Bottom Line: Paqui Jalapeno Tropicale Chips could certainly be hotter, but they are still quite tasty and worth a try.
When it comes to spicy snacks, Paqui’s Haunted Ghost Chili Chips really bring the heat (more on those here). So I keep an eye out for other varieties from this Austin-based company, and I pick them up when I see something I have not tried yet. Just recently, I found a bag of their Jalapeno Tropicale Chips at my local CVS (which surprisingly has some good options when it comes to spicy snacks) and I grabbed those up.
These chips have a snap of fruitiness to them as you might expect from something with “tropicale” in the name. Not too much, though, as that pineapple powder (didn’t know that was a thing) comes through to deliver just a bit of a flavor twist. Then the other seasonings step up to make these reminiscent of salsa-flavored chips. There is a little bit of sweetness that is balanced by both the seasoning and the heat, and that brings everything together to make these quite tasty. If you were to call these Pineapple Salsa chips, that would work for me.
Paqui makes it a point to warn you about how hot these chips are, claiming that “the heat is not sugar-coated”. (Though cane sugar is in the ingredients, so . . . it really is.) The gauge on the bag also has the needle pointing right at “Hot”. And while the warnings do apply on the bag of Ghost Chili chips (which they claim are “Freakin’ Hot”), the Jalapeno Tropicale chips will not set your mouth ablaze. I consider them to be Mild heat level at best, and even the average mortal should not struggle with them. They are actually much closer to the “Kinda Hot” level of the Zesty Salsa Verde flavor (more on those here). But the Jalapeno Tropicale chips are still quite tasty with a unique enough flavor that I would certainly buy them again.
Paqui (pronounced pah-kee) is an Aztec word that means “to be happy”. Their chips are 100% Non-GMO with no artificial ingredients, flavors or preservatives, and they are also Gluten free, Vegan, and contain no trans-fat. (But could somebody please tell me what “expeller-pressed” canola oil is?) The company is located here in Texas, but the chips are available in other parts of the country. You can check and see if they are on sale near you with the store locator on their website.
Tale of the Tape
Ingredients: Ground corn, expeller-pressed canola and/or sunflower oil, organic tapioca solids, sea salt, cane sugar, green bell pepper powder, yeast extract, onion powder, jalapeno pepper, pineapple powder, garlic powder, spices, chipotle pepper powder, citric acid (for flavor), paprika extract, natural flavor
Serving Size: 28g (About 10 Chips)
Calories: 140
Fat: 7g (1g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 2g
Carbs: 18g
Sodium: 190mg