I started seeing notes on Twitter about this product a couple of weeks ago, every one of which was along the lines of, "OMG! Trader Joe's has its own Takis now and they're fabulous!"
I could tell just from the name of the product that I would surely like it. But I had never heard of Takis. I looked it up and learned that they make a bunch of different flavors of rolled tortilla chips, and that this new TJ's item is a close match to the most popular one, called "Fuego."
Sadly for me, a couple more trips to my local TJ's failed to turn up this hot (in more ways than one) new thing. But last night, Nina presented me with a bag. Lately it seems that her TJ's runs are more fortuitously timed than mine.
They are fabulous, just as everyone was saying. They're powerfully flavored, with both the chili and the lime being ramped up to 11. They're perfectly fried, making them super crunchy without being at all brittle, with that unpleasant sensation of pieces flying off everywhere. Even if they were unflavored, they would be extremely satisfying to bite into.
Nina was offering me some new dip to go along with these chips. I never even tried it. First, the shape of these makes them less than ideal vehicles for scooping up dip. But more importantly, they were just so damn good by themselves that I didn't want to alter the experience.
Sitting down to write this review, I wondered if there were any dissenting voices. I found three other reviews online so far--here, here, and here. No dissenters; they are all enthusiastically cheering the arrival.
I agree. This is a sure-fire hit, and so good it's being inducted into my Top Ten list.
Will I buy it again?
Yes yes yes yes yes. It's one of the rare items that's going on all three of the lists that I keep in the upper-right corner: buy again, staples, and top ten. I think it's going to be one of the handful of TJ's snacks that I keep on hand nearly all the time.
Now place your bets on which other flavors in the Takis lineup TJ's will rip off next. Maybe the chili and cheese?
