavor before, but, I still wanted to try one more time in case my own personal preferences had changed ... which, well, happens, particularly around snack foods and my desire to eat healthy things.

But I felt basically the same as my prior try: the kale & spinach I did like, and you could almost taste them, but, they still are just tortilla chips, which, just aren't my thing.

Beet & Flax.

"We like the Earthy taste and vibrant color of fresh beet. That's why we bring them in fresh, from the field. Our chips have a mild Beet flavor... for real!"

The beet & flax fared no better, in fact, I think worse.  They were just tortilla chips (square this time! and red!), salty, savory, corn flavored.  The flax added bitterness, and, besides the color, I couldn't tell what the beets added.  I certainly couldn't taste it.

Original Review, June 2014

As you know, I love trying new snack foods, and in particular, chips.

Sometimes I go for classics, like those from Frito Lay,  and sometimes I try out ones that are supposed to be slightly better for you, like the ones from Food Should Taste Good.

As you can probably guess from the name, The Better Chip makes ones in the later category: "Unlike any other chip, The Better Chip puts flavor inside with fresh diced vegetables. Made from 100% natural and non-GMO ingredients."

They aim to make chips that are enjoyable for snacking, yet a bit less guilt inducing. Available in corn, jalapeño, spinach & kale, beet, and chipotle varieties, all made with corn masa, making them more like tortilla chips than classic chips. Since I dislike tortilla chips, this didn't bode well for me.

Red Pepper

The first flavor I tried was red pepper with salsa fresca.

The chips were very spiced, but the flavor reminded me a bit too much of Doritos, which I don't like.  They were almost good, and I went back and tried them many more times, hoping to like them.  A bit more in the salsa direction and less in the Doritos direction, and I would have liked them.  The flavor was so strong that they could act as a standalone chip, your chips and salsa all in one, no dip needed, although I bet they'd be good with some sort of cream cheese dip too.

They were very crispy, and I did like the hearty taste from the whole grain corn masa.

When I went to the web site to pull up the description, I found out that they no longer make the red pepper variety, so, perhaps I'm not alone in not caring for this flavor.

Spinach and Kale.

Corn masa chip, loaded with spinach and kale.

Wow, I really did not like these. I don't tend to like tortilla chips in general, and these were clearly tortilla chips. Except they tasted like spinach and kale. Now, I like spinach and kale, but it just really didn't work here. Just bitter. Meh.

Jalapeño.

And finally, jalapeño.

I *almost* liked these. They had a delightful kick from the jalapeño. They were salty. They were crunchy. But, at the end of the day, they were still tortilla chips, and, I just don't like tortilla chips!