Utz Red Hot Flavored Chips

Utz chips tend to have a sort of a bargain bin appeal with the self-effacing packaging and the store-brand level prices, but every now and then you come upon something interesting.  Utz’s Red Hot Flavored chips might otherwise seem to be merely another tired iteration of a familiar 'spicy' barbecue-flavor formula if it weren’t for the fact that these chips actually are pretty damn hot, and even better, are thickly and consistently coated with tasty dark red spices, unlike many otherwise worthy examples in this category.  It’s pretty hard to find chips labelled as ‘spicy hot’ that live up to the name, but for once these chips do not disappoint!

Stare down into the volcanic maw of hell,
except much tastier.  Image courtesy of the
Village Voice, which actually wrote their own
rather gushing review of these!

We are not talking about particularly sophisticated fair here- besides the spicy flavor, there’s a mild sweet taste and nothing else to distinguish them as barbecue-type chips (no fancy-dancy spice rubs or mesquite aromas to be found here!), and the individual chips are thin and unimpressive in texture, however glorious they may be in color.  Nevertheless, I have come to seriously appreciate them as an unpretentious snack with a real fiery kick, and I would recommend them to anyone looking for some genuinely spicy and well-coated crunchy goodness at a low cost.  Also, they look like a river of molten lava spewing from Mount Doom, and taste just about as hot, so they are officially awesome.  Red has also been unidentified as the sexiest color, so you can think of this as that less-than-classy-but-goddamned-flashy guy or girl that sets the sheets on fire despite their lack of sophistication.

Your mouth, after eating spicy chips
too fast.  Your dentist will be very
upset, but your plastic surgeon will
smile.

A word of warning: carelessly eating these at high speed can result in your mouth igniting if you are not careful, as another reviewer experienced- though that didn't keep him from wanting more.  Yes, they first couple chips won't seem that bad, but like gambling debts, they heat will build up until they devour your soul.On the other hand, the ladies at Hot Chicks posted a review which I disagree with on just about every level.  Seriously, girls, you think the texture on these is good but they're not spicy enough?  I have only this to say.

Overall Rating: 3 Stars

Spiciness Rating: Hot!

Pros:- Wonderful spicy flavor with a real kick

- Flavoring is thickly and consistently coated across the chips in fire-engine red

Cons:- Little else to brag about in the flavor department besides the spiciness

- Texture is similarily unremarkable

- Possibility of damaging your gob if consumed recklessly