Takis aren’t for everyone. Maybe you don’t like corn chips. Maybe you have a phobia of things that are shaped like tubes (I’m certain this exists). But, most likely, you don’t like or can’t handle spice. And Takis are pretty spicy. Fuego, the brand’s most ubiquitous flavor, clocks in at around 8,000 Scoville units, which means they’re about as spicy as the spiciest jalapeño pepper. There is no shame in not wanting to eat a snack that’s going to make your nose run and force you to drink an entire 32-ounce Nalgene of water. Snack time doesn’t have to feel like a challenge from your middle school bully. And Takis gets that. The brand recently released Takis Intense Nacho, their very first non-spicy flavor. Are Takis still good if they don’t mildly upset you? Is the nacho cheese flavor as intense as promised? We picked up a bag to find out.
If you like nacho cheese-flavored chips, I don’t see any reason you won’t like these. They’re corny and crunchy and have excellent flavor dust coverage. I don’t eat a ton of Takis (if I’m reaching for a spicy snack, I’m reaching for these circa-1922 bad boys), but this was a good reminder that the shape makes them extremely fun to eat.
Given the name, I do wish the nacho cheese flavor was a little more intense. My colleague Jordan Myrick agreed it could be more powerful. If I were in the mood for a cheesy snack, I think I would probably reach for Doritos or Cheetos before I reached for these. But if you like Takis and don’t feel like setting your mouth ablaze, give them a shot!
Howdy! I’m Gwynedd, Sporked’s managing editor. I live in Los Angeles and have access to the best tacos the U.S. has to offer—but I’m a sucker for a crunchy Old El Paso taco night every now and then. I’ve been at Sporked since 2022 and I’m still searching frozen mozzarella sticks that can hold a candle to restaurant sticks.
Why you should trust me: I’ve been a journalist for 20 years (yikes), a consumer of food for 40-plus years, and I’m truly hard pressed to think of foods I don’t like (or that I can’t tolerate at the very least). Oh and one time I cooked my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook and wrote about the journey through Flavortown.
What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s Original Savory Thins. Fat free plain yogurt (usually Fage or Nancy’s). Honeycrisp apples. Sweet cream coffee creamer for my at-home Americanos. A frozen cauliflower crust pizza and some jarred mushrooms to top it with. Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells and Gardein Ground Be’f, even though I think “be’f” is a nightmarish contraction.
Favorite ranking: Stouffer’s frozen dinners. I don’t own a microwave (I get my cancers the old fashioned way!), so I love taste testing things that I don’t really buy to eat at home.
Least favorite ranking: Soy sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love soy sauce—but consuming that much sodium in one sitting is probably illegal in some countries. Our frozen enchilada taste test was a close second; the smell of microwaved corn tortillas still haunts me.
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Gwynedd Stuart
Justine Sterling
Kota Lee
