Takis are a Mexican brand of corn tortilla chip snack, noted for their roll-shaped design. They are produced by Barcel, a subsidiary of Grupo Bimbo. Takis were invented in Mexico in 1999, where they are still a very popular snack, and were introduced to America in 2004, where they were initially intended to be targeted towards the Hispanic demographic, but were found to be very popular across the board.
They are fashioned after taquitos, a type of rolled Taco, and much like taquitos, Takis also embody the intense spiciness or Fuego (‘Fire’) that is indicative of Mexican food. As such, the vast majority of Takis are spicy in some fashion, ranging from mild to caliente.
So I had not tried Takis until mid 2021 when we started frequenting a store which sold a variety of American and International snacks, and I instantly became obsessed with them. Speaking of which, if you happen to find yourself in Kilmarnock, a small town in the west of Scotland, then I urge you to please pop into American Munchies, because they have an impressive range of snacks from all around the world including but not limited to America, Mexico and Japan just to name a few. You will be able to find a plethora of Takis there at all times.
Fuego
So I’ve had Tortilla based chips before, Manomasa being a good example, and while I think that the thickness of a tortilla chip can make it harder to get a nice flavour profile on it, that when done right they make for a really good chip. Takis really does it right. Presentationally, they remind me a little bit of Wheat Crunchies, although obviously those are tubes whereas these are obviously folded. As I said up top, as soon as I first tried these I became absolutely obsessed, the flavour is just perfect, I’ve tried similar products like Jositos and Chipoys which are both functionally very similar but don’t quite hit the same, it’s just a perfect blend of superior flavour and quality of ingredients. Fuego, even though it’s branded as spicy, is more of a flavourful heat, than something that’s genuinely spicy, but it gets you salivating and that’s the important thing.
Blue Heat
As I said above, the classic flavour, Fuego is branded as spicy, but at least to my palate is more of a flavourful heat than anything else, Blue Heat, ironically considering the name, is far more spicy, that being said there’s a lot of overlap in overall flavour between this and Fuego, the main differences being Blue Heat is more intense and spicier, plus the blue coating which is very vivid and makes them more aesthetically interesting. These really do taste amazing, even if you do end up coated in the curious blue residue. I think these have a subtle smoky undertone that melds well with the overall Taki spice and heat.
Nitro
So I covered it a moment ago, but I think there’s a core Taki flavour that all of the main products have to some degree or another, and Nitro sure has this, but where Blue Heat is smokier, and has a more intense spice, Nitro goes for something a little different. The same punch of heat and flavour, but this takes on more of a lemon infused energy, it’s tangier, and has a slightly sweet note on the palate that’s very tasty.
Dragon Sweet Chili
So while I’m still a relatively new convert to Takis I’d say they are easily one of, if not my favourite snack chip on the market. So I am being 100% honest when I say that there’s very little room for improvement, if any. And yet these spicy sweet chili Takis manage to raise the bar even higher as they are absolutely perfect. They have a reasonable amount of heat, not as intense as Blue Heat, but more so that is present in Fuego or Nitro, the flavour is pronounced but not overwhelming, and the actual spice is balanced out and enhanced by the delicious sweetness. I’m usually not that fussed about sweet chilli, I prefer savoury flavours but honestly the Takis take on the flavour really sold it for me.
Nacho Xplosion
So I’ll start this by saying that I really like cheese flavoured snacks, and I’m a big fan of nachos, but sadly despite having a nice boost of heat, and my very accurate view that Takis are a superb brand, these were not as good as I was expecting. That’s not to say they were bad, but they were about as good as similar products on the market, for example ‘Tangy Cheese’ Doritos. I maintain that this is still very good, as Doritos are practically ubiquitous in the snack market, but when comparing them to the rest of the Takis range that I’ve tried thus far they just weren’t as good.
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