The easiest way to breathe new life into a snack food is to combine a famous regional ingredient with a familiar flavor. Two recent convenience store arrivals highlight this strategy well.
Calbee¡¯s long-running Shiawase Rich Butter potato chip series has long been a winner for those seeking something sweeter in their potato snack. It¡¯s gone and upped the stakes by updating the flavor with real Hokkaido butter. The honey flavor in these chips (?214 after tax) really ups the ante on the sweetness, making for a richer flavor experience overall.
Yamayoshi¡¯s current limited-edition creation, meanwhile, tries something new with seafood-flavored potato chips. Usually, when a snack trumpets a lobster taste, the end result is something closer to mediocre crab. Yet its new Spiny Lobster Grilled Mayonnaise chip (?152 after tax) manages something rare: nailing the lobster flavor ¡ª kind of. It¡¯s impressive all the same.
I guess giving a nod to a place famous for said crustacean demands a certain quality.
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