Back in the ‘90s, Doritos came out with its latest twist on the beloved snack food and introduced Doritos 3D’s which came in three different flavors: Jalapeno Cheddar, Nacho Cheese, and Zesty Ranch. And while many people gobbled those up (including myself), they were not able to sustain themselves as a top seller and eventually were discontinued in the early 2000s (though they briefly returned in 2015 as Doritos 3D Jacked and they continued making them in Mexico).
Well, Frito-Lay’s (who owns Doritos) is rectifying their mistake and has brought these back in two (sort of) new flavors: Chili Cheese Nacho and Spicy Ranch. The name is also a little different than the original version as these are called 3D Crunch as opposed to just 3D. Seeing as the original 3D Doritos were a particular favorite of mine back in the day, I picked up a bag of the Chili Cheese Nacho flavor to see how they measured up.
They have the expected cheesiness with a hint of chili (the dish, not the pepper). There’s just a little bit of heat, more than regular Nacho Cheese Doritos but nothing that will set your mouth on fire. A Flaming Hot version of these might be nice, or I would particularly like them to bring back the Jalapeno Cheddar flavor. They have a good taste and the expected crunch, but when it comes right down to it, these are basically just Bugles with the big end closed.
Now my memory isn’t the greatest, but I don’t recall the original Doritos 3D’s being so similar to Bugles (which are owned by General Mills, by the way). I seem to recall that they had a thinner shell. And the smaller versions that were sold in the can definitely had a thinner shell. But then they were referred to as “Doritos meets Bugles” when they first came out, so maybe my memory is fuzzy.
if you like Bugles, you will probably like these. Though Bugles have more flavors to pick from (including the Bold BBQ and the Hot Buffalo), and given the choice I prefer their Nacho Cheese flavor over the Doritos 3D Crunch Chili Cheese Nacho. Though it does seem that not as much of the spice coating on the chips comes off in your hands, so that’s a plus.
Interestingly enough, one of the alleged reasons Doritos discontinued the 3D line was that General Mills sued the company because of the product’s similarity to Bugles (I have no actually confirmation of that, though). This time around, these appear to almost direct clones of Bugles with just a slightly altered shape. So either Frito-Lay’s has worked out a deal with their competitor, or they have lawyered up. In any case, these offer a decent enough take on an old favorite, but a few more flavor options would be nice.
Tale of the Tape:
Ingredients: Corn Flour, Vegetable Oil (Corn, Canola, and/or Sunflower), Salt, Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Whey, Spices, Maltodextrin (Made From Corn), Monosodium Glutamate, Buttermilk, Romano Cheese (Cow’s Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Natural and Artificial Flavors, Onion Powder, Baking Soda, Whey Protein Concentrate, Tomato Powder, Citric Acid, Garlic Powder, Potassium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, Monoglycerides, Artificial Color (Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Yellow 6 Lake, Blue 2 Lake), Disodium Inosinate, and Disodium Guanylate.
Serving Size: 27 Crisps (28g)
Calories: 130
Fat: 7g (1g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 2g
Carbs: 18g
Sodium: 210mg