The Taste Bud: Nuts About Chillo Foods Snacks

As much as I love food, I’m always on the lookout for a new snack option. Heck, aren’t we all?

Recently, I got turned onto some canned snacks from Chillo Foods — nothing too fancy, mind you, just a variety of nuts and pretzels. But in trying out the six different varieties, I found out that in the realm of sweet, salty, savory and crunchy, there’s plenty of ground to be covered. Chillo covers that ground nicely.

First of all, the snacks come in brightly-colored cans carrying 2.8 ounces of treats per (or what the brand refers to as its “Chill Out Size”). Second, they come with a lid for resealing, which told me up front these munchies are meant to be savored. For a second opinion, I busted open the six cans in my possession all at once with my fiancee Cynthia one night as we watched TV. (Note: Cynthia also is no stranger to snacking.)

I’ll go through them one by one:

Dark Chocolate Pretzel Bites: These are a dark brown color, the enticing color any self-respecting dark chocolate would have. Pop one in your mouth and quickly you get a rich deep chocolate flavor with a lovely crunch and just a hint of salt. Addicting. If I had opened them while alone, I may have eaten them all in a sitting. (No offense to Cynthia, but next time I just might.)

Persian Pistachios: Are pistachios bigger in Persia than in other parts of the world? I ask because these seem bigger and meatier than what I’ve been used to in my lifetime. Maybe it just seems that way. Anyway, these taste so darn fresh. There’s a bright burst of that earthy/savory flavor, along with a light hint of salt. Quite worthy of any snack situation. As with the pretzel bites, it’s hard to stop eating.

California Pistachios: OK, so I’m not crazy: these pistachios from the West Coast were definitely a bit smaller, along with being a tad earthier and less salty. Still good snacking but those Persian ones are a joy to crunch.

Honey Roasted Almonds: These capture that earthy, roasted almond flavor with that tiny bit of bitterness along with a light dusting of mild honey. Not too sweet; just a hint of honey. Deftly done. I tend to shy away from anything honey-sweetened so I didn't expect to like them much. I was proven wrong.

Chocolate Covered Almonds: Cynthia ate the first one of these and just started laughing. Yes, they’re that delicious. For starters, the almonds are huge and of high quality. And from a textural standpoint, there’s a wonderful contrast between the soft outer chocolate shell and the familiar almond crunch within. Very well balanced flavor. These definitely exceeded expectations, and based on the fact only six or seven were left after our snack session, they stood out as the front-runner.

Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans: I’m not a coffee drinker, but I do like these big-flavored snacks that Chillo makes. The big, powerful coffee flavor overshadows the dark chocolate to a degree, but they are delicious and addictive nevertheless. And they’re strong. Eat a handful and you could probably flap your arms and fly to Europe. Maybe head to Persia for more of those pistachios.

There you have it — a new snack direction for my fellow snack kings. Order them at will at the website, linked above.