by Bottom Line: These all-natural chips have some fire and a unique taste, and they come from a company that cares.
I happen to be a particular fan of Jalapeno potato chips, not just because they are spicy, but because they generally bring good flavor. Ever since opening a bag of Bob’s Texas Style Kettle Cooked Potato Chips many years ago (which are sadly hard to find these days, though I have found a good substitute) I have been hooked on the combination of potato chip and the Jalapeno chili. And there are quite a number of varieties and variations available out there, with most being quite good. In fact, there are so many that sometimes it is hard to tell the difference. But recently I stumbled across a Jalapeno chip that is different from the rest.
Deep River Snacks tries to distinguish themselves from the major snack makers by using all natural ingredients and their goal is to “create a brand that offers better-for-you snacks without compromising flavor and that cares about its people and about doing what is right”. And in addition to making snacks, they use their products to raise awareness of various causes by featuring them on the bags and donating part of their profits. Why do they do this? As they say: “Because we give a chip!”
And while all this is very nice and neat, I’m sure what you want to know is whether their chips are any good. Well, I’m here to tell you that they are.
When you bite into one of Deep River’s Jalapeno chips, you kick an immediate salty kick. Not to the point of being too salty, but it lacks any of the expected sweetness you often find paired with spicy snacks and instead delivers almost a pickle-like tang. Then you get a hint of roasted jalapenos in the background as the salt and seasoning all come together in a very nice balance. While eating my first bowl of these, I wasn’t sure if I liked them or not because they were so different from most Jalapeno chips. But when I got to the end I definitely wanted more and now find myself addicted to these potato snacks.
The heat is barely discernible when you eat your first chip. But the more you eat, the more it builds. And after a small bowl of these, your mouth is definitely burning with a smoldering heat that lingers a bit. I would put them above the Medium heat level and on the way to Hot. I believe these are small batch chips, though, so the heat may vary notably from bag to bag.
There is a reason that the taste of these is different than the average seasoned chip you find on the store shelf. The ingredients are very basic, and they don’t try to throw too much at you. This bag of chips has only four items on its ingredients ledger: potatoes, sunflower oil, Jalapeno chili pepper, and salt. If you look at the ingredients for Lay’s Jalapeno Kettle Chips there are over a dozen ingredients including Torula Yeast. Yum! It is surprising to me that salt is the last ingredient on the Deep River list because that is what I tasted first. But apparently since that and the Jalapeno powder are the only seasonings, you definitely notice it.
I found the Deep River Jalapeno chips in Sam’s in the large 24 oz. size bag. Burlington Coat Factory also sells the chips in the 5 oz. size. I realize that is not a place where you regularly go shopping for chips, but if you happen to be there you can pick up a bag or two. I have found the Cheddar Horseradish flavor there, and those definitely deliver a nice kick. You can also buy the chips online at their website, but you have to buy in bulk (twelve 5 oz. bags). The Argentinian Chimichurri flavor sure looks good, but they are currently sold out. No matter where you find these, though, I definitely recommend picking up a bag of the Jalapeno chips (and the Cheddar Horseradish) for a tasty snack with a kick from a company that cares.
Tale of the Tape:
Ingredients: Potatoes, sunflower oil, Jalapeno chili pepper, salt
Serving Size: 28g (About 18 Chips)
Calories: 150
Fat: 9g (1g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 17g
Carbs: 2g
Sodium: 150mg
