Snack #75- Doritos Fiery Habañero Tortilla Chips

Doritos Fiery Habañero Tortilla Chips

Ahh…finally a spicy chip. Of course, these are imported from the U.S., but they are definitely spicy. The flavor is clearly habañero and quite fiery without overwhelming the other flavors in the chip. There is a strong underlying cheese flavor which is slightly artificial but still a nice contrast from the habañero spice. The chips are classic tortilla chips, hearty and crunchy. Basically, you can’t go wrong with these if you want a spicy cheesy tortilla chip. Instant nachos.

Rating on the Spice-O-Meter: 6/10
Bottom Line: Crunchy and spicy.

Snack #74 - Zapp's Spicy Creole Tomato Spiked With Tabasco

Yuck. I'll be honest, I didn't have high hopes for these "limited edition" chips, but these are really pretty nauseating. Immediately upon opening the bag I was hit with a wave of vinegar which carried into my first taste. That vinegar taste unfortunately combined with what I can only describe as a sweet onion flavor. To their credit these chips did have a nice level of spice, just a little heat, but not overwhelming. That is truly their only redeeming quality, besides their limited run on the shelf.

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

Bottom Line: Sweet, onion, vinegar - need I say more?

Snack #73 - Stacy's Hot & Spicy Pita Chips

When walking through the supermarket words like "hot & spicy" printed on a bag of snacks immediately catch my attention. I was pretty excited about this most recent spicy snack - spicy and healthy? - best of both worlds. And I was only partially let down. As pita chips, they deliver a nice crunch and are good for dipping into whatever you might fancy. On the downside, there was not a whole lot of flavor. They definitely packed some nice heat, walking the fine line between spicy and painful, but beyond that these pita chips pretty much tasted like chili powder. Occasionally I got a hint of lemon, a weird, but welcome addition to this otherwise sort of boring snack.

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

Bottom Line: You're better off dipping plain pita chips in salsa.

Top Secret Chip Info

Got some new top secret info for all you spicy chip fans... A new chip from the ever-tasty Kettle Foods kitchen:

What's New? What's Hot?

We're always cooking up something new in the Kettle Foods kitchen, and the next flavor headed for store shelves will get fans fired up! Debuting in 2 oz. bags next month, this new flavor really packs some heat. Watch for a flash of green in our grab ‘n' go size. What could it be? You'll have to wait and see!



Stay tuned, the hot chicks will be the first to review this new chip!

Snack #72- Herr’s Ragin’ Ranch flavored Potato Chips

Herr’s Ragin’ Ranch flavored Potato Chips

First, I’d just like to mention that this bag is about three times bigger than it needs to be. There are about 20 chips inside a bag that could fit a 2-liter bottle of soda. I also was a little wary of the ranch/heat combination because it always seemed to me that ranch was a cool flavor. And I have to say, I don’t love them. I can’t really taste the ranch or the pepper flavors and they end up just tasting salty, like regular Herr’s potato chips. I think there is a slight ranch flavor but it is hard to distinguish and overall I am not impressed by the flavor of these chips.

note: I apparently neglected to take a picture of the actual chips here but rest assured that they looked eerily similar to a classic unflavored ridged potato chip.

Rating on the Spice-O-Meter: 0/10
Bottom Line: Just regular potato chips.

Snack #71- Herr’s Oven Baked Snack Friez ‘Hot-Hot-Hot’

Herr’s Oven Baked Snack Friez ‘Hot-Hot-Hot’

I managed to escape Central America for a few days, and these are some gems I came across in my native Philadelphia. It was somewhat of a shock to have spicy snacks again after failing to discover any in Costa Rica, but I am still convinced that my taste buds can accurately rate even the spiciest of snacks. These ‘friez’ are certainly spicy. They are fairly light and crispy although a little denser than many other hot fries. The initial flavor is fake cheddar cheese, followed by a chili pepper kick. I’ll be honest, I coughed a little at the heat burning my tongue and the back of my throat simultaneously. The heat lasts for a while too, burning all flavor of cheese out of the mouth.

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

Bottom Line: Crunchy, cheesy, chili.

Snack #70- del Rancho Taco Jalapeño tortilla chips

del Rancho Taco Jalapeño tortilla chips

These were stale when we tasted them which was probably just because I left them sitting around for a while and they were expired. I bought them in Nicaragua and yet again had high hopes that they would be spicy but of course they aren’t. They are a little salty and have a definite taste of jalapeño but there is definitely no spice factor at all. They are thin and light and I’m sure they would be nice and crispy if I didn’t have a stale package. The flavor is peppery enough to make it seem like they should be spicy but instead they are sweet and the sweetness is not all that pleasant.

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

Bottom Line: Jalapeño and sweet do not go together.