Snack #69- Buenachos Salsapeño flavored Tortilla Chips

Buenachos Salsapeño flavored Tortilla Chips

Salsapeño is a clever play on words that I'm surprised has never been used in the States before. These Dorito-type snacks have a very strong corn flavor which hits you immediately when you start eating them. The flavor itself is very bland and hard to distinguish from the tortilla chip itself. Surprisingly though, these chips do pack a punch. The jalapeño flavor comes through fairly stong after the corn flavor subsides and leaves a sort of bitter heat in the mouth. It's not actually a very pleasant flavor, although less artificial than many of the sweeter jalapeño flavors in many chips. The heat is mostly in the aftertaste and builds up over time. I'm actually impressed, these are the spiciest chips I've managed to find in all of Costa Rica, apart from imported American brands. Maybe there is hope after all for continuing this blog for an entire year.

Rating on the Spice-O-Meter: 3.5/10
Bottom Line: Spicy chips! (well, in Costa Rican terms)

Snack #68- Quesi Trix (Con Salsa Picante) Corn Crunchies

Quesi Trix (Con Salsa Picante) Corn Crunchies

After a dry spell, where I thought I had tried every possible spicy chip in Costa Rica, I found a hidden bakery with new snacks to test! These snacks look like Cheetos and have the same texture as them. The flavor is vaguely cheesy with a hint of jalapeno flavoring. They are nice and crunchy and a tasty snack but they are not very spicy. I wasn't expecting them to be spicy for any reason, but including hot sauce in the description of the snack would indicate some sort of peppery flavoring. When a few are eaten in succession a little heat is felt in the back of the throat, but they definitely don't deliver flavor like the pot of burning jalapenos on the bag would suggest. But they also weren't the most disappointing bag of 'spicy' snacks I've opened while in Costa Rica. I tasted these with a diehard Cheetos fanatic and she thinks they are totally delicious although she agreed they were not as spicy as they could have been. They do have a nice pepper flavoring, fairly natural and authentic, though they don't deliver on the heat.

Rating on the Spice-O-Meter: 2/10
Bottom Line: Delicious Costa Rican Cheetos