Us Americans have a real need for speed spicy!
Apparently, spicy snacks are growing (in terms of sales) twice as fast as overall snacks. So, Chester Cheetah naturally gets in on the action with another option for us voracious heat seekers.
The latest limited-edition launch is the Flamin’ Hot Sweet Carolina Reaper flavor, and they’re currently only available at Walmart.
As I opened the package and took a deep sniff, I picked up that usual hot “cheeteau” (eau de Hot Cheeto that honestly smells a little bit like feet sometimes), but I detected a slight tickle at the end. I chalked it up to Carolina Reaper reigning supreme as the world’s hottest pepper again.
I also noticed that it has the same color as a regular Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. This meant that the seasoning was super consistent, which is not always the case for salty snacks but is always the case with Cheetos. Kudos for quality!
Since the back of the packaging loudly proclaimed in all caps: “SWEET MEETS HEAT,” I had high hopes that Chester wouldn’t completely blast my taste buds like the Hot Pepper Puffs. Those were really one-note blistering spicy.
Thankfully, I was not disappointed!
The sweetness hit first, followed by the reaper burn. While the sweet notes tempered the capsaicin, it was still pretty spicy. After shoveling a couple of handfuls into my mouth, one tear slowly trickled down my left eye, then my stomach started to feel spicy, and then it was full-blown (happy) tears.
The spicy stomach step definitely came way earlier than with my usual Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. It also lingered for a fair bit. I didn’t even want to lick the cheetle off my fingertips because I didn’t need to add fuel to the fire in my mouth.
Did I stop to have milk or a beverage to help my cause? Absolutely not. I just wanted to enjoy that sweet, sweet burn!
Cheetos Flamin’ Hot Sweet Carolina Reaper was an awesome and unique flavor journey. It’s different from the other spicy snacks and Chester’s other Flamin’ Hot offerings.
I love spiciness with depth and dimension, and this delivered that in spades. My only regret is that I didn’t pick up two bags! I gotta stock up the next time I see ’em!
Purchased Price: $3.98
Size: 8.5 oz bag
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (21 pieces or 28 g) – 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 210 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of total carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of total sugars, less than 1 gram of fiber, and 1 grams of protein.