Tag: Pringles

Last week, a strange mustachioed man sprinted up to me and asked if I could name Pringles’ newest flavor. I, being the eastern United States’ preeminent Pringles historian, replied to this definitely real person, “Hasn’t Pringles done everything?”

Without pause, the astonished and not made-up man’s eyes went wide with fear. He muttered under his breath, “How did you know?” Then he dropped a fresh can of new Everything Bagel Pringles at my feet and ran away in hysterics.

Not gonna lie (absolutely gonna lie, I am clearly lying); it was pretty weird. I didn’t even get any money, but hey, I got some Everything Bagel Pringles. Score.

I love Pringles and jump at any chance to review new varieties. I’ve actually been on a run of only reviewing “ring” based snacks, so it was nice to break away from that with these Pringles that are based on… bread shaped like a ring. Oh, man.

Wait a minute, pRINGles! “Ring” is right there in the name. I’m stuck in a ring-shaped loop!

Meh, whatever. At least I have snacks.

I didn’t know what to expect from these. There are a lot of elements to cover – cream cheese, onion, garlic, the various superfluous seeds, and even the bagel flavor itself. Can a chip do all that justice?

Yes and no. They’re really good, but “everything bagel” is a bit of a stretch. Also, Pringles aren’t chips, they’re crisps. You shoulda known that. I was just testing ya.

They smell like Sour Cream and Onion, which is fine, as those are my favorite OG Pringles. The flavor profile hits on onion and garlic, but they’re pretty mild. Cream cheese is the strongest flavor. I guess that’s appropriate to real life because my request of “just a little cream cheese” is always interpreted as “three pounds of cream cheese.” Sesame and poppy seeds barely have flavor as it is, so they brought nothing to the table.

These could have just been called “Cream Cheese and Chive,” but they probably need the “bagel” to move cans. Pringles don’t taste like bagels, though.

If I were to really pinpoint the flavor, I could think of one very specific food that is apparently called “Gournay Cheese.” My mother used to buy a little wheel of garlic and herb cream cheese-like spread made by a brand called Boursin around the holidays. I absolutely loved it on Wheat Thins. That’s what these Pringles taste like, almost to a T. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, I implore you to try it. If you do know, just imagine these are flavored after that and not an everything bagel.

I was gonna nitpick the appearance because these crisps look boring. They barely even sprinkled them with poppies, but ya know what? You can keep ’em. Poppy seeds taste like nothing and only exist to get stuck in your teeth.

These are definitely worth a try, even if they taste more like Gournay Cheese Spread on Wheat Thins. Maybe if I guessed that, the totally real man wouldn’t have run away from me.

Purchased Price: $2.49
Size: 5.5 oz
Purchased at: Shop Rite
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (14 crisps) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 200 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of total carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of total sugars, less than 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of protein.

The name “Harvest Blends” might make one think these Pringles are a fusion of farm finds and actually might be healthy-ish, but their nutrition facts are the same as regular Pringles, and there aren’t any claims that these provide any whole grains or vegetable servings. They’re just Pringles with either multigrains or sweet potato blended into them to create different textures and flavors than just dried potatoes.

Pringles attempted multigrain chips before, which, if I remember correctly, were around for a few years and then disappeared like Julius Pringles’ hair. Also, a few years ago in Australia, the brand rolled out a Pringles Veggie Creations line, which included a sweet potato and sea salt flavour.

Of the two Harvest Blends I picked up, the Sweet Potato Sea Salt variety had me sticking my hand in the can more often than I would like to admit. A wise old man with a gigantic mustache and no hair once said, “Once you pop, you can’t stop,” and that’s the case with these crisps. It’s similar to sweet potato fries, although, with the first few crisps, I thought I was eating regular Pringles for some reason. But the more I ate, the more the sweet potato came out of these slightly orange-hued crisps. I love the flavor of sweet potato fries, but I can’t say I’ve ever had crispy ones. These crisps blend their taste with a crispiness I’ve never experienced with the fries.

Sunchips were the first thing to pop into my head after munching on the Multigrains Farmhouse Cheddar variety. Since Sunchips are also multigrain chips, it makes sense why these Pringles taste similar. As for the seasoning on these, its cheesiness doesn’t explode like on a Doritos or Cheetos. Also, I couldn’t tell you if it truly tastes like “farmhouse cheddar” since I’ve never had it. But it’s definitely cheddar, and it’s good. The crisps have an aftertaste that reminds me of regular Pringles, which makes sense since they also have dried potatoes in them. They also crunch slightly duller than regular Pringles, but it doesn’t take away from how snackable they are. Although, I didn’t inhale them like sweet potato ones.

Pringles’ Harvest Blends line also includes Multigrain Homestyle Ranch and Sweet Potato Smoky BBQ varieties, which I might try if able to find them since these two flavors I did try were great.

Purchased Price: $3.29 each
Size: 5.5 oz cans
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Sweet Potato Sea Salt), 7 out of 10 (Multigrains Farmhouse Cheddar)
Nutrition Facts: (1 ounce/about 14 crisps) Sweet Potato Sea Salt – 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of sugar (including 1 gram of added sugar), and 1 gram of protein. Multigrains Farmhouse Cheddar – 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 220 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar (including less than 1 gram of added sugar), and 1 gram of protein.

Mr. P has donned his gaming headset and teamed up with Minecraft for a limited edition flavor based on something you can cook up in the game, Suspicious Stew. Due to having a ten-year-old nephew, I’ve spent more hours playing Minecraft than I care to admit. For those not in the know, or those like me who probably should be in the know by now but can’t be asked to care, suspicious stew is something you concoct from mushrooms and flowers. In addition to restoring your hunger points, it also gives a temporary status effect. This could be something positive like night vision or something negative like…poison. Let’s find out if these Pringles make me jump higher or cause temporary blindness.

My initial impression was that these looked and smelled fairly innocuous. Most of the crisps had only a slight smattering of seasoning on one edge, and the scent was familiar, although I couldn’t place it. After tasting the first few, I wondered how much effort was put into constructing a flavor here. I decided to take a different approach and act like a kid no one wants to sit by in the cafeteria; I consciously left a chip on my tongue to gather max flavor on my taste buds and then went ahead and straight up licked the seasoning off another to get a better idea what I was dealing with.

I was genuinely surprised by the difference, there IS flavor here, and it’s very interesting! It’s zesty, almost spicy even, but not the kind that packs any real heat. I abandoned my gross tactics and ate a few more normally. Maybe the first chips in my tube were just under seasoned because as I kept eating them, I no longer had any difficulty picking up on the flavor – they definitely tasted like broth. They’re salty and deeply savory. The more I ate, the more they reminded me of bouillon or a packet of instant ramen seasoning, which I mean as a compliment.

They also have the curious effect of leaving my lips feeling slightly tingly. There’s no way they put Szechuan peppercorns or something in here, is there? It’s not exactly a numbing sensation, but there’s a certain je ne sais quoi, and I’m into it. I don’t know why it surprises me that a snack labeled “stew” actually tastes like stew. The “suspicious” part threw me off, and I expected them to be more of a muddy mystery flavor. Kudos to Pringles for having some fun while also really nailing the profile of a stew.

I’ll gladly reach for a can of these and be happy Kellogg’s decided to make them taste good and not like spider eyes the next time aunt duty calls and I’m busy asking naive questions like, “How did all these skeletons get in my house?” and “If I’m starving, is it bad to eat this rotten flesh?”

Purchased Price: $3.48
Size: 5.5 oz can
Purchased at: Jewel-Osco
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (14 crisps) 150 calories, 9 grams of total fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 200 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of total carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of dietary fiber, less than 1 gram of total sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

What is it?

America’s preferred cylindrically containered potato crisp (fight me, Stax) unleashes what probably has to be its 900th variety, Hot Honey. The flavor, if you’re unfamiliar, is sweet like honey but is also spicy (hence the “hot”). It has recently been involving itself in things ranging from fast food chicken sandwiches to ice cream to frozen pizza from a rap-maker named Lil’ Yachty.

How is it?

It’s fine. That’s all — fine. You’ve got your regular Pringles salty crispness, but you get an immediate mild undertone of honey. And it is very honey-esque, don’t get me wrong. (And not just, you know, artificial sugar dust, I mean.) It takes a few crisps before the heat begins to build, and it eventually does, but it is manageable and mild.

Anything else you need to know?

This is a Walmart exclusive flavor (along with a re-release of the Philly Cheesesteak variety), so if you don’t have a Walmart near you, (a) how is it possible to not live near a Walmart; (b) that’s honestly pretty cool; (c) you’re not missing much unless you’re a Pringles completist; and (d) okay, but seriously, doesn’t EVERYWHERE have a Walmart?

Conclusion:

On our “Spotted” post regarding the Hot Honey Pringles, the caption said something to the effect of “I’m surprised they didn’t add chicken to this,” and that is 100% spot-on and likely would have transformed an extremely one-note chip into something much more fun to eat. As it is, I won’t exactly miss this when it’s gone.

Purchased Price: $1.98
Size: 5.5 oz can
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 105 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of total carbohydrates, 2 grams of total sugars, less than 1 gram of fiber, and 1 gram of protein.