Late July Clasico Tortilla Chips – Jalapeno Lime
Despite being a self-proclaimed spice wimp, I rarely shy away from spicy or “hot” snacks because they supposedly pack heat. More often it’s because something is unnaturally colourful or chemical looking. And even then, it’s a tossup on how wild of a mood I’m in. I find most snacks widely available have a limit to how spicy they are, and I can usually handle it in spades. Jalapenos especially seem like a fairly safe option for me, so I figured why not?
These smell zesty. I’m honestly not sure if jalapenos have a smell. If they do, I certainly can’t discern it. These smell more like they have some sort of sour cream or dairy flavouring to them, which I’m always down for. They look kind of like if tortilla chips came in a sour cream and onion flavour. They have a light coating (in shade, not amount) and look fairly typical.
The chips may not look like much, but for whatever reason it has a pretty nice, thick crunch to them. It kind of took me by surprise, since the chips aren’t particularly large, or thick looking. For people like me who prefer a tougher, heartier crunch, these are good. If you prefer a more snappy, thinner crunch that doesn’t run the risk of stabbing you in the mouth for chewing it at a bad angle, you may not like these as much as I do.
Flavour caught me off guard at first. I was expecting the flavour to be mostly just zesty and have a hint of spice. In other words, I wasn’t expecting much flavour, or at the most, a very mild one. I was pleasantly surprised by the combination of sweet, salty and slight zest. The flavour reminds me of a dressing of sauce that uses lime juice as a base, and mixes in some cream and jalapeno for kick. What you end up with is something that has multiple flavours complementing each other for a tasty snack. The only thing I would change is to probably amp up the lime flavour. The jalapenos are pretty typical of most snacks you find these days, it’s not overly strong, and the heat will build up the more you eat, but never becomes unbearable that you feel the need to stop. Ever spice wimps (aka me) can handle this easy.
Because these are marketed as a higher end product vs the typical mass market brands, these are going to cost you. For the same price per gram, you’re paying almost twice as much. That being said, I would recommend you try these as they are different enough to warrant a go. I personally would buy these again over cheaper options, but I also prefer quality over quantity. If you need to feed a party or a big family, it might make sense to stick with the giant bags you find at Costco, and buy this one in secret, hiding it in your personal cupboard or under the bed. Not that I do that. But if I did, these would probably occupy some space in that cupboard as part of a rotation. These are good.
