Hardbite – Rugged All Natural
The rugged line is Hardbite’s way of dipping into the wavy kettle chip market. They also market it as a product that made in small batches, and using all natural ingredients. It is certainly one of the smaller ingredient labels as far as snacks go, with only potatoes, oil and sea salt. Sometimes it really is the simple things that are hard to nail down. I love a good gimmick now and then, but the elusive hunt for a well done classic is tough and never ending. Anyone can throw a new coat of paint on a house and make it look fancy, but the unsung heroes are the ones who are sturdy built and don’t rely on the surface level makeup to look good or seem premium. Let’s find out if this one is the former or the latter.
Probably the most noticeable thing I notice as I plow through these is the flavour is very reminiscent of a classic french fry. By this I mean, when you go to a restaurant or a joint that takes their fries seriously and does it with a simple formula with good ingredients. It has a strong potato flavour with the oil and sea salt helping to bring that to the forefront. I’m not sure what else to say other than this is a prime example of a simple food or recipe that’s tough to pull off. Like many things in life, sometimes the most simple, straightforward things are the hardest to master, but I have to admit Hardbite nailed this one.
The texture is where things get a bit dicey – while the texture is good and has a nice crunch, it also doesn’t feel as hard or substantial as the wavy version of Kettle. I was expecting something hard, thick and ready to break my teeth, but these were closer to their original chip style just in a slightly different way. It’s by no means bad, in fact I can see this having wider appeal than Kettle’s version of wavy chips. But for me personally, I go to Hardbite for that substantial feel of their chips and this was not as hard as I was hoping. It’s not a deal breaker just to be clear, but if I want something rugged or rippled, I want something crunchy like Kettle’s version.
All that to say, flavour and texture are on point, and these are a real winner. My only gripe is more of a personal one, and I had hoped for something more “rugged” or harder. For normal people though, these are well worth the premium over the regular Hardbite flavours.
