Hardbite – Apple Cider Vinegar
I have talked ad nauseam about my disdain for vinegar, and my bad experiences with vinegar. I value it as an ingredient, but I don’t like when it’s all I can taste. I sometimes wonder if it’s a similar issue to alcohol, where I can taste even the slightest bit very strongly and it overpowers everything else. Either way, I am not a fan of it, but I am curious on if apple cider vinegar will taste any different from the classic white vinegar.
Also, when I think of apple cider vinegar I also think about all the people who told me they use it for all sorts of things like drinking straight for gut bacteria, or rubbing on the scalp as some sort of cure all. While I haven’t been brave enough to try any of that, I would tend to prefer to limit to consumption via mouth hole.
The flavour is first and foremost, fried potato. The vinegar flavour is honestly very mild and just slightly noticeable. What vinegar flavour there is, it’s fairly subtle and adds a slight tang to the flavour. Unlike white vinegar though, it’s far less potent and lacks the nasal clearing effect that most other brands have. As someone who likes vinegar in smaller doses, this is more enjoyable for me. The strongest and most prominent flavour is ultimately the fried potato, and they remind me a lot of some homemade chips or fries. The vinegar comes in a bit in the aftertaste as well, but it’s largely negligible.
Texture is makes it hard for me to stay on a diet and avoid Hardbite – it has that incredible crunch and that substantial feel to the chips. It’s basically what I look for in an idea kettle chip. Nice crunch, decent thickness and it feels like I’m eating something other than air. Realistically my only critique is that the potatoes or slices they use seem to have changed, as the original line of avocado oil chips tended to have bigger pieces and thicker slices. They are still good, but maybe I’m getting nostalgic for the old times.
Similar to many other Hardbite offerings, the flavour is a bit more subtle and muted, but the perfect texture more than offsets it for me. After all, I am getting this mostly for the texture, and the flavour is sort of secondary. Not to say it isn’t important, but I’m not chasing a chip that’s salt with a side of potato. For that reason I enjoy this, despite not enjoying vinegar as a flavour. Nothing in particular would stop me from getting this again, but nothing is making me pick this over another flavour either. Take that as you will.
