Spicy Chip Caption Contest Winner!

Congratulations Mary!! Her clever caption won her a gourmet gift pack of the Hot Chicks favorite spicy chips!

"Honey, I said I need to be BREATHING fire! Go get me some spicy chips!"


We really enjoyed reading all of your entries, thanks for participating and showing your love of all things spicy!

Spicy Chip Caption Contest Ending Soon...

Hey spicy chip fans, don't forget to add your caption to our spicy chip caption contest. The winner will receive a selection of some of our favorite chips!

http://spicysnackz.blogspot.com/2008/06/hot-and-spicy-caption-contest.html

Contest ends July 30.

Snack #54- Plátanos Tostados Chile (Chile Plantain Chips)

Plátanos Tostados Chile (Chile Plantain Chips)

So it was requested that I rate some spicy plantain chips, which are a favorite snack in Costa Rica. These are some local chips made in Liberia, Costa Rica, which is a fairly large city in Costa Rica and about a half hour drive from where I live. They were purchased from the local pulperia (general store). They are slightly spicy, but unfortunately not crunchy at all. It is questionable how long they were sitting in the store before I purchased them, so perhaps they would be tastier if they were fresher. Plantain chips are usually pretty tasty and with the chile seasoning they have good potential but the flavor falls flat.

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

Bottom Line: Stale and old but good potential.

Snack #53- Rumba Fajitas Rancheras Tortilla Chips

Rumba Fajitas Rancheras Tortilla Chips

These are supposed to taste like meat fajitas, which sounds so disgusting. The ingredients include meat flavoring and sausage flavoring, in addition to jalapeño and hot pepper seasonings. They smell and taste somewhat like jalapeno, but they also have an undeniable flavor of ‘meat’ which is really unappealing. They are not spicy beyond the flavor of jalapeño and were slightly stale out of the bag. The chip itself is fairly thick for a tortilla chip.

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

Bottom Line: These would get a high rating on a Disgust-O-Meter.

Snack #52-PRO Maní Con Chile (Hot Peanuts)

PRO Maní Con Chile (Hot Peanuts)

Finally, a snack that isn’t lying about its heat! These are called hot peanuts, and that is pretty much exactly what the sensation is when they are eaten. They are very salty but also have a strong flavor of chili pepper. The flavor is almost bitter, not like a seasoning so much as straight up pepper. It leaves a burning sensation in the mouth that is unlike any other snack that claims to have spice in Costa Rica. It’s not so spicy overall, but compared to all the other Costa Rican spicy snacks it is a welcome relief to taste some heat in these. I am not a huge fan of peanuts, but these ones were definitely better than the spicy peanuts that we tested back in April. They were hotter, and with a more complimentary flavor to the natural flavor of the peanuts.

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

Bottom Line: Salty, pleasantly chili flavored.

Snack #51- Pringles Jalapeño

Pringles Jalapeño

These are definitely the spiciest snack we’ve had in Costa Rica, but that is not saying much at all. They are typical Pringles, crispy in that dried, mashed potato chips way. The flavor is definitely jalapeño and although it is somewhat artificial, it tastes pretty authentic. The spice hits you right away, but fades away quickly and doesn’t build up over time. The flavor is a little bit sweet underneath the jalapeño flavor, like tomatoes and onions, a little bit of a salsa flavor.

Rating on the Spice-O-Meter: 2.5/10

Bottom Line: Spicy snacks in Costa Rica all come from the U.S.

Snack #50: Snyder's of Hanover Hot Buffalo Wing

I really hoped that the Hot Chicks Eatin' Spicy Chips could celebrate their 50th snack tested with a truly excellent hot snack...unfortunately it was not to be. Instead I got some lackluster pretzel crumbles from Snyders. Instead of HOT wing, I got mild wing, which really translated to ketchup and vinegar flavor with no real heat at all. The pretzels are nice and crunchy which I learned last time I tested a Snyder's product, but this time there was no tastiness to back it up.

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

Bottom Line: Very salty, not very delicious.