Tostitos are yet another variety of chip from the ubiquitous Frito-Lay’s brand and they are basically a round version of Doritos with a slightly different taste. As with all of the chips from that company, Tostitos have had a variety of flavors and variations over the years, and the company is now teasing lovers of spicy food with the new Habanero offering.
These are bite-size Tostitos, and according to the website the chips “are seasoned with real habanero pepper to deliver the perfect amount of flavor in every bite”. I’m certainly glad they didn’t use the fake habaneros, because I hate those. Tostitos is also making the claim these are the spiciest chips they have put out so far.
So are they hot? Do you really think that a major brand that markets to the average consumer is going to tip the heat scale? Go see my comments on Lay’s Flaming BBQ Ruffles.
Upon trying these, one of the first things I noticed is that they lack that distinct taste of habanero. If not for the name of the chili on the bag, you would not associate these with habaneros. They have a pronounced lime flavor, though, as is so common in the spicy offerings from Lay’s. It’s as if they are trying to pull off the tang of lime as spicy. And based on how many products the company has out there that combines the citrus fruit with hot stuff, customers are apparently buying it.
That said, the lime added to these chips comes through more as an accent and less as the feature it seems to be in so many other Lay’s products. It is followed by a pleasant tomatoey salsa taste (powdered tomato is one of the ingredients) and a little bit of sweetness as well. The chips have a nice tang and a generally good flavor, it’s just that the name leads you to expect something else. Perhaps Salsa Lime Habanero would have been a better name? (Or Nacho Cheese Habanero? Powdered cheese and sour cream are among the extensive list of ingredients, though you don’t really taste them.)
As for the heat level, the chips do pack a bit of a kick and the heat approaches medium the more of them you eat. But as with most of the snack offerings peddled by Lay’s, don’t expect too much burn. There is some heat there, and they are rather tasty, but they don’t live up to the marketing. The average mortal may consider these hot, but chiliheads will definitely want more fire than they deliver. (Side note: they go particularly well with Secret Aardvark Habanero sauce–just happened to have a bottle next to me while I was eating them–and that definitely kicks up the heat.) Still, I liked them well enough that I would grab another bag if I see them again in the store.
Tostitos first arrived on the scene back around 1980 when Lay’s was looking to create a tortilla chip with a more authentic Mexican flavor. They proved to be a hit and are now in their fifth decade in production. The Habanero chips retail for $4.29 a bag, but Walmart is currently selling them for $2.98. There is no mention that these are in danger of getting cast to Limited-Time-Only-Ville in the near future, but that is always a possibility so you may want to grab a bad sooner rather than later.
Tale of the Tape:
Ingredients: Corn, Vegetable Oil (Corn, Canola, and/or Sunflower Oil), Maltodextrin (Made from Corn), Salt, Natural Flavors, Dextrose, Spices (Including Habanero Pepper), Whey, Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Sugar, Tomato Powder, Onion Powder, Cream, Sour Cream (Cultured Cream, Skim Milk), Garlic Powder, Paprika Extracts, Butter (Cream, Salt), Monterey Jack Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Swiss Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), and Artificial Flavors.
Serving Size: 28g (About 20 chips)
Calories: 150
Fat: 8g (1g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 2g
Carbs: 18g
Sodium: 180mg