Snack #117- Cheetos Mighty Zingers Sharp Cheddar & Salsa Picante

Cheetos Mighty Zingers Sharp Cheddar & Salsa Picante
These are pretty boring. They are essentially a basic Cheeto combined with a slightly spicier Cheeto in one bag. The spicier Cheeto is really just a basic Cheeto with a drop of hot sauce on top. One other complaint is that this bag is full of tiny pellets of Cheeto that are about 1/3 of the size of normal Cheetos so you have to eat a lot more of them. I guess the idea is that if you eat a little handful instead of just one at a time you will get both of the flavors combined. But really it’s just weird.

Rating on the Spice-O-Meter: 1/10
Bottom Line: Cheetos.

Snack #116- Wise Cheez Doodles Crunchy Jalapeño Cheddar Cheese Flavored Corn Snacks

Wise Cheez Doodles Crunchy Jalapeño Cheddar Cheese Flavored Corn Snacks

At first we were confused about why the package said ‘crunchy’ but it turns out that these are more of what we’ve categorized as a corn ‘crunchie’ than a ‘doodle’- meaning thinner and crunchier than the average corn puff. The flavor is pretty sweet with a distinct artificial cheese flavor and a slight jalapeño flavor. The pepper flavor is pretty authentic and there is a slight kick but overall they are not too impressive. Two boys who helped rate these said they would buy them at the store but any person with discerning taste would recognize a run-of-the-mill fake cheese puffed corn snack.

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

Bottom Line: Standard gross crunchies.

Snack #115- Tom’s Cracklins HOT

Tom’s Cracklins HOT
These smell like dog food. And kind of taste like it too. It tastes like really crispy bacon fat bits mixed with dog food. We think Beggin’ Strips might taste like this. The bag says “Fried Out Pork Fat with Attached Skin”. Not spicy. Not spicy at all.

Rating on the Spice-O-Meter: 0/10
Bottom Line: Gross

Snack #114- Burger King Hot & Spicy Onion Rings Flavored Snacks

Burger King Hot & Spicy Onion Rings Flavored Snacks

I have been DREADING these for months. It actually took me 3 months to work up the nerve to buy them from the store and now I am taking the plunge and tasting them. They certainly are shaped like onion rings though the main ingredient is corn meal and the color is the most unnatural reddish-orange fake spice color I’ve ever seen. They are basically a ring shaped cheez doodle. And the flavor…wow. The first thing that hits your mouth is the corn meal/rice flour Styrofoam flavor but that is quickly followed by an overpowering ‘spicy’ flavor that is cough-inducing. It takes like fake cheese and death attacking my mouth and I almost can’t believe a cheese puff could have this much flavor. They are fluffy but the corn and rice combination gets stuck in the teeth and throat which isn’t too pleasant. It’s hard to make a firm decision about these- on the one hand, they are certainly flavorful and spicy, but the flavor is pretty overwhelming. Oh yeah, and they barely resemble onion rings aside from the shape and an extremely subtle onion flavor leftover once all the red powder has melted off the ring.

Rating on the Spice-O-Meter: 7/10

Bottom Line: Overwhelmingly powerful flavor.

Snack #113- Zapp’s Spicy Cajun Crawtators Potato Chips

Zapp’s Spicy Cajun Crawtators Potato Chips
These smell spicy. They definitely smell like Cajun seasoning and the ‘crawtator’ flavor, which I assume is a reference to Cajun-style crawfish, elicits a feeling of a spicy shrimp dish. I thought that would prevent me from enjoying these chips, but knowing that there is no meat actually in the bag just makes them a uniquely flavored spicy snack. They taste a little sweet, like a standard BBQ chip, but with some extra special spices that make them distinctly Cajun. They taste like the chip version of a really good roasted potato wedge and would be a great accompaniment to any deli sandwich. They do have a definite kick but I will say that the one downside to these chips is that they are not nearly as spicy as they could (and maybe should) be. Cajun cooking is spicy, no? But this company is located in Louisiana so I trust that they know what goes into a good Cajun potato chip.

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

Bottom Line: Fun twist on classic BBQ flavors.

Snack #112- Zapp’s Hotter ‘n Hot Jalapeño Potato Chips

Zapp’s Hotter ‘n Hot Jalapeño Potato Chips
Finally, some standard issue spicy potato chips to rate! These are thin cut, crispy, deep fried jalapeño goodness. I will say that the spice level is a little lacking; they definitely don’t burn the mouth, but the flavor is good. Definitely a solid jalapeño flavor and it makes for a highly enjoyable chip. Not too salty, a little hint of sweet peppery goodness, excellent crunch. Not the spiciest we’ve rated but certainly a delicious party snack.

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

Bottom Line: Yummy jalapeño chips!

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.