The Ruffles Original flavor bag design is as well known as the brand. The light blue, the positioning of the logo. It all looks so familiar. And bland. It seems odd that a company like FritoLay would have the second biggest brand name in the US, yet do nothing with it. Firstly, Ruffles needs a logo. The lettering may be familiar, but it should be treated like a standalone brand. The two tone blue at the top of the bag should be Wavy; der! The bottom should be larger and flavor color coded. More should be made of the slogan, 'RRRuffles Have Ridges'. But mostly, the new two man teams of the 'Max' flavors and the 'Ultimate' flavors, should be made to feel part of the family. The Hispanic flavors are a small progression in design, but they still feel separate, with just the brand name in common. It is all a bit old-fashioned, disjointed and disparate.
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Crunch
Regular Potato Chips often have a light crispy crunch. Kettle Cooked Chips usually have an oil-hardened, brittle and firm crunch. Ridged Chips are often more thickly sliced so provide a meatier, more firm crunch. These would fit into the last category, but the crunch seemed a little soft and low in crunch noise.
Texture
While these were thickly Marcel Cut style there were still a few broken Chips in the bag. The Ridges were even and machine cut, but low in profile. The seasoning appeared to be relatively random, but was a welcome orange color.
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Taste
In many respects this is one of few attempts Ruffles make at creating a Chip fit for purpose. As a perfectly formed dipping Chip, the ideal Ruffles Chip would be one that was created with flavors that bounce through a pot of dip to provide its fullest flavor. These are pretty near to that point. Although they tasted a little too much like the Cheese version, there is sufficient spicy pepper in the background to suggest a pot of Sour Cream would make it the ideal Chip. Instead of that we have a Chip that needs to be considered on its own, and in that regard the Jalapeno is doing exactly what it shows on the bag design - hiding behind a Cheesy Chip.