Herr’s fourth 12 months of its “Flavored by Philly” chip competitors launched its first battle of champions and upped the ante by providing a everlasting spot for the successful taste.
The opponents every beat out two different flavors to win their respective years, and now should do it once more. They’re:
- “Lengthy Hots and Sharp Provolone”
- The “Tomato Pie” taste, impressed by Corropolese Bakery in Montgomery County
- The “Particular Sizzling Stromboli” chip based mostly on Romano’s unique sandwich in Essington
Jim Herr, the Chester-based chips firm’s senior VP of promoting, mentioned the choice to make this 12 months’s competitors a “Crunch Off,” fairly than roll out three brand-new flavors like earlier than, was based mostly on fan suggestions.
“With the nice response we’ve had over the previous three years and the way many individuals have requested us to carry again earlier winners, we thought it made a ton of sense to have a battle of the champions, have the crunch off, and have one in every of these things have an opportunity to be an on a regular basis product,” he mentioned.
Just like the earlier three years, we picked up a giant bag of every chip taste, posted up in a well-trafficked spot in WHYY’s workplace, and had the Billy Penn crew — together with our WHYY colleagues — give them a strive.
This 12 months’s 45 style testers picked their favourite. Most had some preliminary impressions after every chunk, and a few shared deeper suggestions and rated every taste based mostly on basic enjoyability, accuracy to the dish they have been attempting to mimic, and originality.
This anecdotal knowledge was additionally paired with an Instagram ballot to get a number of the public’s perspective on a favourite taste.
To not brag, however Billy Penn’s style take a look at has efficiently predicted the general winner of the competitors yearly. That’s to not say it’s a certain factor, however we, um, belief our course of.
Lengthy Hots and Sharp Provolone: “Tremendous in your face”
The inaugural champion, a domestically themed “Lengthy Hots and Sharp Provolone” taste designed by a neighborhood chip innovator, introduced the warmth this 12 months, and the vast majority of the WHYY workplace’s tasters liked it.
“It’s massive on the sharp provolone, the warmth comes after,” one taster mentioned. “It’s tremendous in your face,” mentioned one other who voted for it. Others highlighted the zesty and savory flavors within the chips.
Of the 45 workplace voters, 27 picked the flavour as their favourite. It was additionally the highest decide on our Instagram ballot, with 47% of the vote.
Some did discover the spiciness a bit of an excessive amount of, although. “Enjoyable taste, too spicy to eat a bag of them,” one individual wrote. A pair almost-tasters shied away on the spicy scent of the chip, pondering it wouldn’t fare properly of their mouth.
Tomato Pie: “Direct intentions, sweetness”
The “Tomato Pie” taste, 12 months two’s winner impressed by Corropolese Bakery, earned plaudits for its candy and tangy taste. It got here in second within the workplace voting with 11, and garnered 38% of the Instagram votes.
“A bit of too candy at first, however it does style like tomato pie,” wrote one taster, whereas one other known as it “a novel candy tomatoey chip taste.” A 3rd discovered it to be essentially the most snackable of the three chips, which they described as a taste you might absent-mindedly eat half a bag of earlier than you notice what’s occurred. We predict that was meant as factor.
Particular Sizzling Stromboli: “Good in a sandwich”
The “Particular Sizzling Stromboli” taste, based mostly on Essington-based Romano’s signature sandwich, ended up being in contrast on to the “Lengthy Hots and Sharp Provolone” taste by lots of our tasters, whereas the candy taste of the Tomato Pie stood out in distinction to each. This led to many people both calling it out for not being spicy or tacky sufficient, or preferring its milder, meatier taste.
Like final 12 months, many remarked on the style similarities to a hoagie or “hoagie oil.” One taster envisioned the chip tasting “good in a sandwich.” However the subtlety of what Herr’s describes as “savory, tacky, and delicate warmth flavors” didn’t assist it stand out in comparison with the opposite two flavors as a lot because it did over final 12 months’s competitors.
“Particular Sizzling Stromboli” picked up seven votes within the workplace and obtained 15% of our Instagram voting, coming in third for each.
“It does style like stromboli, however I don’t truly desire a meat chip,” one individual wrote in our ballot.
Winner(s)?
Lengthy Hots got here out because the clear winner in each our clearly unscientific, however in some way prescient workplace style take a look at, because it did in 2022. It additionally claimed the bulk in our Instagram polling, although the margins have been a bit of nearer.
Based on Herr’s, final 12 months’s competitors drew 26,000 votes, in comparison with greater than 17,600 the earlier 12 months, and greater than 11,000 votes within the inaugural version. This 12 months, the corporate introduced in Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber — whose group, Neighbourhood Heroes, the chip firm helps — to assist draw extra followers to vote within the competitors.
“We’ve seen continued momentum annually that we do that, and we get a bit of broader and we get a bit of bit extra attain and curiosity,” Jim Herr mentioned. “So we’re actually excited to see what sort of curiosity we get this 12 months as we’ve stepped up the partnership and the funding round it.”
One other clear factor our style take a look at reveals is that folks’s palates fluctuate quite a bit, so you might be your personal greatest decide on which chip is your favourite.
The flavors can be found within the standard shops and you’ll solid your official decide on Herr’s competitors web page, or by following the directions on the bag. Voting closes on August 4 and the successful taste will likely be revealed on August 31. There’s additionally a sweepstakes for voters, with eight present baskets of snacks, merchandise and a $100 present card up for grabs.