Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili

I'm starting to see these everywhere now, so I don't know if they're as strange as some, but I haven't tried 'em so they're strange to me.  I shall allow it!  Some of my friends get these all the time, so I figure they can't be too bad, but who knows really.  Well... me... I'm about to know.

The bag is purple and they smell a little nacho cheese-y.  I also think the font changes on the bag are kinda silly... do spicy and sweet need to be different fonts?  I know they're different things.  It's okay, Doritos.

But what do they taste like?
At first a bit like nacho cheese.  Then there's an intense sweetness with some added spice to it.  These are actually a lot sweeter than I was expecting.  I think what's odd for me is how distinct the flavors are - the spicy is one thing and the sweet is another and they don't necessarily play well together.  It's like eating two chips in one.  I guess there's a bit of chili in the spicy, but I think these chips suffer a bit from 'sweet' and 'spicy' not being flavors.  So... yes.. they're sweet and spicy, but what am I tasting?

The sweet... is almost a bit like too sweet BBQ sauce?  And the spicy is that generic 'mouth burn' that seems to be found everywhere.  There's the tiniest bit of smokiness on the first bite, but after that it's the weird sweet/spicy combo.  The flavor also doesn't last super long - I'm left tasting plain Dorito after a few chews.

Honestly... I'm kinda disappointed with these.  I'm not sure what I thought they'd taste like, but these missed the mark for me.  I think it's the very sweet taste not mixing particularly well with the spicy that's throwing me off.  Perhaps if they were combined better, rather than two separate flavors? I'm not sure.  If you're really into sweet and also spicy then give these a shot, but I don't think I'll be switching from Cool Ranch.

Rating

Cheetos Mix-Ups Cheezy Salsa Mix

Sorcery and witchcraft!  It's a mix of different Cheetos types in the same bag!  There was another bag in the store, but it didn't have a strange green 'jalapeno cheddar' thing in it, so I passed.  Why get normal Cheetos when I can get strange green ones?  No reason is why!

The flavors are:  salsa picante, chipotle cheddar, jalapeno cheddar and cheddar.  Cheddar seems like a standard cheez doodle type chip, while the salsa picante is more like a cheeto.  The other two are like a waffle fry (chipotle cheddar), and a green tater tot (jalapeno cheddar).  Let the battle for ultimate mix flavor... begin!

But what do they taste like?
Salsa picante: I thought these would have more flavor actually.  They're like cheetos, but there's... the tiniest hint of tomato flavor?  Not much spice and not much cheese though.  They really don't taste like much of anything other than some slight spiciness.  These were the mildest of the bunch, which was unexpected.
Chipotle cheddar: chemical-y, chipotle flavor right off the bat.  It tastes the way cheese sauce smells, if that makes any sense.  It's a strong, sort of smokey cheese flavor that stays pretty strong throughout.  It's not bad, but it's definitely the strongest chemical flavor of the bunch.  It's also a very thick chip, while the others are smaller bites.
Jalapeno cheddar: jalapeno-y, but not in a painful way yet.  They get a little spicier as you go, but not too bad.  A tiny bit of a kick, but they taste pretty good!  The green is... a little off-putting, but I guess you... might not know it's jalapeno otherwise?  All things considered it's pretty mild - like a cheez doodle that tastes spicier than cheez-y.
Cheddar: pretty much your standard cheddar flavor, but weirdly, every single chip seems to have the jalapeno green on it, so they all have a bit of a punch.  Basically... think 'cheez doodle' and you've got the cheddar flavor.

All four flavors at once: it's... weird.  Pretty much a spicy, chemical-y mix that has a strong cheez doodle flavor.  The problem with these is that the 'cheddar' and 'chipotle cheddar' are all way bigger than the others, overpowering them.  It's not much of a mix and match bag.  Eating a handful without the 'cheddar' flavor is actually better, just because the cheddar flavor is pretty overpowering.

Overall these are fine, but a bit strange.  The green from the jalapeno cheddar is pretty strange looking, and when it gets on the cheez doodles it makes them look moldy, even when they're not.  The flavors are aren't bad - bit cheesy and spicy, but, all the same, I don't think I'd buy them again.

Rating

Doritos Jacked Ranch Dipped Hot Wings

It's a known fact that I think ranch dressing is pretty delicious.  It's also known that the best dipping sauce for buffalo wings is ranch dressing.  None of these other dressings for me.  It's safe to say that I am both pro ranch dressing, and pro buffalo wings.  Or, in this case, hot wings.  So I was pretty excited when I found these magic chips.  But also wary for, as I've learned, chips rarely taste like the two promised things.  It's one or the other.  How shall these fare?!

But what do they taste like?
Wow.  They actually taste a hell of a lot like ranch dipped hot wings.  They're not quite buffalo wings, because there's no chicken flavor really, but it's pretty close to eating a chip that's been dipped in some sort of strange 'ranch hot wing sauce' mix.  They're also practically neon with flavor - usually a good sign.  For these the flavor isn't super overpowering, but the flavor that lasts is the chemically hot wing taste, when I'd prefer to taste more ranch.  Another thing is that they're strangely thick chips, and way bigger than regular Doritos.  Is that a thing with JACKED chips?  It's a bit strange, since the chip flavor detracts from the ranch/hot wing flavor.  It seems to be a thing, since the bag says that they're 'bigger, bolder, thicker', but I honestly don't feel like that improves them.

The larger than average chips are kinda weird.  There are fewer chips in the bag, but simultaneously more calories than a usual bag of chips.  That's not a problem, but I think these can very easily be overeaten, since you feel like you've only eaten a few chips when really it's double normal size Doritos.  They're not too spicy, but they do have a bit of a kick, which you expect with hot wings sauce.

The flavor overall is nice, but it seems to taste best the first second you try it.  After that it gets pretty chemically.  I think I'd like these better if that first taste stuck.  The first taste is more ranch/wing, but it's very quickly overpowered by the chemical hot wing sauce.  Overall, these do actually have a ranch and hot wing sauce flavor, so props to Doritos for the 'dual flavor' chip, but they're deceptively big and taste pretty chemically the more you eat.  That and the neon seasoning requires extra napkins.

Rating

 

Barcel Mini Takis Fuego

Sorry for the delay on this!  Christmas had me all tied up, and I missed my usual Tuesday post.  So... here's a Wednesday post?  I bought these the same place I bought last week's Barcel Chipotles Chipotle & Cheese, as they seemed intriguing and were a small bag so if they're crap then hey - at least there aren't many.

At first glance these seem pretty much exactly like the Doritos Dinamita Chile Limon chips I tried a few months ago.  I've also, via the internet, discovered the Fuego means fire?  Apparently I'm in for some mouth burn-y ness.  Hooray?  I should've known when the bag said it was a 'hot chili pepper & lime flavored corn snack'.

But what do they taste like?
Not fiery pain at first - they're actually pretty good.  A very lime-y type thing going on.  But then the pain.  Ow - it was so strong I actually coughed, just because what else was there to go?!  Trying again.  A bit better this time, but then as soon as I try to actually eat the chip, rather than just chew it, it burns my throat something fierce.  Spike-y bits of ow that still make me cough.  There's kinda... no way around it which is a bummer, as I like how they taste.  Even the mouth burn I'm getting isn't unpleasant... it's just the fact that I can't actually eat them without my throat hurting.  It's a bit better with each subsequent chip, but it still hurts.

At first bite they actually taste a lot like Fritos and then there's a kinda nice chili-lime flavor, but then I try to swallow and pain.  I can't eat these in polite company, or in any company for that matter!  I'd just be sitting there coughing, with my eyes watering and my nose running.  That sounds super appealing, no?

The problem is... I actually kinda like the flavor.  Despite the pain... I keep eating them.  It helps a little to take a drink of water while eating, which kinda dilutes it, but defeats the purpose of a chip really.  So, while I like the flavor, I can't eat them without coughing and having mouth pain so I can't really rate these highly.  Still... I do like the flavor if only it didn't try to hurt me.

Rating

 

Walkers Sensations Thai Sweet Chili

More Walkers chips - thank you, UK candy store nearby that also sells chips!  They had this bag and I bought them.  Simple as that, friends.

The bag itself has two chili peppers on it, so I'm expecting to be in some pain.  Wahoo!  But, when I open the bag up... possible deception!  These mostly just smell like potatoes.  And look a little like Christmas with their red and green speckles.

But what do they taste like?

Like weirdly spicy potatoes is what they taste like.  My tongue is burning and I can't even pinpoint which taste of the chip caused it.  It's just burn-y.  They're really pretty mild, apart from the sudden onset mouth burn that disappears nearly as quickly as it arrived.

I wish I had more to say, but these don't taste like much more than spiced potatoes.  This is not what I expected from Thai Sweet Chili - or from Sensations!  With a bag like that I thought there'd be sensations.

Overall?  Not worth it.  The spiciness is without any real flavor and if I wanted chips that tasted like potatoes, I'd buy plain chips.  They're not awful, but I wouldn't buy them again

Rating:

Deep River Snacks New York Spicy Dill Pickle

Now these Deep River chips I'm looking forward to trying.  I'm wary of the 'spicy' in the title, but I've been trying to find new pickle chips for ages (ever since the amazing Intense Pickle Doritos I tried in Montreal).  Could it be that I've finally found a replacement pickle chip?  These even have 'New York' in the title... will it also taste like NY somehow?  I'm intrigued.

These smell pretty pickle-y so I'm feeling pretty confident they'll actually taste like what they're supposed to.  I'm just not sure how the 'spicy' is going to factor in at this point.  It also looks like they're covered in little dill nibblies and a healthy coating of flavor.  We shall see.

But what do they taste like?
Kinda strange.  At first I tasted mostly salt, then a hint of pickle, and then spiciness.  Deep River snacks seem to enjoy making my mouth burn.  Another weird thing that I don't know quite how to describe is that the flavors are very strong, but don't necessarily seem like they're coming from the chip.  It's very odd.  I eat a chip and then the chip is sort of boring tasting, but there's all sorts of salt and pickle flavors and then the roof of my mouth is burning.  Looking at the chips, they seem to be covered in seasoning.  I guess it's possible that the minute I eat them, all the seasoning falls off, leaving a plain chip and all the other flavors everywhere else.  The 'dill' in the dill pickle is also pretty intense... I taste much more dill than pickle in that brief moment when I actually taste it, before the spice starts up.  And, a less than even flavor coating leaves some chips ridiculous salty which is unpleasant.

The problem I've had with the spicy Deep River flavors so far is that they focus too much on the spice.  Pickles shouldn't be this spicy.  I really only taste the dill pickle flavor for the first few seconds and then it's just spicy.  I would much rather taste the pickle flavor rather than the spice.  Also, where is the 'New York' in all of this??  It's like Deep River decided 'New Yorkers like pickles... we should name our pickle chips 'New York' so they buy them... genius plan!'  False.  There is nothing 'New York' about these chips.

These are better than the Aged Cheddar and Horseradish and the Zesty Jalapeno, but they're still not good is the problem.  The search continues for a pickle chip I can easily find in the US.

Rating

Deep River Snacks Zesty Jalapeno

More Deep River chips courtesy of my mom who spotted them and snagged them for me.  Today's chip is the Zesty Jalapeno flavor.  I've never tried Jalapeno chips before (zesty or otherwise) so it'll be an interesting experience.  I like spice if it's the right spice - flavorful, not just painful.

They don't smell like anything much, but as I've learned, that doesn't always mean much.  They seem almost a sickly green color and have weird brown speckles on them.  Excellent!

But what do they taste like?
It just tastes like spicy nothingness.  Ow.  Nothing that burns my mouth.  Ow.  These are definitely spicy, but they don't have any sort of flavor at the same time.  It's very disconcerting!   And it's burning my mouth still.  I only tried one chip to start and there's still spicy pain everywhere.  I wish I had more to describe about these, but the only defining feature at the moment is that they 'are quite spicy'.

I keep eating them in the hopes that I'll taste something else, but these is really nothing to these other than that they are extremely spicy.  I can't keep eating these - they're burning my mouth and it's the kind of burn that will probably last for a bit, too.  It's like Deep River decided 'Jalapenos are spicy... ok that's thinking enough - put these into production!' because it is just spice.

I'm not sure what other Zesty Jalapeno chips taste like, but if they're anything like this then I'm pretty disappointed.  These were definitely not the chips for me, though I do like the kettle cooked crunchiness that Deep River has going on.

Rating: