Snack Review: Medora’s Corners
A few evenings ago, I arrived home to find a UPS notice adorning my mailbox. Apparently, somewhere in the course of the day, a mysterious package had come for me. My first reaction was confusion, followed by fear. As my 25th birthday nears, I fear presents from my family almost as much as I long for them - after all, I’ve not been the most dutiful relative. My current situation, combined with general economic anxiety and my natural extreme frugality, do not allow me to purchase extravagant gifts for anyone. I appreciate the gifts, but I feel guilty about the possibility of never being able to reciprocate.
That being the case, I was fairly relieved the next morning to discover my package’s origin lay not with a relative or relatively-wealthy friend, but with Medora Snacks. Since reviewing some of their other products last fall, I’d found myself craving Medora’s tasty and wholesome snacks. Medora’s Pogos, Pucci and Sotos left me, both literally and figuratively, with a wonderful taste in my mouth. I wondered with the small, upstate New York-based company had sent me this time.
Tearing open the box revealed several bags of Corners - Medora’s newest variety of snack, touted as “popped corn tortillas.” Admittedly, my eager anticipation fell a few notches as I looked over the packaging. The triangular chips depicted on the bags looked identical to Doritos, apparently lacking the uniqueness of Medora’s other snacks. Also contributing to this seeming ordinariness was the name - Corners, though clever, just didn’t have the same exotic Mediterranean ring as the brand’s previous offerings.
A peek inside my first bag of “Sea Salt” Corners, though, revealed a pleasant surprise. Taking a single triangle-shaped chip in my hand, I noticed it was far lighter than a typical tortilla chip. It felt airy, like a piece of popcorn. The chip’s appearance differed from its photographed stand-in. When viewed in three dimensions, Corners’ unique texture is much more apparent. Basically, each chip looks like a flatironed piece of popcorn - minus the tough kernel. The smell is pleasant and comforting, like freshly-popped, lightly buttered popcorn.
Biting in, I was impressed by the freshness and purity of the chip. Aside from a bit of salt and Medora’s omnipresent extra-virgin olive oil, this was a plain chip. The wholesome, oh-so-slightly sweet flavor of corn was allowed to truly shine. So was the addictively light, popcorn-like crunch. I’ve noticed Medora does this sort of thing very well - in every sort of snack I’ve tasted from the brand, the “plainest” flavors have been the standouts.
I loved the Ranch variety nearly as much as the Sea Salt. Although I like Ranch dressing, Cool Ranch Doritos have never been a favorite of mine. I was impressed by how well the Corners’ seasoning blend captured the essence of Ranch dressing - well-spiced and tangy without being overpowering. Naturally, though, the corny goodness and satisfying crunch were at the heart of these chips.
I pretty much like cheese anything - as long as the cheese in question isn’t bleu - so I was really looking forward to Medora’s take on Nacho Cheese. A few chips from my final bag of Corners, though, left me disappointed. The seasoning blend didn’t remind me of nacho cheese - or any cheese, really.
So what do Nacho Cheese Corners taste like? Well, take an industrial mystery-chemical compound, vaguely cheeselike in intention, and blend it with a thin layer of de-spiced red pepper. The popcorn taste is barely discernible here. The crunch is the only remaining hint of these otherwise-addictive chips. This flavor isn’t inedible, but I’ve come to expect a lot from Medora. Play with your cheese blend a bit, Medora - I know you can do better!
I’ve yet to come across Medora’s products in my local stores. It’s my guess that they’re only distributed regionally. That’s a shame, because with Corners, Medora has once again proven themselves a first-class producer of snacks both healthy and delicious. Thank you, Medora, and keep up the good work!
Buy Medora Corners Online:
- at Amazon.com
Wings on February 24th, 2009
Very cool. I would definitely give these a try now, thanks for reviewing them!