Tag: Takis

REVIEW: Takis Buckin’ Ranch

Marvo 1 Comment

Last year, Takis did the unthinkable. It made a non-spicy flavor — Intense Nacho. For a brand known for fiery product names like Fuego, Blue Heat, and Nitro, it seemed that Takis either ran out of ideas and/or names for spicy products or lost a bet. But coming out with a heat-free flavor was a good bet because it’s a good product. Now, Takis is following it up with Buckin’ Ranch.

Oh, come on, autocorrect! Are you going to swap the B with an F every time I type buckin’? Well, you also turned that one into an F, so I guess that’s the case. Do I type that word often enough that it’s the default if I try to spell something close to it, or does Siri swear like a sailor? What about ducking? Seriously? That changed, too. How about tucking? Maji? I guess it’s rare that I type tucking, and T is close to F, so it makes sense. Ugh!

While my autocorrect inflames me, this flame-less Takis doesn’t. It influences me to buy more.

Let’s rewind a bit to the issue I had with the Takis Intense Nacho rolled tortilla chips. While good, I was disappointed by how the cheesiness wasn’t as intense as I would’ve liked, and the seasoning faded too quickly*. But that’s not the case with Buckin’ Ranch. It’s bold and perhaps has a more potent flavor than Cool Ranch Doritos, and it sticks around. Also, after eating a few of them, they leave a satisfying thick layer of ranch seasoning on my fingers that serve as a nice after snack snack.

These crunchy rolled tortilla chips are as addictive as Cool Ranch Doritos. Yeah, I said it! I inhaled a 9.9-ounce bag in one sitting while watching an episode of some TV show and felt guilty about it for a second because I forgot to take photos for this review. Thankfully, Takis sent two bags. However, I like this so much that I wish it came in the large adult pillow-sized bags you’d find at Costco or Sam’s Club so that I can inhale one while watching a movie at home. Also, I wonder what it would taste like if this ranch seasoning was combined with Takis’ spicier varieties.

Takis Buckin’ Ranch is bucking great. Oh, now you decide to change the F with a B, autocorrect! Thanks.

*Takis did eventually add more cheesiness to them.

DISCLOSURE: I received free product samples from Takis. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 9.9 oz bag
Purchased at: Received from Takis
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz/about 10 pieces) 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 200 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Takis Dragon Sweet Chili

Marvo 3 Comments

Instead of making spicier products, Takis has recently been making tamer ones to grab the taste buds of more snackers. Earlier this year, it released a line of non-spicy snacks called Intense Nacho that don’t cause your mouth to wish it had a built-in fire suppression system. The brand’s newest product, Dragon Sweet Chili, is significantly spicier than the heatless Intense Nacho but less hot than Takis’ most popular flavors.

Fuego, Nitro, and Blue Heat all have an “Extreme” level of heat, but these Dragon Sweet Chili chips are one step below that and are rated “Hot” by the unscientific thermometer on the side of the bag that all Takis flavors have. Unlike Fuego, these sweet and spicy chips will not make you think your taste buds have been burned off or that you’ve just made out with all the gods and goddesses of fire (there are many of them). After eating an entire bag with my lunch, there was no overwhelming desire to stick my mouth under a Slurpee spigot to cool it down, but my head did sweat a bit.

Their initial flavor reminded me of Fritos Honey BBQ Flavor Twists, which is my favorite Fritos variety and not at all spicy. However, by the third chip, the taste morphed into something a bit more unique, with the garlic powder and cayenne peppers making themselves more noticeable. Throughout it all, the sweetness remained and helped cut through the spiciness.

So how does this compare with a similarly named flavor from a famous competing chip brand that I will not name here? (But you can probably figure it out by looking at the photo below.)

Well, these Takis are spicier, sweeter, and, um, chili-er than the other chip. Also, despite their somewhat similar names, their flavor profiles are entirely different, with the other having a strong soy sauce taste. Of the two, I prefer the Takis.

Dragon Sweet Chili chips have a lot of flavor, a decent level of heat, and their spiciness doesn’t get in the way of the sweet chili pepper seasoning. While they don’t have an extreme level of heat, they do have an extremely great flavor.

DISCLOSURE: I received free product samples from Takis. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 3.25 oz bag
Purchased at: Received from Takis
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz/about 12 pieces) 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 150 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar (including 1 gram of added sugar), and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Takis Intense Nacho

Marvo 2 Comments

It’s weird that the Takis Intense Nacho line is not spicy.

It’s not as weird as having something called pickleball become a national sensation, but after having many spicy varieties and being known for products that burn, it seems so out of character for Takis to offer something tame that it makes me worry about its well-being. Maybe the brand has run out of new spicy product ideas? If that’s the case, I’ve got one — Flamango, a sweet and spicy rolled tortilla chip with a splash of mango that’s pink colored and bent in the middle. Feel free to take it, Barcel.

Takis Intense Nacho seasoning is available on three products — original Takis rolled tortilla chips, Waves Potato Chips, and POP! Popcorn. After tasting all three, I’m surprised they have noticeably different nacho intensities.

Takis POP! Intense Nacho Popcorn

Let’s start with the one that can truly call itself “intense nacho” the most — Takis POP! To be honest, I’m surprised about this because there’s less surface area for seasoning on popcorn. But then again, maybe I shouldn’t be because popcorn has a milder flavor than fried chips, and kernels have nooks and crannies where the seasoning can be trapped. Anyhoo, the cheesy and salty nacho dust pops on these, and there’s also a slight tanginess that I didn’t notice with the other products. Surprisingly, this was my favorite of the three. Oh, a few other things. I’ve never had Takis POP! before, but I was stunned by how small-ish the kernels were. Also, these don’t have a cheesy aroma, which I thought was weird.

Size: 2 oz bag
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 package) 350 calories, 27 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 7 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 14 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 790 milligrams of sodium, 23 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

Takis Intense Nacho Rolled Tortilla Chips

Lower on the Intense Nacho spectrum is regular Takis. With my initial bites, I thought these were less cheesy than the Waves. But after comparing them again a day later, my taste buds thought differently. My original opinion was probably based on how the corn chip overwhelms my taste buds once I get a few chews in. There’s an initial cheesy burst, and it lingers somewhat, but it quickly yields to the flavor of the corn. So I wish that cheesiness was a bit more lasting. Of course, these have the typical Takis rolled tortilla chip crunch.

Size: 3.25 oz bag
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz/about 10 pieces) 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 3 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 2.5 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

Takis Waves Intense Nacho Potato Chips

When I first took a whiff of these in the bag, I wondered if they would be spicy because they have a chile con queso-like aroma. Of course, they’re not, but these chips taste like queso, but with heat that never shows up as if they’ve been made with neutered jalapeños. I do like the flavor, but at the same time I’m not sure “intense” is the best word to use to describe its cheesiness, which is noticeably less cheesy than the regular Takis and popcorn. Also, much like Takis POP!, this is my first time trying Waves and my impression of them is that they have a crunch similar to Lay’s Wavy chips.

Size: 2.5 oz bag
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz/about 14 pieces) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 2.5 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 5 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 160 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

Overall, Takis’ tangent into non-spicy snacks is off to a good start, and this Intense Nacho line doesn’t make me want to say Takis needs to stay in its lane and continue to burn our mouths with flavors that may have names like Hotocado, an overly spicy guacamole flavor on an avocado-shaped and green-colored chip. (Yes, I know there’s already has a guacamole flavor. Feel free to take this idea too, Barcel.) I like these enough that I’m curious if there will be other non-spicy flavors.

DISCLOSURE: I received free product samples from Takis. Doing so did not influence my review.

REVIEW: Totino’s Takis Fuego Mini Snack Bites

Marvo 7 Comments

Totino s Takis Fuego Mini Snack Bites Bag

Totino’s Takis Fuego Mini Snack Bites’ ingredients list is CVS receipt-long. While coupons can make the drugstore’s receipts reach outstanding lengths, it’s ingredients that end with -ate that help the list take up more than one-fourth of the bag’s real estate on the back.

Totino s Takis Fuego Mini Snack Bites Ingredients

While I won’t type out verbatim the ingredients list, I will do so with the product’s description on the front of the bag. These mini snacks are hot chili pepper & lime seasoned bites with a cheezy imitation mozzarella filling.

If you’re familiar with Takis Fuego Rolled Tortilla Chips, you’d know they are entirely red, giving them a striking look. Unfortunately, these bites are partially coated in a red seasoning, making them look tame.

Totino s Takis Fuego Mini Snack Bites Frozen

Their preparation can be done in the microwave or oven.

Depending on your microwave’s power, it takes between 1 minute 10 seconds to 1 minute 40 seconds to heat up a serving. The oven instructions involve preheating to 375 degrees, placing a layer on a baking sheet, and baking for 9 to 11 minutes for a half bag or 11 to 14 minutes for the whole bag.

Like most frozen foods with conventional and microwave oven instructions, doing it the long way creates an optimal product. However, there’s not a significant difference between the two preparations.

When microwaved, they’re kind of, well, squishy, which is the opposite of what Takis are. That’s sort of expected when microwaving without some sort of special crisping sleeve. From a conventional oven, they’re still squishy, but there’s some crispiness at the seams.

Totino s Takis Fuego Mini Snack Bites Frozen Microwaved

A lot of that squishiness comes from the cheezy imitation mozzarella filling. Thanks to every pizza commercial made, mozzarella is thought of as a stretchy cheese when a slice is pulled from a pizza. But what’s in these snack bites have a creamy not-quite-ready gelatin texture that I’ve never experienced before with any kind of mozzarella product.

Takis Fuego’s hot chili pepper and lime seasoning stands out on my taste buds and in the aroma that fills my nostrils as they come out of whatever oven I decide. A mild spiciness accompanies the peppery flavor, and the citrus enhances both.

The white filling, which has a slight cheesy tang, tempers the Fuego flavor. It’s also a tad sweet, which is a little weird. Somewhere in the ingredients list, there’s “dried cream cheese,” which might be the cause of everything odd about the filling. I also want to say its taste brings Laughing Cow cheese to mind.

Overall, I love the seasoning on Totino’s Takis Fuego Mini Snack Bites. However, I was expecting it to be a little spicier. I’m less sold on the cheezy filling. It tastes fine and sort of works with the peppery and citrus coating, but I don’t know if others will be as forgiving.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free sample of the product. (Thanks, Totino’s!) Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 13.9 oz bag
Purchased at: Received from Totino’s
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (13 bites) 230 calories, 9 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 640 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Volcano Queso and Scorpion BBQ Takis

Marvo 1 Comment

Limited Edition Volcano Queso and Scorpion BBQ Takis

Because Photoshop exists, I will not be posting on the internet pictures of my face with my blue-green colored tongue to show Limited Edition Volcano Queso and Scorpion BBQ Takis’ new color-changing effect.

But I will post my thoughts about how two limited time only tortilla chips taste.

Limited Edition Volcano Queso Takis

Volcano Queso is described as habanero pepper cheese flavored tortilla chips. With it including habanero, I was expecting the spiciness to be a bit more extreme. But I found the heat level to be less than anything with Flamin’ Hot seasoning. The cheese seasoning tastes like nacho cheese, so when combined with the habanero, the combo is like chili con queso, which is expected with a name like Volcano Queso.

Not having a habanero-level of heat was, at first, a little disappointing. But after eating a few more, I didn’t care about that because I realized these chips are fantastic just the way they are.

Limited Edition Scorpion BBQ Takis

While the Volcano Queso met my cheesy expectations, Scorpion BBQ was **researching scorpions** all metasoma, no venom. I assumed with the word “Scorpion” in its name that the snack would provide some burn. Instead, they have a slight kick.

No, “slight kick” is too strong of a phrase to accurately describe it.

It’s as if I was moving around rocks, and underneath one of those rocks was a scorpion, which freaked me out and caused me to accidentally drop the stone on the scorpion, squashing it. The feeling I notice with these Takis is as if the ghost of that scorpion stung me with its ghost tail, which made me think, “Did I feel something? Nah.”

The barbecue flavor is smoky, slightly sweet, and if you eat enough, you’ll probably also feel as if you might’ve gotten tapped by a ghost scorpion, but it’s also kind of blah. Scorpion BBQ was definitely a letdown in terms of spiciness and flavor.

Now let’s go back to the color-changing effect. I understand having my tongue turn blue-green definitely contrasts the color of the rolled tortilla chips. But I wish the Volcano Queso turned my tongue orange and the Scorpion BBQ made my mouth black.

Overall, get the Volcano Queso Takis if you love chili con queso, but you can skip Scorpion BBQ, even if you love BBQ.

Purchased Price: Way too much on eBay
Size: 9.9 oz bags
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Volcano Queso), 5 out of 10 (Scorpion BBQ)
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz) Volcano Queso – 140 calories, 8 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 160 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. Scorpion BBQ – 140 calories, 8 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 140 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.