Chester's Snacks

Everyone's favorite orange cat, Chester (you know, the Cheetos mascot) has ventured out on his own.  He has his own line of products now, entirely devoid of Cheetos branding.  As a lover of all snack foods, I obviously had to try some of these, even though I don't actually like Cheetos chips (or their branded mac & cheese ...).  His product line includes "fries" and "puffcorn", the later of which I tried. 

Puffcorn

Puffcorn is not popcorn (although the Cheetos brand carries a version of that that I've reviewed before too). It is however corn (meal) based.   Puffcorn comes in several flavors, such as butter flavored (not cheesy at all!), a classic orange signature cheese flavor, and of course, a Flamin' Hot variety - he may be acting as an independent icon, but he is part of the same franchise after all, and Flamin' Hot is, well, their trendy range these days.

CHESTER'S® Cheese Flavored Puffcorn.

"When CHESTER CHEETAH puts his name on a snack, you can count on a bold and cheesy flavor like you’ve never tasted. CHESTER’S® snacks are made with a special blend of real cheese seasoning to give each bite the perfect pop and zing."

I went for the classic neon orange "cheese" flavor.  The pieces really did look like just kinda blown up Cheetos, although again, there is no Cheetos branding on this product.

I took my first bite, and wasn't sure how I felt about them.  I took another.  Same thing.  I really didn't know how I felt about them, even as I devoured half the bag in no time flat.

The product is pretty hard to classify - it really isn't like chips, and it isn't like popcorn, it is somewhere in the middle ... uh, I guess calling it "puffcorn" will suffice after all.  I really did like the form factor - it was airy, it was crispy, it was very munchable.  If you are familiar with Trader Joe's Jalapeño Seasoned Crunchy Corn & Rice Puffs, it reminded me a lot of that.  So, form factor?  Definitely a success for me, although I did grow a bit sick of the pieces being so soft, I missed the extra crunch that popcorn hulls provide.

The flavor is the part I wasn't as into.  Yes, they were savory and cheesy, but definitely in a fake cheese sense, and just not something I gravitate towards.  When I go for fake cheese, I prefer white cheddar.  They did still leave an orange hue on my fingers, although not as bad as traditional Cheetos.  

Overall, an interesting product, but, I'd rather eat Trader Joe's Jalapeño Seasoned Crunchy Corn & Rice Puffs, or white cheddar popcorn, instead.  3.5/5 for novelty, but probably more like 3/5 for me really.

Fries

And then there are the "fries".  Which are obviously not actually fries, they are a packaged snack food found in the chip aisle. These come in a variety of flavors, including chili cheese, bacon cheddar, carolina style bbq, and of course, Flamin Hot'.

Flamin' Hot Fries.

"Get ready for a sizzle of flavor that will set your mouth on fire. Dive into a red hot blaze of fiery crunch with Chester's brand hot fries."

These confused my brain.

I knew they were Chester's brand.  I knew that meant they'd be cheesy. And corn puff based.  And yet, with the bold red color and shoestring fries shape, my brain still didn't expect them to taste like (lightly spicy) corn based cheese puffs.  You may recall that I don't actually really care for Cheetos or adjacent snacks.  These fared a bit better, but not much.

The form factor was unique and kinda novel.  Airy and crispy, fun familiar fries shape, just unexpected as a snack food.  Not bad.  The base flavor was generic corn puff, which I don't love though.  That base was masked entirely by all the cheese powders, and, um, the red.  They were a bit spicy, but certainly not "fiery" nor about to "set my mouth on fire".  They tasted like Cheetos puffs, just, in a different shape.

Not really my thing, but, fun to try. 3/5 if I'm not taking my own preferences into account.