I’ve gotta say, I’m super excited to be reviewing these. As a kid, my family would NEVER buy these chips from the store, and it is an event that has scarred me to this day. As a child, something about the shape of these snacks was oddly… compelling. I really liked pasta, and these chips reminded me of corkscrew noodles. Carb overload was obviously my friend back then, so bonus points there. Interestingly, however, I’ve never been the biggest fan of regular Fritos. I just always had chips that were a few notches above regular Fritos. Because of this, the BBQ Twists offered redeeming qualities that kept my attention over the years. The first time I tried them (relative to some of the other snacks I’m reviewing on this blog) was actually quite recent, taking place in the past 4-5 years when I was still in high school. I do not regularly have these snacks at my disposal, so it should provide for a very comprehensive review. Let’s get into it.

Overview

Let’s dive in to the packaging that is found on these Fritos. In comparison to the packaging found on the original corn chips, the BBQ Twist variety implements a grey color scheme (as opposed to the red). An interesting design choice, being a chip that seems to be overloaded with the seasonings–you would almost think that these chips would implement a more “showy” look to appeal to all of the spicy folks out there. Alas, Frito decides to go with a more minimal approach in marketing these, but perhaps there’s more to it. Maybe the packaging doesn’t NEED to be showy; the chips might just speak for themselves. A bold claim, Frito-Lay…. a bold claim. I’ve always thought of these as the flavor-blasted equivalent to the ordinary Fritos, for those of you familiar with Goldfish lingo. There is a nice close up of the snacks themselves, which I do appreciate. The further enhanced texture really goes a long way to make you want to try these out.  At any rate, here’s a look at the packaging. Beyond the close up, not much to see here:

And, of course, here is a picture of the chips themselves:

Review: Honey BBQ Twists

Yeah yeah, chiefeats. Who cares about all of this crap anyway? Well WE do. We are the aristocrats of the snack world. Anyways… how do they taste? Here’s the scoop. The SECOND these enter your mouth, you are immediately smacked in the face with what I can only describe as an almost “chili” type seasoning. Think of a BBQ potato chip mixed with a Frito interpretation of a chili powder, and you have these bad boys. If you’ve ever tried the “Spicy Sweet Chili” Doritos, these have a remarkably close flavor at first. They are not as sweet, but they employ a similar first punch.

I feel like these are chips that someone think COULD be spicy grabbing them off the shelf, but they are not. I would not describe them as spicy, even though I just commented about how similar they are to their “spicy” Dorito counterparts. Contradictory, I know. It has more of a zesty, peppery flavor. You could eat plenty of these and not worry about any kind of spiciness. It’s almost like if you were to take a Frito and submerge it into some kind of dry rub, mixed with tomato puree. It’s an overwhelming flavor, one that is surely going to have any savory snack lovers grabbing more.

Progressing through the bite, that typical “corny” Frito flavor comes into the mix. As I mentioned previously, I am not the biggest fan of regular Fritos by themselves. The scoop version goes great with dips, but that corn chip flavor in Fritos is something that I get tired of very quickly. With that being said, the OG Frito flavoring is a bit more subtle here. You get it, but it doesn’t come through AS strongly, and it also doesn’t present itself until the end of your bite. If you are like me, then you will really prefer these BBQ Twists over the regular/old-fashioned Fritos.

No biggie if you are a fan of the regular Fritos; you will be pleased to know that their very unique flavor is preserved here. It is a bit more subtle, but these certainly will suffice if you are looking to satiate your Frito fix. These BBQ Twists are like, seriously addictive. Dangerous territory. Fortunately they don’t sell any family-sized bags of these, because if they did, I’d be in trouble. Really nice crunch and texture to these as well, pretty much akin to what you would find with the original. The spiral shape does a nice job at switching up the texture in your mouth. These are almost like BBQ curly fries in chip form.

I will also say that these chips are greasy and messy. Given the rather abundant amount of seasoning, this may not come as a surprise, but it is a chore to eat these. You’ve gotta bring napkins and wash your hands. The bottom of my bowl had a decent pool of grease, which may be a bad (or good) thing for you. Whichever works–just thought I’d mention it.

The Verdict

All things considered, I really dig these. By default, Fritos are not my favorite, but these BBQ Twists do a really nice job at switching it up and adding a new dimension of flavor to a chip that I find pretty stale. The seasoning is a lot, but it’s a lot in a good way. If you are watching a football game on a Sunday afternoon and want something to stuff your face with, look no further than these.

I would give these chips a 4 out of 5 star rating for adding a unique twist (pun intended) to a rather popular chip at the grocery store. My only gripe is that they are MESSY to eat, and also are quite greasy. Not to mention the funky breath that I’m getting right about now… Probably need to go brush my teeth. I’m gonna get on that.

Hope you enjoyed the review, and take it easy!

-thechiefeats

P.S: Health conscious? Below is the nutritional info for Frito’s Honey BBQ Twists: