Tag: Chex Mix

2020 Update: We also tried the Chili Jalapeno flavor! Click here to read our review.

Hi, my name is Vin, and I was a recovering Chex Mix addict.

I don’t mean to make light, but that’s actually true. I’ve been trying to cut back on my sodium intake lately, and one of the main staples of my prior diet was Chex Mix – always Chex Mix. I never left the supermarket without a bag in my cart.

To me, every Chex Mix variety (besides Bold Party) has fallen on a scale between “damn good” and “ambrosia.” No hyperbole here, I love this stuff. They’re my favorite snack, and I was slowly kicking the habit.

That is until Chex Mix kicked back by releasing new MAX’D flavors. You didn’t think I’d skip out on these MAX’D flavors now did ya?

Of course not, you have no idea who I am. You don’t think about me at all.

Chex Mix MAX’D come in two exciting flavors – Buffalo Ranch and Spicy Dill.

There’s no “E” in MAX’D, so to remember that, I made up this lame mnemonic for ya:

The thing that sets MAX’D apart are the “flavor blasted” pieces, which are interesting, to say the least.

Buffalo is hit or miss for me, but ranch never fails. I went into these literally and figuratively thinking it was a mixed bag.

The mix consists of amazing Ranch Chex pieces that reminded me of the Sour Cream and Onion Chex, which are “ambrosia” tier. You also get standard pumpernickel chips, pretzels, and baffling “Flavor Blasted” Buffalo Chex pieces.

It’s a milder Buffalo flavor than you’d probably expect, and it packs some nice heat. They blend in perfectly with the Ranch pieces, but these blasted Chex are such a strange textural experience.

They are exactly like Muddy Buddies, except savory. For some reason, my brain had a hard time with this concept. The powder-caked pieces hit my tongue and I wanted a sugar rush every time, not the exact opposite.

The Spicy Dill blasted Chex also threw me for that same loop. They smelled and tasted like pickles, but that was perhaps a bit short-lived, as the dill got overtaken by the corresponding “Spicy” Chex pieces. This mix is hotter than Buffalo Ranch. They’re a bit too hot – not quite the Ghost Pepper I reviewed, but almost there.

You also get pretzels and cheese crackers, which I prefer to the bagel chips. These ingredients help to neutralize the burn a bit, but I wish the dill pieces were cooler, creamier, and maybe not flavor blasted.

I expected to prefer the pickle flavor, but the Buffalo Ranch won me over. They’re still both pretty “damn good,” but I don’t think I’ll be safe from a Chex Mix relapse for a while. Also, keep in mind my dumb brain couldn’t comprehend the spicy Muddy Buddy MAX’D pieces, and that’s probably clouding my judgment. I’m still confused.

I need more opinions, so give em a try.

Purchased Price: $2.50 each
Size: 8.75 oz. bag
Purchased at: 7-Eleven
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Buffalo Ranch), 6 out of 10 (Spicy Dill)
Nutrition Facts: (1/2 cup) Buffalo Ranch – 140 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 280 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. Spicy Dill – 140 calories, 4 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 320 milligrams of sodium, 23 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

I like to think of myself as being an extreme type of person.

For example, when I’m getting tattooed, it never hurts enough, so I pay someone to punch me in the face while the artist is making their skin doodles. I also like to skateboard… down a mountain, while simultaneously juggling a tiger and a bear, which are fighting to the death. When I go to the bar and order a beer, I take the bottle from the bartender, chug the beer, and break the bottle on the head of the guy next to me, usually resulting in a giant Roadhouse-esque bar brawl. When I put my clothes in the dryer, I don’t use dryer sheets.

Okay, so none of those are true. They are just things I say to try and impress girls on Tinder (they don’t work very well, either). I’m only extreme in what I eat. So naturally I was drawn to Chex Mix Xtreme Habanero Lime.

Why do companies always use “Xtreme” rather than just the correctly spelled “extreme”? They may as well just spell everything else wrong, too. Checks Myx Xtreme Abbaniro Lym. Ugh, I care too much sometimes.

So the mix is a pretty typical one, containing corn Chex, wheat Chex, circle and square pretzels, bagel chips (at least that’s what I believe them to be) and these god-awful, crunchy Cheetos-shaped disasters. I guess they can just be called corn puffs?

Though the mix is Habanero Lime flavored, there is actually other peppers at play here, as jalapeño and red bell pepper flavors are present along with the habanero. Then there’s a lime flavor to throw in, and the resulting taste is like Cool Ranch Doritos dipped in hot sauce. Every ingredient except the pretzels has the spice on them.

It starts off spicy, and once you bite into it you really get the lime taste, and it sort of cools things down a bit. You’ll still have a bit of spiciness lingering in your mouth after you have a few handfuls but you’ll never be left needing water or anything. And by the way, you really shouldn’t drink water if you are trying to get the spicy taste out of your mouth. Instead, go for a cucumber, or a banana.

The mix is great, but really it is great only without the corn puffs.

The crunchy Cheetos-shaped abominations are the least spicy of everything, probably because they don’t retain much of the seasoning, and they are also the most disgusting. I cannot describe how much I hate those awful things. They are very dry and crunchy, but don’t provide much else. It’s like if you stripped the cheese off Cheetos and they were just corn puffs. But why would anybody want to do that? You get a tiny bit of flavor out of the seasoning, but it is not enough to make up for the fact that… well, to make up for the fact that they are useless and should not be in the bag in the first place.

I have eaten many varieties of Chex Mix, but these corn puffs are the single most out-of-place item I have found in any mix. I wish they had kept the mini breadsticks in the mix and not put in the corn puffs. It would have been exceptional, as opposed to just being pretty good.

If I was stranded on an island and the only thing I had to eat was the corn puffs, I would just make a swim for it. Okay, so I wouldn’t really swim for it because I’m not extreme enough and have an overwhelming fear of sharks and jellyfish, but I still would not eat them!

Looking past the annoying spelling of “extreme” and the corn puffs, this Chex Mix is a really nice addition to the ever-growing group.

(Nutrition Facts – 2/3 cup – 140 calories, 40 calories from fat, 4.5 grams of total fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 230 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrate, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.)

Item: Chex Mix Xtreme Habanero Lime Snack Mix
Purchased Price: $2.69
Size: 8 oz. bag
Purchased at: Hy-Vee
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Seasoning is just the right amount of spicy. Skateboarding down a mountain while juggling a fighting tiger and bear. Roadhouse.
Cons: Corn puffs are gross. Fear of jellyfish. Realizing that you are, in fact, not extreme at all.