Arriba – Zesty Taco Tortilla Chips

Whenever I see a chip that’s taco flavoured, I instantly think back to my childhood and the Taco Supreme Doritos flavour. It was a limited time flavour in collaboration with Doritos that had a very unique, distinct flavour that I think about to this day. I can’t begin to try and understand all the backdoor deals and exchanges that happen behind the scenes, but I imagine they discontinued it because it wasn’t popular enough or there was some other business reason. Or maybe they did come back, and just in a different form. I mean, the Doritos tacos at Taco Bell seem to be a staple on their menu now, so maybe that’s the closest thing we’ll get to a revival or homage to the OG flavour.

Regardless, the short time I had with the flavour left an impression on me. The flavour itself didn’t taste exactly like a taco, but it tasted distinct from anything Doritos offers these days. When I see other companies with a taco flavour, I get a little nostalgic and think about trying the flavour, but I often remind myself that I’m just setting myself up for disappointment.

As part of the maturing process and becoming an adult, I’ve learned to temper my expectations and accept that not everything has to be black and white. Sure, there might be flavours out there that won’t compare to what I had as a child, but that doesn’t make them any less of a flavour in it’s own right. It’s coming to this realization that has helped me pull the trigger on this bag of chips I have before me.

While I’m not too optimistic about the flavour, this is a new line I haven’t tried before, so if nothing else I’ll see if the flavour is tasty or not. It never hurts to have another option when it comes to chips. Arriba is the tortilla chip line of Old Dutch, a brand from the US that is fairly common and popular here in the frigid North. I’ve come to enjoy their rippled chips and they’re thicker cut, potato chips so I figured why not try their corn chips. I’ve always seen these in grocery stores but never not around to buying them for whatever reason. Well that ends today.

These smell really good. And by good, I mean they smell like the inside of a taco takeout box. It’s got a strong smell of beef, along with the cheese and sour cream you get in a typical taco.

These taste…surprisingly similar to what I would expect from a standard, generic taco. It tastes like a combination of seasoned, ground beef, along with the cheese and sour cream. It’s actually crazy how close to an actual taco this taste like. I imagine if you were to hand these to someone, they would probably also say it tastes like a taco, or maybe even a chili cheese dog. The beef flavour works really well with the cheese and sour cream flavours that if it weren’t for the fact that this wasn’t messy or wet, you might actually think you’re eating a taco. I’m quite impressed at how well they replicated the flavour. It doesn’t hurt that the flavour is really good. Well, assuming you like tacos or ground beef. If not, maybe stay away from this.

The texture of these chips is of a slightly thicker tortilla chip. They aren’t as crisp as a Doritos, and seem to be a tad thicker. If you prefer a more substantial, crunchier chip, than these would be up your alley, as they are mine. It might just be my mind playing tricks on me, but the chips also remind me of the hard shell of taco as well. I can’t tell if all their chips are this thick, or if it’s just my mind playing tricks on me. But I think these are thick enough to make for decent dippers, though I can’t imagine why you’d do that given how much flavour these have.

I am quite happy with these, and I’m kind of sad I’ve been sleeping on these for so long. The flavour is spot on, and super addictive for me. The texture is just right for me, and they’re easily accessible for me. If you can find these, I’d highly recommend giving them a try. I doubt you’ll be disappointed. Unless your vegan, in which case I’m pretty sure there’s meat ingredients in the “natural flavours”. For everyone else, this is fair game.