Pringles Tortillas Nacho Cheese

Nacho Cheese Doritos Lite?

The Attraction:

I'm a Pringles kind of guy. I'm a fan of the Original and Sour Cream and Onion flavors. Although I wasn't nearly as enamored with the festive flavors they offered, I saw these on sale and thought it was high time to try another flavor variation from one of my favorite savory snack brands.

The Review
I would have to say that the Sour Cream and Onion flavored Pringles is a staple in my snack vault. It's a go-to snack for me. When I saw the Nacho Cheese Tortillas offering from Pringles, I immediately thought of Doritos....and who dislikes Doritos? Not this snack blogger.

Sure enough as I pop my first Tortillas Nacho Cheese flavored Pringle into my mouth, there were two comparisons that surfaced to my mind quickly; a not as cheesy-version of a Nacho Cheese flavored Doritos or a cheese flavored version of Tostitos. Both aren't bad things and Pringles does a great job of integrating the cheese-flavor while still maintaining their core "Pringles" taste. They certainly taste good, but that's not the issue. The question is can one product that reminds you of another product be successful living in the shadow of it if the newer product to you doesn't break new ground or offer a significant twist or upgrade?

As I ate a few more chips and pondered this, I kept thinking this is what cheese-flavored Tostitos would taste like....and I think I found my answer.

The forecast calls for a light dusting of
nacho cheese flavoring

The Sweet:

All the things you love about Pringles are there; OCD-like neat can stacked with chips that have that signature "Pringles" taste. Crispy chips that deliver nacho cheese flavor in enough doses to slip between two other popular snacks without tasting exactly like them. 

The Bitter:
Somehow it doesn't taste exactly like either of the products I mentioned, but enough that at times it feels like a knock-off version of them.

Guess where the other half went...

Conclusion:
The folks at Pringles manage to create a product that differentiates itself just enough so it doesn't taste exactly like some of their competitors, but to it's disservice, it's close enough to make you realize how good those other products are. For me, Pringles Tortillas Nacho Cheese flavor doesn't differentiate itself enough to earn a permanent spot in my shopping cart.


Video of the Week
Going through a divorce is never easy for the parties involved....unless you are the lawyer. In that case, you get to have fancy cars, scantily clad women and shirts that show your watch off. It's just the big business of divorce.

Getting a divorce? They couldn't be happier for you!

Fujiya Milky

Who can resist this face?

The Attraction:

I've seen this face around so frequent in my snack travels, but I have yet to ever formally try this product. The little lady thought it was high time to finally try these so we could see what the buzz around this iconic face was all about. 

The Review
I have to admit, I'm a bit embarrassed that it's taken me so long to get around to trying this product. I've seen these packages line many a market and even cellphone cases are dedicated to this iconic face.

I was surprised when I opened the package. I always assumed it was chocolate! Instead, Milky is a white, harder than taffy-like candy. Despite the assorted colorful wrappers, they all are the same flavor...Milky!

I unwrap a piece of candy and partake. The flavor is sweet and milky-ish, as advertised. It immediately reminds me of another candy that I had growing up, White Rabbit Candy. I used to have my fair share of those when I was a kid. These aren't much different in flavor, but maybe about a third of the size. If you've never had either, think if you were able to take condensed milk and leave it out overnight to harden. I would imagine it would taste like these candies, but perhaps not quite as sweet.

I'm so pretty! (the candy that is)

The Sweet:

The wrappers are pretty and the candy themselves capture the "Milky" essence they were named after.

The Bitter:
It's a bit sweeter than I care for. Generally speaking, I am also not a fan of "hard candies"

Milky, (cereal baby)

Conclusion:
However much I wanted to love this candy, I was so-so on it. Perhaps it was because I've already had something like that previously or it could be that I only occasionally enjoy that exaggerated sweeten milk flavor that Milky is based off of. Either way, I don't see a return trip into my grocery basket for this iconic snack.

Video of the Week
I love a good hot sauce prank as much as the next guy, but this guy takes it to another level. I'm not sure if I would be so happy if a "friend" hooked me up like this...

Looks innocent enough or so it seems...

Ping's Dried Beef

Meet the meat

The Attraction:

I can't lie; this isn't anything new to me. I've been eating this stuff for years, and I mean years. I'm not sure if this particular entry can be categorized as an actual review. Dare I say it's more of a endorsement (with no financial consideration, of course), but it's to share something I think of fondly...perhaps too fondly.

I'm usually not in the habit of reviewing something quite so regionally specific, except for this time and this time, but generally speaking, I shy away from products like that because I want to select items that can be accessible to most people in larger cities, but after a recent trip to pickup some of this dried beef, I was compelled to share this delicious treat.

The Review
I was first introduced to Ping's dried beef almost 30 years ago when my grandfather would visit us from Boston. He would make it a point to go to pickup a pound of the stuff in Manhattan's Chinatown. It wasn't until about 10 years ago I remembered about their dried beef when I would look at conventional prepackaged beef jerky in larger supermarkets. I was looking for a savory snack, but being that traditionally beef jerky was on the salty side, I wanted something that wouldn't quite be so high in sodium...."Bing"......how about Ping's dried beef!?

Locating the place in itself is no small feat. The storefront, if you can call it that, doesn't have any English signage on the outside and is rather inconspicuous. When you open the door, you can't help but feel that you "accidentally" stepped into someone's apartment if it weren't for the 4 large glass jars where the jerky, I mean dried beef is kept (although this stuff is so popular, it's rarely filled with product for long....seriously). My last trip to Ping's, I had to place an order for 2 pounds of beef and then come back in 30 minutes when it was ready.

Despite the name, Ping's actually sells dried pork as well. The only other variation offered is spicy for both beef and pork. I've been a loyalist to the spicy beef, but alas, they were sold out on my last visit, so I was only able to get the regular (let me tell you, I still wasn't really disappointed).

What makes Ping's dried beef so different is that it's not like conventional beef jerky; their dried beef is tender, not dry and is more sweet than salty. It's cut amazingly thin and gently gives with every bite. I'm drooling just typing this.

Don't call me jerky!

The Sweet:

The flavor is sweet enough without tasting "candy-ish" and isn't salty. The meat is tender and cut just the right thickness.

The Bitter:
This stuff sells at a premium. Regular beef jerky goes for about $10-12 a pound. Ping's is more than double that at $28 per pound. It's also not always in stock, so it would behoove you to place an order ahead of time to make sure your trip to Chinatown for this treat isn't in vain.

Signature bag of heavenly meat

Conclusion:
Even with the hefty price tag for these treats, I don't even bat an eye at the price because I love their dried beef so much. I know not everyone can afford to plunk down almost 30 beans for dried beef (wow, it just occurred to me that's the price is almost as much as a steak at a decent steak house), but it's something I highly suggest you try once....perhaps just half a pound, but let me warn you...you may regret that you only got half a pound very quickly after you start eating these amazing treats.

Video of the Week
This past Friday (June 5th) was National Doughnut Day here in the States. We celebrated by eating and getting (or tried to get) some free donuts, but how do doughnuts that are mass produced taste to a baker?

Wait, is butthole-esque a good or bad thing?