Hot Monkey Nuts – Nacho Mamma’s Nuts
Bitter: ✰✰✰✰✰
Salty: ⭐✰✰✰✰
Sour: ⭐✰✰✰✰
Sweet: ✰✰✰✰✰
Umami: ✰✰✰✰✰
Heat: ⭐✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰
Quick Flavor Notes: Natural peanut, very subtle cheese
Texture: Peanuts
Website: https://www.hotmonkeynuts.com/
Ingredients: Roasted Peanuts (peanuts, canola oil, salt), Cheddar Cheese Powder (Granular Cheese [Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes], Whey, Sunflower Oil, Whey Protein Concentrate, Lactose, Maltodextrin, Salt, Blue Cheese [Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes], Sodium Phosphate), Peanut Oil, Buttermilk (Sour Cream Powder [Cream, Cultures, Lactic Acid], Cultured Nonfat Milk Solids, Citric Acid), Salt, Chipotle Powder, Garlic Powder, Ancho Powder, Onion Powder, Black Pepper.
Recommended: No
This is the third of a batch of peanuts I’d ordered from Hot Monkey Nuts. Somehow the bag for this one fell behind my washing machine so this one took me a bit longer to get around to than the previous two. Being a fan of peanuts and nachos this looked like one that would be right up my alley.
The bag promises cheddar cheese, hickory smoke, chipotle, ancho, and habanero peppers so these should be a cheesy smoky good time. Interestingly the ingredients list doesn’t actually list habaneros anywhere on the list, and the ancho and chipotle peppers appear pretty far down. The cheddar cheese powder is the second ingredient after peanuts so I was anticipating at least a good cheese flavor in these.
Unfortunately much like the brand’s Fromage a Trois, Nacho Momma’s Nuts are criminally underseasoned. The cheddar cheese powder lacks any real cheese flavor (or even fake cheese flavor for that matter) and despite promising hickory smoke and chipotles there’s no real discernible smoke flavor in these. The missing habaneros on the label are also missing in the flavor profile. The overall flavor profile is just underseasoned peanuts with a very subtle cheese flavor. Despite the nutritional label showing that these have quite a bit of salt they tasted as if they were unsersalted as well.
I can’t recommend Hot Monkey Nuts Nacho Momma’s Nuts. Not only is the flavor underwhelming, promising habaneros on the front and not including them in the ingredients feels like false advertising. Of the three flavors I’ve tried from the brand only Black Widow’s Bite is worth it for flavor and heat in my opinion.