Good Thins

Update Review, 2020

I continue to have fond memories of the first Good Thins I ever tried, so I always try new varieties when I see them offered.  I recently tried a new base: "the corn one".

The Corn One

"The Corn One" is actually corn and rice flour based, not just corn, but besides oil and salt, there is nothing else added.  Gluten-free by nature.

Unlike "The Potato Ones" or "The Rice Ones", there is only one flavor offered, and it is ... quite plain. Sea salt only.

Sea Salt.

These were honestly a fairly boring cracker.  Square shaped, with some bubbles to them.  Very mild corn flavor ... I would have believed they were just rice crackers.  The corn was not dominant in any way.

They were crispy, salty, and healthy, and, if you were looking for something just slightly more interesting than a rice cracker they would fit that need, but for me, they were just ... boring.

Update Review, July 2019

After success of the sweet potato and spinach & garlic Good Thins, I was eager to try more varieties.  And many more varieties have popped up since, made with a slew of different bases: potato, rice, chickpeas, corn, and oat.

I tried several more, but also got another box of the sweet potato, since, well, they were just so good.  The sweet potato remain the best, no question, but I'm glad I tried a few more.

Beet

Good Thins dabbled in a veggie base, picking beets.  They have been discontinued however, clearly not one that consumers went for.  Still, I got to try them before they disappeared.

The Beet One: Balsamic Vinegar & Sea Salt.

"The Beet One" I selected was Balsamic Vinegar & Sea Salt flavor.  I got these thinking they would be more like actual beet chips, not realizing that potato flour was the first ingredient.  Ooops.  They really belong in the "The Potato One" product line ...

The Beet One.

They were much like the other varieties I had tried, a baked thin savory potato based chip, not greasy or fried, healthy tasting, well seasoned.  And they tasted like beets.  The color was that of beets.  But clearly weren't actual beet chips.

I wasn't a big fan, since I wanted real dehydrated vegetable chips, but, I think these will likely be better crowd pleasers (although I think they have been pulled from the market already?).  I didn't really taste balsamic, but they were savory.

My beet loving mother enjoyed them.

Potato

Potato based thins remains the largest product line, and since that is where I had found previous success, I decided to try more.

The Potato One: White Cheddar.

They were ... eh.

First, um, many were burnt?  My box had probably 50% burnt ones.  Not the best quality control!

But really, they were just ... boring.  Potato flour + cornstarch + wheat flour make up the base, which turned out to just be kinda starchy and plain potato chip seeming, just with a bit more body to it like  a cracker rather than a chip.

The white cheddar flavor was too mild, it was sorta there, but a cheesy snack these were not.

The Potato One: Sweet Potato.

Finally, I went back to my old favorites, the sweet potato.

These continue to be my favorite.  They are salty, slightly sweet, and have a wide variety of uses for me.  Sure, great as an afternoon or evening snack, or alongside a meal instead of chips, but sometimes, I even like a handful with my breakfast.  The sweetness from the sweet potato, and added brown sugar, really does make for a nice breakfast pairing.  They sometimes even taste like they have cinnamon to me, although I know they do not.

Original Review, February 2017

One day, I was walking down the street in San Francisco, and a little van pulled up, giving out samples of some cracker looking things.  They had little plastic cups, each with 2 or so crackers in it.  They turned out to be called "Good Thins", a product sorta like a cross between a cracker and a chip, boasting all the labels you'd expect: no artificial flavors or colors, no cholesterol, no partially hydrogenated oils, no high fructose corn syrup.  They have 60% less fat than standard potato chips.  A healthier snack.

While I do love snacks, these quasi healthy chip like things didn't really sound that interesting to me, but of course I tried some.  They turned out to be rather awesome.

Good Thins come in a slew of varieties, with all different bases: potato, chickpea, corn, oat, rice.  The rice and corn ones are gluten-free.  The ones being sampled that day were all potato based, which come in white cheddar, sweet potato, spinach & garlic, and "original".  (If you are curious, rice based varieties are salted, veggie blend, poppy & sesame seed, and sea salt & pepper), chickpea ones come only in a garlic & herb flavor, corn come only salted, and oat with flax).

I tried the spinach & garlic and the sweet potato at the sampling site.  I liked them both, so much so that when I saw them in the store later, I actually bought a box, a rare move on my part, since I don't tend to have a shortage of snack foods laying around the house.  I'd gladly eat more of these.

Sweet Potato.

"Sweet Potato GOOD THiNS are made with real sweet potatoes. So if you share them, you're sure to hear "Sweet. You're the sweetest."

The Good Thins actually look just like their box picture (those are the real things on the right hand corner here, on top of the box).  They are round, thin, and crispy.  The form is perfect for munching, much like a chip, but a bit bigger.

The flavor in the sweet potato ones was a bit sweet.  I really was impressed with how much sweet potato I could actually taste.

But the best part?  The salt level.  They were so salty, in a totally addicting way.

I thought these were remarkably good, and they hit all the check boxes for me - sized just right, crispy, salty ... just excellent snack food.  I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that a serving is only 130 calories, and a serving is a whopping 23 chips!

Spinach & Garlic.

I didn't take notes on the Spinach & Garlic when I tried them on the street, but I also liked the thin, crispy form, and the excellent salt level.  I remember finding this flavor quite savory, and appreciated that they tasted kinda healthy from the spinach, but also, actually tasty.