Pip Pip Hooray!
Cheese balls.
Those delightfully cheesy, crunchy bites of joy—or at least that’s what we all hope for when tearing into a bag, isn’t it?
This is when I was introduced to a snack that holds big promises, Heirloom Pipcorn Cheddar Cheese Balls, made of heirloom corn and real cheddar.
With sustainably farmed heirloom corn and a cheese ball experience, any cheese ball lover would be interested in these…
But let’s be real here.
Can fancy heirloom puffs compete with the classic neon-orange, artificially-flavored (& dyed!)
cheese balls we grew up loving?
(I hope so, because the way I just described them makes them sound terrible.)
Or is Pipcorn just another
overpriced, pretentious snack?
Pipcorn’s journey began in 2012
when siblings Jeff and Jen Martin came across a bag of tiny heirloom popcorn kernels. (Later, Jeff’s wife, Teresa, comes into the mix.)
“They weren’t anything like the popcorn the rest of us are used to eating; they were extraordinary and not like any other snack in this universe.”
Now obsessed with popped heirloom corn, they had to hunt down the Indiana farmer responsible for growing this heirloom corn, a variety that had been passed down through generations. (Who knew corn could get so serious…)
The three of them turned their special corn discovery into a business—and Pipcorn was born.
I was most excited about these cheese balls because they are quoted as
“not just your average snack”.
They’re free of all that artificial crap!
Non-GMO and gluten-free—
so basically a cheese ball with a résumé.
But I wondered…
What is heirloom corn?
Heirloom corn unites thousands of years of tradition with the innovation of modern snacks.
These time-honored varieties have been cultivated for generations, cherished for their unique flavors, vibrant colors, and rich histories.
Unlike conventional corn, heirloom types are open-pollinated, meaning they are naturally grown and preserved for their exceptional taste and distinctive traits.
Hand-selected by farmers who’ve kept them alive for hundreds, even thousands, of years, these seeds are the secret to delivering unmatched flavor and quality in every bite.
“Our cheddar cheese balls always contain real cheddar cheese and have 20% less fat than the leading cheese puff. Our cheese balls are baked, never fried, creating the most irresistibly cheese and crunchy snack.”
The smell hits you first, and honestly, it’s not great. Think of a stench hitting you with a very sudden reminder of aged parmesan…
with a sharp, musky ol’ pair of sweaty gym socks.
(Pipcorn vs. Utz Cheese Balls)
Ugh, disgusting.
Yep, that’s what I got from the aroma. I love real parmesan, but this is absolutely not it.
If you’re less dramatic than I am, you could say they smell like sour cream and onion potato chips. This entire situation has turned out to be a major disappointment so far.
I was initially excited to dig into these cheddar balls…
prior to opening the bag.
I wish the smell hadn't killed my appetite.
Once I was able to get past the scent and finally pop a few into my mouth, these cheese balls actually blew me away.
They’re light, airy, crispy, and crunchy, all in one bite.
They have to be at the top of their class (maybe, even a valedictorian) when it comes to cheese puffs.
The flavor? Kind of like cheesy toast—super savory and addictively salty.
I will keep stating for the record, I am a salt-a-holic! And I was in absolute salt heaven.
Can we talk about something that’s really irritating me for a second?
Every time I open a new snack bag, how come there’s always half a bag of air?
I get it, it’s standard for better delivery of product, but it’s still frustrating.
I kNoW i DiDn’T jUsT pAy $4.29 FoR HALF A BAG OF AIR?!
Okay, I’m sorry, but I’m kind of passionate about this…
But…on a more serious note, it’s 2025—why can’t we solve this problem by now?
These cheese balls, like all the best, will leave your fingers a little dusted with flavor (or messy, depending on how you look at it)
...I suppose this is a part of the cheese ball experience, but it’s not ideal after a few handfuls.
Still, I’ve been munching on a lot of tasty snacks lately, and these hold their own, for sure!
I’ll be brutally honest: these Pipcorn Cheese Balls had me on edge with that smell…it practically made me question all of my life choices for a moment…
But once I got past one of the worst snack aromas I’ve ever smelled (yep, that happened), I was surprisingly impressed.
The flavor is top-notch—like cheesy toast but lighter and airier than I ever imagined.
Pipcorn Cheese Balls are definitely a couple of steps up from the neon-orange cheese puff days of our youth.
They’re tastier, crispier, and cleaner, with an added touch of ‘food sophistication’ to this classic cheesy snack, courtesy of heirloom corn.
Definitely worth getting past the smell, even if you have to plug your nose at first.
Hah!
So, while I’ll probably never forget the initial stench, I’ll happily munch my way through a bag or two.
IMBHO-Yes, but only if you're prepared to dive into a cheesy black hole (WORTH IT!) that’s messy and has a not-so-pleasant smell.
