Cheetos Popcorn

I had no idea the Cheetos product line was quite so extensive.  I mean, wow, they've really made, well, a brand. 

"CHEETOS® snacks are the much-loved cheesy treats that are fun for everyone! You just can’t eat a CHEETOS® snack without licking the signature “cheetle” off your fingertips. And wherever the CHEETOS® brand and CHESTER CHEETAH® go, cheesy smiles are sure to follow."

I've reviewed Crunchy Cheetos chips before, certainly not my thing, but, I can't resist an opportunity to try another new snack food, and a popcorn no less, so when I saw Cheetos popcorn come out, I had to try it.  I'm an avid snacker, and popcorn is my #1 vice.

If you are curious about the rest of the product line, yes, there are classic Cheetos in puffs or crunchy styles, or in "paw" shapes, bites, or "Fantastix".  There are healthy baked versions, or "simply puffs" versions in a few flavors.  Then of course there is the Flamin' Hot varieties, or the the Flamin' Hot Limon, or the XXTRA Flamin' Hot ... But then there are ... Flavor Shots.  A bunch of different Mac 'n Cheese varieties.   And now, popcorn!

CHEETOS® Popcorn.

I grabbed a bag the very first chance I saw it in a store near me.

It was very clearly Cheetos branded, orange, and with a big cat on the front (er, Chester, I guess that is Chester?).

 

CHEETOS® Popcorn: So Orange!

"Introducing CHEETOS® Popcorn, bringing the delicious taste of CHEETOS® to a classic snacking favorite - popcorn! CHEETOS® Popcorn delivers all of the rich, smooth, cheesy flavor you know and love from classic CHEETOS®. Ready to go right out of the bag, it’s popcorn with an added boost of cheesy mischievous flavorful fun."

My first thought when I opened the bag was, "wow, that is ... orange!".  Orange fingers were likely to ensure, a signature part of the Cheetos eating experience after all, “cheetle” and all that.

The kernels were all large, well coated.  It was ... yup, cheesy.  Generic cheesy.

But there was nothing about it that screamed "Cheetos".  Really, it was like any other mass produced, decent enough, cheddar popcorn on the market.  I wouldn't be able to distinguish it from any other brand, particularly those big drums that show up at the holidays.  It didn't taste ... unique.

**+, nothing really special here.

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Lotte Candy From Japan

One of the best parts of travel? Besides, you know, the culture, the experiences, etc, etc ... yeah, of course it is the food, and in addition to trying every random snack I can get my hands on, I also love trying different types of candy and chocolate when I travel.

Which brings me to Lotte, a brand I disovered in Japan.

Lotte is a huge multinational company, known for their confections and ice cream across different parts of Asia.  In Japan, if you have a random sweet from a convenience store, if it doesn't come from Meiji or Gilco, it most likely comes from Lotte.  

I've tried a ton of Lotte products while in Japan, but never bothered to photo nor review.  I am totally addicted to their gum though, and order it online often, even though soooo expensive to ship here (warning, not the kind I get now, but they have a bunch that are caffeinated, and if you don't know this, and are a gum addict like me, this can be dangerous!)

But this one was too fun not to write up ... 

Lotte Crunky Corn Flavor Chocolate Bar.

"This famous chocolate bar from Lotte is loaded with sweet and juicy corn from Hokkaido, Japan. Enjoy munching this creamy corn-flavored chocolate treat that has crunchy puffs inside. You can add soy sauce and bake it in the oven for 2 minutes to make it taste like real baked corn."

I had no idea what to expect with this one, but, I do sometimes love white chocolate (for sweetness, I just don't think of it as something even in the "chocolate" family of products).  And I love corn in desserts (thank you Thai desserts in Sydney for introducing me to this concept!  You can read all about my first encounter with a dessert with corn from Chat Thai in my review, and see it totally torn normal to me, and something I seek out, like the corn in the green tapioca with cream from a random Thai dessert stall in Thaitown).  And I love Milk Bar corn cookies (as you know from my reviews), for dessert, for breakfast, for anytime.  So corn in dessert form was not a novel idea to me.

But this was still ... fascinating.

It is sweet.  It tastes like corn.  It is creamy.  it  is crunchy. It confuses the brain.  And I think I love it. 

I started by just breaking off a piece and eating it, and then another, and another.  I think it could be *really* fun to melt down and drizzle on popcorn or chex mix.  And then of course, there are the instructions to add soy sauce and bake it … which sadly I never got to, as I just couldn't stop eating it.

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