Hawaiian Chips

Hawaii.  A destination somehow *still* on my bucket list.  Yup, I now live in California, and have never been to Hawaii, even though I've had friends even move there in the past few years.  Someday.  Like I said, bucket list.

But there are parts of Hawaii that I appreciate from afar - poke, spam masubi, furikake chex mix, macadamia nuts, etc, so even if I don't know Hawaii intimately myself, I'm always up for trying something from afar.  Particularly anything in the snack foods realm, as I'm an avid snacker.  Which brings us to ... Hawaiian chips.

"Explore the always tropical and sometimes exotic tastes of Hawaiian snacks. Our Kettle Style Potato Chips and Snack Rings are crispy with a satisfying crunch—and loaded with sweet and savory island flavors!"

I was drawn in by the bright packaging and Hawaiian motifs on these chips, on display at a poke shop.  On impulse, I grabbed a bag several years ago (see original review below) and since have sought them out again.

Update Review, 2026

Ah, Hawaiian Brand chips.  I fairly recent discover for me, part of the Utz brand of products.

These are really the gold standard when it comes to the style of kettle chips I like.  Super crispy. Nicely blistered.  Some air bubbles. Super fried.  Fairly greasy.  The kind where you know they are awful for you, but they are just so delicious.  I don't necessarily want to devour a whole bag in one sitting, but, I sure do love this style of kettle chip when the craving hits.

Luau BBQ.

"Your taste buds will jump for joy when you bite into the delectably sassy, sweet and spicy flavor of Hawaiian Luau BBQ Kettle Style Potato Chips."

BBQ is often my preferred flavor of chip, so I was excited to try the Hawaiian brand version.  I'm not entirely sure what was Hawaiian about them, besides the "luau" in the name, but, they were a sweeter style of bbq, not quite as smoky as some brands, but still had great flavor.  Sweet and spicy, just like they say.  They go great with coleslaw, at least for me.  4/5.

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Sweet Maui Onion.

"Bring the flavors of Maui to your next packed lunch or backyard barbecue with these Hawaiian Sweet Maui Onion flavored potato chips. The savory sweetness of sweet onion perfectly complements the unmistakable crunch of kettle-cooked potato chips. Aloha!"

This was the original flavor I tried from Hawaiian brand chips years ago, but it had been a while since I last had them.  The chip base was exactly like all other Hawaiian brand chips: super crispy, blistered, thin, and probably my favorite kettle style chips (which aren't a style I often go for).  I loved the base chip.  And then the flavor.   I forgot just how unique that "sweet maui onion" flavor really is. Such a fascinating blend of savory spices, not zesty and leaning in the bbq direction like many other flavors, but also, not really anything like a sour cream & onion either.  Definite its own thing.  The magic combo of onion, garlic, yeast, soy and corn, whey powder, sugar, salt, and romano cheese ... it really just is its own thing.  For the times I'm not craving a bbq-esque chip, these are a complete winner.  4/5.

Original Review, April 2022

Later I did my research and discovered that Hawaiian chips are owned by Utz, the mega snack foods company that makes, among many things, some rather addicting pub mix, which of course I've reviewed before.  They make a number of different kettle chips, such as their play on BBQ, dubbed "Luau BBQ", a spicy "Hulapeño", and more.  They also make puffy onion rings snacks in several flavors.  All do try to include Hawaiian ingredients it seems.

Authentic Hawaiian chips?  Well, no, not really, but enjoyable?  Yes.

Hawaiian® Sweet Maui Onion
Kettle Style Potato Chips

"Discover a new world of flavor when you crunch into Hawaiian Kettle Style Potato Chips. These crispy, golden chips are cooked to perfection, then seasoned with just the right amount of Sweet Maui onion flavor. We have combined only the finest ingredients to create a unique chip that captures the freshness and authenticity of the islands.

Open a bag of Hawaiian Kettle Style Potato Chips and you'll imagine yourself sailing on the blue waters of the Pacific, headed toward an island of tropical paradise."

I had these early into the pandemic first summer, when I was getting really, really bored with lunch made at home.  Just when I thought I was over (potato) chips as a snack food, I discovered these.  Well, huh.  It reinvigorated my love of chips.

The chips were incredibly crispy and crunchy as advertised.  Sure, all chips are crispy, but these were ... just more crispy.  Probably the best kettle style chips I've ever had.  Clearly high fat chips too, they tasted, and looked, very fried.  But I think that is what made them great.

And then, the flavor.  "Sweet Maui Onion".  The chips were very well coated and flavorful.  The flavor was ... fascinating.  Sweet and savory, yes you could taste sweet onion, but there was more than just that going on.   It turned out to be a coating made from sugar (dextrose and regular sugar), a pile of powders (onion powder, garlic powder, whey powder), and ... romano cheese.  Cheese?  Totally not what I expected on these, and I didn't taste cheese as a standalone ingredient, but, clearly, it contributed to the overall flavor.  Really quite fascinating.

I enjoyed these, and would gladly try more flavors.

4/5.

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Sugar Mama Desserts

As you may likely realize by now, I eat a lot of ice cream (and other ice cream adjacent frozen desserts).  Generally at least once a day.  And I love to try new brands, particularly smaller local ones, such as Sugar Mama Desserts, a new discovery of mine.

"Our all-natural ice cream is made with the freshest ingredients including locally-grown fruits, authentic ingredients, and vegetable-based coloring. Ex. Our strawberry ice cream contains 1/2 pound of organic strawberries in every pint. Also, our Mint n' Chip is colored with Fresh Spinach."

Sugar Mama has a great background, like many local small businesses, with a founder who got into the business starting with farmer's markets, gained customer loyalty, and eventually expanded to doing special events, and ultimately, a brick and mortar shop.  They take great pride in their ingredient sourcing and clean foods approach.  Sugar Mama is based in Milpitas, so I haven't visited in person, but was treated to their ice cream at several events with catering.

The flavor lineup at Sugar Mama is quite large, although only a few are offered at any given time.  It features simple classics (vanilla bean, cookie dough, chocolate chip, cookies and cream, cookie monster, salted caramel), plenty of chocolate laden crowd pleasers (dark chocolate, fudge brownie milk chocolate, Nutella fudge brownie, S'mores, rocky road, mocha almond fudge, banana walnut chocolate chip, milk chocolate pearl crunch, mint double chip, mint n' chip, malted milk double chocolate, peanut butter Oreo), many Asian inspired flavors (black sesame brittle, smooth black sesame, durian, taro, ube, jackfruit, lychee, mango, yuzu meringue pie, cherry blossom, sweet paan), tea infusions (Tie Guan Yin Tea, white peach green tea, matcha green tea, brown bear milk tea, thai tea), Mediteranean influence (raspberry rose wine, saffron rose water pistachio, raspberry rosewater, rosewater sake, pistachio almond), and more unique offerings (avocado, custard apple, blueberry Oreo, earl grey lavender,, sweet corn, Triple BBB Bourbon).  And of course, some fruity vegan sorbets (pomegranate acai, raspberry lychee, strawberry lemonade, blueberry, guava, honey lavender blueberry) and seasonal offerings (pumpkin swirl chai tea biscuit, Christmas Oreo, white chocolate hazelnut pumpkin).

First Encounter 2022

My first encounter was with delivery of single cups to my office.  I was able to try four flavors: one simple, one chocolately, one Asian, and one vegan.  All were fantastic. Prices are quite reasonable for such high quality ice cream at $4.50 scoop or $13-13.50 per pint.

Vanilla Bean.

"Blended with Madagascar bourbon vanilla and real vanilla bean seeds, Sugar Mama Desserts' Vanilla Bean ice cream is a the Silver Medalist in the 2013 Wisconsin Dairy Association Competition!"

I started simple.  Vanilla.  Bo-ring right?  No, not this vanilla.

I understand why this is an award winning ice cream. The base is clearly high quality fresh premium ice cream, perfect texture, melts beautifully.  The vanilla is where it shines - using both bourbon vanilla and flecks from the vanilla bean seeds creates a shockingly complex and interesting vanilla flavor.

This flavor pairs beautifully with basically any dessert (fruit crisp, crumble, cobbler, pie), warm donuts or cinnamon rolls, etc, etc, but the vanilla is interesting enough that it works well on its own too.  I found I rarely want to turn it into a sundae - it would be a pity to cover up the great favor with so many toppings.

I'd get it again in a heartbeat, and was thrilled to stock my freezer with the extras.  One of the best vanilla ice creams I've ever had. High 4/5.

Dark Chocolate Salty Caramel.

"Local Guittard chocolate layered with handmade salted caramel."

Next I went decadent.  Dark Chocolate Salty Caramel. This was an intense ice cream.  On all fronts.

It was indeed extremely dark chocolate ice cream.  And then, added intensity with the sweet and deep caramel.  Finishing with a punch of a legit level of salt.  Bitter chocolate + sweet caramel + salt, all amped up to the limits, in a way that just combined to create, well, an intense experience.  It was like having the darkest deepest chocolate ice cream you can imagine, smothered in a really thick rich decadent legit salted caramel, but, all as one component.

I liked it, but, a little went a loooong way.  I think it might be good with bananas sliced on top, and it definitely benefited from whipped cream.

3.5/5.

Black Sesame Brittle.

"Sweet, savory, crunchy and rich. Tastes like peanut butter but without nuts. This deeply satisfying flavor is made with black sesame brittle from Sweet Dragon Baking Company."

I took my first bite of this thinking it was just black sesame (which, is glorious enough!), but was completely surprised to find the bits of brittle inside.  OMG, is all I can say.

I love the taste of black sesame, get it rarely, and this was top notch.  Strong flavor, perfectly creamy and clearly premium ice cream, very very nutty.  As it got softer, it really tasted nearly like peanut butter, just, sophisticated.  But what took it over the top was that brittle.  It came in generous pockets throughout, and I loved the crunch and hit of sweetness it added.  Honestly, I'd purchase just the brittle too if I could.

I'd get this again a heartbeat, probably the best black sesame ice cream I've ever had.  I'm curious to try their "Smooth Black Sesame" flavor too.

4.5/5.

Mango Pineapple Coconut Sorbet (Vegan).

"Made with a refreshing tropical mixture of ripe and juicy mangoes, pineapples and young coconuts."

The last flavor I tried was a sorbet, when there was plenty left over unclaimed.  Sorbet is never what I go for, but, I do love mango. 

I was impressed with this flavor as well.  Yes, it was sorbet, but it was fairly creamy, and intensely flavorful.  The mango and pineapple were both very vibrant and fruity, and elevated each other.  For a sorbet, this was great.  3.5/5, maybe even 4/5.

Second Encounter, Catering, July 2024

My next encounter was a full catering setup, with their cart brought on side, and full toppings bar.

Flavor Line Up.

They had quite festive signs customized for our event, listing out the 6 flavor options, noting which were dairy-free, which had wheat, etc.  Our lineup was pretty good:

• Award-Winning Vanilla Bean 
• Fresh Guava
• Earl Grey Lavender Biscuit 
• Mint Double Chocolate
• Irish Whiskey Pralines
• Strawberry Lemonade Sorbet

Cart.

Ice cream was scooped to order by the staff.  I had a hard time narrowing down to a single pick, but then I was asked, "one scoop or two?", and realized I could 1) get two scoops! and 2) likely pick two flavors.  I obviously got two scoops, two different flavors.

Toppings.

Toppings for full sundaes came next with chopped nuts, sprinkles, fresh berries, and gummy bears.  The staff applied all toppings for you, which was both inefficient (as there was a line, and this meant they weren't scooping ...), but also meant not really getting the ratio or distribution of toppings you wanted. 

More Toppings.

Mini m&Ms, brownie brittle, classic sundae cherries, and whipped cream came next.  Whipped cream was Land O Lakes brand, which is less common around here.

Again, staff applied to your sundae.  I guess we can't be trusted with our own toppings ...

Salted Caramel & Hot Fudge.

I appreciated that they had legit hot fudge and caramel, kept warm in a warmer.  Major points for not just having runny chocolate sauce.

The hot fudge was thick, decadent, and very good. 4/5.

Irish Whiskey Praline & Mint Double Chocolate
w/ Hot Fudge, Whipped Cream, Nuts, Sprinkles.

And here you can see the results of a staff member building the sundae, particularly when the whipped cream was the second to last thing in the topping lineup, so sprinkles and smaller toppings were hidden under it, and the hot sauces came last (instead of more commonly first) and then just melted the whipped cream away ...

Anyway, toppings aside, the ice cream was good.  Clearly very fresh ice cream, no crystallization, no freezer burn, etc. 

Irish Whiskey Praline:

The server warned me this was pretty boozy tasting, and he was absolutely right.  It was loaded with a generous amount of bits of praline for crunch, and tasted really quite strongly of Irish whiskey.  I loved it, and didn't think it even really needed toppings, although the hot fudge was pretty great, and the pairing worked well.  If you like whiskey, and you like praline, get this, no question.  4/5.

Mint Double Chocolate:

I don't usually go for chocolate base ice creams, but, given how interesting the dark chocolate salty caramel flavor had been, I was drawn in.  The base was again a deep dark chocolate.  Very rich.  The "double" chocolate component seemed to be hunks of chocolate cookie, akin to the cookie from an Oreo, soft from being inside the ice cream.  The mint came in the form of light green white chocolate mint chips.  I wanted to taste more mint, as the mint got pretty lost with the super rich chocolate base and the hot fudge on top.  Overall, a good flavor, but not one I'd get again most likely.  3.5/5.

These two flavors didn't really compliment each other well, I wouldn't recommend them together.  The mint double chocolate really does benefit from a scoop of something a bit more mellow out the chocolate intensity, but the boozy whiskey wasn't really that.

Third Encounter, Catering, September 2025

Another summer with ice cream social provided by Sugar Mama!  Same setup as the previous year, 6 flavors to pick from (we could pick 2) and toppings bar.

Flavors.

The flavor lineup was fantastic.  There was vanilla bean and milk chocolate pearl crunch for those who wanted basic flavors, but .... honey lavender blueberry, saffron rosewater pistachio, fresh mango, and pomegranate dragonfruit (sorbet).  It was extremely difficult to pick just two flavors.  Besides the vanilla bean, these were all new flavors compared to my past encounters.

Toppings.

The toppings lineup was a bit less nice than last time, chocolate sauce or caramel (both of which were in a warming thing, but not actually hot), fruit (blackberries, canned fruit cocktail - tacky!), guava, maraschino cherries), candy (M&Ms, sprinkles, gummy bears), and generic canned whipped cream.  No nuts this time.  We were however allowed to top our own rather than the staff doing it for us, which was a big win in my book.

I eagerly took the hot fudge, but, 1) it wasn't hot and 2) it was just chocolate sauce and 3) it wasn't very good, along with berries (blackberries, but they didn't go great with my ice cream, really needed strawberries or raspberries), and of course, whipped cream and sprinkles (they had a great brand of sprinkles, super crunchy).

Saffron Rosewater Pistachio / Milk Chocolate Pearl Crunch.

I was really curious about the honey lavender blueberry, but I decided to randomly get the milk chocolate pearl crunch in addition to my first choice (saffron rosewater pistachio).  As I was the first guest (surprise!) the ice cream was still rock solid.

Saffron Rosewater Pistachio

I was sad that my scooper gave me 70% chocolate and only a small bit of the pistachio, as that is the one I was most excited for.  It was good though, strong pistachio flavor, with whole pistachios embedded within.  They added great crunch and serious real pistachio flavor (nothing about this tasted fake).  The saffron I didn't really detect, and the rosewater was subtle, which for me was a good thing.  A nice flavor, I'd get it again if craving pistachio.  3.5/5.

Milk Chocolate Pearl Crunch

I don't normally go for chocolate ice cream, particularly when there are so many other great options, but, I was really craving chocolate and the "milk chocolate pearls" sure sounded a lot like Crispearls, and I adore those things.

It was ... well, milk chocolate ice cream.  Not really my thing.  I rarely actually like a chocolate ice cream, so this was just a poor order on my part.  It was fine chocolate ice cream, good milk chocolate flavor, creamy.  But, eh, it was milk chocolate ice cream.  I did of course love the crispearls for crunch and the actual chocolate flavor I was looking for.  I'll give this a 3/5 but for me it was actually probably lower.  

Fourth Encounter, Catering, Sept 2025

Flavors.

Our flavors this time were slightly less fun for me than in the past, but still decent.  One chocolate flavor I've had before (dark chocolate salty caramel), one vegan sorbet (mango pineapple coconut), and then four that were new to me: caramel cone, strawberry, pistachio, and white peach sencha green tea.

Toppings.

The toppings lineup was again a bit different, with hot fudge and caramel, plus sprinkles and M&Ms as seem standard, but slightly different gummies, chopped peanuts, and then stewed strawberries and mango rather than fresh fruit.  No whipped cream this time.

Pistachio & Caramel Cone.

Pistachio:

I had the pistachio saffron before, but this one was pure pistachio.  I was blown away by how intense the pistachio was.  Incredible pistachio flavor. Smooth, well churned gelato as the base.  You definitely need to actually want pistachio, but if you do, this was really fantastic.  Strong 3.5/5, not a flavor I often want, but, very, very, very well done.

Caramel Cone:

I got this because the others didn't sound great to me, and because I wanted to try something I hadn't had before.  But caramel cone is pretty boring and mainstream compared to most of their flavors, and not something I'd be excited about in general.  I somehow lost my notes on it, and it wasn't memorable in any way clearly, so, uh, 3/5?

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