Wine Chips

I like wine.  I clearly like chips.  Yet I have never thought of pairing wine + chips.  That is, I never thought of it, until I was introduced to Wine Chips.

"We made Wine Chips because we love wine and we love cheese (who doesn't?) but realized that putting the cheese IN the wine was a bad idea for both.  So one evening in 2017, over a glass of wine (ok maybe two), we wished for something simple, portable, dip-able, endlessly snack-able, cheese-ladened and delicious.  And just like that (ok, it took a lot of work, a lot of samples, a lot of wine and the dedication of more than a few passionate oenophiles, exuberant chip connoisseurs and mildly lazy party guests) the wine chip was born."

Hmm.  Chips crafted specifically for wine pairings.  The concept is unique as far as I know, and hey, I'm always up for trying a new snack, even if it sounds a bit like a gimmick.  

Wine chips come in different "collections".  The primary product line is the "Estate Collection" of cheese flavored chips.

"Wine Chips are hand-made, lattice cut, extra thick, gourmet potato chips, all with distinctive flavors designed specifically to pair with wine."

Besides the unique aspect of the chips that is the central concept, wine pairing, the other notable thing about the chips is the form factor.  The chips are thicker than any other chip I've ever had, at least 3-4 times thicker than standard chips.  I was never quite sure if I liked that or not - it made them eat pretty heavy, and almost more like a cracker.  I never tried it, but I suspect they'd work great as dip chips as they have so much integrity, or, perhaps used like a cracker with cheese (and wine, of course)? 

The Charcuterie Collection.  

"At the center of the Wine Chips vision is the cheese board.  But alongside that iconic wine pairing we have always sought out the ideal complementary charcuterie flavors that would take the vision to the next level."

The charcuterie collection contains three flavors:

• Dry Aged Ribeye 
• Spicy Calabrese
• Billionaire's Bacon
  

Available as a collection of one tube + one refill of each for $46.99, or individually in 1 ounce bags for $4.49 each.

These flavors are generally available for Diamond Private Reserve Club members only.  I was able to try all three.

Spicy Calabrese.

"This delicious Wine Chip offers those special flavor notes that you would expect to discover on a delicious charcuterie board: a tanginess, saltiness, meatiness, and spiciness that will conjure up the sensation of pairing your wine with gourmet charcuterie while relaxing at a sidewalk cafe."

The spicy calabrese was the first flavor of wine chip I tried.  And wow, it was intense, and a bit of an acquired taste.

First though, the base chip: a thicker cut, ruffled chip.  A decent chip, the only remarkable aspect was that it was a bit thicker than normal, and the ridges helped hold in the seasoning.  I was glad they weren't thin crispy kettle style chips.

And then the interesting bit: the flavor.  What *does* a calabrese chip taste like?  And, what is even on them?  No, there is no actual meat used in these chips.  They are vegetarian. But what is on them is "spicy calabrese seasoning", or, I suppose, the spices generally used in the sausage?  Onion, garlic, salt, cayenne, and of course "natural flavors", sugar, and interestingly, red wine vinegar and yeast.  The red wine vinegar left a slight tang, but otherwise they were deeply savory, almost kinda like bbq in nature.  Certainly unique, and they reminded me a lot of chips like those I've discovered in other countries where my brain somewhat struggles to know what I'm eating (and, correspondingly, they have crazy names).

And because these are "wine chips" after all, of course I was provided with wine pairing suggestions:

"In terms of pairing, the Zinfandel grape is closely related to Primitivo, which is primarily grown in Southern Italy. These cousins are loaded with jammy fruit and peppery spice. More broadly, the traditional flavors of spicy Italian charcuterie are amplified by rich reds."

Since I generally each chips with my weekday lunch, and don't go for a glass of wine then, I didn't take them up on this pairing idea, but I can see how it would work really well.  I think they'd go great with some brie too.

I did like these, but found I really needed to be in the mood for them, and, a little went a long way given the strong flavors. ***+.

Dry Aged Ribeye.

"Crunching on a Dry-Aged Ribeye Wine Chip is a different experience.  One is initially drawn to its thick, robust crunch, but its pepper, onion, and garlic notes combine with a potpourri of spices to elicit the distinct flavors of a meaty steakhouse cut.  When you pair it with a robust red wine, you'll think you're eating a crispy, delicious steak!"

Next, I went for the dry aged ribeye.  The chip form factor was the same, a thicker style, rippled chip, and just like the spicy calabrese, I found I really needed to be in the mood for them, and a little went a long way.  When you think of a wine as an everyday drinking wine vs one that is bigger, bolder, and you need to be in the mood for it and have the right pairings lined up, imagine that, but for chips.  You don't just grab a handful of these to snack, or to have with your regular lunch.  But, if you are in the mood for intense chips, and have your cheese, charcuterie, wine, etc lined up, they work really well.

This flavor, much like the spicy calabrese, was ... confusing.  Really just different from other kinds of chips I've had, and my brain always struggled a bit with them.  I was never sure how much I actually liked them, and the flavor was hard to describe, but, kinda like the rub on a dry aged steak?  Lots of black pepper, some onion and garlic, a bit of a grill flavor ... just, and odd, and intense, mix of flavors.

"Designed by our Master Sommeliers to pair with your favorite full-bodied Red Wine or ....... even a beer! Yes, on fathers day, a beer would work really well."

The pairing suggestion was with a big bold red, which I think is necessary given how intense and bold the flavor of the chips is. 

I liked these less than the spicy calabrese.  **+.

Billionaire's Bacon.

"It’s a tangy, sweet & savory Wine Chip that tastes like a crispy piece of maple-glazed bacon, only it’s actually a hand-made vegetarian gourmet wine snack! "

And finally, the one I was most excited for, the "Billionaire's Bacon", designed to taste like brunch favorite Billionaire (or Millionaire) Bacon.   Like the others, it was a thick style of ridge cut chip.

Did it taste like bacon?  Uh, no.  Did it taste kinda sweet and smoky?  Yes?  I think.  It was another complex, complicated flavor, somewhere in the direction of BBQ, but just far more interesting. 

"Pair our Billionaire’s Bacon with rich, ripe reds, port or your favorite dessert wine!"

I generally had the chips at lunch, so I wasn't pairing with ripe reds nor port, but I do see how that could work.

I think these were my favorite, but also, it is possible I've just learned what to expect from such intense, bold chips.   Plus, I'm a sucker for anything bbq like. ****. 

The Estate Collection.

The Estate Collection features 5 cheeses flavors:

• Smoked Gouda
• Asiago
• Blue Cheese
• Manchego
• Serrano Cheddar

Available as a collection of one tube + one refill of each for $75.99, or a "Starter Kit" of one tube + two refills of a single flavor for $21.99.  I only tried one of these.

Smoked Gouda.

"Smoked Gouda’s smoky, sweet saltiness are a perfect match for the wine lover in all of us. Our custom Smoked Gouda flavored chip pairs well with a Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio or a festive sparkling wine like an exotic Metodo, Cava, Sekt, Espumante or even a great Rose."

I saved the smoked gouda for last, thinking they were the ones I'd like the most.  They weren't.

On the positive side, I've really grown to love the form factor of Wine Chips, with the thick slices and ridges.  And they were incredibly well coated in seasoning.  However, the flavor of the seasoning didn't do it for me.  Something just tasted a bit off about them, and I didn't get the promised smoky quality.  They were lightly cheesy, and considerably less zingy than the others I had tried, where the others all sorta reminded me of more sophisticated versions of bbq chips, these did not.

My least favorites, and I didn't even finish the bag. *.

Update Review: I didn't finish that first bag, but a few months later, I found the refill bags, and gave them another try.  I went in with low expectations, thinking I'd quickly ditch the bag and ... well, um, I devoured nearly a full bag in one sitting.  I guess I was really in the mood?  As with the other chips, they had the same thick form factor, with ridges to catch all the seasoning.  I love this form of chip, and don't understand why more brands don't make such thick chips.  A+ to the chip itself.  The flavor, while not zingy or in the bbq direction like the others, was quite cheesy.  A sophisticated cheddar flavor, or, well, I guess, gouda.  I still did not really taste the smoke, but, the gouda was there, and I was in the mood for a cheesy, savory snack, and these delivered.  ***+.

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Boba Gen

Boba Gen is yet another bubble tea shop.  They pride themselves in using premium tea leaves, and not using corn syrup (they use organic cane sugar and brown sugar).  They brew fresh tea and boba every other hour.  

"Our milk tea shop is specializing in bringing you high qualities drink, snack and dessert. All of our products come with a guarantee of the finest ingredients are being used. From our team to yours, we pay careful attention to each item. We hope you enjoy our products as much as we enjoy bringing it to you!"

The menu starts with classic iced teas (e.g. not milk teas, not ones loaded with toppings) in nearly a dozen varieties.  From there, there are fruity flavored teas and milk teas, some of which are available hot as well as iced.  Even icier is the slushies, and for those not actually interested in tea, there is a large fresh milk lineup.  In fact, their most popular drink is a fresh milk, the brown sugar boba fresh milk (available plain or with matcha), and the most enticing drinks to me were all fresh milks.  They also have a sesame boba fresh milk, a brown sugar agar and grass jelly milk, or, as I went for my first visit, a brown sugar taro fresh milk, made with taro chunks (I think the taro milk tea uses a powder instead, as photos look brightly purple).   Then there are a cloud tops, the yakult based drinks, coffee, and snacks such as eggettes, spam musubi (with your choice of seasoning - they have a dozen kinds of furikake to pick from!), curry fishballs, and a few others.

I've still yet to visit in person, or to try the savory snacks (although they look great!), as my orders have all been for delivery, via Door Dash.  My orders were quickly prepared every time, and arrived well packaged.

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Brown Sugar Taro Taro Fresh Milk. $7.50.
0% Sweet, Unsweetened Almond Milk +$1,
No Ice +$1, Lychee Jelly +$1, Sweet Cream Top +$1.50. $12 total.

Boba Gen has plenty of modifications available, although they are quite clear that many are "not recommended".  I was a rebel and picked several not recommended options.

First up, choice of sweetness.  This can come at 100% regular sweet or 75% less sweet, or, if you want to go rogue and opt for something not recommended, 50%, 25%, or 0%.  I went for 0%, really not wanting a sweet drink at the time, plus, I knew I'd be adding sweet mix-ins.  I was pleased with my choice, as it wasn't too sweet, but, I think I did actually entirely miss out on the brown sugar aspect.  I thought they'd still use some brown sugar, since it was a brown sugar drink after all.  That said, I'd get it 0% again with no qualms.

Next, choice of milk. Regular dairy whole milk is standard, but you can swap out to vanilla soy or unsweetened almond milk for $1, or oat for $2.  All of these are not recommended.  So of course, you know me, that's what I did, opting for the unsweet almond milk.  Again, I was not upset with my choice, as I like the taste of almond milk, and it gave it a more interesting base flavor. Really though, I'd want vanilla almond milk, which wasn't an option.

Then ice level: regular, or less or no ice, both of which were not recommended.  Since I wasn't planning to have it right away, I did no ice, which incurred another $1 fee.  Interesting that they don't just fill it less full?

At this point, you are done making necessary choices, although of course there are optional mix-ins.  Several kinds of boba, aloe, jellies, red bean, egg pudding, and, my favorite thing, sweet cream topping.  These vary from $1 to $1.50 each, and some are house made, unlike most boba shops.  I added lychee jellies for some sweetness, and of course the cream topping, which I asked to have on the side (and they nicely did!).

So, how was my creation?  It was exactly what I wanted, but, if you are used to sweet, powder based drinks, definitely do NOT go this route.  The drink comes entirely unblended, it literally is just fresh milk and the taro, plus my additions.  The top 2/3 was just plain, unsweetened, unflavored, almond milk.  The base was a very generous scoop of standard sweet and fruity lychee jellies, and a very, very generous scoop of mashed taro, with some chunks in there.  The mashed taro was lightly sweetened.  I loved being able to really taste the taro, and even use a spoon to just get glorious spoonfuls of it.  But, it is real, fresh taro, not sweet powder, you need to want to actually taste real taro.  The lychee jellies did give a sweetness I enjoyed.  And of course the sweet cream topping, which was thick and rich and sweet.  It didn't seem to be a "cheese foam" really like some places, no real tang to it, but it was delicious, to just eat on its own, or with the other mix-ins.  I later realized they have two kinds of cream topping, this was the plain cream top, they also *do* have a cheese one, but, oddly, it is only available on drinks that you get as part of the "Top" series, not as an add-on to others.

I ended up pouring off some of the almond milk, and adding a scoop of black sesame ice cream, and having this more like a taro/lychee sundae (and used the milk for cereal the next morning!), and quite enjoyed it.  It was just what I was in the mood for, all the ingredients seemed good quality, and portions were generous.  My creation was a $12 drink though, which is a bit pricey.

***+.

Milky Blueberry Top. $8.

Unsweetened Almond Milk (+ $1), Cheese Top, Sweet cream top (+$1.50).

"Blended blueberry with blueberry jam, no additional sugar added. This drink is blended with ice."

The next time I ordered, I got more adventurous, and went for one of the "Cheese/Cream Top" series, where all of the drinks that come by default with a cheese or cream topping.  This lineup includes a bunch of milk teas, and many of the "icy slushy" range.  I think these are equivalent to ordering a regular icy slushy, and just adding a top, but, slightly less expensive (in this case, $8 vs $6.85+$1.25). 

The drink comes with choice of cream or cheese topping, since part of the "Top" series, but I wanted to try both, so I selected the cheese top as the preparation option, but added the sweet cream top as an extra ($1.50 more), and asked for both to be on the side.  I again selected the unsweet almond milk, for an additional $1, even though not recommended.   These drinks all come with fixed sweetness, so no option to modify that.  I was really thrilled with how well labelled and sealed everything was.

I'm really not sure why I picked blueberry.  It was a last minute switch on my part, I was originally going for lychee or mango, and then, got struck by who knows what whim, and decided to go for blueberry.  Don't get me wrong, I love fresh blueberries, but, not really what I go for in drinks.

Anyway, I first took a sip of the drink.  Wow, it was sweet.  Very, very sweet.  I know I couldn't modify the sweetness, and they don't add sugar beyond the blueberry jam, but, wow, it was far sweeter than I normally go for.  The unsweet almond milk helped balance it a bit, and I think something like the vanilla soy milk would be far, far too sweet, but even so, this was just too much sweet for me (and, they were right, the unsweet almond milk wasn't a great pairing).  It was really well blended though, really fine ice.  So, great blending, but sweet and poor choice on my part.  ***.

As for the toppings, the part I was most excited for anyway, the sweet cream I had before last time and enjoyed it, and the same was true this time.  Thick, rich, lightly sweet, tasty cream.  Not fluffy whipped cream, thicker, uh, gooier, if that makes sense.  I was pleased they gave me two of both toppings, rather than just one like last time. ***+.    The cheese top was even better, more savory, light cheesy flavor, a bit salty.  I really liked it.  ****.

So, overall, this was a mixed bag for me - a well made drink, but, the blueberry was a poor choice for me, but at least I liked my toppings.

Aloe, House Grass Jelly ($1 each).

I also choose to add on two toppings, aloe and their house made grass jelly.  I didn't ask for them to be on the side, but they put them on the side anyway, which I actually appreciated, as they didn't get hard / semi-frozen that way.

The aloe was about as expected, slightly sweet, slimy, nice chew to it, more interesting that lychee jellies in that it has a more complex taste and better chew, but similar shape and size.  ***.

The house made grass jelly was clearly a notch above generic grass jelly, it came in big hunks, and tasted, well, fresher than most generic stuff.  Slippery and slimy and lightly sweet.  I liked it.  ***+.

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Mars Chocolates, the International Edition

I've reviewed a bunch of classic Mars' Chocolates before.  You know these yourselves anyway.  3 Musketeers, Milky Ways, Snickers, Twix, M&Ms, etc ... yawn.

But, like most companies, Mars makes totally different products in other countries.

Update Review, 2022 - Munich

Balisto.

"The cult bar delights with a combination of crunchy cookie, high-quality whole grains and melt-in-the-mouth chocolate."

I tried this before looking up what it was.  It looked like any old candy bar.

It reminded me sorta of a Twix, but, without caramel.  Or a s'more without marshmallow.  The dominant flavor was graham cracker, in a thick bar form, with some mediocre milk chocolate on the outside.  Not for me. **.

Afterwards, I looked it up.  It turns out to be a wholemeal digestive biscuit, coated in milk chocolate.  I tried the plain ("cereal") flavor, but, they also make them with muesli (raisins and hazelnuts), yogurt and berries, almond and honey, cocoa, hazelnut, strawberry yogurt, white chocolate, and more.  They are also known by the colors of their packaging, this was the "orange" one, the muesli bar is wrapped in a signature green wrapper instead, etc.

Previous Review, October 2014 - UK

When I was in the UK on a recent trip, I obviously had to try an assortment.  Since duh, chocolate.

Celebrations (UK Edition)

When visiting my office in London, I found the microkitchens stocked with Mars' Celebrations: small, individually wrapped, chocolates.  Some were the same as what I'm used to in the US, such as Snickers and Milky Way, but many were unfamiliar.

Bounty.

"Coconut Filling Enrobed With Milk Chocolate."

I had no idea what a "Bounty" chocolate was, so I had no idea what to expect.  The answer seemed to be chocolate covered coconut, which sounds great, except it was coated with poor quality chocolate and very meh coconut.  I expected to like this since I like chocolate and coconut, so this was a disappointment.  The coconut was also very, very sweet.

**+.

Galaxy.

"Galaxy is a silky smooth chocolate that is literally adored by chocolate lovers throughout the UK. Everything about Galaxy chocolate exudes an air of quality; from the stylish wrapper to the smooth creamy taste. Any genuine chocolate enthusiast will know that a four pack is really the minimum quantity of Galaxy that you can buy. Don’t just sate your chocolate cravings; take satisfaction to the next level with a bar of Galaxy Milk Chocolate."

Next I moved on to Galaxy. It seemed to just be plain milk chocolate.  Fairly smooth and creamy, better than the milk chocolate they seem to use in most of their confections, but certainly not my style.  It reminded me of Cadbury. **+.

Teasers.

And finally, Teasers.  This was my favorite of the items I tried.

Malteasers are standard malt balls produced by Mars, so "teasers" are these small chocolates included in the Celebrations lineup.  They are the same standard smooth creamy milk chocolate, with tiny little bits of malt ball inside for some crunch.  They are only item in the Celebrations mix that isn't available standalone in a full size bar.

My favorite of the Celebrations, but not particularly remarkable. ***.

Milky Way

Milky Way Crispy Rolls.

"Chocolate covered wafer rolls with a milk-cream filling".

I'm not really sure why these are part of the Milky Way product line, as they really don't have much in common with Milky Way (at least as I know it) at all.  Besides ... chocolate?

Creamy milk chocolate coating (the Mars milk chocolate in the UK is better than the version we get in the US!), surrounding a crunchy wafer, stuffed with a white filling.  I appreciated the somewhat decent chocolate, and the crunch from the wafer, but didn't really find the filling to be satisfying, and it was the dominant component.  It was just sweet, kinda like solid frosting.

This wasn't awful, but I didn't think it was particularly good.  My travel companion enjoyed it however. **+.

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