The best and worst salt and vinegar chips in New Zealand

Earlier this year, Peter and his wife picked up their granddaughter for the school holidays. They stopped to buy snacks for a long journey home, including a bag of chips each: two bags of Copper Kettle Sea Salt, and one bag of Copper Kettle Salt and Vinegar.

When Peter’s granddaughter complained the salt and vinegar flavour made her throat sore, he decided to finish the bag for her.

“They certainly had a strong flavour,” he said.

Once empty, Peter noticed his tongue felt a bit burnt, but didn’t think much of it.

By the time dinner rolled around, Peter’s tongue was so sore he couldn’t taste his food. This lasted a few days, so Peter contacted PepsiCo, the brand that owns Copper Kettle.

PepsiCo told Peter it was sorry to hear of his experience and explained how the chips are flavoured.

“Salt or flavour pre-mix is sprinkled onto the product as it passes through a rotating drum. Due to the production process stopping and starting, there can be some variability on flavour across the production run,” PepsiCo said.

“We assure you product is tested regularly to ensure that it is within specified range … if you have any concerns, we suggest to see a doctor.”

After hearing Peter’s story, we decided to taste test a range of salt and vinegar chips to see just how intense they could be.

The results

Best

The best-rated chips were Snacka Changi Vinegar and Salt, and Kettle Chip Company Sea Salt and Vinegar, which came first equal in our taste test.

Worst

The worst-rated chip was Pams Salt and Vinegar, which was the second cheapest chip we tasted.

Best bang for buck

When it comes to buying the cheapest chip with the best score, we found it pays to shell out a bit more for a better chip.

Heartland Salt and Vinegar cost under $2/100g and came in the top half of the chips we tested – in third place. Bluebird Originals Salt and Vinegar chips were slightly more expensive at exactly $2/100g, but came in second place. Both of these chips give great bang for your buck.

We would avoid the cheaper chips in our test – Pams Salt and Vinegar and Countdown Salt and Vinegar – which came bottom of the pack. While they may be soft on your wallet, our panel found they’re not so soft on the tastebuds. We wouldn’t recommend buying them unless price is your only consideration.

Worst bang for buck

The chip brands that gave the least bang for the most buck were Copper Kettle Salt and Vinegar, and Proper Crisps Cider Vinegar and Salt.

What makes a salt and vinegar chip vinegary?

Acetic acid is responsible for vinegar’s classic tang. It’s found in all vinegars, but some vinegars also contain other acids.

Apple cider vinegar contains both malic acid and acetic acid. Malic acid is found in certain fruits, such as grapes, cherries and apples, giving them a sour taste.

We found citric acid was an ingredient in every chip we tasted.

Citric acid is found in citrus fruits, like lemons, oranges and grapefruit, and also gives a sour flavour.

Most of the chips we tested contained acetic acid; the main acid in vinegar. Malic acid was the least common acid detected, and was found in both our winning chips.

Copper Kettle, the chip that Peter said burned his tongue, only used citric acid.

Salt and vinegar chips ranked

1. Snacka Changi Vinegar and Salt

Overall score:  3.41/5

Price per 100g:  $2.99

Comments:  Some of our tasters thought the flavour spread was slightly inconsistent. This was difficult for them to balance with the texture, which some said was too crunchy.

“Even flavour with good texture and crunch. My favourite of the bunch.”

“The only chips that tasted like salt and vinegar from years ago.”

“A bold crunch that persists in your mouth.”

Percentage of panel who would buy:  75%

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1. Kettle Chip Company Sea Salt and Vinegar

Overall score: 3.41/5

Price per 100g: $2.99

Comments: A few of our tasters thought this chip was a bit oily, and some couldn’t discern much of a crunch when tasting an individual chip as opposed to a handful.

“Strong vinegar flavour, but in a good way.”

“They look like real crisps, not kids party crisps. Lots of good blistering on the potato.”

“Crunchy but light.”

Percentage of panel who would buy: 50%

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2. Bluebird Originals Salt and Vinegar

Overall score:  3.16/5

Price per 100g:  $1.99

Comments:  Our tasters overwhelmingly thought these chips tasted fishy. They also noted they looked very yellow compared to the rest, calling them “Simpsons-esque,” and “slightly jaundiced.”

“I don't like salt and vinegar chips, but these are palatable.”

“Nice crunch, not too strong in vinegar flavour.”

“Decent crunch.”

Percentage of panel who would buy:  58%

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3. Heartland Salt and Vinegar

Overall score:  3.08/5

Price per 100g:  $1.52

Comments: Our tasters thought this chip was largely inoffensive, with no comments about oil or odd aftertastes.

“Looks like beautiful potato corrugated iron.”

“Good flavour but could be stronger.”

“Crunchy, thin and light.”

Percentage of panel who would buy:  58%

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4. Proper Crisps Cider Vinegar and Salt

Overall score:  2.75/5

Price per 100g:  $3.35

Comments:  Our tasters could tell this was the most expensive chip, with some calling it “glam,” “attractive,” and fittingly, “proper.” While they loved the thin and crispy texture, the chip’s flavour wasn’t well received.

“Very vinegary, and not salty enough. Lacking depth of flavour. Vile. The worst.”

“It's ok, not quite moreish enough.”

“I tasted something interesting, like cider! I wanted more of that.”

Percentage of panel who would buy: 33%

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5. Eta Ripples Salt and Vinegar

Overall score:  2.5/5

Price per 100g:  $1.79

Comments:  Our tasters were divided as to whether these chips had too much vinegar or not enough. One taster thought it verged on “battery acid” levels, while another said “can’t taste much vinegar.” This would suggest the distribution of flavour in the packet we tasted wasn’t even.

“Don’t know if I would even class these as salt and vinegar.”

“Unremarkable, but it does the job.”

“Good, what you’d expect from a salt and vinegar chip.”

Percentage of panel who would buy:  33%

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6. Copper Kettle Salt and Vinegar

Overall score:  2.41/5

Price per 100g:  $3.32

Comments:  This was the brand of chips that Peter got in touch with us about. Our tasters though this chip looked excellent, but were divided on the flavour. Some thought they were “too vinegary,” and “very sharp,” but others said they were “mild,” “weak,” and “uninspiring.” Again, this suggests flavour distribution in the packet we tasted wasn’t even.

“Tastes like old deep fryer oil. Not enough flavour.”

“Crunchy, but not in a satisfying way.”

“Tastes like good old fashioned hot chips with vinegar poured over them.”

Percentage of panel who would buy:  42%

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7. Countdown Salt and Vinegar

Overall score:  2.3/5

Price per 100g:  $1.20

Comments:  A majority of our tasters agreed that these chips’ texture was a bit “meh,” and three tasters described them as floury. Our tasters also agreed that these chips had a “bland,” “subtle” flavour.

“I expected more flavour.”

“Kind of bitter.”

“I feel like this might be a budget brand, overall meh.”

Percentage of panel who would buy:  33%

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8. Pams Salt and Vinegar

Overall score:  2.08/5

Price per 100g:  $1.26

Comments:  Our panel picked up that these were one of the cheapest chips of the taste test. Many of our tasters were put-off by these chips’ appearance, describing them as “a bit grey,” “uncomfortably khaki,” and “dead-looking.”

“Tastes like cardboard.”

“Terrible floury taste that’s lacking in flavour.”

“Vinegar is barely perceptible.”

Percentage of panel who would buy:  25%

How we taste tested

A panel of 12 Consumer staff members blind taste tested nine varieties of salt and vinegar chips available at supermarkets in New Zealand. Participants were asked to complete a short survey. They scored each chip’s taste out of five and commented on the appearance, taste and texture of each sample. Participants had access to water throughout the taste test.

Scores for each chip were an average taken from the survey. Prices may include specials.