Ok I’ll TRY not to let my love for Szechuan hot pot bias this review but these are very good chips. The chip itself is finely ridged, thin to medium, and has the familiar Lay’s subtle potato flavor and general texture - but is not as greasy. The bag had no folded pieces, which I appreciated, as I could see how folded pieces would unevenly carry the flavoring. Luckily pieces were flat, slightly inconsistent flavor distribution but not bad. I would say the distribution ranged from a 5 in flavor to a 7, unlike some chips which can be barely seasoned 2 to a heavily seasoned 8.
Now onto the flavor! For those who don’t know, #szechuanhotpot is a Chinese style of #hotpot with an option that is FILLED with hot peppers and other spices. I’m talking you can’t even see the broth kind of filled, just pepper after pepper of spicy and hot goodnesss. First impressions, the smell of the chips is not great lol. It smells like an Asian supermarket at first, but the first chip in my mouth made the offputting smell go away. The spiciness isn’t overwhelming at first, but the chips actually DO get more spicy and numbing as you go. By the time I was ¾ done with the bag, my mouth was indeed slightly numb. But this is definitely a finish-the-whole-bag-in-one-sitting chip because the flavor is so good! Szechuan pepper, paprika, peppercorn, and the Asian staple of MSG combines into that fifth sense umami so wonderfully. Forget the more well known hot sauce flavors that in my opinion, don’t translate as well in chip form - ahem, sriracha, Tabasco - these chips are a hot pot inspired combo of peppers and spices. There is a slight sweetness (not from the peppers but a bit to bring out the flavor of the chip) or strong tartness.
- 📍Found: Arcadia Supermarket
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So what’s going on with this chip? Here are its highly scientific stats: Saltiness: MEDIUM-HIGH
Flavor level: MEDIUM-HIGH
Thickness: THIN-MEDIUM
Opinion ratings (1-10): Crunch: 7.8
Texture: 7.9
Flavor: 8.2
Overall: 8.0
Definitely a novelty chip that’s worth a try, and one I’ll be picking up each time I see it! Note: while the chips did get “numbing” after eating them a while, they do not become so spicy they’re inedible. I’d say Flaming Hot Cheetos will do that, but these are less spicy than those.
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