Paqui – Cool Salsa Verde

I’ve long wondered why I gravitate towards the things that I do. I like to think that I’m merely a human, who as irrational as humans are apt to be, still follows a grand pattern. I’ve spent many waking hours, and sleepless nights trying to figure out what that pattern is so that I can potentially understand myself better. Alas, I have yet to uncover those not-so-universal truths about myself. Sometimes, I wonder if in trying to discover the pattern, my subconscious rebels and says “Just to mess with you, I’m going to make this random choice and throw away any semblance of a pattern”. But perhaps that in itself is a pattern?

These are the kinds of thoughts that swim through my head, even as I peruse down my local grocery store aisle, deciding what snack to pick. It just so happens that in this very case, it wasn’t all that random, and was mostly driven by the price tag. For you see, I am a bear of simple means, and if I can save an easy buck here or there, why not?

Changing things up, I’ve got a snack that while not local, hails from much closer to my side of the equator. Paqui is a relatively new brand in the universe of tortilla chips, hailing from Austin, Texas. Their claim to fame, and how most people found out about them was their infamous One Chip Challenge. In a clever bit of marketing, they sold single chips in interesting packaging. That single chip was covered in Carolina reaper and ghost pepper spicing, and even came with plastic gloves, lest you burn the rest of your face by accidentally touching the dust to it. I personally have never desired to do so, because I’m not a spice fiend and I like when fire doesn’t come out both ends. That clever bit of marketing has allowed them to expand their empire and move into other flavours as well.

Today’s flavour is the Cool Salsa Verde. This isn’t my first experience with them. I tried their Haunted Ghost Pepper flavour, and while the spice was quite strong, it was short-lived. That being said, I couldn’t eat more than a serving size (of 10 pieces) in one sitting or my stomach would start to feel off. Flavour aside, their chips were nice and solid, and I enjoyed the texture.

Apart from the interesting artwork, the first thing I notice is all the extra labels like non-GMO, gluten-free, etc. Some people might be fooled by the whole “no artificial flavours or colours”, but not me. I’m onto you food label marketeers. Natural flavours just means that the flavour is arrived at through natural processes, it doesn’t necessarily make it any healthier. It’s kind of like the whole crusade against gluten. I’m going to stop myself here before I get into a whole thing about gluten and ingredient labeling. Ugh.

Ranting aside, these chips are marketed as a premium tortilla chip, using “good” ingredients and such. Skimming through the ingredient label, most of it seems above board apart from “natural flavours”, but I’ll let it slide. I don’t think I’m experienced enough to really describe or nail down the tomatillo flavour, which is a big part of salsa verde. I just kind of have a vague idea of the general flavour profile of dishes that use it. Not helpful, I know. My experience is that salsa verde tends to be a bit more mild, and tangier. Sadly, I don’t tend to see it served in the places available to me, which is something I’d like to change. Enough talk, I’m getting hangry.

Just like with any other bag of chips, there’s a lot of real estate allocated to air. Unlike a lot of people, I’m not complaining because I get why they do it. Sure it adds a little bit of weight, but it’s also how they mitigate that transport damage. I’d much rather have a few chips less, than have more chips but a majority of them a crushed, dusty mess. I don’t like Cheetos dust THAT much.

The smell off these chips is delightful. I’m not really sure how to describe them other than, “familiar”. It reminds me of when I get a fresh taco and load it up with sour cream and salsa, and squeeze a pinch of lime on top. It also reminds me of another snack I’m a big fan of – Takis! The chips look like your typical tortilla chip, and by typical I mean average non-Dorito chip. You know, the ones that look like they actually took a tortilla, cut it into slices and fried them. It looks like they are fairly well seasoned as well, so let’s see how they taste.

Taste wise, these are pretty on point. The first thing I get is that delightful sour cream flavour, which reminds me a bit of sour cream and onion, and then I get the other flavours like the tomatillo and onions. There’s a bit of a tanginess from the lime and the sour cream, and it’s a nice way to finish the chip with. The The only thing is that these are a bit on the saltier side, so have a drink close by. These don’t have much kick but after a few pieces you might feel some kick. Very mild though, which is great for a spice pansy like me.

Texturally, they aren’t too thick, but substantial enough to appreciate a nice crunch without falling to pieces or crumbling everywhere. Again, it’s like they took actual tortillas, sliced them, then fried them, instead of reconstituting ground up corn powder into a triangle. Just sayin’.

On a slightly unrelated note, the more I eat these, the more I realize part of why I enjoy them is that they have a nostalgic flavour that I couldn’t pinpoint. Upon further reflection, pondering and crunching, I have finally realized why. I’ll date myself by saying this, but they are very reminiscent of a long discontinued flavour of Doritos called Taco Supreme. I don’t remember too much about this flavour other than it had a very distinct, but tasty flavour to it and was intended to be a cross promotion with Taco Bell. I was devastated when they discontinued the product, and I never really found anything that came close to that same flavour. While this particular Salsa Verde by Paqui isn’t exactly like that, it reminds me a lot of the long lost flavour, and I appreciate it all the more because of it.

If I wasn’t trying to eat healthier, I would go back and buy another bag of this stuff. It’s a bit on the pricier side when it’s not on sale, but even then I would say it’s worth it to try something a bit more premium than the usual offerings you find in grocery stores. I like this flavour a lot, but that’s because I like the tanginess of the sour cream and lime. I know a few people that are put off by that, so be warned if you don’t like that tart, tangy flavour. This brand has left a good impression with me overall so far, and I look forward to trying some of their other varieties.