Flamin' Hot Cheetos NKD - Spicy Snack Review 001

This is the first entry of a new series I'm starting, where I review spicy snacks. This first review is for Flamin' Hot Cheetos, NKD edition!

To start, I like the design of the bag here - along with the other NKD designs. They're a nice departure away from flashy and vibrant, towards a more neutral and reserved look.

After opening the bag, I immediately notice the smell and cheesiness. That sentence could go either way, but it's a good thing here. I haven't had regular flamin' hot cheetos in a while,  but I don't remember them being so cheeesy. That could on account of the axed ingredients, like dyes and artificial flavors, overpowering the other ingredients.

After bowling up two portions, I got a closer look. The cheetos are a nice off-white to yellow, with specs of red and black. Again, a more subdued visual approach, and I'm here for it!

In terms of flavor, the aforementioned cheesiness stands out, as does the spice. The heat feels closer to the xxtra hot cheetos than regular flamin' hot, which I don't mind, but these could be too spicy for some people.

The sweetness is noteworthy too, and pairs well with the slightly sweet corn base. There's also a hint of acidity, which really feels like a staple flavor for these snacks. The acid does feel a bit strange with the new flavor identity, but is definitely not bad either.

The texture seems identical to a basic cheeto - no surprise there - with a nice upfront crunch, followed by a softer but still crunchy interior. The varying sizes and shapes also make the eating experience more interesting, with some pieces long and thin and others, stumpy gargantuan hunks. Personally I'm a hunk enjoyer, but they're all pretty good.

I'm just about done with the bowl, so I should wrap this up. Overall, I'm impressed. I like the visuals of the bag and the cheetos themselves, and the flavor profile is familiar without being too different.

The texture is crunchy and snackable, which I'm a big fan of, and the flavors compliment each other well. Aside from the acidity which I don't love but also don't hate, this are just about perfect for what they're trying to be.

As for the spice, I would probably give these a 5/10. I made a quick scale, for reference:

1: No perceivable spice; very unlikely for this series.

2: A mild warmth and/or spice, but not enough to make things interesting.

3: A decently spicy food that anyone can enjoy, unless they really don't like spice!

4: A middle-of-the-road heat that people can enjoy, but casual spice enjoyers may not be into.

5: This snack!

6: A product with decent spice I think people can handle if they already seek out spicy food!

7: Something spicy I will hesitantly recommend to people

8: Something very spicy that I enjoy, but can't recommend to the average person due to the spice level.

9: Something very hot that I can tolerate, but wouldn't buy again.

10: something I couldn't finish because it was too spicy. Knock on wood, but this is also unlikely!

The bowl has emptied, and so my brain has emptied of cheeto opinions. I would definitely purchase these again, and can confidently recommend them to anyone looking for something new, but familiar. Thanks for reading!