Arriba – Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips
Old Dutch is a big brand for sure, but I’m not quite sure how big they actually are compared to the Goliath of the industry, Frito-Lay. What I can tell you is that I have enjoyed the brand overall since my childhood days, and they are the brand behind a lot of Canadian brands I grew up with. Sadly they are an American brand, as are most of the product lines they have bought up, but on the bright side the quality hasn’t tanked. Too much.
Jokes aside, I don’t think there’s any question or ambiguity on what the goal is here, but I’ll spell it out for anyone who isn’t sure. This is going after the head honcho, the big kahuna, the big kid on the block – Doritos. Many have tried to take on the behemoth, and no one has been able to unset them so far. I don’t expect these to be all that different from Doritos, truth be told. What I’m hoping for though, is that it’s different enough in some way I can distinguish. There’s no fun in replica products – some creativity is appreciated.
The flavour is very similar to Doritos, but something about the seasoning makes it feel thicker somehow, like it’s more generous with the seasoning. They do a really good job capturing the ever popular nacho cheese flavour, but are still different enough that I can tell it apart. For starters, while cheese is still the predominant flavour here, the hint of tomato and garlic is slightly more noticeable, and helps make this feel one note and just cheesy.
The texture is more like an actual tortilla chip, and less like the flimsy, crispy chip that most Doritos feel like these days. It’s not a whole lot thicker, but enough that it is actually noticeable. It feels more substantial without being overly thicker in texture, and I’m not sure if that’s just because it feels at least a little more natural, or there’s something that Doritos engineering team does to make it seem less filling.
Some people may say that Doritos are better and more addictive, and I will agree at least that it is more addictive. Better is subjective, and truthfully I do enjoy Arriba more because it feels a bit more substantial and doesn’t feel like I am eating nothing and something at the same time. I’m probably in the minority in saying that if both brands have similar flavour, I would prefer Arriba. Hopefully that doesn’t ruffle too many feathers and we can still be friends.
