Well, Junk Food Nation, it’s November 2nd, so now it’s once again official: Christmas is here.  And by Christmas, I mean November 1 through January 1.  I blogged about this very same thing last year – Christmas DOMINATES now that Halloween is over.  Thanksgiving is in there, but that turkey day is just an appetizer for the main event of December and FOUR WEEKS OF HOLIDAY BINGING.  Get ready for lots of Limited Edition holiday junk food!

I mean, look around. Holiday cups are back at Starbucks. Stores are selling decorations. I see ornaments hanging in shop windows. Actual Christmas music was PLAYING on the radio this morning!!!  I say pump the brakes, but the world screams NOOOOO HAPPY HOLIDAYS HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

So get out there and spread some holiday cheer, Nation.  In the meantime, I continued on my quest to try all four limited batch Kettle Brand chips with these: Kettle Brand Limited Batch Salsa with Mesquite Potato Chips!

Kettle Brand Limited Batch Salsa with Mesquite Potato Chips: The Money Shot

I couldn’t find these until a faithful follower the good people at Chip Review told me to look for junk food in a place I don’t normally look for junk food: WHOLE FOODS.  Say wha? The haven for healthy and organic food stuffs carry these Kettle Brand Limited Batch Salsa with Mesquite Potato Chips? And lo and behold, they did!

What is mesquite?

Per Wiki, regarding mesquite: “As firewood, mesquite burns slowly and very hot. When used to barbecue, the smoke from the wood adds a distinct flavor to the food. This is common in the Southwest and Texas-style barbecue. Mesquite-wood roasting or grilling is used to smoke-flavor steaks, chicken, pork, and fish. Mesquite smoke flavoring can be added to vegetable stir-fries, scrambled eggs, soups, and even ice cream.”

So these Kettle Brand Limited Batch Salsa with Mesquite Potato Chips taste like salsa that’s smoky? Ok…I’ve had roasted salsas before, but smoked salsas?  Gonna have to wrap my mind around that one.

What up, Whole Planet Foundation?

All these Lambada references make no sense.

Kettle Brand Limited Batch Salsa with Mesquite Potato Chips is another one of four Limited Batch flavors that Kettle previously released and then discontinued.  According to the press release, these first launched in 1999. “Tomatoes, bell peppers, onions and garlic blend with the bright flavor of lime to create an unmatched combination that’s sweet, smoky and salty.”  We’ll see.

Nice and caloric

I don’t see any lime there…

Once crticism right off the bat for these Kettle Brand Limited Batch Salsa with Mesquite Potato Chips – your press release says there’s lime in this chips, but it’s not listed in your ingredients.  Arguably, it’s included in the “natural flavors” part of the list – DON’T DO THAT. I hate when companies lump things into “natural falvors.” JUST. TELL. ME.

Kettle Brand Limited Batch Salsa with Mesquite Potato Chips

Despite my annoyance, I gritted out a smile and pulled the top open.  These Kettle Brand Limited Batch Salsa with Mesquite Potato Chips smelled smoky when I opened the bag, and they were all COVERED in flavor powder.  Good sign all around!

Kettle Brand Limited Batch Salsa with Mesquite Potato Chips

These Kettle Brand Limited Batch Salsa with Mesquite Potato Chips also tasted really good, and definitely had a different taste than the Red Chili version.  These chips still had that great Kettle Potato Chip crunch.  Nice and thick, the texture was very chewable.  But did these taste like Salsa?  Well, sort of.

Upon chewing, I instantly got a heavy tomato powder and onion powder flavor, and then a strong smoke flavor – in a lot of ways, this started out tasting like a barbecue chip.  In a lot of ways, this DID take like the Red Chili chip.

But then, there was a tanginess that took this chip out of the realm of BBQ and more into the world of Salsa.  I’m sure this slight bit of acidity came from some added lime flavor, and the green and red pepper powders provided a bit of vegetable taste to it.

So did these taste like salsa?  Not in the traditional sense – not like the red goopy stuff you get at the store in a jar.  But I think the vegetable combo DID taste like the kind of salsa or diced-marinated-veggies you’d make yourself, or find served on top of a piece of chicken or piece of fish at a restaurant.  And in that sense, I think these chips did a very good job with the flavor profile.

Two for two so far, Kettle!  Liking these Limited Batches.

PURCHASED AT: Whole Foods

COST: $2.69

Thoughts? Please comment below (I always reply) or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy or LIKE my Facebook Page and message me there. Also, you can always email me at junkfoodguy@junkfoodguy.com. Let’s hang out.

Sincerely,

Junk Food Guy