DORITOS JACKED SMOKY CHIPOTLE BBQ

6/10

Since my attention to The Chip Trip has lapsed, my love for Doritos has not waned; the intensity of my pursuit of new flavors, however, has. I've tried a variety of Doritos JACKED before, and although I don't remember if it was this flavor or another, I don't believe that JACKED in general is a good direction for these flavored chips to go in, especially in an age when EXTREME marketing is no longer novel or "cool" (I think). For one thing, in the history of Doritos, who has complained that they are too thin? Julia remarked that they feel "stale," and I think this is because these chips have suddenly just become huge, and there aren't the same little air bubbles in the chip to bite through. At first they don't look much bigger, but the crunch is a bit lower frequency-wise, and it's just not as satisfying.

Then there's the flavor. Obviously Doritos JACKED have to be up-front and in-your-face on the flavor front, and the lab geniuses over at Frito Lay are nothing if not adept at finding things that go well together. These things taste pretty good, until you realize that they taste like duller, much spicier Honey BBQ Fritos Flavor Twists (which are incredible, by the way) in chip form. That's a Frito-Lay product too. They're just trying to offload the same shit on fans of Doritos.

Past blog posts may have wistfully looked to the Doritos lab as a prime example of American creativity, but Doritos JACKED Smoky Chipotle BBQ have brought me back to Earth. These are just guys on salary mathematically combining chemicals and conducting focus groups. Anyway, I'm sure they can do better.

BONUS JULIA RATING: 4/10