Doritos has really been on quite the roll as of late. They kicked things off with the stellar Tacos at Midnight and Last Call Jalapeno Poppers, the first two flavors of their now renowned Late Night Line of Chips, and then built off of that success with All Nighter Cheeseburger, another stellar chip that literally blew my mind. With this success I figured it would be at least two more Late Night Flavors before the snack food giant decided to release any kind of strange flavor without the now trust brand labeled on the bag.
However, I was pleasantly surprised to hear about Mr. Dragon’s Fire Chips, a very strange product with an even stranger name. Equipped with the Japanese treat known as wasabi — a very spicy seasoning somewhat comparable to American hot sauce (though not really, more on that in a moment), can I chock up another high score for Doritos?
Review:
Let’s talk about wasabi for those of you who may be uninformed. Wasabi is unlike any other flavor, and it is delicious. The closest thing we have here in America to compare it to would be hot sauce, but that’s only because of the massive level of heat wasabi adds to anything it touches. But it is a much more pleasant burn than hot sauce, pepper sauce, or Tabasco, because it doesn’t linger on your palate, torturing your taste buds with unnecessary and unpleasant spice. Don’t get me wrong, I love hot sauce as much as (probably even more than) the next guy, but the fact that the heat isn’t easily washed away makes it a double edged sword. With wasabi, once you swallow it the pain is gone.
Walk into any sort of Asian food store and you are going to find all kinds of wasabi-flavored foods. Wasabi peas are a favorite of mine, but there are also wasabi flavored shrimp chips, dehydrated squid with wasabi, wasabi chocolate. Hell, there’s even wasabi beer! However, take a tour through your local Kroger or other grocery store and chances are that you won’t find much outside of a tube of the green paste (yes, wasabi is a paste) in the oriental aisle. Americans aren’t very familiar with this spice from the other side of the world, and if you ask someone if they’ve ever had it, there’s a pretty good chance they’ll say no.
That is probably why Doritos has chosen not to label this chip as being wasabi-flavored, instead playing on our hickish love for spice and simultaneously paying tribute to the country of origin with the traditional Japanese dragon, a symbol of luck for our friends on the other side of the planet. The only place you’ll see a mention of wasabi is in the list of ingredients on the bag.
But enough of this damned obnoxious rambling! You don’t care about all of that crap. You want to know if this snack is worth your money!
I say yes. Mr. Dragon’s Fire Chips are very good. In fact, they are delicious. Coated with a green powder giving them a unique appearance that many Americans are going to mistake for guacamole, these chips are one hell of a snack. My only qualm is that Doritos went relatively light with the wasabi, instead of piling it on there for a truly powerful kick with ever bite. It just goes to show that all food companies think us Americans are wimps that can’t handle heat. Still, I cannot deny the deliciousness of the combination of wasabi with the corn chip. It creates a fantastic and scrumptious little concoction that I will be enjoying regularly as long as these things are on the shelves. And unlike the Late Night Chips, which are best in moderation, Mr. Dragon’s Fire Chips are as addictive as cocaine and never lose their appeal, always satisfying with every spicy crunch.
If you don’t like wasabi, however, you are obviously not going to like these chips. I will say that I handed them out to many people that I work with, and everyone who wasn’t afraid of trying something new loved them. One coworker, a young man named Alex Reid, stated that they taste like Cool Ranch Doritos at first, followed by a bit of a kick.
Final Words:
Doritos continues its winning streak with Mr. Dragon’s Fire Chips. Wasabi works very well on a corn chip, and serves as a very unique and refreshingly delicious flavor, especially to a market unfamiliar with the delightful spice. Many Americans that haven’t tasted it are even afraid of it, thinking it will just burn their mouth beyond repair. Knowing this, wasabi isn’t advertised on the bag as an ingredient, and Doritos went a little light on the wasabi flavoring, perhaps a little hesitant to do something that may scare away potential customers. Regardless of that, these chips are awesome.
Pros
- Delicious
- Wasabi works rather well with corn chips
- Bag is unique and eye-catching
- Dragons
Cons
- Americans who are afraid of wasabi
- The wasabi flavor could’ve been more powerful
Score: 9.0/10 (Outstanding)
Actually, the katakana in the logo say “wasabi”, but it’s true that you only know it has wasabi in it if you read the ingredients or know a little Japanese. Also, I think a better analogue than hot sauce is horseradish, considering it’s in the same family of plant and most Americans are probably familiar with horseradish.
Ah, that’s right. Horseradish is a much better comparison. Though believe it or not, I’ve never had it.
I was very disappointed with these chips. Nowhere close to spicy they were. Since I can’t find large bags of the 2nd Degree Burn chips, I wish they’d at least put out something respectable.
Sentence fragment. Sorry.
Yeah, I too was disappointed with the lack of spice and light seasoning. Still, they taste great and really hit the spot no matter what mood I’m in.
I love odd tasting snack foods. I’m capable of eating Vegemite like peanut butter which might make an Aussie sick. I have to say these are awesome. I tried them in SE Missouri and unfortunately I couldn’t find them at home in Central Arkansas. I stopped the Frito Lay man in the middle of his deliveries and he stated they were only available in West and NW Arkansas as they come from a plant in Kansas City and are not manufactured in the Jonesboro Arkansas plant which supplies our area.
My Dorito loving family all tried them and basically hated them. I on the other hand loved them. The only other Wasabi flavored snack I had had up to that point was the Diamond Wasabi Peanuts (also not available in my area). After a little research and sadly, they are a temporary flavor available only through July. I’m heading to a market tomorrow that potentially sells these chips and if I find them, I’ll be stocking up. If you request additional portions of Wasabi with your sushi or Japanese food, you’ll love these.
My children and I agree that these chips are more of a punishment for eating snacks. Just awful!
Where are you located where most of the people you know don’t know what wasabi is? Anyone who’s had sushi even once has encountered wasabi.
@ Ren
In the midwest, more specifically southeastern Indiana. People ’round my parts don’t b’lieb in eatin raw fish. Fish is good for cookn only. And wasabi? Pfft, sounds like a terr’rist naim to me.
I live surrounded by people like that.
Yeah Pritcher, it’s awful not everyone in this area is as verbally sophisticated as you are, what with the ingenious way you believed touche was pronounced toosh.
HAHAHA
Shit.
OMG this is really bad tasting chips.
i HATE THIS FLAVOR.
NEVER AGAIN.
OMG this is really bad tasting chips.
i HATE THIS FLAVOR.
NEVER AGAIN.
I just put one of these chips in my mouth… And it tastes nothing like hot sauce. Wasabi is gross, this flavor is gross, and you sir, have made a bad review.
I completely agree with Zac. These chips are AWESOME!!!!!! They are hard to find right now but really really good. However I’m a lover of wasabi soooo Love Them.
These chips RULE ALL the Doritos flavors!
That is, of course, if you like Wasabi.
ummm….horseradish is not a comparison to wasabi…that’s what wasabi is made out of.
Okay, so where can I buy some?????
Gen,
I found mine at Kroger, so I would try your local chain grocer and check the chip or promo aisles. I’ve also seen them at gas stations such as Circle K, Casey’s and Jiffy in smaller snack-sized bags for a buck.
Good luck!
Apparently– these are “a limited edition snack food”… They are no longer being made….
Frito Lays– You tease!
I was totally disappointed in these chips, not because they don’t taste good but because if you’re going to call them FIRE chips they should be HOT AS FIRE.
The wasabi flavor is good, if not a little tame, and they’re fantastic broken up and sprinkled on tuna and chicken salad sandwiches (I like a little crunch in my lunch, what can I say…). On their own, they’re passable but could be a lot hotter.
I bought these chips because of the awesomeness of the bag =]
Only found one bag in my town ONE BAG. period
and umm yea, they were amazing with the first few bites, alot of flavors, went from sweet to sour to spicy
after a few chips i couldnt eat anymore it tasted horrible
They taste terrible. I have never tasted such a bad tasting chip but these are bad. I will never buy this product again. I also got lured by the bag but was disappointed with the terrible taste.
freaking disgusting chips. At 3 chips and threw the rest out. Awful throwup tasting chips.
Just like the author mentioned, the real problem with these chips are Americans with narrow palates who think they’re disgusting because they don’t know how to taste anything that doesn’t come from McDonalds.
These chips are AWESOME!
Worst chips ever. Nearly threw-up after eating 2 chips. Anyone with a brain and a good sense of taste will know these belong in the trash.
My family hated these, but I LOVE them!!!!! I only hate the fact that I am the only one that likes them in the house, so that means I have to eat ALL of the calories in the bag..
You can’t pretend that this product accurately depicts the culinary importance of wasabi OR it’s true essence or flavor. Hell, even the spiciness of true wasabi is mostly absent. But again, Americans love to eat crap so, I guess I don’t expect anyone to like these besides myself. I just think that Doritos consumers who don’t know what wasabi is or that have only tasted it in this context need to figure it out. Please, let’s all just stop the IDIOCRACY.
Ohh, so they don’t taste just like “real” wasabi, or like the plethora of nacho, salsa, ranch offerings cover the shelves by multiple brands, well so what, these were awesome and I sincerly hope they get brought back.
Mr. Dragon’s are now my new favorite! Not nearly as hot as the wasabi radish paste itself, but that’s because there are many other seasonings to compliment the flavor. The best comparison is to the yellow chinese hot mustard that you dip BBQ pork in before you dip it in sesame seeds. It’s more of a nostril burn as opposed to your tongue. Breathing in the flavor while you taste is what burns, however these chips are just the right amount of heat- I would never have to take a break and put the bag down to cool my mouth off, which is exactly how I like it! Love these chips! YUMMY!
Threw-up right after eating 1 chip. They sort of taste like how dogshit smells.