Spicy Snack Roundup: Late Night Loaded Taco and Chimichurri Lime Doritos, HEB Korean BBQ Chips, Julio’s Zesty Chile Lime Tortilla Chips

My latest snack roundup includes two limited-time selections along with one that has been around for a while. And two of these may be hard to find outside of Texas.

Doritos Head2Head Late Night Loaded Taco and Chimichurri Lime Chips: Doritos is joining the Formula 1 pit crew, and it has come out with “Head2Head” combinations that I guess are supposed to represent a “race” between the two flavors. This selection includes the Late Night Loaded Taco, which has been around for a while, as well as the new Chimichurri Lime flavor. The former delivers some throwback taste to the classic Taco Flavor Doritos (more on those here), and I have enjoyed them when they were sold on their own. The Chimichurri Lime chips have maybe a little bit of an herbaceous kick, but they remind me more of the Doritos Salsa Verde flavor and not so much of that South American condiment.

As for the heat, the Late Night Loaded Taco has very little bite, and Chimichurri Lime barely gets to Mild on my scale, so together they are below the Mild mark. But while these definitely will not be your choice if you are looking for some burn, they are still quite tasty. As mentioned, I have enjoyed the Late Night Loaded Taco on its own, and I love the Salsa Verde (which delivers more of a kick than the Chimichurri Lime), so blending the two together works pretty well even if it does not deliver too much heat. These are a limited-time offering linked to Formula 1 events, so I am not sure if they will stick around very long. You can find them at most places that sell the Doritos line.

HEB Korean BBQ Ridged Potato Chips: Korean BBQ is all the rage these days, and HEB has had this flavor in its rotating limited-time selection of chips for at least a year, if not more. These have an immediate sweetness but not to the point that it is cloying. There is a little bit of barbecue smokiness along with a definite note of that funk you expect from the gochujang condiment (which is central to Korean BBQ). And since they are ridged (similar to Ruffles), they have a good crunch with not too many broken pieces in the bag. This is definitely not your typical barbecue chip, and some may find it off-putting with its Asian twist. But I rather like it, and I generally pick these up when available.

The heat is slight, barely getting to Mild on my scale. But it does have a lingering tingle that is rather nice. This may not count as a go-to chip, but it offers a nice change of pace, which works out well seeing as it only spends a limited time on the shelves. These are available at HEB locations, though I am not certain how much longer their current cycle will last.

Julio’s Zesty Chile Lime Tortilla Chips: Julio’s Freakin’ Hot Chips (you can read my review of those here) are my go-to these days when I am looking for something similar to the discontinued Paqui Haunted Ghost Pepper Chips (more on why those disappeared here). And I have been working my way through the other selections in their tortilla chip lineup, recently picking up a bag of the Zesty Chile Lime flavor.

These hit with a strong lime taste, bringing the tartness you would expect with very little sweetness to counterbalance it. There is a nice peppery kick, though, which offsets that pucker to an extent, along with maybe just a hint of smoke from the chipotle. They don’t have the sourness that you get from the Lay’s Fiery Hot flavor (which I am not a huge fan of), and despite the strong lime taste, it works well with the chili pepper and seasonings, along with the rustic taste of the tortilla chip, to create a rather addicting snack.

You feel some heat right away, but it won’t send you screaming from the room (see their Freakin’ Hot Chips for that). It does build up to about Medium on my scale and fills your mouth with a nice warmth. These offer another good selection from this company, and seeing as they are typically cheaper than the name brands (usually around three to four bucks per bag), I will definitely be picking them up again. This is a Texas-based company, and you can find these in most stores in the state, but I am not certain how available they are throughout the rest of the country. If you can’t track them down at your local grocer, you can buy the chips as well as their seasonings and salsas directly from their website.

Nutrition Info:

Doritos Head2Head Late Night Loaded Taco and Chimichurri Lime Chips

Ingredients: corn, vegetable oil (corn, canola, soybean, and/or sunflower oil), and less than 2% of spices, corn maltodextrin, salt, garlic powder, sugar, onion powder, natural flavors, yeast extract, potassium salt, tomato powder, sour cream (cultured cream, skim milk), whey, citric acid, lime juice concentrate, vinegar, cream, cheddar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), butter (cream, salt), paprika extract (color), and swiss cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes). contains milk ingredients.

Serving Size: 28g (about 12 chips)
Calories: 140
Fat: 7g (1g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 2g
Carbs: 17g
Sodium: 130mg

HEB Korean BBQ Ridged Potato Chips:

Ingredients: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Contains One or More of the Following: Cottonseed Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Safflower Oil, and/or Sunflower Oil), Sugar, Salt, Citric Acid, Spices, Canola Oil, Silicon Dioxide, Paprika Extract, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavor, Natural Smoke Flavor.

Serving Size: 28g (about 12 chips)
Calories: 150
Fat: 9g (1.5g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 1g
Carbs: 16g
Sodium: 210mg

Julio’s Zesty Chile Lime Tortillas

Ingredients: Tortilla chips (corn, corn oil, water, lime), seasoning (corn starch, salt, sugar, citric acid, chipotle pepper, paprika, onion powder, cayenne pepper, yeast extract, vinegar powder (maltodextrin, white distilled vinegar), tomato powder, torula yeast, malic acid, paprika extract, natural flavor, lime oil, tartaric acid), *calcium silicate (pravent caking)

Serving Size: 30g (about 12 chips)
Calories: 150
Fat: 5g (1.5g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 3g
Carbs: 21g
Sodium: 203mg