Are These New Takis Flavors a Blast?

Takis are extreme. It’s, like, their whole thing. I’m a season ticket holder at Six Flags Magic Mountain, and Takis are a snack you’ll see advertised when you’re waiting in line for a roller coaster that has made my husband black out on more than one occasion (the centrifugal force is a doozy). Anyway, when new Takis flavors drop, we expect them to be extreme, especially when they have names like Kaboom and Cobra. 

They may sound like a couple of muscle-bound American Gladiators, but those are the two new Takis flavors that are hitting stores as we speak. Kaboom Takis are gunpowder flavored and Cobra Takis are snake venom flavored. Just kidding. In reality, Takis Kaboom are “sweet and spicy sriracha” flavored with “medium” heat profile, and Takis Cobra are Worcestershire sauce flavored, also with a “medium” heat profile. Will they explode your taste buds? We tried them to find out.

New Product!

Takis Kaboom

Target

Kaboom is a limited edition Takis flavor that previously enjoyed a run in Canada, where they were described as “ketchup-sriracha” flavor. Is it the same flavor with a different description? I can’t say for sure, but I do think “ketchup-sriracha” is more accurate. 

Pros: Kaboom Takis are very delicious. They taste a bit like sweet chili sauce with a sweet, tomato-pasty edge. They have a tang that tickles the sides of your tongue and a simmering heat that settles in the back of your throat. If you put your mind to it, you’ll taste a little bit of garlic. Besides the chile pepper heat, that whisper of garlic flavor is what made them taste the most like sriracha.

Cons: Like I said, I can’t say for sure this is the same as the Canadian version, but these sure taste a lot like ketchup. That’s not a con, per se, but they could have stood to leave “ketchup” in the description for accuracy’s sake. I know ketchup chips are more popular in Canada than they are in the U.S., but give us some credit! We like an umami bomb as much as our neighbs to the north.

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

New Product!

Takis Cobra

Kroger

I was pret-ty excited about the prospect of eating Worcestershire sauce-flavored Takis. I was imagining the rolled corn chips we know and love coated in the flavor dust that makes Gardetto’s rye chips taste so savory and delicious. These new Takis are good, but they aren’t quite what I expected. 

Pros: These taste like straight MSG, and that’s a good thing. My colleague Liv Averett took a bite and said Cobra Takis taste like a ramen packet. They’re incredibly savory and a little bit peppery.

Cons: Along with MSG, the other dominant flavor is citric acid. For being Worcestershire flavored, they’re WAY too tangy! I’m filing this under “cons” even though it works. This is a very specific reference, but these Takis taste exactly like Lucky Me! Pancit Canton Kalamansi noodles.They didn’t make our ranking of the best instant noodles, but they’re a personal favorite of mine. Naturally, I like these Takis, too, even if the tang is a bit much.

Rating:

8/10

Sporks