Corn Nuts – Jalapeno Cheddar
As I work my way through the corn nuts catalogue, I come to a flavour that I slightly dread. I know a lot of people who enjoy a lot of heat say things like Hot Cheetos and Fuego Takis are spicy, but those weren’t particularly hot for me, so I can’t tell if it’s a toned down version that we get here in the Frigid North, or I have some weird tolerance to that kind of spice flavouring. This does give me slight hope that jalapeno cheddar isn’t going to burn my face off. Then again, jalapeno snacks seem to be hotter to me than ghost pepper snacks, which is kind of weird when I think about it. Maybe it’s a proportion thing?
The smell of fried corn is only slightly masked by the jalapeno cheddar powder. Jalapeno as a flavour is always a hard thing for me to pin down. I can tell what the flavour is, but I’m not sure how to describe it. For whatever reason, there’s a slightly sweet, banana after taste to it. I’m not sure if it’s just me, I imagine the cheddar will help to cut the heat a bit. Or maybe it might add to it. I’m really not sure what I’m in for.
These are quite spicy for a mass market snack. Even the previous chili picante flavour wasn’t this hot. It’s certainly got the jalapeno flavour, but not much cheddar, and a whole lot of burning. I’m actually sweating from my scalp as we speak after just a handful of these. Yikes.While burning is the most obvious flavour here, there are moments where the heat subsides enough for me to taste everything else. There’s the distinct jalapeno flavour which is like an earthy pepper, but for some reason reminds me of banana as well. I’m beginning to think it’s just me.
These are great for people who want a swift kick in the tongue, as these really are quite spicy compared to the other standard snacks I’m used to. This is also more of a stick-to-your-tongue kind of spicy than the throat spicy I’m used to, so in a way it’s good as it slows my pace down. It’s hard to snack through the heat and pain. Which is kind of shame if I’m being honest, since most of the fun of corn nuts is similar to popcorn; taking handfuls and shoving them down your gullet at once. This is spicy enough that it kind of goes against that and forces portion control for fear of touching the flame.
The texture of corn nuts as a whole is what brings me back – they are hard enough that if you bite down in a wrong way, it most likely will take a tooth with it. But the crunch when you bite into it is so satisfying and tasty that it’s hard to not eat these by the handful. It’s like a high risk, high reward snack – the more you put in your mouth, the more likely you’ll lose a tooth or hurt yourself, but the tastier it will be.
While I recommend corn nuts in general, I would say this particular flavour is really only for those who enjoy heat. This one is part of the few snacks so spicy that it actually hurts a little. If you’re into that though, these are a clear winner.
