Why do Trader Joe's tortilla chips suck?

I count myself a fan of TJ's. I go there a lot and really appreciate the friendlier price points and their generally good job with house brand versions of things I use a lot of.

But the tortilla chips!??

I've tried virtually the whole line: white corn, yellow corn, blue corn, with flax, without flax, round, triangular, organic, "restaurant style," ---none of them has any flavor at all and most of them have a stale cardboard texture right out of the bag. I keep trying them because a) I'm there and b) I keep thinking they just can't be as bad as i remember from the last time. They're just chips after all, how hard can it be? And I'm freshly disappointed every damn time.
I find this an unfathomable mystery in a brand that does so many other things quite well.

I realize this is more of a rhetorical than practical question, but facing a gigantic bag of the latest disappointment, I just needed to vent.

I don't think this problem is limited to TJ's...with a few exceptions (El Ranchero, El Milagro, even Frontera), most store-bought chips suck. I don't think the TJ's flaxseed tortilla chips are that awful, but they're not fantastic. I especially don't mind the wannabe-Dorito-flavored ones. But yeah, the plain ones (I've tried yellow, white, and blue) all taste bland-verging-on-stale.

Random tangent: remember when El Ranchero used to have the odd, really-hard-to-open bags, made from a more stretchy, rubbery plastic? I noticed that, at least for the past couple of years, they've had the same crinkly plastic as every other chip brand.

Khaopaat wrote:Random tangent: remember when El Ranchero used to have the odd, really-hard-to-open bags, made from a more stretchy, rubbery plastic? I noticed that, at least for the past couple of years, they've had the same crinkly plastic as every other chip brand.

Just curious, did the change in packaging affect the quality of the chips? (I realize this may just be a commentary on the packaging itself and not the contents)

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:

Khaopaat wrote:Random tangent: remember when El Ranchero used to have the odd, really-hard-to-open bags, made from a more stretchy, rubbery plastic? I noticed that, at least for the past couple of years, they've had the same crinkly plastic as every other chip brand.

Just curious, did the change in packaging affect the quality of the chips? (I realize this may just be a commentary on the packaging itself and not the contents)

Regards,

Not that I noticed, fortunately. But wrestling with the endearingly-stupid plastic of the old packaging was part of the fun

We just bought a bag of the Stone ground corn chips and really liked them. We had them at first with home made guacamole and then I have been eating them with sliced fresh jalapenos and melted cheese for my lunch. Nice texture.

The soy/flax chips are my go-to chips, in part because they have a better dose of fiber & protein than your run-of-the mill chip. But I will admit that if I'm focusing solely on flavor and ignoring the nutritional aspects, there are far better chips. (The one in the clear bag with green writing is probably my fav of the mass-produced brands.)

mrbarolo wrote:I count myself a fan of TJ's. I go there a lot and really appreciate the friendlier price points and their generally good job with house brand versions of things I use a lot of.

But the tortilla chips!??

I've tried virtually the whole line: white corn, yellow corn, blue corn, with flax, without flax, round, triangular, organic, "restaurant style," ---none of them has any flavor at all and most of them have a stale cardboard texture right out of the bag. I keep trying them because a) I'm there and b) I keep thinking they just can't be as bad as i remember from the last time. They're just chips after all, how hard can it be? And I'm freshly disappointed every damn time.
I find this an unfathomable mystery in a brand that does so many other things quite well.

I realize this is more of a rhetorical than practical question, but facing a gigantic bag of the latest disappointment, I just needed to vent.

Is it possible that you've become totally addicted to El Milagros tortilla chips? If not, go buy a bag of those and you'll never eat another brand again. Trust me on that one. We used to live in the western burbs and thought nothing of those wonderful chips until we moved south. Took us almost 5 years to find a mercado that sold them and we happily pay premium priced for them.

They are the only tortilla chips my cockatiel will eat. He totally yells at you the minute he hears the bag open.....not that he's addicted or anything.

I like the Milagro. I actually like various styles/brands. I like the more intensely fried crackly texture of Donkey Chips, among others. Just not TJs.

donkey chips are awesome -- other than pretzel thins, i don't bother w/ TJ chips either

First note is that Donkey Chips rock! In my opinion, second only to Xochitl chips which are pretty costly but excellent if you get them fresh. You will not find either at Trader Joe's, but out here in the NW suburbs, both are in supply at Woodman's along with excellent salsa options.

I have a love/hate relationship with Trader Joe's. I got a kick out of the question because I too have found all Trader Joe's tortilla chips are stale tasting and heavy. With one exception: I did try the flax/whatever combo as a sample once and bought a bag. My family loved them with a Trader Joe's spinach dip that was low fat using yogurt instead of mayo or other massively fatty items. It was one of those sample days and I caved and bought both the chips and the dip at the sample counter because my son basically ate his lunch while we were there.

In general, Trader Joe's processed foods are sodium-bombs. I buy the black bean salsa as it's one of the rare things at the store that don't load you up with 30% of your daily sodium intake with one bite, yet is still tasty and goes well with Donkey Chips. Some of the hummus is pretty good although if I can get to Falafil Hut in Schaumburg (or is it Hoffman Estates?) to restore my supply I will not give Trader Joe's a thought on this item.

I have other gripes with Trader Joe's but should get off my a$$ and post to that forum before laying all that out here. In terms of coffee, tea, and wine, I am fine. Other things are just silly to purchase at this store.