Zapp's Potato Chips

It wasn't until I moved to California that I encountered Zapp's potato chips, although they originate from New Orleans.

Zapp's makes kettle chips, fried in peanut oil rather than standard vegetable oil, and don't wash off the starch, which they say gives them a more unique potato flavor.  All their chips do not use preservatives or MSG, and are gluten-free.  The company started out independent, but is now owned by the same parent company as Utz and Dirty Chips, both of which seem more standard "kettle" style to me than Zapp's.

Anyway, you know I like to try a lot of chips.  Zapp's stands out from the pack, primarily because their flavors are all ... interesting, mostly Cajun inspired.  Their top seller is "Spicy Cajun Crawtators" and the very first flavor I tried is called "Voodoo". 

Kettle Chips

"Zapp’s New Orleans Kettle Style Potato chips are kettle cooked, one batch at a time. This process, combined with our premium ingredients, results in a crunchier, tastier potato chip that has a cult following!"

Zapp's makes pretty classic kettle chips - super fried, super crispy, and, sadly, just not a style I tend to prefer. 

Voodoo.

"Not many know that the delicious blend of spices that make Zapp's Voodoo Chips one-of-a-kind came from a happy accident. Sweet, spicy and uniquely Cajun, Voodoo Chips will put a spell on your with their salt and vinegar flavor with just the right hint of smoky BBQ sweetness."

This flavor has some history, or so they say.  "Voodoo flavor is a result of an accident.  An employee was moving a pallet of spices off the top shelf and dropped it.  While cleaning up, someone stuck their finger into the mixture of about 5 flavors and pronounced it great."

They were a good kettle style, but the flavor really didn't do it for me.  Sorta sweet.  And a bit onion-y.  Definitely not my thing.

**+.

Bar-B-Que Ranch Chips.

These sounded awful ... bar-b-que and ranch in one?  But, I liked them more than I expected.  It was like a ranch, but more flavorful.  My favorite of all of their chips, and I easily finished this bag.

***+.

Hotter 'N Hot Jalapeño.

"Kick up your snack time a notch with our Hotter ‘n Hot Jalapeño chips. They’re spicy, tangy and the perfect treat for those who like a little heat in their snacks."

The good?  Nice kick from jalapeño.  Actually really a nice flavor.

The meh?  Everything else about them.  I'm just not into kettle chips like this it seems.  They also tasted stale, even though not expired.

**+.

Voodoo Heat.

"Our voodoo chips will put a spell on you! The delicious result of a happy accident, these chips have a unique flavor that features salt and vinegar with a smoky BBQ sweetness and an extra spicy, jalapeño kick. Trust us on this one."

I'm glad I didn't read my previous review, as it deemed the regular Voodoo not my thing.  While I still don't really like Zapp's very fried thin crispy kettle chip style, I did find this flavor totally fascinating.  It is the same base Voodoo flavor, but, amped up with jalapeño, hence the "Heat" part of the name.

I got a hit of salt & vinegar, a bit of zing, and the sweetness of a bbq chip on the finish.  It was complex, not muddled, and really did make me reach for another chip, even though I wasn't into the chip form factor itself.

**** for the flavor, *** overall though.  

Mesquite Bar-B-Que.

"BBQ lovers, rejoice! Our Mesquite BBQ chips are a snack that actually tastes like your favorite barbecue items. There’s sweet flavors, a slight hint of spice and plenty of real-deal smokey flavors, all in one bite-sized chip."

I tried one more time with Zapp's, going for the mesquite bar-b-que, as I do love bbq chips (probably my favorite flavor), and the smokier, the better.

These were ... eh.  Again, just didn't love the Zapp's base chip, and again, tasted kinda stale, even though not expired.  The flavor was fine, intense, a bit smoky.

But overall, another not for me.

**.

Limited Edition Flavors

 Zapp's goes a bit overboard with making special Limited Edition flavors, that always sound intriguing, but I think are limited for a reason.  You don't generally want to try them more than once, but how do you NOT give Smoked Bacon and Cheddar chips at least one try?

Creole Onion Kettle Chips.

Again, decent kettle style chip, but the flavor wasn't that interesting.  Didn't get any "creole" spicing, it certainly wasn't spicy.  It did have slight onion flavor.  But overall, not interesting at all.

**+.

Limited Edition Honey Mustard.

I like honey mustard.  I like kettle chips.  But, it turns out, I don't like honey mustard kettle chips.

They were good, thin, crisp chips. And they did truly taste like honey mustard.  Which ... just totally didn't work for me.

*+.

Limited Edition Cheddar & Smoked Bacon Chips.

And again, same classic kettle style.  Nice and crispy.

But, that is expected for Zapp's.  What I didn't know what to expect was what cheddar and bacon chip would actually taste like.  I bought these solely based on how ridiculous the flavor idea sounded to me.  The answer ... well, they taste like bacon.  For real.  Ojan took one bite, and proclaimed, "it really does taste like bacon! I'm surprised!".  The bacon flavor was intense, especially on the finish.  You were left with a very strong bacon flavor, lingering long after the chip was gone.  And, quite honestly, long after you wanted the flavor to be gone.

I didn't pick up on much cheddar flavor, although, honestly, I'm not really sure I wanted to taste bacon and cheese.  I know they go together as hamburger toppings, but somehow, they don't sound great together in a chip.

These reminded me of chicarrones, in the crispy, porky, sort of way.  Very similar flavor, although obviously more subtle in the chips due to the potato aspect.  I thought they were interesting, but only in a research sort of way, not because I wanted more.

Ojan however liked them, saying they were "kinda addictive".  He had been craving bacon only a few hours prior to eating these, and declared that the chips had indeed satisfied his bacon craving.

**+.