Taste Tests

Which grocery products are worth your money and which should you skip? Stumptown Savings conducts blind taste tests of popular store-brand products to help you save time and money.

A green shopping cart icon with two green lines on either side

Mar 3, 2026

•

16 min read

We Tasted 11 Portland Store Brand Tortilla Chips To Find the Best

We put 11 store-brand tortilla chips from Portland grocers to a blind taste test. From a $1.97 budget surprise to a local favorite's crushing defeat, here is which bag of tortilla chips is worth your money.

Bryan M. Vance

The Great Portland Rotisserie Chicken Taste Test: We Ate 9 Birds to Find the Best

Dec 9, 2025

•

13 min read

The Great Portland Rotisserie Chicken Taste Test: We Ate 9 Birds to Find the Best

We stripped the labels off chickens from Costco, WinCo, Whole Foods, New Seasons, and more for a blind taste test. The results were shocking: The winner costs less than $6, while one of the most expensive birds was deemed "flavorless" and "chalky."

Bryan M. Vance

Oct 29, 2025

•

11 min read

We Tested 7 Store-Brand Vanilla Ice Creams: The Winner Was Clear

Is a premium price tag worth it when it comes to this unsung hero of the dessert world? We blind-tasted vanilla ice cream from Costco, Trader Joe's, New Seasons, and more to find the undisputed store-brand champion of taste, texture, and value.

Bryan M. Vance