In honor of their Ultimate ManCation Sweepstakes promotion, the good people at Combos decided to send me a few samples of their merchandise. Saturday morning, a FedEx man arrived with a decently large package which turned out to contain four bags of the beloved cheese and cracker/pretzel rolls. Three were family-sized (6.3-oz.) packs, with six (supposed) servings apiece, and the other was single-serve (1.5 oz.)

Two of the larger bags were reserved for the popular snack’s first and most beloved flavors, Cheddar and Nacho Cheese. The final large bag contained the newest variety of Combos to be released (Zesty Salsa-Tortilla). The single-serve bag held another new flavor, Cheddar-Jalapeno Tortilla. Until I searched for an image of the bag, and came up empty-handed, I had no idea how new. As it turns out, this variety of Combo hasn’t been released yet, so shhhh! Don’t tell anyone!
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When a label reads “certified organic” I know I’m in for an expensive snack, but one that’s bound to taste fresh and satisfying. These low-fat, low-calorie chips lived up the the guiltless moniker, and the only guilt I felt was in spending close to the price of a gallon of gas for a 7 oz. bag. The generous serving size of 18 chips is twice that of regular tortilla chips, while fat content is half of other chips, and there are no saturated or trans fats. Guiltless indeed, but watch out - these chips contain nearly double the sodium of standard ‘guilt-full’ chips. Oh well, everything’s a trade-off. Moderation, my friends, right?

I admit they are delicious, but the oven-baked crunch is a bit overwhelming. Apparently, some of the stone-ground corn had not been completely ground and I found myself crunching hard grains of corn between my front teeth long after finishing the chips. For those of you with dental work or “iffy” crowns, I would advise cautious chewing.

The natural lime flavoring was subtle with just enough of a citrus essence to be noticeable and not overbearing or artificial-tasting (hence the “natural” label). The chili pepper was a touch heavy-handed and too salty, but spicy enough to tweak the tongue while dissipating within two minutes.

I wouldn’t recommend these for your everyday tortilla chip needs, but if you’re looking for something different or want to impress your friends at your next South-of-the-Border-themed party (even though these chips are manufactured in Secaucus, New Jersey), the Guiltless Gourmet Chili Lime tortilla chips are a delightful alternative. Ole!

Guiltless Gourmet

Buy Guiltless Gourmet Chili Lime Tortilla Chips Online:

• at Amazon.com