Review: Taco Bell - Taco Sauce-Seasoned Tortilla Chips

Taco Bell's Taco Sauce-Seasoned Chips are being tested at a few locations here in Southern California and feature packaged tortilla chips in three flavors mirroring the brand's taco sauces: Mild, Hot, and Fire (sorry, no Salsa Verde).

I picked these up for $1.49 per 2-oz bag, which is a little pricey but I guess comparable to similar sizes at a convenience store.

They sit on their own display rack next to the ordering counter:

The bags are actually slightly more elongated than the typical bag of chips to resemble sauce packets.

While it would make sense that these were made by Frito-Lay given their deep ties with Taco Bell (they used to be both owned by PepsiCo and still work together on items like the Doritos Locos Taco), the bag bears no mention of Frito-Lay and the chips are made in Mexico.

The chips are slightly bubbled on the surface like a Doritos chip but exhibits a thicker, heartier crunch. I would say they sit somewhere between a regular Doritos and Doritos Jacked in texture.

Taste-wise, they really do taste like corn tortilla chips with a dry dusting of Taco Bell's taco sauce on them. The flavor is pretty nice a tangy tomato note with an accent of seasoning and varying amounts of heat. Interestingly, the different levels of heat alters the way the tomato and seasoning play off (even as the ingredient list reads off the same way). It should be noted that Mild offers more of a spicy kick than the actual Mild sauce at Taco Bell.

Overall, Taco Bell's Taco Sauce-Seasoned Tortilla Chips are pretty tasty. They really do taste like the brand's taco sauce and offer a somewhat distinctive crunch.

They could fit in as a possible side for Taco Bell's value meals.

Nutritional Info - Taco Bell Taco Sauce Seasoned Tortilla Chips - Same for Mild, Hot, and Fire 
Serving Size - 1 oz (28g / 16 chips)
Calories - 140 (from Fat - 70)
Fat - 8g (Saturated Fat - 0.5g)
Sodium - 140mg
Carbs - 15g (Sugar - 0g)
Protein - 2g