Over the past couple weeks, the video by a group of kids out of a Minneapolis North Community YMCA’s Beats and Rhymes Program, “Hot Cheetos and Takis” has taken over the Internet. It’s catchy, it’s clicky and it’s a celebration of two of the starchiest, saltiest, most hydrogenated snacks around — surely the stuff of Michelle Obama’s worst nightmare. But the song has also raised our awareness of Takis — Hot Cheetos, we knew and loved already (for they make the Orangiest of Fingers).
Bound by our obligation to explore every starchy convenience food that comes in a Mylar bag, we hit up the local bodega to find a few varieties of Takis sitting on the shelf. Here are a few facts about the product:
Serving Size: 14 pieces
Servings Per Container: 4
Calories: 140
Fat: 8 grams
First five ingredients: Corn Flour, Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Canola and/or Palm and/or Sunflower Oil
Chip Shape: Corn chip roll-up
Flavoring: Fuego – Hot chili pepper and lime
Rating (out of five fingers): Three fingers
What we thought: The bold flavor of the Takis were roundly appreciated by all who tried them. They were strong — nay, piercing in their heat with a nice, vaguely citrus-y finish. Those kids in the video must have the palate of a 40-year-old smoker. However, the oily, sticky powder that heavily coats each roll-up made it difficult to eat more than a handful without feeling like we were going to be tossing Takis a moment later.
It’s important to note that one bag of Takis is a whopping 4 ounces. It feels heavy in the hand, as compared with a 99-cent Dorito bag. The chip itself is very thick, probably so that they wouldn’t be crushed when they are rolled into a tube, but that thickness as adds to the overwhelming nature of the Taki. Put this flavoring on some Bugles, and maybe I’ll be interested.
While we may not be lifelong fans of the snack itself, we are eternally grateful to Y.N.RichKids for giving us the song of the summer that finally got “Call Me Maybe” out of our ears.
