Red dust on my Jethro Tull tee/Willow's pets turn all greasy: All In (Hot) by Rap Snacks

Man, just read those dope rhymes! I've got that progressive rock flow...

While I was quite disappointed to find Fried Shack closed when we walked into the BP at Northport and Troy Drive, I found a silver lining: two new varieties of salt & vinegar chips. Both came courtesy of Rap Snacks, the self-proclaimed official snack of hip-hop. Each bag had hip-hop star Lil Baby on the front and I had no idea who he is but have since learned that he's a hip-hop artist from Atlanta. (I did, however, recognize the visage of Snoop Dogg on the packaging of other flavors.)

These 2 flavors are of a piece so I am going to review both in one post. They are All In and All In Hot.

The "All In" bit refers to salt & vinegar, BBQ, onion, garlic, and "more" which leads me to believe it's a variation of the "All Dressed" flavor combo from our neighbors to the north which I just now see includes salt & vinegar. This revelation has expanded my chip purview. Are there All Dressed dips that I must now contemplate trying?

First up:

I was a bit disappointed to read the ingredients list and find no vinegar which leads to me wonder how they can get away with this deception. I suppose no one has brought this matter to the attention of the appropriate authorities (who probably are short-staffed and wouldn't look into it) or there was a disclaimer on the bag that I missed.

As it was, the chips had malic and citric acids.

My desk lamp and dark-colored desk all conspired to make these chips appear darker than the light yellow hue they were. A bit thicker than your average chip, they had a patina of orange or red dust. Brown edges were in abundance and the surfaces had some small bubbling. Sticking my nose in the bag and taking a whiff, it found a healthy paprika aroma - a slightly milder one than Jays Hot Stuff chips - along with oil and a bit of sweetness. I noticed lactose on the ingredients list.

These chips had a nice crispy-crunchiness to them which I'd like to taste in chips more often. Paprika and a smoky BBQ taste led the way. Those acids lent a firm tanginess which went well with what I felt was a little extra salt. As in the aroma, there was a noticeable sweetness but it was kept in check by all of the other more savory flavors. I found the onion and garlic to be rather faint.

While I'd vote for a bit less sweetness, Lil Baby's All In were some very tasty chips. The vinegary tang and the paprika were a great combination.

All In Hot had red to the packaging and cayenne pepper to the seasoning mix. Beyond these things, I didn't notice much of a difference when looking at the bag and the ingredients list.

Visually, the difference here from its milder cousin was more red dust. The chips definitely had a redder hue. The aroma was similar too but I caught a faint smokiness as a hint of the vinegar.

That delectable crispy-crunch was present here. The taste was largely the same as well but with some cayenne heat. They seemed less salty too and the garlic taste was bumped up just a bit. As before, no vinegar here - just malic and citric acids.

Ideally, each would be a little less sweet but, in the end, both of these varieties are very tasty. They had nice, firm tangs which I'd love to have been even tangier but so it goes. The combinations of salt & vinegar, BBQ, onion, garlic, cayenne, potato, oil, and whatever else they threw in just worked. Perhaps not a pure salt & vinegar chip but excellent nonetheless.

The Rap Snacks website shows that they have more salt & vinegar goodness on offer so I guess a return trip to that gas station is required.

Red dust on my Jethro Tull tee

Willow's pets turn all greasy

Lil Baby ain't got nothin' on me

But god damn his chips are tasty