Chilli mac and cheese as a crisp flavour. Just sit with that concept for a moment. Someone in product development pitched this, and someone else said yes. Multiple people were involved in making this exist.
The audacity is impressive. The execution is… interesting.
The cheese element is strong, that familiar cheesy tang that forms the backbone of the flavour. It’s reminiscent of the powdered cheese you get in boxed macaroni, which is presumably intentional.
The chilli component
There’s warmth here, a building heat that emerges through the cheese. It’s not aggressive, but it’s present, adding complexity to what could be a one-note cheese experience.
The combination works better than it should. The chilli lifts the cheese from monotony.
The mac problem
What does macaroni taste like? Essentially nothing. It’s a texture and a shape, not a flavour. So “mac n cheese” crisp flavour is really just “cheese” with American branding.
The name is doing more work than the actual flavouring.
Ridge cut format
The ridges help here, holding more of the bold seasoning than a flat crisp would manage. The crunch is substantial, standing up to the heavy flavouring.
Novelty versus longevity
These are fun once. Whether they’d become a regular purchase is doubtful. The novelty is the selling point, and novelty fades.
Worth trying for the experience. Unlikely to become a staple.
