Blanco Niño Smoky Chipotle Tortilla Chips, 170g

Blanco Niño make Mexican style tortilla chips from white corn, and Smoky Chipotle is their sweet and smoky flavour, built on chipotle, the smoke dried jalapeño. This is the 170g sharing bag, and the pack names Blanco Niño as the maker.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the chips are made from non GMO white corn (74%), high oleic sunflower oil, salt, dried herbs and spices, white sugar, brown sugar, yeast extract, rice flour, garlic powder, onion powder, spirit vinegar powder, tomato powder, dried red bell pepper, smoked salt, spirit vinegar, chipotle chilli extract (0.5%), chilli extract and flavouring.

Chipotle

Chipotle is a jalapeño that has been ripened red and then smoke dried, which gives it a deep, smoky, fruity heat. Here it comes as chipotle chilli extract, 0.5% of the chips, with a second chilli extract behind it.

Sweet and smoky

White and brown sugar give a sweet, almost barbecue sauce note, and smoked salt adds more smoke. Tomato, red pepper, garlic and onion fill out the sauce, and spirit vinegar gives a light tang.

Tomato and red pepper

Tomato powder and dried red bell pepper give the seasoning a sweet, roasted body, like a smoky salsa.

Spirit vinegar

Spirit vinegar and spirit vinegar powder give a light tang that lifts the sweetness.

How hot is it

The chilli extracts give a gentle to medium warmth that builds, milder than the Blanco Niño Creamy Jalapeño. The sugar rounds it off.

White corn

White corn makes up 74% of the chips. It gives a lighter colour and a cleaner, more delicate corn flavour than yellow corn. The listing says the corn is non GMO.

Salt

At 0.6g of salt per 100g, this is the least salty Blanco Niño bag we stock, amber on the front of pack scale but near the lower line.

High oleic sunflower oil

The chips are fried in high oleic sunflower oil, a sunflower oil bred to be rich in oleic acid, the main fat in olive oil. The label gives 2.4g of saturates per 100g.

Numbers per 100g

The label gives 486 kcal (2030 kJ), 20.8g of fat, 2.4g of saturates, 71.8g of carbohydrate, 1g of sugars, 6g of fibre, 5.8g of protein and 0.6g of salt per 100g. The listing gives no serving size, so the figures on this page are per 100g.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 20.8g is red. Saturates at 2.4g are amber. Sugars at 1g are green, despite the two sugars on the list. Salt at 0.6g is amber.

Allergens and diet

No allergens from the UK list of 14 are highlighted in the published ingredients, and the published listing gives no may contain advice. The listing says the chips are suitable for vegans and gluten free. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

Rice flour and yeast extract

Rice flour carries the seasoning and contains no gluten. Yeast extract gives savoury depth under the smoke; it is naturally rich in glutamates, worth knowing for anyone who avoids them altogether.

Made in Ireland

The listing gives Ireland as the country of origin for these Mexican style chips.

The pack

The terracotta bag carries the Blanco Niño name in cream over an illustration of a colonial Mexican street, smoky chipotle in gold script, a window showing the chips, and a top line that reads fully recyclable bag, vegan, gluten free.

The Blanco Niño range

We stock three Blanco Niño bags, all 170g, all white corn, all fried in high oleic sunflower oil and all vegan and gluten free by the listing: Lightly Salted with Celestún salt, Creamy Jalapeño and Smoky Chipotle.

A sharing bag

At 170g, the bag is made for sharing. The listing gives no serving size, so tip a handful into a bowl rather than eating from the bag.

A fully recyclable bag

The top line of the pack says the bag is fully recyclable. Check your local recycling guidance for flexible packaging.

Tortilla chips and dips

A tortilla chip is sturdier than most crisps, so it holds its shape in a thick dip: guacamole, a bean dip or a warm queso.

Who it suits

A sweet, smoky tortilla chip suits anyone who likes barbecue flavours and a gentle heat, and the vegan and gluten free statements suit most diets.

Serving the bag

Serve it with a smoky salsa, a sour cream dip or a bowl of guacamole, and a cold beer. It suits a barbecue as well as a taco night.

In the kitchen

Scatter the chips over a black bean chilli or a taco salad, or bake them with cheese for a smoky nacho tray.

Storage

The listing advises a cool, dry place away from bright light. Clip the bag shut between servings.

Other Blanco Niño

In the same 170g bag we stock Blanco Niño Creamy Jalapeño and White Corn Tortilla Chips with Celestún Salt.

Other 170g packs of Blanco Niño we stock

Figures as published on each pack's label.

The tasting notes on this page are our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description.