Paqui - Tortilla Chips

As a hot pepper enthusiast, I am always searching for the hottest of everything. It's one of those things that only hot pepper enthusiasts understand.  My favorite pepper is the ghost pepper, which I believe is the second hottest pepper in the world. What makes it awesome is its slow burn, not to mention its good taste. So how excited was I when I found the world's first Ghost Pepper flavored chip?! Words could not express how I felt.

Paqui, out of Austin, Texas, has made the world's hottest tortilla chips. Paqui is an Aztec word that means "to be happy." Their happiness comes from cooking corn and stone grinding it to create delicious tortilla chips. Out of their six flavors, four are vegan. And thank goodness that includes the Haunted Ghost Pepper. The ingredients state that it is made with horror and lo and behold I believe it is. One bite of these chips and you'll get an intense burn in the back of your throat coupled with a runny nose and immediate coughing. That sounds bad, but it is actually amazing! These chips are delicious -- just eat one at a time and pace yourself with a mildish salsa and you'll be good to go.  They even have their own website just for this flavor!

If the ghost pepper flavor is too hot, why not try the Grilled Habanero instead. They are still quite hot, but not nearly as hot as the ghost pepper chips.  As with all of the chips, they are light and crispy -- perfect for dipping.

And if those are still too hot, they offer a Roasted Jalapeno, which has a little bit of spice, but not too much.

Finally, for those spiceophobes, they make an Original Delights that has no spice at all.

All of the flavors are Non-GMO Project Verified and do not contain any artificial colors. However, along with other natural ingredients, they do contain maltodextrin, dextrose, and citric acid. These are food additives that I'd rather do without, but an occasional indulgence in a ghost pepper chip is now a required part of life. So if it comes with some guilt, then I'll just have to deal with that. These chips can be found in Kroger's and Whole Foods across the country.

Don't worry. Be Paqui.

Full Disclosure: Although the products were provided to me for free to review, that in no way influenced my veracious opinion.