Snack # 195 - Rhythm Superfoods Mango Habanero Kale Chips

Kale chips are great - super healthy and easy to make - just pop them in the oven with some olive oil and salt and you've got yourself a tasty snack loaded with vitamins and minerals. These kale chips, on the other hand, were disgusting. In the interest of bringing you the spiciest snack I could find, I chose the mango habanero flavor at the supermarket, knowing full well that the idea of kale and mango together sounded horrifying. And I was not wrong. The flavor was so overwhelmingly weird, I really don't know where to begin. I first tasted the sweetness of the mango, which as I suspected didn't really complement the green taste of the crunchy kale. And then heat - and it was HOT! That habanero flavor was no joke. After a few more bites I also tasted a cheese-like flavor, which might have been from the cashew butter in the ingredients given that this was a vegan snack.

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

Bottom Line: make them yourself - without the mango

Buy them here: Rhythm Superfoods Mango Habanero Kale Chips but probably try a different flavor...

Snack # 188 - Famous Falafel Chips, Spicy

These organic falafel chips are made with chickpeas just like their non-chip namesake. Falafel is a seasoned ball of mashed chickpeas that is deep fried and usually served in a pita with hummus, lettuce, etc. found all over the Middle East. They're delish. And these chips manage to capture a lot of the flavor of falafel in chip form. I tasted parsley, cumin, and many of the other flavors I associate with biting into a falafel pita at the walk-up shop near my apartment. They also packed a pretty decent spicy punch. At first I didn't notice anything, but when I swallowed, the heat definitely built up in my throat. The only problem with these chips, and unfortunately it's a big one, is that chickpeas do not lend themselves to a crunchy chip, and the result leaves them tasting somewhat stale even though they're not.  But if you can get over the texture, these are pretty tasty, and probably great dipped in hummus.

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

Bottom Line: weird texture, falafel taste

Buy them here: Flamous Organic Falafel Chips, Spicy 8-Ounce Packages (Pack of 4)

Snack #183- Hi Tempura Spicy Flavor Tempura Seaweed

Hi Tempura Spicy Flavor Tempura Seaweed

Tempura Seaweed was not my ideal choice in spicy snack but when we were looking in the Asian supermarket and saw this specialty from Thai we knew we had to try it.  I only ate half of one because I really don’t like seaweed flavor on it’s own but they were all heavily battered and pretty crispy for being stored in a foil bag (although there was a silica gel packet in the bag- yum!).  The flavor was pretty mild and the spices were the standard onion, garlic, and chili powders.   

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

Bottom Line: For seaweed lovers only.

Snack #182- Maxi Taro Chips Hot & Spicy

Maxi Taro Chips Hot & Spicy 

These snacks are not produced internationally but the label touts ancient uses of Taro in Southeast Asia so I guess that’s why they are being sold in the Super 88 Asian grocery store.  They are mainly flavored with onion, garlic, and chili powder but the onion powder is definitely the overwhelming seasoning and it’s hard to taste the chili powder at all.  The taro creates a super light and flaky chip which isn’t as crunchy as some potato chips but definitely tastes like a lighter and possibly healthier choice.  They just fail from over seasoning and lack of heat. 

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

Bottom Line: Light and flaky but not very well seasoned.

Snack #111- Danielle Spicy Carrot Chips

Danielle Spicy Carrot Chips

These are WEIRD. They are super variable in width- some are very thick cut (like ¼”) carrots which is not what I was expecting, and some are thinner like regular potato chips. Also, they are not very crispy and in the center they are not as dry as they could be so they come off a little…moist. The carrot flavor is pretty dull and the carrot keeps getting stuck in my teeth, which is very unpleasant. The ingredients say that these have chili in them as the spicy component but it is pretty difficult to taste the chili flavor. The most obvious feature of these is how they taste like you’re eating the remains of the carrot after juicing them- slightly moist but mostly just clumps of nearly-flavorless carrot. I don’t really like putting these in my mouth at all and I definitely don’t want to eat them ever again.

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

Bottom Line: Carrot juice leftover pulp chips.

Snack #103- Arico Cassava Chips Ginger on Fire

Arico Cassava Chips Ginger on Fire

So these cassava chips are very interesting. They look a lot like potato chips but they have a unique crunch that is a little different from a potato chip; less of a crunch and more of a snap. The flavor is distinctly ginger, very delicious and pretty sweet. One major complaint- WHY are they called Ginger on Fire when they are NOT spicy at ALL?? I tried so hard to will these to be spicy, I ate a lot of them and really savored the flavor, but there is just no hope. They are not even reminiscent of a spicy ginger, they just fall flat. If you realllly suck on them and think hard there is just the barest heat in the back of the mouth. But lack of heat aside, these are delicious if you like sweeter chip flavors.

Rating on the Spice-O-Meter: 0.5/10

Bottom Line: Sweet ginger, not spicy.

Snack #87 - Flat Earth Baked Veggie Crisps Spicy Salsa

Flat Earth Baked Veggie Crisps Spicy Salsa

At first I was a little hesitant - a chip that's healthy? Couldn't possibly taste good. The only veggie that chips should be made from is a potato. However, these veggie "crisps" were really good, and maybe even a little better for you, who knows. The chips, while crispy like a reformulated potato chip (think thick Pringles), had some nice background notes of spinach and red pepper. This combined with the spicy-ish salsa taste. It was honestly a little hard to tell what flavor came from the chips and what was due to the flavoring on the chips.

Also, as I perused the ingredients as I always do before trying a bag of spicy snacks, I notice it contains cream cheese... Weird, but delicious. A nice creamy flavor in addition to the salsa. Kind of like Mexican dip on a chip.

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

Bottom Line: Delicious and Nutritious?