Professional hot sauce maker Smokin’ Ed Currie, the founder and president of PuckerButt Pepper Company, returns to Epicurious to a variety of hot snacks, ranking them according to heat and flavor. Can you make a snack that packs a punch but also tastes good?
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00I'm Smokin' Ed Curry, I'm a professional hot sauce maker and pepper breeder, and today we're
00:05going to try a wide variety of spicy snacks, rating them by the flavor and the heat. Some of
00:11these snacks you can enjoy every single day, but some of them are too spicy for even the spiciest
00:17of the chili heads out there. Let's get started! Flaming Hot Cheetos. The ingredients are enriched
00:28cornmeal, oil, yeast extract, monosodium glutamate, potassium salt, citric acid,
00:33disodium, oh I don't even know how to pronounce that. There's a lot of stuff in here. What makes
00:38this spicy is the natural flavors, and natural flavors could mean just about anything. Probably
00:44something along the lines of cayenne with a little salt enhancer, and that red color
00:50leads you to think they're going to be spicy, but when you eat one of these,
00:53it's the cheese taste that comes out, not the spiciness. Flavor-wise, middle of the road.
01:00Heat-wise, no heat at all. This is a spice snack for anybody in the whole world, from grandma all
01:06the way down to a little kid. Inferno Candy Company Meltdown Potato Chips. These are my
01:12friends from down in Texas. They make some really, really good stuff. The ingredients are potatoes,
01:18vegetable oil, Komodo Dragon peppers, and natural and artificial flavors. When they have natural and
01:25artificial flavors on there, it kind of scares me. That can be capsaicin powder, capsaicin extract,
01:32and that's what is used to make the heat unbearable. They want you to buy more,
01:37so they do a good balance between natural peppers and the chemical extracts. The chips themselves
01:44look really pleasant. There's little dots of pepper all over them.
01:49As far as taste goes, this is an extremely tasty snack. Immediately you taste the vinegar,
01:56and then the heat is starting to come on. There's definitely a lot of pepper powder.
02:00It's a good burn. Komodo Dragon peppers are a very spicy pepper. It's a phenotype of another
02:06pepper that someone bred out so that it looks like it sounds. When you eat them or you cook
02:12with them, you get a really good flavor, and it really accents the vinegar that's on here. This is
02:18not a snack for your everyday user. This is a snack for chili heads, and if you ate a whole bag,
02:25you would be miserable. For me, this is a snack I want another bite of.
02:31Takis Blue Heat. My kids love Takis, and they ask me to get them all the time, but I personally have
02:38never had one. There's onion powder for flavor. It says chili pepper, but I'm assuming it's powder,
02:44and something called Blue Number One Lake. The chili powder itself has been dyed blue,
02:51not the corn chip, and sprayed onto the chip. The blue coloring is not eye-appealing,
02:56but it's intriguing. Now I can see why my kids like Takis. This is a fun snack. It's a little
03:04bit hotter than the Cheeto, but not overbearing. I don't get any of the onion. I did get the chili
03:11powder, but there's a lot of salt mixed into here, so it's enhancing the flavor of not only the corn
03:17meal, but the chili powder. Manufacturers use different things to augment heat. We have monosodium
03:23glutamate, we have salt, we have citric acid. All those things play tricks in the chemical reaction
03:29with the nerve receptor that perceives heat to the brain. This is a little more salty than a
03:34Cheeto. That's part of the chemistry trick that's bringing out a little bit of heat,
03:39but in this case, it's pleasant. It's not unbearable. I love these things. These are good.
03:45Anybody can enjoy this. What it is is a unique flavor experience.
03:50Trader Joe's Ghost Pepper Potato Chips. I didn't even know Trader Joe's made Ghost Pepper Chips,
03:56but Trader Joe's makes good products, so I'm looking forward to seeing what's in here.
04:00One thing I noticed right away, ghost pepper seasoning is the third ingredient. Normally,
04:06you see the heat at the very bottom, which means they're using the chemical instead of the heat at
04:12the very top, which means it's natural. The really pleasant looking waffle-ish chip. This waffle
04:18shape gives a lot more surface area, so you're able to spread that powder. It's not obvious that
04:23this is going to be hot. It's very, very crunchy. I really got the cumin. I got the black pepper. I
04:31got salt. Heat-wise, no heat at all. Normally, when it's ghost pepper, I get a bitter flavor
04:37with the heat on both sides of my mouth. I'm not even getting that. I'm now going on my fourth
04:42chip. I still don't taste any pepper at all, but for a chip, it's a tasty chip. You want to think
04:48you're impressing people, but you're not really doing anything. This is the chip for it. If you're
04:53a chili head, don't even bother. Trader Joseph, you're a very, very bad boy. Jurassic Jerky Inferno
05:01X Jerky made with Carolina Reaper, the hottest pepper in the world. Hey, that's my trademark,
05:06buddy. We need to talk. The heat on jerky needs to be a complement to the piece of meat, but a lot
05:13of times, when people make jerky, all they're doing is adding extract for heat. Spice extractives
05:19could be oil of garlic, oil of cinnamon, capsaicin oil. It could be a lot of different
05:26things, but it also says Carolina Reaper mash. Just open in the bag. You can smell the extract,
05:32so I'm going to say without even tasting it that this is not for the general public,
05:38but just because it has extract doesn't mean it can't be good. The beef is very moist.
05:43Even though you see all this pepper on it, there's really not a pepper-forward flavor.
05:47The molasses, the tamarind, the pineapple juice, but then that extract heat is coming on right away
05:53in the back. You know, now I'm getting hints of the Carolina Reaper mash. When you do Reaper,
05:58it builds up to boom. I can feel sweat starting already on the side of my face. I can feel it on
06:05my forehead, like my eyebrows and stuff. The burn isn't natural, okay, and I don't like that feel.
06:11If you want something spicy, don't taste good, and is a challenge, this is the one for you.
06:16If you want to eat some jerky at home while you're watching TV, don't use this product.
06:21Chalito's Chamoy Dried Mango. This one looks really exciting. The chili peppers in it,
06:27there's four listed, none of which are hot. It's got tamarind pulp, and tamarind tastes so good.
06:33A few other accelerants for flavor. The chili paste on these is thick.
06:38This is one of the best snacks I've ever had. It's kind of like the mildly spicy,
06:43fruity explosion going on in your mouth. The chilies in here, even though they're mild,
06:48I'm getting a little extra saliva going, because there's a lot of chili on there. The chilies are
06:54mixed with the tamarind, and then it just looks like they're soaked in it, and that's why
06:58everything's sticking together. I mean, this is the most flavorful thing I've ever had.
07:04Heat-wise, it is very, very good. Even though it's delicious, it is pricey. It ranges from
07:10between $10 to, I've seen them as high as $16.99. This is delicious, and it's a good spicy adventure
07:18for those who like mild heat. Tazza Spice Guajillo Chocolate. I love that this chocolate just has a
07:27Tazza Spice Guajillo Chocolate. I love that this chocolate just has a couple of ingredients.
07:34Organic cane sugar, organic ground chili, and organic cayenne. That's it. The chocolate is
07:40beautiful. I guess they're calling this a serving. I would think one of these is a serving.
07:48This has texture, okay, and that texture adds, for me, to the experience of eating the chocolate.
07:54As far as the heat goes, there's no discernible heat in this chocolate. They're using a very mild
07:59pepper, but as far as the texture goes and the flavor goes, this is absolutely delicious.
08:05If you want something you can enjoy that has a little hint of heat to it, I give this one a
08:09thumbs up. Pepper Joe's Carolina Reaper Chocolate. It's a dark chocolate with Carolina Reaper powder.
08:15I know Joe, and I know Joe's product, and I'm pretty sure that the new owners of Joe's
08:20have carried on his tradition. This is going to be a brutal piece of chocolate.
08:25You cannot see the powder in the chocolate, which can be very, very deceptive, okay?
08:33The heat is immediate. It is Carolina Reaper heat, and it is brutal. There's so much pepper
08:42powder in there that it doesn't taste like a dark chocolate. It tastes like a milk chocolate.
08:46Right away, boom, your face is on fire, and I don't know if you guys can see, but I immediately
08:52started sweating, and tears came to my eyes. When you eat chocolate, you want to be happy.
08:56I'm eating chocolate, you know? This is not a happy experience. That being said, I really enjoy
09:04them, but my wife calls me an idiot, and you have to be an idiot to enjoy this much paint.
09:10This particular chocolate bar doesn't taste as good as other ones I had, and I think that's
09:15because of the massive amount of powder. Andy Capp's Hot Fries. The only thing that's giving it
09:21heat, really, is the paprika extract, and then it's got spice extractive. It's a whole bunch of stuff
09:28you just don't want to know you're eating, but they taste really good. For those of us who have
09:36had it in our youth, it brings back a very warm, fuzzy experience. They don't have the dust all
09:42over them. There's really just salt and big chunks of flavoring, but there's absolutely no heat
09:48again. This is for everybody who wants to say they're eating something hot, who can't eat
09:54something hot. Don't start eating a bag by yourself, because you're going to hate yourself an hour later.
09:59Why? Because you'll eat the whole damn bag. Hong Fei Ha Spicy Peanuts. It just says peanuts, red chili
10:08pepper, soybean oil, spices. Pleasantly surprised to see that it's not just dusted in pepper.
10:14There are peppers right inside, and it looks like they were actually fried together with the peanuts.
10:24For the normal person, it's probably going to be, oh, these are spicy. But for me, it's just something
10:30I would eat on an everyday basis. I had a little something going on in my mouth that I wasn't
10:34expecting from a peanut. It says on it Sichuan pepper, and I don't know if that's the actual
10:38pepper or Sichuan peppercorn. Sichuan peppercorns have no heat. What they do is they kind of tingle.
10:44They give you a numbing effect in your mouth. Instead of the pepper being like, oh, this is hot,
10:50the pepper is being an accent to the experience that's going on in your mouth. If you like a
10:55little bit of heat, like say the pepper flakes that you might put on pizza or something like that,
11:00eating these would be a unique experience that you could enjoy. This is something I would buy by
11:04the case and keep in the house. This is a great snack to have, and one that's not going to go
11:11over to the other side of the set. I'm keeping these for later. Blue Diamond Carolina Reaper
11:17almonds. This is probably the spiciest almond you're ever going to have. If you look at the
11:22ingredients, Carolina Reaper seasoning is the second, but it also has like white vinegar and
11:28paprika and garlic and stuff. So it's not just a pepper experience, it's a flavor experience.
11:33I like that they don't do heat just for heat's sake.
11:38I know from previous experience that if I eat too many of these, the heat becomes overwhelming,
11:45but eating them normally as a snack, say while you're watching the football game
11:51or something like that, is really good. Also, mixing them in with pretzels. So you get a little
11:58heat and a little pretzel. The heat is very subtle. It comes on in the throat, a little bit of burn in
12:04the mouth. Not for everybody, but generally something you can put out on the table as long
12:09as you're letting people know it's hot. Like I wouldn't feed these to my wife. She'd hit me and
12:14say, Ed Curry, what are you doing? They've let the flavor of the almond come out before the heat comes
12:19on. Sonora Spice Company Trinidad Scorpion Gumballs. On the very back it says, contains
12:26scorpion peppers, which will cause skin and eye irritation. Not for children. And this is not
12:32listed as a challenge. So I think it's supposed to be an everyday snack for the spicy person.
12:38It's really not eye appealing. I mean, it kind of looks like something you clean up.
12:44I broke the gumball up so I could get the flavor from inside the gumball,
12:47as well as the powder that was inside and outside of it.
12:53There was a huge amount of powder in there.
12:59Not an unpleasant burn, but a really good burn through my whole mouth. My tongue is on fire.
13:05When you're chewing gum, normally, whatever the flavor is, within a couple of bites,
13:09the flavor is gone. I really couldn't tell if there was going to be a flavor experience with
13:13this, because that sugary taste that started disappeared almost immediately with the amount
13:20of pepper in it. And right now my saliva glands are going a million miles an hour. And the pepper
13:26itself doesn't taste like a Trinidad scorpion pepper. It's just hot. I'm totally confused as
13:31what I'm supposed to be thinking after eating this. Is it a challenge? Is it a snack?
13:38Is it just a piece of gum? I don't know. All it is, is pepper. I don't know what else is going on.
13:46Inferno Candy Company, help us. These guys make great stuff. It's also very spicy stuff.
13:52Habanero pepper, ghost pepper, rimfire pepper, scorpion pepper. When you open the package,
13:58you immediately smell that cheesy spicy. You're kind of like, oh no, do I want to eat this?
14:04Because the spice is so predominant. But that cheese draws you in.
14:09The odor, you know, is confusing. You can tell it's going to be spicy.
14:16The very first flavor was that chemical flavor, that extract flavor. And I honestly don't know
14:21if there's any extract in it. But the flavor is there. Kind of mixture of blue cheese and
14:26cheddar cheese is really good. But these extract snacks are not for normal munching. If you ate a
14:33bag of them, it would be for a challenge. You would get sick, and it wouldn't be a pleasant
14:37experience. But it is not to say that it is not flavorful. It is flavorful. That chemical flavor
14:44went away, and it was taken over by the cheese and the powder, which is a good mixture of flavor
14:49from just that one piece. It's still really pleasant in my mouth. Happy wasabi peas. You can
14:56get these at any grocery store. They're a lot of fun. When you open it, it has that American
15:04horseradishy wasabi flavor. These are green peas with glutinous rice flour, wheat flour, horseradish.
15:12Nowhere in the ingredients does it say wasabi. Most of the wasabi you taste in America is really
15:17horseradish that's been dyed green. Horseradish works on the same receptors and other receptors
15:23in your nasal cavity to give you the experience that the heat of a pepper gives you. It's really
15:29a green pea, but it has been dehydrated and then fried, and all the nutrition is pretty
15:34much missing from it. But sometimes bad things just taste good, okay? My brain is telling me I
15:42shouldn't eat these at all. My heart and my taste buds are telling me, eat them by the handful.
15:49They're a little bit hotter than, say, a Cheeto or that. A very quick, fast punch, and then they're
15:56done. The way the body reacts to horseradish is a very quick thing. I can still smell it in my
16:02olfactories, but I cannot taste it in my mouth anymore. I feel very partial on this because this
16:08has been a snack that's been in my house since they actually came out. It's not hot. It's just a
16:13spicy experience, and it's probably the least lasting spicy experience there is on the table.
16:21It's a quick note in a total flavor package. Kickin' Ass Carolina Reaper Popcorn. When hot
16:29sauce was not prevalent and the only place you could find different hot sauces was at silly
16:34stores at the beach, Ass Kickin' was one of the brands that you could find. Some of their products
16:40are really good. Some of them taste like the name. It just lists everything normal popcorn would have,
16:46only it has garlic and Carolina Reaper pepper. It also has some warnings on it, which I do like.
16:52May cause respiratory irritation and failure when popping. That's because a lot of that pepper
16:58powder will become airborne during that process, but it won't hurt you. What that'll do is help get
17:04the mucus out of there. See, a lot of times when I'm feeling a little stuffy, I put a spoonful of
17:10pepper powder in my mouth. Part of it gets inhaled, part of it works on my olfactories, and it just
17:15gets rid of all that crap. And see, that's got a mild spice. That's got a pleasant spice. It really
17:23doesn't taste like Carolina Reaper spice. There's probably very little of it in there. For me, this
17:28is very salty, all right? But that salt and butter and mild spice flavor mixing together, it's really
17:36kind of nice. I don't know. For a normal person, it might be spicy. A pleasant heat, it's not a brutal
17:43heat. Oh, I just got a little bit of like powder in my throat. Some of that oil went down, and there
17:48was some powder, and it got a little hotter. All right, with that last spicy, but that heavy garlic
17:55flavor and that butter flavor is pleasant with the heat. I've never had that mixture on popcorn,
18:02and it's a really good flavor. Flamethrower Candy Company, Little Nitro, the world's hottest
18:08gummy bear. I've avoided trying to taste this for many, many, many, many times. What it has is our
18:16signature 9 million Scoville unit chili heat extract, making it 900 times holler than a jalapeno
18:22pepper. I really do hate when people make claims like this on packages, and that chili pepper
18:27extract is just a small piece of a big part, and diluting it significantly cuts the SHU.
18:37Now, don't get me wrong. This is a brutal piece of candy. Everybody I've seen who's eaten it
18:44in person, they wound up vomiting, but it is not 9 million Scoville heat units. These are for
18:51that spicy snack enthusiast who is going for a challenge, and is going to make a video about that
19:01challenge. It even comes with a little card telling you to put the snack up on YouTube. It's
19:07really nothing special to behold. Like I said, I've never wanted to taste this. I want to be
19:12able to accurately describe what the flavor is. I already know what the heat is going to be like.
19:17It does have a pleasant, fruity taste when you're chewing it. Immediately when you stop
19:22chewing it, what you taste is that extract. To me, that's just a horrible, horrible taste,
19:27and right now it's already giving me a little bit of a cramp right here. A new feeling than
19:32I've had from the past 20 snacks I've had. Normal human beings should not try this,
19:38only experienced chili heads who want to do something to get a few views. It would not be
19:44a good thing to prank someone with this. You would not want to mix one of these in with jelly beans.
19:50Just that little taste let me know that if it'd eaten the whole thing, it would have been the
19:55spiciest thing I ate today. That chemically extract-y taste just came on full force.
20:01Tastes kind of like a wastewater plant at a chemical factory. There's no flavor at all.
20:08It's the worst thing I had out of all of them. We've been trying spicy snacks for a long time.
20:14Some of them were really bad, but really hot. A lot of them that are available in the market
20:20are very mild and very flavorful, which is approachable to everyone. The one we thought
20:26was the best that was hot and flavorful, Inferno Candy. Their cheese puff was amazing. However,
20:34my favorite thing that I tried today were these peanuts fried with Szechuan peppercorns and
20:41chilies. They are amazing and it is a unique culinary experience. These are just a few of
20:47the amazing options you have on your liftoff to the experience with spicy snacks. Now I'd really
20:53like to see what some of your favorite spicy snacks are, so please put them in the comments
20:59and share them with us.