Calbee Plum Seaweed Chips

Although TokyoTreat has very good box curation, I have to question why there's another bag of plum chips in this box, only two months after the last one. Though it is different, this time we have seaweed, a Ruffles-like texture, and a custom bag designed by SOU SOU, whoever that is. The flowers on the bag are nice, but only taste will make me go ARF ARF.

As expected, the texture is that of Ruffles, which is great as I love the feel of those ridges! True to the theme of the chip there are also pink splotches on the chips, but no green to also represent the seaweed. Last time I had plum chips there wasn't much of a plum flavor to begin with, so I'm glad to see some visual evidence. From the bag I get mostly a chip smell, but slightly accented with the fruity sweetness of the plum and the umami of the seaweed.

One of the things I complained about last time too was the fruity and salty flavors clashing and I still get a bit of that from these chips. I'm not sure if it's just an acquired taste? Because every time my brain is telling me these don't go together. Silly humans. Chip wise those the crunch of the ridges is on point, I think I would like the chips more slightly cooked for a bigger crunch. The seaweed flavor is definitely third fiddle to the potato and plum. I get it if I really concentrate on tasting this but otherwise it's just a microdose of umami to go along with this confusing combination. They do seem to have dialed back a bit on the salt to make these flavors work but it still... doesn't. Slightly better than the other chips though for the texture and seaweed.

Rating: 4 - Boof!

Calbee Salty Split Pea Sticks

Once again we have another crispy vegetable snack. There are sometimes good and sometimes overwhelming, all depends on the salt levels and amount of vegetable flavor involved. These are of course based on split peas which I am quite ambivalent about myself, but I hope this snack can bring out some flavor that I didn't notice in them before.

One nice touch about these is that the snack itself looks like the split pea that it's based off of! It has the pointed ends that they're known for (and I'm always uncertain about eating) and the classic light green color with some bubbles in there. The smell does resemble a pea flavor, although it was a bit tricky to recognize at first because usually they're served warm.

Right off the bat I like the texture of these snacks. There's a crunchy outer layer but it also goes all the way through with a softer crunch on the inside, meaning that my teeth never get confused or disappointed. The flavor seems to be a bit of an acquired taste on the other hand. It's ever so slightly bitter, or it could be that I've never noticed the pea flavor before in this form.

There is a large amount of flavor in the snack though, and as I munch on it I get more adjusted to that flavor and it is pleasant in a different way. So many of the potato flavors in these types of snacks makes this a very nice change of pace, every bite I get plenty of earthy green goodness, though it's strange that it took me this long to adjust. This flavor may not be for everyone but it is a nice surprise and worth a try if you're used to the same old salty snacks.

Rating: 6 - Aruff!

Calbee Sapporo Potato Vegetable Chips

Long overdue review here, as I also received this as part of a Christmas mystery pack at my local Japanese market. I'm really surprised why, because it looks rather promising, who doesn't love veggie chips? They're always nice for throwing some extra splashes of flavor into your traditional potato chips, whether they're actually healthier or just tricking you into thinking you're eating healthier.

As shown the potato sticks are quite tiny, more akin to the size of shoestring fries. But as promised there are the little splashes of vegetable color in here. The bag smells like the typical veggie chips, potato with all those other vibrant flavors and some salt.

A bite reveals these to have that same pleasing flavor of the mixed vegetables, and surprisingly not over-salted which is a good thing in my book. Though I have quite a few qualms with the texture and size, as it is there's a heavy crunch to these on the outside and a seemingly almost-hollow inside, which means with every bite there's something lacking, I want so much more of the flavor. It feels like a snack that's on the right path, but doesn't quite hit the mark of satisfaction. Even putting two or more in my mouth leaves something to be desired... So as a whole I'd go with the usual American brand veggie chips over these, these seem to stop a little bit short in terms of flavor and texture.

Rating: 4 - Boof!