Snack #217- Blue Diamond Almonds Bold Habanero BBQ

Blue Diamond Almonds Bold Habanero BBQ

These are standard roasted almonds with a spicy barbeque coating.  The smooth and creamy texture of the almonds contrasts well with the sharp, spicy seasoning.  The heat definitely builds and has a strong barbeque flavor.  Definitely a good snack alternative to chips and not lacking in habanero heat.

Rating on the Spice-O-Meter: 5/10

Bottom Line: Spicy nuts!

Snack #216- Chester’s Puffcorn Flamin’ Hot Puffed Corn Snacks

Chester’s Puffcorn Flamin’ Hot Puffed Corn Snacks

So we can’t really give this snack a fair assessment because these were sitting around too long and were incredibly stale (meaning mushy).  The texture at peak freshness would probably be crispier but at least the flavor was still there.  The Flamin’ Hot line of Cheetos products tends to be on the spicier end of convenience store snack options and these are no exception. We only ate a few each because of the textural problems but we could feel the fiery red powder heat. The heat doesn’t last too long but it is pretty sharp so these live up the their name.

Rating on the Spice-O-Meter: 6/10

Bottom Line: Another Flamin’ Hot snack.

Snack #215- Cheetos Cheddar Jalapeño Crunchy Snacks

These Cheetos are the classic cheddar flavor crunchy corn snack but kicked up a notch with the addition of some jalapeño flavor.  While the combination isn’t anything new, Cheetos balances the flavors well and the heat is present but not overwhelming so the whole bag can be enjoyed without the spice level building too much.  A decent snack to grab when you’re feeling like nacho cheese and jalapeño in crunchy stick form.

Rating on the Spice-O-Meter: 3/10

Bottom Line: Basic Cheetos amped up a bit.

Snack #214 Lundberg Spicy Black Bean Organic Rice Chips

These crunchy rice chips had a nice toasty flavor from the rice.  And while I didn't taste any black bean (or maybe I did, I'm pretty sure black beans have almost zero flavor...), I picked up on some garlic and onion.  It actually tasted like the chips somehow already had guacamole infused into them, which was kind of amazing.  The heat was there, but not overwhelming.  No need to go running for the milk because the heat didn't build, but there was a definite tingle.

Rating on the Spice-O-Meter: 4/10

Bottom Line: pretty darn tasty

Snack #213 - Jalapeño Jack Pretzel Crisps

I really like Pretzel Crisps.  You get the great baked, almost burned, flavor of a hard pretzel without breaking your teeth.  Unfortunately, the jalapeño jack flavor was so unbelievably salty that I couldn't taste anything else.  These pretzels definitely packed some heat, but as for flavor, salt overwhelmed.  Out of curiosity I checked the sodium content of the other spicy snacks I had on hand, and the pretzel crisps had on average 4-5 times more sodium than anything else. That's a whole lotta salt.

Bottom Line: spicy salt lick  

Rating on the Spice-O-Meter: 5/10

Snack #212- Eldorado Chilinøtter Innbakte Peanøtter (Chili flavored coated peanuts)

Eldorado Chilinøtter Innbakte Peanøtter (Chili flavored coated peanuts)

While traveling to Norway for a friend’s wedding we stumbled upon this unique spicy snack which is basically a whole peanut surrounded by a crispy, savory coating and dusted with paprika.  In form they are similar to the Asian peanuts tried in Costa Rica but in flavor they are the standard European paprika seasoning which tastes like pepper but is not spicy.  The peanut center is tasty and the coating adds a well-seasoned paprika taste so they are an enjoyable snack but not spicy at all.

Rating on the Spice-O-Meter: 1/10

Bottom Line: Paprika coated crunchy peanuts.

Snack #211- Perri Hot Lips Nice ‘N’ Spicy Flavour

Perri Hot Lips Nice ‘N’ Spicy Flavour

These baked corn puffs were brought to us by a Hot Chick associate who traveled to Ireland.  They are low-calorie and baked instead of fried but the positives pretty much end there.  They are packing peanut consistency and melt in your mouth with no crispiness.  The flavor is extremely mild and there is only the barest hint of tomato and paprika seasonings.  The corn flavor is also dull so this snack basically takes like nothing.  We always enjoy trying international spicy snacks but this one certainly fell flat!

Rating on the Spice-O-Meter: 0/10

Bottom Line: Lip-shaped packing peanuts.