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!