Junk Food Nation, it’s time to let my inner old man out. Recently, on Facebook, a trending topic was the new trailer for a reboot movie of an 80’s cartoon series “Jem and the Holograms.” The tagline on the trend-post was “If you grew up in the 80’s, then you’ll remember this outrageous Saturday morning cartoom about a girl rocker and her band!”

Well, I grew up in the 80’s. And I remember Saturday morning cartoons. And I have no idea what the heck “Jem and the Holograms” is, was, etc. Here’s the trailer:

Apparently, this movie isn’t exactly like the cartoon, storyline-wise, and that’s what a bunch of these posts on Facebook were about. I feel like the guy in the back of the press room, raising his hand, asking awkwardly: “Um….excuse me…what the hell are we talking about again?”
So, I implore YOU, Junk Food Nation, tell me in the comments below: Have you heard of this cartoon? Did it have a cult following, like these articles suggest? Is this new movie a big deal? I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE HECK THIS CARTOON IS. Inform me. Please. I am an old man.

Today’s junk food: New Snack Factory Sriracha & Lime Pretzel Crisps!!

New Snack Factory Sriracha & Lime Pretzel Crisps: The Money Shot

It feels like I’ve been giving Pretzel Crisps a lot of run lately, whether on this blog or on Instagram. They always seem to have new flavor, and many times, while I think they look tasty, with all the random stuff to review, I tend to pass by flavors I can predict: BBQ, etc. But when I saw these New Snack Factory Sriracha & Lime Pretzel Crisps, I picked them up immediately. Why? Because, well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Sriracha and Lime ever paired together.  Like, ever. Have you? Certainly not with the Sriracha items on this blog.

Sriracha is garlicky, sweet, vegetable-y, and spicy. Lime is sour and fruity. How would they go toghether on these New Snack Factory Sriracha & Lime Pretzel Crisps? And what combo am I looking at here on the front of the bag?

Ah, the Sriracha Cha Cha. Got it, New Snack Factory Sriracha & Lime Pretzel Crisps.

New Snack Factory Sriracha & Lime Pretzel Crisps contained a lot of buzzwords I wanted to see – paprika extract, dehydrated garlic, lime juice, etc. The addition of organic honey is an interesting mix-in.

When I opened these New Snack Factory Sriracha & Lime Pretzel Crisps and sniffed, I could smell the faint hint of lime, and some decent garlic aroma. There was also a general chili smell.  The lime is what stood out to me the most, which made me cringe a little – more than anything, I don’t like fake lime flavor. If it’s overly sweet, overly sour, with that almost soap-y lime flavor, sort of Froot Loop-y, I get really turned off. I came here to eat chips, not cereal.

I popped a bucnh of these New Snack Factory Sriracha & Lime Pretzel Crisps in and crunched – the first flavor I got was definitely the tang of the lime. But it wasn’t overpowering! Thank you, Snack Factory, for not trying to drown these chips in artificial lime flavor. The lime was nice and tart and not too sweet – it registered like actual lime when it touched my taste buds, helping to counterbalance the savoriness of the crisps.

The Sriracha flavor was not as successful. These had definite burn; it was fair to call them spicy (though not as spicy as the Doritos Roulette). And the garlic flavor, while I didn’t notice it at first, was there – every time I breathed out I could feel the garlic going up into my nose holes.

The problem with the Sriracha part of the flavor was that it lacked the tangy sweetness Sriracha normally has – these rang a bit mild despite the bold spice and the tart sour from the lime. Does that make sense? Like, I chewed a crisps, got the immediate tartness that started my saliva glands, and then as I chewed, I got pretzel flavor, I got spice, I could smell garlic….but there wasn’t a ton of actual savory Sriracha FLAVOR. I’m being super nitpicky, because I actually liked these a LOT, but I wanted more of that chili pepper sweet taste to help go along with the other accents.

Still, I liked these, and would definitely buy/eat them again. I’d give these a 7/10, Snack Factory. Good for munching, and I think a solid addition to the existing flavor lines.

PURCHASED AT: Wegmans, Germantown, MD

COST: $2.99

Thoughts? Please comment below or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy or LIKE my Facebook Page and message me there. I also have Google+!! Let’s hang out.

Sincerely,

Junk Food Guy