Herr's Jalapeno Cream Cheese and Hickory Barbecue

 

Products circa: July 2026

Labeled "United" and "Liberty", these are semiquincentennial products, this time Philadelphia-coded as "Flavored 4 Philly".  I have no idea how these flavors relate to the city, but Herr's is known as a fantastic regional brand located not far from it.

Jalapeno Cream Cheese: Essentially a sour cream & onion flavor, with a greenery amped up a bit by green chile, and perhaps the sour cream powder goes a bit deeper in flavor so as to be "cheese".  The heat builds up just a bit after a couple bites.  Not bad, but I won't remember these.

Hickory Barbecue: It starts as your typical barbeque flavor, but it's clear that the hickory here as a much more deep and woody flavor than your average chip.  One of the best bbq chips I've had to date.

Ruffles Buffalo Wings

 

Product circa: July 2026

Another semiquincentennial, and this time a truly quintessential (there's a pun in there somewhere) American flavor.

I've had plenty of "hot sauce" chips before, but these are among the best.  It's because they cranked up the boldness of the flavor, and also the vinegar seasoning, such that it actually evokes proper Buffalo wings.  Bravo.

Doritos 3D Crunch Chili Cheese Nacho

Product circa: 2022

These are a "re-release" of the original Doritos 3D from 1998.  I indubitably remember the originals from 1998, and these are completely different.

The originals were indeed tortilla chips that were somehow inflated during the cooking process, and the texture was sublime.

This version is more of a corn snack than a tortilla chip - think the texture of Bugles.  With that said, these are tasty.  The texture in the mouth is very pleasant, and the cheese flavor is good.  There isn't a heavy hand with the "chili" seasoning. 

 

Lay's Cheesy Buffalo Dip, Loaded Nachos, and Hot Sauce Potato Chips

 

Products circa: autumn 2025

 

As NFL season 2025-2026 is upon us, Lay's released these 3 new varieties.

 

Cheesy Buffalo Dip - A fairly simple experience.  Ultimately, the chile flavor isn't very detectable, and the heat is quite modest, and so these end up tasting like cheesy chips with a significant zing of acid.  I wouldn't reach for these again.

 

Loaded Nachos - A hodge podge of typical seasonings all thrown together.  The cheese is well tempered by a mix of savory flavors like onion, garlic, cumin, and coriander.  It tastes like a muted taco meat seasoning.  There is also jalapeno and bell pepper powder here, which I always enjoy.  There's a bit of heat that will trail at the end, as well.  But overall, all the flavors are quite muted.

 

Hot Sauce - A very well done simulacrum of hot sauce.  Heavy on vinegar, heavy on chile, which occasionally tastes like Tabasco, though I doubt they used fermented chiles in this.  I swear they used a bit of cheese powder to make these taste a bit creamy, but it's not in the ingredients list.

Pringles Wavy Pineapple Habanero

Product circa: 2021

This was a Walgreens exclusive.

Quite disappointing and lazy.  How I would describe these are having a mild barbecue seasoning with a bit of added citric acid and spiciness.  The latter two are probably meant to simulate pineapple and habanero chiles, but otherwise they are not there, in terms of flavor.

Cheetos Flamin' Hot Tangy Chili Fusion

Product circa: 2023

As suspected by the packages design, these Cheetos combine the classic Flamin’ Hot seasoning with the seasoning from Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili.

And by the way, I encourage you to try Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili while ignoring the marketing.  Smell and taste the product and discern its flavor unbiased, and I think you’ll find that it tastes like umami more than anything.  Like a soy-based potsticker dipping sauce.  I think they should have named the chips something else.  But I digress.

Like I said above, these taste exactly that the two products above combined.  Not bad.  An odd combination, but not bad.

Doritos Spicy Pineapple Jalapeno

Product circa: 2023

What a wild ride these are.

It starts with the aroma, which is a familiar green vegetal jalapeno, the likes of which I’ve encountered on other snacks.  The immediate taste is an off-putting artificial fruitiness that I can’t help but compare to a fresh-scented surface cleaning spray.  After a few chomps, once you get past the typical onion and garlic, you’ll notice a familiar pineapple flavoring, tasting identical to that which is put into the pale yellow Life Savers in a typical variety pack.

Not an ultimately pleasing combination, but I can’t deny that they took a huge swing here.

Doritos Flamin' Hot Korean-Style BBQ

 

Product circa: 2025

These had huge potential, but they fell flat.

Perhaps the most pleasant part of the experience in the first bite, where there's an immediate smokiness that reminds me of the charred beef that you'd find in Korean barbecue.  After that, the experience is mostly a combination of chile powder and what I would describe as the flavor of a dark umami-heavy Asian sauce, whether it's the kind on Korean barbecue, or even something not far from a teriyaki sauce or even a potsticker dipping sauce - slightly distinct, but also a bit bland.  There's a bit of heat too.  However, after eating a few more of these chips than I should, I start detecting a pungent flavor that borders on disgusting... I'm not sure what it is... maybe the citric acid combined with the other flavors?  Also, if you eat too many of these, the taste will stay in your mouth for hours and hours.

Lay's Cheddar Jalapeno

 

Product circa: 2020 (and later?)

Note: This is a Presumptive Ephemeral Nom

Evidently this product was a joint with John Legend?

I gotta be honest, I think most Lays varieties with cheese fall flat.  This one is no different.  You’ve got your normal cheese seasoning, and this has some added heat, along with a vaguely vegetal flavor that I’ve tasted before as trying to simulate jalapeno.  But when you squint your eyes, it’s just cheese potato chips, and forgettable.

Herr's Special Hot Stromboli

Product circa: 2025

This flavor was the winner of a potato chip flavor contest.  As a big fan of Herr's and complex chip flavors, I went into this with high hopes.  While there are a ton of flavors going on, this largely tastes, to me, like pepperoncini and cheese.  That's it.

Lay's Argentenian Style Steak

 

I'm not sure if these are regional to here in South Florida or if these are available nationally.

HALLELUJAH there is beef flavoring in these chips, and it shows.  They lead strongly with a flavored of steak, specifically charred steak.  Next up is heavy black pepper.  There are the typical aromatics like onion and garlic, and a hint of parsley which is boosted by some vinegar powder.

These are good, but they probably should have been marketed as some other product/flavoring, like "Steakhouse" or something.  If they want to mimic chimichurri, they need to get bolder on the botanicals, like parsley, garlic, chile, and citrus. 

Fritos Flavor Twists Lime & Jalapeno

Product circa: 2025

Note: This is an Presumptive Ephemeral Nom.

I love to see new flavors of the Flavor Twists.  These were a nice sight for sore eyes.

The lime is assertive, but there's a heavy sweetness that balances it very well.  You have your typical savory spices, along with buttermilk powder that gives it that fatty/cheesy flavor that it really needs with the lime.  The jalapeno isn't overly flavorful, but the heat doesn't let you ignore it.  This is probably the best lime-flavored snack I've ever had.

Doritos Golden Sriracha

 

Product circa: winter 2025

This is a Presumptive Ephemeral Nom.

A frankenstein flavor that likely uses artificial flavor compounds.  The first bite is dominated by chile (not too spicy), mustard, and savories like onion and garlic.  There is a tanginess, but also a sweetness that is almost fruity, and my guess is it's the same flavoring used in the Lay's Sweet & Spicy Honey.  Like that product, this one also has a throwaway name; I suppose the presence of chile and garlic could pose as sriracha.  Not bad, but I would never buy this again.

Pringles Hot Ones Los Calientes Verde

 

Product circa: winter 2025

I've had the sauce on which this snack is based.  The sauce isn't my favorite, but it's damn good, and a complex sauce, much more special that the average one you'd get on any store shelf.

The first taste noticeable here on first bite is the sweet tomato/molasses like character that you'd find on a barbeque chip, which frankly doesn't fit with the rest of this product at all.  It's an odd introduction.

The rest of the experience is pretty straightforward.  The majority of the flavor on this chip is an exceedingly tangy green chile, with potent heat following up the rear.  The heat from a single chip is commendable, but after a few of these go down the hatch (no pun intended), you'll realize this is the kind of heat that builds and builds.  And few more, and you'll be huffing and puffing.  These are some of the hottest mainstream chips I've ever had, and easily the hottest Pringle I've had.

Chili Cheese Fritos Jack Link's Beef Jerky

 

Product circa: 2024

What an odd crossover!

Just as it seems to promise, this is beef jerky covered in what tastes like the exact same seasoning from Chili Cheese Fritos.  It's all well and good until even the cheese becomes apparent as you chew.  Unfortunately the cheese doesn't pair well at all, and it's even a bit putrid and disgusting.

Goldfish Frank's Red Hot

 

This is a Presumptive Ephemeral Nom. 

Product circa: 2024

Regular Goldfish crackers covered in hot sauce seasoning.  The seasoning manages to taste exactly like Frank's Red Hot Sauce (I put that shit on everything!).  I wish seasoning like this was sold in shakers bottles.  This was a really pleasant change of pace.

Doritos Flamin' Hot Mystery Flavor 2024

 

Product circa: 2024

With mystery flavors like these, I usually give it an honest effort to discern the flavor before looking up internet opinions.  In this case, my guess seems to be correct.  These are flavored like a thai coconut curry or tom kha soup.  Hot chile leads the flavors, with creamy coconut milk specifically (not coconut), and even lemongrass in the mix.  After some internet searches, it seems others have come to the same conclusion.  I don't love these, but this is a very impressive execution.  Bravo, Doritos!

Chili Nut & Coffee Nut M&M's

 

Products circa: 2016

These were part of a poll product for consumers to choose the next permanent M&M's variety.  Not pictured here is the third contestant of the contest - Honey Nut M&M's.

The Chili Nut is better than I thought.  I was prepared to say that only capsaicin was added to the chocolate, but I don't think that's right.  After a few candies, I believe I taste the savoriness of chili, that's not unlike Tabasco sauce (without the fermented flavor).

The Coffee Nut is trying to do a lot more than I expected.  I think they might have added vanilla to it, and even milk powder.  It's got more of a latte vibe than just coffee.  It's not bad, but not something I'd reach for.  Then again, I don't reach for M&M's ever.

Lay's Salsa Fresca

 

Product circa: Spring 2024

A significant amount of tomato powder and sugar (maltodextrin?) lend an overwhelming feeling of ripe tomatoes, more than any snack I've ever tasted.  The chile feels more like sweet bell pepper, and the restrained spices in the recipe make the sweet, fresh vegetables the star here.  It totally invokes what it intends - a tomato-heavy salsa, or pico de gallo... gazpacho, even.  It's like sticking my face into a fresh vegetable garden.  Very impressive.

Kettle Gochujang

 

I haven't had enough gochujang to decide if these taste true, but I guess it gets pretty close.  An immediate umami bomb with chile and soy to start, with onion and garlic in the rear.  Nicely spicy and sweet, but just a bit too much tang for tastes.