Arriba – Creamy Guacamole Tortilla Chips
Old Dutch may not be a Canadian brand, but it’s one of the more common and popular brand of snack foods we have in Canada. Especially since they’ve purchased Humpty Dumpty, you can find their snacks at competitive prices in most grocery stores and general stores. For whatever reason I kind of prefer them over other brands, and I think it’s because they usually err on the thicker side when it comes to textures, which I’m all about. Their Arriba line of tortilla chips is no different, as I’ve mentioned previously in the review of their Taco flavour. I figure why not try this flavour as well. I figured I should try this now because it’s labelled as limited time, so my primitive brain is triggered into thinking scarcity is an issue, which let’s be real, it probably isn’t.
These don’t smell in particular like anything. And to be honest with you, that’s kind of expected. Guac, and avocados in general don’t have a very strong smell. It’s all about the texture, not the flavour and smell. It has one, but it’s so faint and subtle it’s almost not worth mentioning. You know, unless it does have a strong smell, in which case you usually send that back to the kitchen or try to get a refund. Never trust a strong smelling avocado.
In general I’m a big fan of thicker, crunchier chips, and it’s no surprised that I like these. I love me a good hearty crunch. While not the thickest of the thicc, these are more so than the usual and that’s enough to get a recommendation in my eyes.
As far as flavour goes, guac flavoured anything is always a bit tricky for me. To me, guac is more about texture than flavour, and it’s the creamy, somewhat mild flavour that makes it go well with so many things. When you try and extract just the flavour, it kind of loses the magic. That being said, if you like the mild, smooth flavour of guac then you’ll enjoy these. They aren’t particularly salty, and the flavour does indeed remind me of avocados, being mild and subtle, and a taste that kind of builds over time but never hitting you all at once. I get hints of onion powder, but apart from that you’d be hard pressed to guess this was guac flavour if you didn’t know beforehand what the flavour is. While the flavour does tend to be blander than most tortilla chips these days, the positive is that it doesn’t leave a strong after taste in the mouth, and you won’t be grasping for liquid relief after a handful or two. They’re also good enough on their own that I probably wouldn’t combine it with a dip. It might go well with a fresh salsa though.
If you’re looking for a change of pace and want to snack and chill with something a little more subtle or low key, then this is your snack. These are relatively easy to find, though I’m not sure how long this flavour will be around given that it’s a limited time flavour. I like these enough that I’d get them again.
