Doritos Extra Flamin Hot Tortilla Chips, 163g

Extra Flamin' Hot is the Doritos flavour sold on its heat. This 163g sharing bag of corn tortilla chips carries a seasoning that is sharp, smoky and hot, and the name tells you which of those comes through loudest. The full product name on the pack is Flamin' Hot Flavour Corn Chips, and the label suggests five to six servings.

What is in the seasoning

According to the published pack listing, the chips are made from corn (maize), rapeseed oil, a Flamin' Hot seasoning and antioxidants (rosemary extract, ascorbic acid, a tocopherol rich extract and citric acid).

The seasoning lists sugar, flavouring, acidity regulators (citric acid and malic acid), dried garlic, salt, potassium chloride, a flavour enhancer (monosodium glutamate), dried onion, smoked paprika powder, a vegetable concentrate, jalapeño pepper powder, spices, herbs, smoked sunflower oil, smoked maltodextrin and paprika extract for colour.

Three things happening at once

The flavour works in three layers. The first is sharpness: citric and malic acid come third on the list, so a tang arrives early, the kind of sourness that makes the mouth water and heightens the heat that follows. The second is smoke: smoked paprika, smoked sunflower oil and smoked maltodextrin give a barbecue edge. The third is the heat itself: jalapeño pepper powder and the spices carry the chilli, and the flavouring rounds out the character. Sugar at the top of the list keeps the whole thing from tasting harsh, and garlic, onion and monosodium glutamate supply a savoury base.

Why sour makes hot feel hotter

Acid and chilli heat reinforce each other on the tongue. A sharp seasoning makes the mouth more sensitive, so the chilli registers sooner and more strongly than it would on a plain chip. That is why this flavour leads with acid rather than burying it, and why a cool, fatty dip calms it so well: fat and dairy protein carry away capsaicin, the compound that makes chilli hot, in a way that water does not.

A sharing bag in numbers

Per 30g serving the label gives 144 kcal, 6.7g of fat, 0.6g of saturates, 18g of carbohydrate, 1g of sugars, 1.7g of fibre, 1.9g of protein and 0.27g of salt. That serving is about 7% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake and 5% of the salt. Per 100g it is 480 kcal, 22g of fat, 1.9g of saturates, 60g of carbohydrate, 3.3g of sugars, 5.7g of fibre and 0.9g of salt.

Reading the colours on the front

On the UK front of pack scale, fat at 22g per 100g is red, above the 17.5g threshold. Saturates at 1.9g are amber, just inside the band that starts at 1.5g. Sugars at 3.3g are green. Salt at 0.9g is amber, in the lower half of the band, helped by the potassium chloride on the list.

Allergens and diet

No allergens from the UK list of 14 are highlighted in the published ingredients. The allergy advice says the chips may contain cereals containing gluten, milk and soya. The pack says they are suitable for vegetarians. No vegan claim is made, and with milk in the may contain advice we would not describe them as vegan; no gluten free claim is made. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

How the chips are made

Tortilla chips begin as a corn dough, rolled thin and cut into triangles, then cooked in oil until crisp through. The seasoning is tumbled on while the chips are warm, and the pack says the bag is packaged in a protective atmosphere, which keeps oxygen away from the oil. The published listing gives Portugal as the country of origin and names Walkers Snack Foods Ltd on the pack.

The smaller ingredients

Two items on the list are easy to miss. The vegetable concentrate and the paprika extract both sit near the end, where they mostly shape the colour, giving the deep red dusting the bag is known for. Herbs appear as a separate item from spices, which adds a green, savoury note under the heat. Smoked maltodextrin and smoked sunflower oil carry the smoke evenly across every chip, so no handful tastes plain.

In the kitchen

Crushed, these chips make a fiery crumb. Scatter them over a macaroni cheese before it goes under the grill, press them onto chicken strips before baking, or use them to top a bowl of chilli for heat and crunch at once. A little goes a long way.

Serving the bag

Put it out with something cooling: soured cream and chive, guacamole, a yoghurt and cucumber dip or a bowl of cold salsa. It also makes the hottest base for loaded nachos, with melted cheese to temper the heat. For guests who do not like chilli, put a bowl of Doritos Tangy Cheese or Cool Original beside it, and label the bowls.

How hot is it

The label does not give a heat rating, and heat is personal. What the list shows is a chilli pepper, jalapeño, plus unnamed spices, with acid that makes the heat feel sharper. The name promises more heat than Doritos Chilli Heatwave, whose chilli is cayenne near the end of a sweeter seasoning. Anyone who avoids chilli should choose another bag.

After opening, and relatives

The pack advises a cool, dry place and eating an opened bag within three days. In the Doritos range we stock, Chilli Heatwave comes in 180g and five bag formats for a gentler heat, and Tangy Cheese, Cool Original and Sizzling Beef Taco come in 180g bags for anyone who wants flavour without chilli.

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