Doritos Chilli Heatwave Tortilla Chips, 44g

Chilli Heatwave is the red Doritos: corn tortilla chips with a seasoning that starts sweet and builds to a warm chilli heat. This is the 44g grab bag, one bag and one serving by the pack. The full product name on the pack is Chilli Heatwave Flavour Corn Chips.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the chips are made from corn (maize), rapeseed oil, a Chilli Heatwave flavour seasoning and antioxidants: rosemary extract, ascorbic acid, a tocopherol rich extract and citric acid. The seasoning lists sugar, flavourings, flavour enhancers (monosodium glutamate and disodium guanylate), potassium chloride, hydrolysed vegetable protein, salt, garlic, paprika and onion powders, citric acid, cayenne pepper and paprika extract for colour.

Sweet first, then heat

Sugar leads the seasoning, which is why the first taste is sweet, and cayenne pepper, near the end of the list, brings a heat that builds as you eat. Paprika adds a sweet pepper note without much fire.

Cayenne pepper

Cayenne is a ground dried chilli, hotter than paprika and milder than the extreme chillies. It is the only chilli ingredient on the list.

The savoury side

Monosodium glutamate and disodium guanylate are listed as flavour enhancers, and hydrolysed vegetable protein, a savoury ingredient made by breaking down plant protein, deepens the flavour. Garlic and onion powders give it a base.

Citric acid

A little citric acid lifts the seasoning, so the sweetness does not taste flat against the heat.

Paprika

Paprika appears twice: as a powder, for a sweet red pepper flavour, and as paprika extract, which gives the seasoning its red colour.

Garlic and onion

Garlic powder sits in the middle of the list and onion powder just after the paprika, a savoury base for the sweetness and the heat.

Potassium chloride

Potassium chloride sits in the seasoning beside the salt. It tastes salty but contains no sodium, and the salt figure on a UK label is worked out from sodium.

Corn and rapeseed oil

Corn (maize) is the first ingredient, cooked into triangles in rapeseed oil, the only oil on the list. The pack calls them corn chips.

The antioxidants

Rosemary extract, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), a tocopherol rich extract (vitamin E) and citric acid protect the oil in the chips from turning stale.

Numbers for one bag

The pack gives 210 kcal (881 kJ), 9.8g of fat, 0.9g of saturates, 26g of carbohydrate, 2g of sugars, 2.4g of fibre, 2.8g of protein and 0.48g of salt for the 44g bag. That is 14% of an average adult's daily fat reference intake and 8% of the salt.

Numbers per 100g

Per 100g the label gives 478 kcal (2003 kJ), 22g of fat, 2g of saturates, 60g of carbohydrate, 4.5g of sugars, 5.5g of fibre, 6.4g of protein and 1.1g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 22g is red, as it is for fried tortilla chips generally. Saturates at 2g are amber, sugars at 4.5g are green, just under the amber line, and salt at 1.1g is amber.

Sugar and salt

Sugar is the first seasoning ingredient, yet the label gives 4.5g of sugars per 100g, still green, and 2g in the bag. Salt is 1.1g per 100g, level with Cool Original and above Tangy Cheese at 0.89g.

Allergens and diet

No allergen is highlighted in the published ingredients. The allergy advice says the chips may contain milk, soya, wheat and other cereals containing gluten. The listing says they are suitable for vegetarians; no vegan or gluten free claim is made. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

A grab bag

The front of the bag reads grab bag, and at 44g it holds about half as much again as a 30g multipack bag. It is one serving by the pack, so the numbers above are for the whole bag.

How hot is it

Chilli Heatwave is a warm, building heat rather than a fierce one. Doritos Extra Flamin' Hot, which we also stock, is the hotter choice.

Packed in a protective atmosphere

The listing says the chips are packaged in a protective atmosphere, which keeps oxygen away from the oil until the bag is opened.

With a cold drink

A sweet chilli snack suits a cold drink: a lager, a lemonade or a glass of cold milk, which takes the edge off the heat.

Who it suits

Chilli Heatwave suits anyone who likes a sweet chilli snack with a little warmth. It is not the bag for anyone avoiding MSG, which is listed.

With a dip

A soured cream dip cools the chilli, and a guacamole or a mild salsa suits it too.

In the kitchen

Crushed chips make a spicy crumb for chicken strips, or a crunchy topping for a chilli con carne or a bean chilli with a spoon of soured cream.

Other sizes

We stock the same Chilli Heatwave chips in a 180g sharing bag and in a multipack of five 30g bags, and four Chilli Heatwave bags go into the Doritos Variety box. Tangy Cheese and Cool Original come in the same 44g grab bag.

Storage

The listing advises a cool, dry place. Finish the bag once it is open.

Sizes of Doritos Chilli Heatwave Tortilla Chips 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.