"passport to flavor" news and stories

This past December, Nicole let us know that Kettle Foods ,the makers of Kettle brand potato chips, was holding what I call their annual "Chip-Off." Kettle Chips introduces a new flavor, but lets the people decide by releasing "contestant" flavors to the public, and allowing them to vote online. Kettle says that it was a three-way tie among Island Jerk, Dragon Five-Spice, and Twisted Chili Lime for a while, but in the end, the Jerk won out.

I actually got to try all five flavors in the Party Pack, and I'm certainly not surprised that Aztec Chocolate wasn't even in the Final Three. The chocolate flavor was a little too weird and had a bitter aftertaste. I like chocolate-covered potato chips, but the Aztec Chocolate Chips were just flavored with chocolate without the accompanying sweetness.

Though Island Jerk wasn't bad, I am a little disappointed that Royal Indian Curry wasn't the winner. In fact, I'm a little surprised that it wasn't in the final three. With all the hype and food trend-casting of spice for 2007, I would have thought Twisted Chili Lime would have been somewhat boring. I ate the Royal Indian Curry Chips in on sitting because they were so good -- except of course, that they were so powerfully "fragrant" that I smelled like garlic and curry for three days. But all is not lost. Before the winning flavor goes into official production, you can still order the other flavors online. Royal Indian Curry Chips just might make it in time for the Super Bowl!

When Kettle Chips decides to introduce a new flavor, they often create a "party pack" of unreleased flavors and let you - the consumer - vote for your favorite. The downside to this is that if your favorite flavor isn't the one that is chosen, you know exactly what you're missing out on, but it's still interesting to try the experimental flavors. The Passport to Flavor Pack is their newest selection. It includes five 5-oz. bags of chips in Royal Indian Curry, Dragon 5 Spice, Aztec Chocolate, Island Jerk and Twisted Chili Lime flavors, as well as a world music sample CD ("A Taste of Putumayo: Music for Every Palate"), food and drink pairing ideas and a chip clip so that you can seal up any uneaten chips. The pack is $19.95 and after you've tried the different flavors, you can go to Passport To Flavor to vote for the one you'd most like to see on store shelves next summer.

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