I Tried Every Cheetos Flavor & the Best Was Tangy and Spicy

We all have our favorite snack foods, and for me, it's a nostalgic one: Cheetos. The daily mid-afternoon snack of my high school years was only a continuation of my early grade school cheese puffs habit. Sure, there are a lot of other flavors available, but why mess with a classic?

Well, if you've seen the Eva Longoria movie "Flamin' Hot," which tells the heartwarming origin story of the now-omnipresent Flamin' Hot flavor, then you'll know: the plain Cheetos flavor was getting stale. If the story is to be believed—manufacturer Frito Lay dismissed it as an "urban legend" in a statement to the Los Angeles Times—it took a forward-looking janitor, Richard Montañez, with a penchant for dousing plain snacks in spicy hot sauces to see the endless potential in revving up the cheese-flavored cornmeal bites.

Whoever gets the credit, the creation disrupted an entire industry with a flavor explosion that's still reverberating today. To wit: new spins on the Flamin' Hot franchise are still churning out and topping everything that sits still. But, are they still good? How about the original? And what of the many other flavor concoctions the food science wizards dream up to try to pick off some of that Flamin' Hot market share?

To find out, I enlisted my snack-loving friends and we crunched our way through as many Cheetos flavors as we could find at a nearby Target and Walmart to crown one champion. Here they are, ranked in descending order from worst to best.

Cheetos Flamin' Hot Tangy Chili Fusion Flavored Snacks

Take Flamin' Hot and throw in some chili peppers, garlic, ginger, citrus, and bell peppers, and see what happens. In what feels like a case of throwing things against the wall to see what sticks, the Tangy Chili Fusion flavor fell flat. This bag cost me $3.98 at Walmart.

The look: A slightly muddy reddish-brown take on the standard Flamin' Hot hue denotes these gnarly, crinkly Cheetos.

The taste: Disclaimer: I loathe bell peppers. One bite in and I was reaching for the spit bucket. That's not the only reason these ranked last. This one just didn't do it for my band of tasters, either. The best anyone could muster was, "It's … edible." Also: "I would never buy it but I'd tolerate it." One taster summed it up: "The more words in the title, the worse it tastes."

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Cheetos Flamin' Hot Smoky Ghost Pepper Flavored Puffs

These were the only Puffs we tried because most of the magic happens with the crunchy versions, but how do you skip something with both smoky and ghost in the name? Well, turns out you should. (And, in fact, you will because these now appear to be discontinued and some must have just been left languishing on the shelf when I was shopping). I picked up a bag of these Puffs for $4 during a 2-for-$8 sale at Target.

The look: In case you don't get that these are ghost pepper-flavored, the manufacturer has tried to hammer it home by pressing the cornmeal into vaguely pepper-shaped entities. An orangey-red (yes, yes, fire colored) application of Cheetos dust completes the picture. Before anyone tried them, my tasters gave kudos to the texture and shape.

The taste: I'm leaving out most of the comments because of their mature content, but I'll try to paint the picture without those. "Smells like liquid smoke," prefaced "it's too hot," "garbage," and "I"m not eating that anymore." On a scale of one to 10, one taster gave it a minus two. Next!

Cheetos Crunchy Flamin' Hot Limón Cheese Flavored Snacks

Cheetos claims to be gunning for a "hot, spicy flavor that leaves a zesty zing on your tongue" with this Limón variety, but it fell short somewhere after "hot." This flavor was also on sale for $4 at Target.

The look: A lurid orange cast to the trademark red of Flamin' Hot coats these crunchy bites.

The taste: If the creators were going for heat, then they can certainly check that box. That's about it, though. "I honestly don't get limon," said one taster. "A tinge?" said another. The overall consensus was that Frito Lay called this one in, with a bland, forgettable product. It's hot, but nothing compelling beyond that point to make you pick up this bag over any other.

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Cheetos Crunchy Buffalo Flavored Snacks

In a rare departure from the Flamin' franchise, Cheetos has gone for a mash-up of its original flavor and the classic Buffalo-style hot sauce for this guy. It wasn't … bad, but there's not much to add beyond that. I paid $4 for these, too, at Target.

The look: To set this apart from the OG and the Flamin' Hot varieties, the brand has colored these with a bit more vivid orange than the classic.

The taste: Sorry, Frito Lay, but "I don't know that I'd know it was Buffalo" was the overwhelming response here. Maybe a touch of garlicky buttery action is happening, and there was a bit of heat, but again, nothing here to make anyone choose this on purpose.

Cheetos Bolitas Cheese Flavored Snacks

According to Frito Lay, this chili- and queso-infused take on Cheetos was previously only available in Mexico. It's definitely a departure from the usual suspects with a soft-meets-crunchy texture that kept us going back. Also? It was the most fun to say, based on how many times one of my friends trilled, "bolllllllleeeeeetaaaaas!" A bag of these cost $1.39 at Walmart—the cheapest of the bunch.

The look: These bite-sized balls are dusted in a brownish-orange that somehow seems to speak perfectly to their chili flavor.

The taste: Although they're mild, these sneak up on you. "It's easy to pop one after the other," one taster said. While they're airy, they still manage to pack a punch of queso and chili. More than one taster used the words "I really like them," and based on how deep into the bag we went, it's clear these were a hit.

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Cheetos Crunchy Flamin' Hot Cheese Flavored Snacks

The Cheetos that broke the mold, these hot and spicy crunchy bits of dopamine may well be why Cheetos are even still around. I grabbed a Flamin' Hot bag from a local convenience store for $5.89.

The look: A red so resplendent that it's never found in nature coats these Cheetos, burrowing into the nooks and crannies and lending them their (probably literally) trademark nearly-neon red color. (I'm reminded of the scene in the "Flamin' Hot" movie when the red dust coats PepsiCo CEO Roger Enrico's fingers.)

The taste: Instant heat here with a mild punch to the throat. But it's a good heat, as the janitor/inventor's son in the movie proclaimed when he first tried them. Confession: this is the first time I've tried Flamin' Hot Cheetos, and the closest thing I can identify them with is ramen seasoning. They won't usurp the original for me, but as I write this, my BFF is hitting the bag for the third or fourth time.

Cheetos Crunchy Cheddar Jalapeño Cheese Flavored Snacks

The corporate team has trademarked the term "dangerously cheesy" for these guys, combining jalapeño and cheddar flavors with a judicious amount of heat. If one of my tasters had had his way, these would be the winner, but this is a democratic process (and, in the end, only one of us can choose and, frankly, I don't love jalapeños). Like many other flavors, this one cost me $4 at Target.

The look: Little flecks of brown dot these orangish crunches, which are subtly different from the original version.

The taste: "They nailed jalapeño essence," noted one self-described jalapeño fan. "I have a confession," added another, "I like these better than the original." They're not in your face, we decided. A buttery, "super mild" flavor gives way to a lingering spice that kept everyone going back again and again—that's despite the Cheetos sweats that some of us were experiencing at this point in the tasting.

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Cheetos Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks

The one, the only, the original crunchy Cheetos! This classic snack has had my heart since it dropped from the vending machine of my high school hallway into my eager little hands. I got this bag for $4 at Target as well.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

The look: Artificial Color [Yellow 6] gives these classic their signature orangey-yellow looks—a shade so imprinted in my psyche that I start to salivate Pavlovian-style at a mere glimpse.

The taste: Like childhood. Okay, but seriously, you know it's corn meal gussied up with MSG and "natural and artificial flavors," so it tastes like what you've been trained to think it tastes like. Which is cheese! In crunchy, airy form! With a savory, somehow soothing current that sweeps you along until the bag is empty. In short: bliss.

Yet, there's one flavor that I've found to taste even better than the original.

Cheetos Mexican Street Corn Cheese Flavored Snacks

Confession: Spotting these snacks on the store shelf is what prompted my pitch to tackle this assignment. Elote, the popular Mexican street corn, in Cheetos form? Be still my heart. "Tangy! Spicy! Cheesy!" proclaims the bag, and does it deliver. The bag cost me $3.98 at Walmart.

The look: A yellower take on the Cheetos orange lets you know the producers are not hiding the corn content of this one. Also, the bonus specks of something are maybe meant to make you think of herbs?

The taste: While you shouldn't confuse it with the real deal elote, Frito Lay has managed to distill the creamy, sweet-meets-savory tang of those street snacks on a stick into a crunchy Cheetos delivery vessel. Long past the point of "needing" to taste, I kept plowing through. "The more I eat it, the more I like it," agreed another taster. I never thought anything would unseat the flavor of my childhood, but this one's done it.

After you've finally managed to make yourself stop eating, a pleasant heat lingers to remind you of your newest snacking obsession.

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