IT’S THE AGE-OLD question that has seen families divided, marriages crumble and brother set against brother.

Which are better: Tayto cheese and onion crisps, or King cheese and onion crisps?

Each side has its partisans – men and women who will fight for what they believe. So here at DailyEdge.ie, we decided to put it to the test.

We roped in five renowned crisp experts co-workers who happened to be passing, and took notes.

Just the standard crisps were used. None of your ‘bistro’ or ‘pub crisps’ here. (Notions.) And none of the tasters were allowed to know which crisps they were tasting.

Bowl A: Tayto Cheese and Onion

Bowl B: King Cheese and Onion

The questions: What would the tasters think? Which would they prefer? And would they be able to tell Tayto from King?

Taster #1:

[smelling A] I’m pretty sure that’s Tayto. [Tasting it] No, it’s not. It’s quite a strong flavour. It’s quite good, but I don’t think my breath will smell good after, and that’s important.

B has less of a strong smell. Hardly any smell, in fact. Saltier, less of a cheesy taste. Also they have more crunch to them.

Preference: Undecided. (“It would depend what I was in the mood for. Sometimes you want a strong crisp.)

Taster #2:

A is really yellow. B is more natural. But both smell a bit stale.

Man, the glow in the dark ones [A] are GOOD. They’re really crunchy but there is a STINK off them. B is really tangy, and saltier.

Preference: B – King (“That’s the thing I’m gonna be thinking of in my sleep tonight.”)

Taster #3:

[A] It’s cheesy. It’s quite nice. Yum, I like that.

[B] Hmm. Not as flavoursome, is it? And they’re a bit grey and transparent.

Preference: A – Tayto

DailyEdge.ie’s state-of-the-art tasting station

Taster #4:

A definitely smells more appetising. B doesn’t smell like anything.

A is definitely King. They’re lovely. But B is definitely Tayto. They have this kind of burnt taste off them.

Preference: A – Tayto (“Just flooding with flavour.”)

Taster #5:

A look more appetising. They’re golden. B look a bit off.

[A] Good crunch. Onion’s a bit overpowering. That’s the big thing out of that.

[B] Kind of lighter, onion’s not as potent. The taste in general is a bit nothing. They could be ready salted.

Preference: A – Tayto

RESULTS

Three people picked Tayto, one picked King and one was undecided. Tayto is the victor!

(That said, of the people who picked Tayto, at least two expressed reservations about their breath after the test.)

Maybe the real question is: did anyone correctly identify King and Tayto? Only one – taster #5. All four others confidently, and wrongly, picked B as Tayto. Perhaps that’s something for them to work on.

Are there any rival products you’d like to see put through a blind taste test? Leave your suggestions in the comments, or tweet us @dailyedge.

Mr Tayto, celebrating the only way he knows how. (Photocall Ireland)

More: Mr Tayto – Crisps and chocolate together is “an Irish tradition”>