Just Honest Jalapeño Popcorn

Company Information: Rocky Mountain Popcorn Company, Centennial, CO
Size: 1.5oz (42.52g)
Purchased: convenience store
Cost: $1.99
Description (from bag): Real. Honest. Popcorn. Big, fresh flavorful kernels delicately flavored with REAL ingredients. Not smothered with pretentious artificial flavoring. One bite and you'll remember what popcorn is supposed to be.

Aroma: Buttery stale popcorn smell.
Appearance: Large fluffy white popped kernels covered in fine white powder with the occasional green spice fleck.
Texture: Light, slightly chewier than fresh popcorn. 

Flavor: Savory jalapeño with overlying white cheddar flavor.
HEAT: Mild to none.

The bag says "Popcorn is a healthy choice," but at 9 grams of fat, more than most bags of chips, that promise is a little deceiving. Still, a tasty snack.

Overall Rating: 2 out of 4 peppers

Boulder Canyon Jalapeño Cheddar Potato Chips

Company Information: Boulder Canyon Natural Foods, Boulder, CO
Size: 5oz. (142g)
Purchased: convenience store
Cost: $2.99
Description (from bag): Since 1994, our family has operated Boulder Chips in Boulder, Colorado. Using a simple family recipe, we kettle-cook select potatoes in small batches using sunflower and/ or safflower oil. We use totally natural ingredients, hand-rake every batch, and test chips at every stage of preparation to ensure quality and taste. We hope you enjoy our version of the original potato chip!

Aroma: Smokey, cheddar smell.
Appearance: Golden yellow chips with highly bubbled surface and some green flecks.
Texture: Crisp and sturdy.
Flavor: Overwhelming smokey flavor. Strong cheese taste has a hint of BBQ that adds a touch of sweetness. Not noticeably jalapeño.
HEAT: Mild to none.

Tasty as a "Smokey Cheddar BBQ" chip, but doesn't cut it in the jalapeño department.

Overall Rating: 2 out of 4 peppers

New York Style Baked Bagel Chips Jalapeño Cheddar

Company Information: New York Style Brand, Dayton, NJ
Size: 5oz.
Purchased: convenience store
Cost: $2.89
Description (from container): The satisfying flavor of bagel chips is even more exciting with the taste of Jalapeño Cheddar Cheese. Arouse your appetite with New York Style Tender Bites - bite size bagel chips with a new Light, Airy Texture. Enjoy with soups, and sandwiches or as a Great snack anytime!


Aroma: Tex-mex, salsa smell.
Appearance: Small orange-colored rounds that are thin and flat with brownish red flecks.
Texture: Crunchy, similar to melba toast.
Flavor: Sour Jalapeño with BBQ/salsa spice. Not noticeably cheesy.
HEAT: None.

I'll save croutons for salad and get my jalapeño fix elsewhere.

Overall Rating: 1 out of 4 peppers

Trader Joe's Baked Jalapeño Cheese Crunchies

Company Information: Trader Joe's, Monrovia, CA
Size: 7 oz. (198g)
Purchased: Trader Joe's
Cost: $2
Description (from bag): none

Aroma: Sour cream and chive smell.
Appearance: Light yellow irregular twists heavily flecked with green.
Texture: Crunchy with a puffed inside.
Flavor: Strong parsley taste with underlying sour cream and chive flavor. Odd jalapeño end note.
HEAT: Mild growing heat.

"Baked" doesn't mean healthy. I'll save my calories for something more tasty. 

Overall Rating: 1 out of 4 peppers

Pringles Jalapeño Potato Crisps

Company Information: Proctor & Gamble, Cincinnati, OH
Size: 5 3/4 oz. (163g)
Purchased: convenience store
Cost: $1.50
Description (from container): none

Aroma: Sour vinegary smell with notes of jalapeño.
Appearance: Uniform light yellow ovals with an evenly bubbled surface with flecks of red and green. Chips are concave with a center streak of reddish orange flavoring sprayed on.
Texture: Thin and crisp.
Flavor: Salty BBQ flavor with a jalapeño aftertaste.
HEAT: Mild building heat.

More BBQ than jalapeño, but pleasantly light and crisp.

Overall Rating: 2 out of 4 peppers

Shearer's Jalapeño Kettle Cooked Extra Crunchy Potato Chips

Company Information: Shearer's Foods, Inc., Brewster, OH
Size: 9 oz. (255.1g)
Purchased: discount store
Cost: $1.80
Description (from bag): Healthy lifestyles begin with healthy choices, and eating in moderation is the key to smart snacking. Staying energetic and active completes the recipe for a happy, healthy lifestyle. Fuel your celebrations with the great taste of Shearer's Snack Foods! Our quality snacks are the perfect addition to any reunion or party. Bring a frisbee along, and get everyone in on the fun! When the snacking is over . . . Let the games begin!

Aroma: Jalapeño smell.

Appearance: Small, thin, golden yellow round chips

Texture: Extra crisp and crunchy - well cooked.

Flavor: Classic potato taste with a jalapeño afterburn.

HEAT: Mild to medium lingering heat.

Shearer's delivers the crunch with these extra crispy chips.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 4 peppers

Kettle Classics Jalapeño Potato Chips

Company Information: Classic Foods, Inc., San Francisco, CA
Size: 1.75 oz. (50g)
Purchased: grocery store
Cost: $1
Description (from bag): Some people think all potato chips are alike. But you know that's not true. Our exclusive and secret family recipe calls for only premium potatoes that are thickly sliced and cooked extra slowly, using only the purest oils and seasonings - a process that creates a distinctive crunch and golden color you only get from our gourmet potato chips.

Aroma: Peanut smell with wafts of jalapeño.
Appearance: Medium-sized yellow-orange chips with a bubbled surface and flecked with green.
Texture: Thick & crisp with a good crunch.
Flavor: Salty onion flavor with a jalapeño kick.
HEAT: Medium strength burn.

Spiced just right with a satisfying crunch.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 4 peppers

Poore Brothers Jalapeño Kettle Cooked Potato Chips

Company Information: The Inventure Group Inc., Goodyear, AZ
Size: 2.5 oz. (70.88g)
Purchased: airport
Cost: $2
Description (from bag): Poore Brothers Jalapeño Potato Chips have a fiery jalapeño kick for a true spice lover. Perfect for parties or any get together. But, watch out! These chips are INTENSE!

Aroma: Salty jalapeño smell.
Appearance: Large golden chips with browned edges and a bubbled surface.
Texture: Thick and crisp.
Flavor: Strong salty onion taste spiced with faintly sour jalapeño.
HEAT: Medium burn.

Good flavor and heat in an all-around tasty chip.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 4 peppers

Deep River Snacks Zesty Jalapeño Potato Chips

Company Information: Old Lyme Gourmet Company, Old Lyme, CT
Size: 2 oz. (57g)
Purchased: convenience store
Cost: $1
Description (from bag): none


Aroma: Onion smell.
Appearance: Dark gold medium-sized chips with some green flecks.
Texture: Thin for a kettle-cooked chip.
Flavor: Strong initial onion taste followed with jalapeño spice and strange slightly sweet finish.
HEAT: Mild to medium heat.

Not as "Zesty" as the name implies.

Overall Rating: 2 out of 4 peppers

Cape Cod Jalapeño & Aged Cheddar Potato Chips

Company Information: Cape Cod Potato Chips, Hyannis, MA
Size: 2.25 oz. (64 g)
Purchased: convenience store
Cost: $1
Description (from bag): The Jalapeño Pepper, renowned for its intense heat, is native to the tropics of Central and South America. Up until now, this distinct flavor has enjoyed enormous popularity in only the Southwest United States. We, at Cape Cod, decided to change that - we've blended the authentic extreme heat of the southwestern jalapeño with our rich Premium Aged Cheddar. The result is a spicy, yet creamy jalapeño cheddar flavor that is sure to please even the most discriminating "heat junkies".

Aroma: Stale cheese smell, not pleasant.
Appearance: Uniformly golden circular chips with a bubbled surface and occasional green flecks.
Texture: Thin for a kettle-cooked chip.
Flavor: Intense jalapeño flavor with an aged cheddar finish that's remniscent of cheddar broccoli soup.
HEAT: Instant medium heat with a lingering afterburn.

Cheddar doesn't mask the heat of these hot chips.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 4 peppers

Tim's Jalapeño Potato Chips

Company Information: Tim's Cascade Snacks, Algona, WA
Size: 9 oz. (255 g)
Purchased: convenience store
Cost: $2
Description (from bag): We've been cooking our potato chips in the shadow of the Cascade Mountains since 1986 using an old family recipe. With your first satisfying crunch, followed by the real flavor of premium potatoes kettle cooked, then perfectly seasoned, we think you'll agree that you have found what you have been looking for.

Aroma: Instant hit of jalapeño.
Appearance: Smallish deep gold chips, irregularly shaped with slight green flecks.
Texture: Fairly flat and extra thick. Extremely crunchy and well-cooked.
Flavor: Perfect balance of savory onion, garlic, and jalapeño flavors.
HEAT: Medium building heat. One of the hottest jalapeño chips yet.

I'm in love! While the jalapeño is perfectly hot, the CRUNCH is the real star here.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 4 peppers

El Sabroso Jalapeñitos

Company Information: Snak King, Los Angeles, CA
Size: 3 oz. (85 g)
Purchased: convenience store
Cost: $1.25
Description (from bag): Made with real fire-roasted jalapeño peppers, blended with stone ground corn and cooked to perfection. We then gently toss them in a blend of three exotic cheeses made in the tradition of Old Mexico: Manchego, Asadero and Cotija. If you have not tried them you need to see what you are missing. This is the ultimate gourmet chip.

Aroma: Mild corn smell.
Appearance: Medium-sized triangular chips imbedded with flakes of dried jalapeño and covered in a light orange powder.
Texture: Crisp but sturdy.
Flavor: Mild initial cheesiness followed with a jalapeño tang.
HEAT: Mild lingering heat.

Real cheese and jalapeño flavors come through in this all-natural chip.

Overall Rating: 2 out of 4 peppers

Doritos Fiery Habanero

Company Information: Frito-Lay, Inc., Plano, TX
Size: 1 3/4 oz. (49.6 g)
Purchased: vending machine
Cost: $.80
Description (from bag): none

Aroma: Chili-cheese scented with underlying corn smell.
Appearance: Large triangular chips coated in reddish orange powder dotted with dark flecks.
Texture: Light and crisp.
Flavor: Classic Dorito cheesiness with a sour habanero tang and a hint of cilantro.
HEAT: Medium building heat.

Doritos with a kick!

Overall Rating: 3 out of 4 peppers

Blair's Death Rain Habanero Kettle Cooked Potato Chips

Company Information: Blair's Sauces & Snacks, Highlands, NJ
Size: 1 oz. (28 g)
Purchased: vending machine
Cost: $.80
Description (from bag):
Welcome to my wonderful world of spice. Since 1989 it has been my passion to create food that makes us smile . . . to cook up snacks that taste great but most of all make you FEEL ALIVE. I hope you enjoy this bag as much as I do. Thank you for choosing Death Rain Snacks and my wonderful world of spice.

Aroma: Smokey BBQ smell.
Appearance: Medium-sized orange colored chips covered in grainy brown and red spices.
Texture: Average kettle-cooked crispness.
Flavor: Salty sweet BBQ taste.
HEAT: Intense burn. Cough-inducing, "Get me a glass of milk!" hot!

Good flavor, but the habanero is so impossibly hot that you can't eat more than a few.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 4 peppers

Corazonas Jalapeño Jack Tortilla Chips

Company Information: Corozonas Foods, Inc., Mill Valley, CA
Size: 7 oz. (198 g)
Purchased: Dominicks
Cost: $3
Description (from bag):
The name of our heart healthy tortilla chips was inspired by the Spanish word for heart: corazon. Our mission at Corazonas is to develop great tasting, heart healthy natural snacks. Corazonas is the only tortilla chips that contains plant sterols - natural ingredients found in many fruits, vegetables and other plant sources that have been clinically proven to lower cholesterol. And they deliver all the crunchy authentic taste you'd expect from a great tasting snack.

Aroma: Grainy and savory smell.
Appearance: Medium-sized golden triangular chips dotted with whole oats covered with light green powder.
Texture: Thicker than average and not perfectly flat.
Flavor: Remniscent of Doritos, but less salty. Balanced mild jack cheese and jalapeño taste.
HEAT: Faint warm aftertaste.

A "better for you" tortilla chip that's actually tasty!

Overall Rating: 2 out of 4 peppers

FoodShouldTasteGood Jalapeño Tortilla Chips

Company Information: FoodShouldTasteGood, Inc., Needham Heights, MA
Size: 6 oz. (170 g)
Purchased: Whole Foods
Cost: $3
Description (from bag):
You haven't tasted chips or crackers like these. Trust us. The flavor will surprise and delight you. We put the flavor IN the chips, not ON them. Only a handful of ALL NATURAL ingredients are needed to provide the rich and savory flavors. We invite you to experiment with our products. These original tastes are perfect for a variety of occasions, from informal snacking to hosting guests around a dinner table.

Aroma: Slight jalapeño tang.
Appearance: Large triangular red chips dotted with dried jalapeño bits.
Texture: Sturdy tortilla chip - thicker than average.
Flavor: Salty corn taste.
HEAT: None.

Doesn't live up to it's title as a "Jalapeño Tortilla Chip" - unremarkable.

Overall Rating: 1 out of 4 peppers

Lay's Kettle Cooked Jalapeño

Company Information: Frito-Lay, Inc., Plano, TX
Size: 1.38 oz. (38.9 g)
Purchased: vending machine
Cost: $.80
Description (from bag):
We're proud to make our chips the old-fashioned way, taking extra time to ensure each batch is irresistibly crunchy and delicious. We start with premium potatoes, slice them thick and cook them in small batches in order to lock in their hearty potato flavor and extra-satisfying crunch.



Aroma: Salty with notes of jalapeño.
Appearance: Smaller chips with unusual golden orange color.
Texture: Thinner than most kettle cooked varieties.
Flavor: Savory jalapeño with slight onion taste.
HEAT: Medium lingering heat.

Orange chips don't usually scream "jalapeño," but the taste can't be beat.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 4 peppers

Pringles Select Bold Crunch Jalapeño Ranch

Company Information: Pringles,
Size: 8 oz (227 g)
Purchased: Target
Cost: $2
Description (from bag):

Aroma: Strange rubbery smell upon opening bag.

Appearance: Perfectly oval and pale yellow in color with a lightly bubbled surface. Covered with powdery white coating dotted with flecks of red and green.

Texture: Crisp and light, breaks easily, more like a cracker.

Flavor: Ranch flavor with notes of jalapeño.

HEAT: Subtle heat.

Satisfying crispness but more ranch than jalapeño.

Overall Rating: 2 out of 4 peppers

"Dirty" Jalapeño Heat Potato Chips

Company Information: "Dirty" Potato Chips, Grammercy, LA
Size: 2 oz (57 g)
Purchased: Convenience Store
Cost: $1
Description (from bag):"Dirty" Potato Chips are kettle cooked one batch at a time and use premium, all natural ingredients for a crunchier, tastier chip.

Aroma: Greasy initial smell with notes of jalapeño.

Appearance: Dark gold with oily bubbled surface and some dark/burnt spots.

Texture: Very crisp.

Flavor: Strong jalapeno flavor paired with peanut flavors from the cooking oil.

HEAT: Medium initial heat.

Good flavor and heat but too greasy.

Overall Rating: 2 out of 4 peppers

Zapp's Hotter n' Hot Jalapeño

Company Information: Zapp's Potato Chips, Grammercy, LA
Size: 1.5 oz (42.5 g)
Purchased: Pita Pete's Restaurant
Cost: $1
Description (from bag):"The Little Chippery in Gramercy"
Zapp's Potato Chips are kettle cooked, one batch at a time, in our custom designed fryers. This process, combined with premium ingredients, results in a crunchier, tastier potato chip which we hope you will prefer. We thank you for buying our product. Enjoy, and laissez les bon temps rouler!

Aroma: Mild onion smell with a tinge of jalapeño.

Appearance: Golden and somewhat translucent with browned edges.

Texture: Thoroughly cooked and very thick and crisp.

Flavor: Initial salty taste with a hint of onion.

HEAT: Medium lingering heat.

In the world of steaks these chips would be well-done - great crunch. Hotter than most.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 4 peppers

Cheetos Cheddar Jalapeño Crunchy

Company Information: Frito-Lay, Inc., Plano, TX
Size: 1 oz. (28.3 g)
Purchased: Convenience Store
Cost: $.25
Description (from bag): None





Aroma: Sour, vinegar smell upon opening bag.
Appearance: Reddish-orange color, slightly darker than regular Cheetos, with green flecks.
Texture: Crunchy
Flavor: Distinct jalapeño taste with the slight tang of ranch flavoring overlying the classic cheddar cheesiness.
HEAT: Mild lingering warmth.

Surprisingly yummy for a probably short-lived experimental Cheetos product.

Overall Rating: 2 out of 4 peppers

Miss Vickie's Hand-Picked Jalapeño

Company Information: Miss Vickie's (c/o Frito-Lay, Inc.), Dallas, TX
Size: 1.38 oz. (38.9 g)
Purchased: Subway
Cost: $.75
Description (from bag):
To get a great jalapeño flavored potato chip, you have to do things a little differently. Things like picking the jalapeños by hand when they're perfectly ripe. Then, we kettle cook the chips in small batches using specially selected farm grown potatoes. It isn't the easiest way to do things, but if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

Aroma: Slight smell of bacon upon opening bag.
Appearance: Irregularly shaped and golden in color with subtle flecks of green and red.
Texture: Crisp and thicker than the average chip.
Flavor: Strong onion taste with a slight hint of jalapeño.
HEAT: Mild heat lingers as an afternote.

There is not much jalapeño flavor here, but the jalapeño afterburn makes up for it.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 4 peppers