Bottom Line: This is a tasty snack that is low on carbs and delivers a kick (though not as much heat as advertised on the bag).
Everybody is trying to go low carb these days when watching their weight, and that presents a problem when the munchies hit. Most snacks out there are high in carbs (and fat and sodium), so there are not as many options when you are avoiding the starches. But cheese crisps have become rather popular of late and offer a snack that does not pack on too many of those dreaded carbohydrates. (Sorry, the fat and sodium is still there.)
Whisps Hot & Spicy Cheese Crisps are made from 100% real Cheddar and they are basically just cheese that is baked into bite-sized pieces until crispy. These also include spicy seasoning that make them “so hot they should melt” according to the bag. That is followed by the claim that the “serious punch of heat will have your eyes watering, your mouth on fire”. I am always dubious of these claims from companies that cater to the average consumer. But I still decided to give them a try.
The Whisps seem thicker than other cheese crisps I have tried and they deliver quite a crunch, which is a good thing. You get an immediate explosion of cheese flavor when you bite into them, very similar to the crispy bits of cheese at the edge of a slice of pizza or along the sides of your macaroni and cheese casserole. There is definitely a sharpness to these that may be off-putting to some, but I rather like it. The seasoning comes through as well, and reminds me a bit of cajun spices.
The heat comes through right away and I would place it above Mild, but not quite to the point of Medium. It is definitely not the “flaming hot crunch” promised on the bag as I suspected, nor were my eyes watering or my mouth on fire. The burn lingers for a bit, but not long enough that you have to seek out something to dowse the flames. These will not satisfy someone looking for snack that brings the heat, but for a tasty munch that delivers a little kick, they work out quite well.
The problem is that those twenty three tiny crisps that make up a serving size (and tally up to 170 calories) disappear pretty quickly and you will find yourself grabbing a few more. This may be a low carb snack, but you can quickly find yourself pushing up the calories if you don’t exercise portion control. And at three to four bucks for a bag (four at World Market) that has only two servings, they are definitely not an inflation friendly snack.
I found these at World Market, and you can also locate them in your nearby Target. Whisps offer quite a number of other flavors along with snack mixes that include nuts. And these will satisfy your munchies if you are looking for something salty and crunchy that is low on the carbs. But whether they really count as healthy is debatable, especially if you keep munching beyond that 23 crisp portion.
Tale of the Tape:
Ingredients: Cheddar Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes, Annatto [Color]), Maltodextrin, Dextrose, Salt, Natural Flavors, Beet (Color), Yeast Extract, Buttermilk, Nonfat Milk, Onion Powder, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Annatto Extract, Spice, Paprika Extract, Vinegar.
Serving Size: 28g (About 23 Crisps)
Calories: 170
Fat: 13g (9g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 10g
Carbs: 2g
Sodium: 420mg