Proper Crisps - Kumara Pepper with Onion product reviews

Starting lockdown with a last minute delivery from KIWIreviews was AMAZING! I was delighted to find inside my box was a packet of Proper Crisps, in a flavour I had been wanting to buy but had not quite got around to. The kids really really wanted to open the packet then and there but I (to their dismay) advised them that these were for hubby and I to enjoy! I have to admit that the flavour of pepper and onion intrigued me, and I did wonder how peppery the pepper would be!

The packaging of the Proper Crisps is great - I really like the graphics on each of the packets and of course that the bag is compostable, which in this day and age where we are trying to eliminate waste and pollution, is fantastic. The chips themselves are also healthier with non GMO, New Zealand kumara, cooked using sunflower oil, no added MSG - I honestly could go on but I think you get the idea!

Upon opening the bag (very easy, no scissors needed with this one) , I was greeted with a colourful array of chips ad a beautiful aroma. The mix of colours is from Red Kaipara Kumara, and also Gold, Orange and the Purple Dawn Kumera. I personally love kumara and really like the many varieties and slight taste differences in them contained in the mix. The flavour of the pepper and onion, with a sprinkle of my regions sea salt in there is just about perfect. I personally feel like there could be a bit more of the pepper and onion, not that the salt is too salty, but that I would like more of the others as well!

These were devoured very very promptly, and I do not think there was ever a chance of there being any left for the kids to try, so we will definitely be purchasing these again. They are more of a treat chip, than an everyday, and I will take them along to a bbq or gathering to broaden peoples taste buds and horizons for sure!

My family is a huge fan of Proper Crisps and was delighted to find a packet in my review box. However, these crisps nearly caused a domestic when I came home the following day to find that they had not only been started but almost demolished! I told hubby and youngest daughter that they better start writing the review so my 9-year-old wrote the following, "I walked in and could smell the waft of the shimmering crisps. I go to see what it is and my daddy is eating these Kumara, Pepper and Onion crisps. I start eating them and fall in love with the taste of these amazing chips. The taste was super deluxe like a big deluxe kumara!" Hubby's review consisted of "those are bloody fantastic!!" which is great praise considering he won't eat kumara as he doesn't like the taste of them.

I ended up buying another bag as my review couldn't be based on the morsels that were left at the bottom of the first bag packet. I have to admit, I wholeheartedly agree with my daughter and hubby. The crisps were lovely and crunchy and have a tasty but not overpowering taste of pepper and onion. I loved the different colours of crisps which represented the different types of kumara. And to top it off, when you have finished, you put the bag in your composter and it will decompose.

Proper Crisps have delivered another fabulous flavour that was a huge hit with the family. They will definitely be finding their way into my shopping trolley.

When you are home alone and the kids are staying at there nana's and the husband has gone out to buy paint, and you start to feel peckish - there is nothing better then sitting down to a packet of chips. The packet itself screams out sophistication and just vibrant enough to catch my eye in the pantry. I love the fact that it is a compostable bag, so I don't feel as guilty eating them by myself. It gives a brief over view of the company and rising to the challenge of providing Kumera instead of the Potato version. It also tells you that t is Gluten Free and Vegan Free and that there is no added MSG and also that it is made down south in Nelson.

Opening the bag was rather easy and I was met with different coloured chips. Turns out they are the Kaipara Kumara which is the Red colour, it also includes the Gold, Orange and the Purple Dawn Kumera. Which have been mixed with Peppercorns, Dried Onions and a sprinkle of Marlborough Sea Salts - perfect!

Now I do need to mention I have a love hate relationship with Kumera. The rest of the family adores it, where as I can tolerate it in small doses. I figured with the rest of the ingredients it would be tempting enough. I can confirm you can indeed taste the Kumera and there is no chip taste at all - the rest of the flavours are rather subtle to me. I found I preferred eating the Gold variety.

My husband turned up with half of the bag left and he quickly sat down and finished them. He said he liked the amount of pepper that it was not overpowering and that he preferred these over the potato version. He found that they were not as greasy as other chips and he liked the different kumera varieties so that you can actually taste the Kumera and as there are different colours it makes it taste as good as it looks.

Where as, I did enjoy eating a few hand fulls of the Kumera Chips I found them a little too rich for my liking and the flavour, although a nice after taste was not as satisfying as I would of liked and I think I would stick to its cousins the Potato Chip - where as my husband has a completely different take on the whole experience. Will we buy again almost definitely, as I think we are going to have two very upset girls on our hands when they find out they missed out on trying them and as they are like their daddy when it comes to Kumera - I am sure they will also fall under the Kumera Spell. Also, now he has found them I don't think he will be happy going back to the Potato version anymore.

These proper crisps were packaged well and felt good value (no one gets a kumara for the price of a spud . I was interested to try them as I like the proper crisps potato options and the flavour was unusual. The difference was enough to offset the cost for me and the colour was fabulous - they looked so inviting. The range of texture also helped this (I noted the purple ones were the crubliest). They looked great in a dark bowl and totally recommend these when folk visit for an occasion. I liked the packaging but that was to be expected from proper crisps.

I was not very inspired by the flavour name of pepper with onion (being a deeply entrenched fan of salt in my crisps). However that being said they were a great flavour. The distribution over the chips was good and it was a strong taste but not overpowering the natural sweetness of the kumara. Each variety tasted a little different and I did love the effect. These were a massive hit with the family.

If you have fussy folk, these are particularly good as well. The only mistep was for folk following the FODMAP but we meet the vegan and a few other preferences with ease which is also nice. They were an absolute hit with the guests (although I would have liked more left for me . I found the children were possibly the least keen as they are "definitely different" and for kids who aren't experimental they were an unusual texture and taste.

I bought a second bag after my review crisps got hoovered up pretty quick, but we did a bit of travelling and they did better than the crisps in a thinner foil bag but they still took a bit of a hit. The yellow kumara stood up the best to much travel - I know this isn't a usual behaviour but it was worth noting the proper crisps do travel better than others! The second bag disappeared after one opening as well which was great too. Husband is a massive kumara fan and did think the bag could have had more in it but I don't believe there is a size he wouldn't have said that about.

The first thing I like is that it is a compostable bag and that this can be put in your garden (remember to eat the chips first!) and they will decompose naturally! I like that they are Gluten free and suitable for vegetarians. Both good for the environment and me!

They have a great taste and texture and I use them to satisfy the kids but also like the fact that the flavour is not terribly overpowering but very satisfying, knowing they are eating a healthy alternative to snacks. The price is a little more than regular chips but well worth it.

The pack is around 2/3 full but find this is sufficient for any individual. The packaging is simple but easy to find in the local store due to the colouring and is in the gluten free / healthy section of my local store.

I would recommend this for a mid-day snack, movie time snack or just a share in the office with friends and colleagues snack, might even give some to the bosses (Lol, they should be so lucky) So get out there, try it at least once, sure you will be going back for more of them! Enjoy!

I've always been a big fan of the Proper Crisps brand; ever since CC's were taken off the shelves and replaced with the weaker, crumblier, over-dusted Doritos, strength and flavour have been deciding factors on whether I enjoy crisps or not. Proper Crisps Kumara varieties have always been top of the list of favourites because it conforms to the two factors that I deem most important. This variety is slightly different.

The brand is eco-conscious, and have--within the last year or so--have replaced their packaging with compostable bags. Being compostable in itself is impressive, but I love these bags even more, because they have a rigidness that makes them very easy to open (without risk of projecting your crisps across the room), and the bag requires a little bit of force to change its shape (which means there is a lower chance of the packet getting squished and breaking your crisps inside). It is interesting to note, however, that this variety comes in a 100g bag. Most of the other varieties can come in larger 150g bags, for a similar price, so effectively we are getting 33.3% less product for the same price. The big question is whether the flavours make this worth the extra cost.

The kumara crisps are made from yellow, red, and purple kumaras, so you get a very vibrant bag of crisps, with three very vibrant colours. The three types also have different properties, most noticeably in the levels of thickness that they have been cut to. The yellow kumara is the thickest, with a good crunch, and has that rigidity that I love (no risk of losing the crisp in the dip). The red kumara is in the middle, slightly thinner, and softer when you bite into them. The purple variety being the thinnest and lightest to crunch into.

The flavour in itself is okay. The black pepper gives the crisps a nice kick to the flavour profile, but the onion only really shows up noticeably in the aftertaste. The onion flavouring does have the effect of creating a fuller flavour but lacks the bite of the usual sea salt addition. The consequence of this all is that the flavour is palatable, but doesn't stand out at all. There is nothing to really grab your attention, which gives me no reason to want to spend the extra money on it. Pepper and Onion are fine as a novelty if you get sick of the other flavours, but personally, I'd stick to the other Kumara chip varieties that have a much stronger flavour.

I am always looking for new products to try for our family and friends. There are a number of visitors that are gluten free, vegan and we try to ensure there is no MSG in the products we purchase. Proper Crisps ticked all these boxes so an excellent option to have on hand for an impromptu picnic or when guests pop over. They are made in New Zealand - sunny Nelson - with New Zealand kumara, they are gluten free, vegan friendly, no MSG and to top it off come in a compostable bag. I found the addition of who they were made by (ours were made by Xavier) a cute little touch added to the best before date information.

I am a kumara lover and the children/husband weren't sure what to expect so it was fun to open the bag and see what we were in for. The chips were well seasoned, but not over seasoned, you could taste the pop of pepper the subtleness of the onion flavor and still taste the yummy kumara. It was nice to see the varieties of kumara and the colour differences, a lovely mixture in a bowl and the taste differences were lovely too. A nice crunch and quite moreish so a few hit the spot - which is a great way to balance a serving and not overindulge.

I found they are more expensive than the run of the mill bag of chips, but we would rather have less of something high quality so would buy these for our family. I'd love to try some of the other flavours and will be looking to add these to the grocery list. We don't currently compost, but it is something we have considered, if more companies offered their products in compostable bags it would certainly encourage us that little bit extra to get composting. In the meantime, the children's school composts so we will put the bags to the side and delivery them to the envirogroup when school is back. What a great way to also teach the children about composting and to ensure when in the supermarket they choose the packaging that can be useful for our earth and not part of the landfill.

Potato chips are a regular item in our families shopping trolley, but none of us had ever tried kumara chips, so I thought this would be a really good item to review. The kids all love kumara but are not really a fan of onion or pepper and my husband loves pepper on anything! I am not a huge fan of pepper.

I was worried the kumara chips were going to taste overwhelmingly of pepper but on my first chip, I was pleasantly surprised. I could taste the onion more than the pepper which I liked, as my favourite dip is french onion, and this is what I had prepared to try with the chips. You can definitely taste the kumara and the back of the packet states which varieties are used in the packet to make the chips. Each one had its own distinct taste. The chips went really well with my dip and I enjoyed every mouthful. My husband didn't think they tasted like pepper or onion just kumara, and he liked how crunchy they were.

Once the kids got home from school I gave them a try and they didn't like them, it was a combination of the pepper and the chips were slightly too hard/crunchy. I didn't give the toddler a taste due to them being so crunchy and a choking hazard. The kids not liking the chips is a good thing though as you can just buy them a cheaper bag of chips and they will leave you alone to eat your kumara chips in peace.

I would definitely buy these chips again, but will try another flavour next time. I love that the chips are made from NZ kumara, in Nelson and that they come in a compostable bag. If you have a compost at home this is a better option than sending to the landfill as they won't break down properly there.

I have never been a kumara person, could never stand the stuff. As I got older I worked out that many foods that I didn't like boiled down to their textures more than their flavours but as kumara was never an ingredient bought by either of my parents, it was never something I got to experiment with. When on holiday earlier this year, there were very thin spirals of something decorating my food, they were delicious and I was pretty certain they were kumara (now I know that they were) and so that made requesting these a little easier, plus, as chips I have never had kumara before.

The feel of the bag was quite different, I was concerned that I would have nothing but crumbs but they had held their shape really well. Getting one out I took a tentative bite and was pleasantly surprised, it wasn't to bad. I shared these with a family member, but they found that these were a bit too hard to chew with a full mouth of dentures but they enjoyed the taste of the one they did have. My kids each had a taste and whilst my youngest said "not bad" she hasn't asked for more and the other two washed out their mouths... I have found that it has a little too much pepper for my liking, although as they are moreish that might not be a bad thing as it means I don't eat too much at a time.

These chips are nicer than I anticipated, I wouldn't rush out to buy a packet but I think I would buy these now and then as a slight change to the norm.

These are the second flavour I have reviewed of Proper Crisps with the new compostable bag. I wish the bag was commercially compostable since I do not know many people that have a home compost, but it is better than plastic and is a step in the right direction. I was very excited to try the kumara version for I am a kumara lover, and a crisp lover, so the combination sounded great.

Now onto the crisps. I find these super delicious! The pepper with onion taste is not overwhelming and with the combination of some salt, it is just the right amount of seasoning to bring out the wonderful kumara flavour. In addition, since the bag is a medley of different types of kumara, the colours all taste slightly different and have variations in thickness. I much rather would have the medley than just one type for they complement each other nicely and variety is after all the spice of life.

Kumara in general is slightly sweet but some of the colours included in my bag are more savoury. I noticed the orange coloured ones are a softer crisp and the gold are the crunchiest. The orange and the purple were my favourites, but I like having the crunchier golden one in the mix and enjoy the red, so I would not want either removed. Most were just the right size to nicely fit in your mouth and there were barely any crushed pieces.

These crisps disappeared very quickly, and I warn you they are super addicting. They may be my favourite out of all the Proper Crisps I have tried. I love them. Since I also like how the company is local and uses a heart-healthy oil, I will be buying these in the future and recommend you do the same.

I love these chips and the brand in general. They are always a good go to and I know my family and work mates love them also. This flavour is great and I find you can really taste the black pepper taste on the chips, more so then the onion flavour. They are good though and not to hot and spicy and the black pepper is not over powering. I really like these and the packet lasted 3 snacks worth. My partner and I opened the bag and shared them. I found we did not eat many in one sitting. We then put them away and had some more later and again another day as well.

I notice these chips are thicker and harder then other chips. You know when your being greedy and put a handful of chips in your mouth and start eating them. Well I tried that with these and I found it so hard to try and bite down on them all and move them around my mouth. Mainly because they are thicker and more cruncher and harder then regular chips. Only made that mistake once. I guess that is why they lasted longer as you only eat one at a time.

I absolutely love the package as well and a bonus that you simply pop the packet in your garden compost and it will naturally decompose. Wow how amazing is that, it is not everyday that you come across chip packets that can do that. I really love this about the company and how eco friendly they are. Not only are the chips yummy, you feel good about throwing the bag into the garden afterwards. Win win for you and the environment.

The end of the year is a great time for sharing new products. We had to take a plate to a get-together so made up some dip with chopped vegetables, cream and herbs, and gave each person two small bowls, one with crisps and one with some dip. Serving it like this meant that everyone got to taste the chips and the younger ones could not finish them up before their elders got to try them too.

We loved the pepper and onion flavours. When the pack was first opened, we could not really register the pepper, but the onion smell was strong and mouth-watering. Because the dip was reasonably bland, the individual crisp flavours were not lost in the mix; it was interesting to notice the reactions as people tried the different varieties. The darker crisps were the favourite - another reason for giving everyone their own share so they did not start digging in the bowl for the elusive Purple Dawn kumara which was the most sought after!

I would like to have tried them with a different accompaniment but with nine of us sharing the packet there was not a scrap left - even the children, who are quite young and normally go for plainer crisps, liked this variety and wanted to know if we could get some more. The parents were pleased that there were no artificial additives in the packet as they keep a close watch on what the kids are allowed to eat, but they know the Proper brand and are happy for their children to have their share.

Mr 12 wanted to know who had packed this particular batch, so after I had finished allocating the crisps to their little plates, he took off with the empty packet and a moment later announced to everyone that Xavier had packed them. Little touches like this add to the "family friendly" aspect of a product - that extra personal element makes the consumer feel that this is a local producer who cares about their image.

Once Mr 12 had finished with the empty packet, I retrieved it for recycling. Through trial and error, I have found that Proper's bags decompose more speedily when they are composted in a certain way. Instead of putting food scraps and the empty packet into a small bin for taking out to the compost heap, I now line the bin with the empty packet and put the scraps inside it. Once it is full, I put the entire bag out complete with its contents. The waiting bugs can't wait to investigate!