Snack #109- Brim’s Fire Balls Red Hot Cheese Flavored Balls

Brim’s Fire Balls Red Hot Cheese Flavored Balls

Well I will say the name of this snack is highly humorous. And when I opened the clever ball tube I was shocked to find that it was stuffed to the brim with puffy cheese balls. Nothing like those half-empty chip bags, so kudos to Brim’s for a satisfyingly full package. Now moving on to the actual fire balls: they are very light and crispy, fluffy almost, and definitely FIERY. The first few I had seemed so light that I couldn’t imagine the heat building but after a small handful of them I am feeling it in my throat like WHOA. The cheese flavor is mild and overshadowed by the spices. There are no spices listed in the ingredients so I can only describe the heat as basic hot from mixed artificial ingredients. It’s not a bad flavor, but it is extremely generic and doesn’t help these snacks stick out of the pack.

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

Bottom Line: Fluffy, fiery, and filled to the brim.

Snack #108- Wise Premium Whole Grain Hot Cheese Artificially Flavored Popcorn

Wise Premium Whole Grain Hot Cheese Artificially Flavored Popcorn

First off- isn’t that somewhat of a contradiction? The bag says ‘Whole Grain!’ like these are some kind of healthy snack, then reveal mere inches away that they are not naturally flavored. I guess the idea is that corn is a whole grain so they can pretend these are something else than just regular popcorn. So I was curious so see what these would taste like. Honestly, I was pretty surprised. They don’t taste very cheesy, they taste more like popcorn with hot sauce powder sprinkled on them. The flavoring is pretty spicy, but subtle, so it doesn’t overpower the natural popcorn flavor. The bag lists paprika as the main spicy ingredient and the more I eat of these, the more they taste like paprika popcorn- which is actually pretty tasty! The bag had me fooled into thinking they would be a fake tasting cheap snack but the choice of straight paprika as a seasoning is a little more inventive than the typical hot BBQ flavor. But they taste a little bit sweet, a lot peppery, and still like natural popcorn. So although they don’t pack a big punch, they are an enjoyable popcorn snack.

Rating on the Spice-O-Meter: 2/10

Bottom Line: Tasty paprika popcorn.

Snack #107 - Combos Jalapeño Cheddar Tortilla

Combos Jalapeño Cheddar Tortilla


I had the exact opposite reaction to these Combos as I did to the Ring of Fire snacks reviewed below. I didn't want to find these in the supermarket, and once I did, I really didn't want to buy them. But in the interest of good blogging I sucked it up and took one for the team. I really hate Combos. They totally creep me out with that stuffed fake cheese powder grossness inside. Yuck!

That being said, these were kind of delish. The people over at Combos managed to provide a Mexican food-type flavor that I have not come across before. And as long as I didn't think about what I was eating, I quite enjoyed them. They weren't particularly spicy, but had a good blend of chili powder, garlic, and onion.

Rating on the Spice-O-Meter: 2/10
Bottom Line: Assuming you can bring yourself to eat Combos, they're pretty tasty

Snack #106 - O-Ke-Doke Rings of Fire

O-Ke-Doke Rings of Fire Onion Rings



I wanted these to be good, I really did. I thought the name was cute and reminded me of one of my favorite Johnny Cash songs. Alas, the moment I opened the bag I knew I was in for a real disappointment. Normally I try to take notes while I'm sampling spicy snacks to ensure that my reviews are accurate for you all. My only note for this one says: "ugh." The bag wreaked of fish (fish???) and fake smoke when I opened it. And the one "ring of fire" that I managed to choke down tasted much the same way. I didn't even give it a chance to get hot before I spit it out.

Rating on the Spice-O-Meter: irrelevant
Bottom Line: Do not eat these!