Mr. P has donned his gaming headset and teamed up with Minecraft for a limited edition flavor based on something you can cook up in the game, Suspicious Stew. Due to having a ten-year-old nephew, I’ve spent more hours playing Minecraft than I care to admit. For those not in the know, or those like me who probably should be in the know by now but can’t be asked to care, suspicious stew is something you concoct from mushrooms and flowers. In addition to restoring your hunger points, it also gives a temporary status effect. This could be something positive like night vision or something negative like…poison. Let’s find out if these Pringles make me jump higher or cause temporary blindness.
My initial impression was that these looked and smelled fairly innocuous. Most of the crisps had only a slight smattering of seasoning on one edge, and the scent was familiar, although I couldn’t place it. After tasting the first few, I wondered how much effort was put into constructing a flavor here. I decided to take a different approach and act like a kid no one wants to sit by in the cafeteria; I consciously left a chip on my tongue to gather max flavor on my taste buds and then went ahead and straight up licked the seasoning off another to get a better idea what I was dealing with.
I was genuinely surprised by the difference, there IS flavor here, and it’s very interesting! It’s zesty, almost spicy even, but not the kind that packs any real heat. I abandoned my gross tactics and ate a few more normally. Maybe the first chips in my tube were just under seasoned because as I kept eating them, I no longer had any difficulty picking up on the flavor – they definitely tasted like broth. They’re salty and deeply savory. The more I ate, the more they reminded me of bouillon or a packet of instant ramen seasoning, which I mean as a compliment.
They also have the curious effect of leaving my lips feeling slightly tingly. There’s no way they put Szechuan peppercorns or something in here, is there? It’s not exactly a numbing sensation, but there’s a certain je ne sais quoi, and I’m into it. I don’t know why it surprises me that a snack labeled “stew” actually tastes like stew. The “suspicious” part threw me off, and I expected them to be more of a muddy mystery flavor. Kudos to Pringles for having some fun while also really nailing the profile of a stew.
I’ll gladly reach for a can of these and be happy Kellogg’s decided to make them taste good and not like spider eyes the next time aunt duty calls and I’m busy asking naive questions like, “How did all these skeletons get in my house?” and “If I’m starving, is it bad to eat this rotten flesh?”
Purchased Price: $3.48
Size: 5.5 oz can
Purchased at: Jewel-Osco
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (14 crisps) 150 calories, 9 grams of total fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 200 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of total carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of dietary fiber, less than 1 gram of total sugar, and 1 gram of protein.
