It’s no secret that I enjoy a good sour cream and cheddar chip. Well, I guess I enjoy pretty much all sour cream and cheddar chips…save for one brand, who shall remain nameless. It’s just one of those classic combinations, which is why every chip company seems required to have it in their roster. I was perusing the selection at Kroger, desperate to find something on sale, but was coming up with nothing that looked good. Then, among the Private Selection options, which seem to be entirely made up of regional barbecue variations, I saw it…an aged cheddar and sour cream blend. It was a little pricey, at $2.99, but it was the only thing that looked good, so I set aside my price hesitations and went for it.
May I remind you (or inform you, if you are unfamiliar with my growing body of work) that Big Lots has one of my favorite cheddar and sour cream chips, and this set me up for something similar. However, it’s nothing like it at all. In fact, this just isn’t a very good chip. Factor in the price tag, and it’s completely underwhelming.
The cheddar flavor is there, and starts off promising enough, but fades away into a finish that tastes like it’s past its shelf life…which then becomes its main aftertaste. It’s like a dull, almost slightly “moldy” finish that is a complete turn-off, and falls well short of the “premium” flavor they were no doubt going for. Sometimes, the more of them you eat, the better they get, but not in this case…granted, it doesn’t become disgusting or inedible (another possible effect with bad chips), but it just stays with that same disappointing taste.
This is a shame, too, because the texture is nice and crunchy, and the chips are consistently coated with a good bit of seasoning, two of the most important criteria in my checklist. Unfortunately, the taste doesn’t even come close to justifying its exorbitant $2.99 price tag (when not on sale), which is on the high side for a private label store brand. I don’t regret trying them, and they’re not so bad that I won’t finish off the bag, but they’re also not so impressive that I’ll be clamoring to pick them up ever again.
Overall: 5/10. A promising cheddar flavor dissipates into an almost “moldy” finish that then becomes the main aftertaste. Definitely not one of my favorite cheddar and sour cream chips…in fact, probably a good candidate for one on my “worst” list. The price tag–$2.99 per bag when not on sale—does it no favors, either. A chip that foolishly shoots for a “premium” label without the taste to back it up.
