Wa-Chaa! / Huang Fei Hong – Sichuan Peanut Variety Pack
Wa-Chaa! (hereafter just written as Wa-Chaa without the exclamation point) is a newer US-focused brand of Huang Fei Hong. The tagline of “The Kung-Fu Cult Classic” originally struck me as being a bit cringey but reading about the history of Huang Fei Hong I was interested to learn that it was named after a Chinese Kung-Fu legend commonly westernized as Wong Fei-Hung. Wong Fei-Fung, who lived between 1847 and 1925, inspired over 100 martial arts films and was portrayed by such legends as Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Vincent Zhao. Huang Fei Hong decided to create the Wa-Chaa brand because they saw increased interest in Chinese and especially Sichuan snacks in the USA but had faced distribution challenges with their Chinese brand. While I’ve had their Chinese imported Sichuan peanuts in the past I was interested to see how these stood up.
While Wa-Chaa uses peanuts grown in Shandong and chiles and Sichuan peppercorns grown in Sichuan province just like Huang Fei Hong brand the two aren’t identical in terms of ingredients. One of the biggest differences is that while the original Huang Fei Hong uses MSG in their seasoning blend they chose to eliminate it from the US market Wa-Chaa due to negative reactions from many US consumers born out of misinformation. However, Wa-Chaa doesn’t give up on packing in the umami and instead of MSG uses a variety of mushrooms. seaweed. and yeast extracts in order to bring the same umami-rich glutamates. The Wa-Chaa brand also uses avocado oil instead of the soybean oil used in the Huang Fei Hong brand, something I appreciate as I often find soybean oil to be rather rancid and fishy tasting. While I’ve only seen Huang Fei Hong in one flavor the Wa-Chaa brand comes in four. The Sichuan Original Heat tastes, to me, almost indistinguishable from the original Huang Fei Hong. There is also a Sichuan Double Heat version, a Salt & Sichuan Peppercorn version that uses green peppercorns, and a Sichuan Barbecue version that fuses Chinese and American barbecue flavors.
Sichuan Original Heat
Bitter: π‘π‘βββ
Salty: π‘π‘π‘π‘β
Sour/Tangy:π‘ββββ
Sweet: π‘π‘βββ
Umami: π‘π‘π‘π‘β
Heat: π‘βββββββββ
Quick Flavor Notes: Peanut, slight chili, slight woodsy and cedary
Recommended: Conditional
Texture: Medium sized peanuts with ok crunch
Ingredients: PEANUTS AVOCADO OIL, SALT, SICHUAN PEPPER, YEAST EXTRACT, CHILI PEPPERS PAPRIKA, WHITE PEPPER, ONION, GARLIC, MUSHROOM SEASONING (SALT, MUSHROOM POWDER, YEAST EXTRACT, CORN STARCH, APPLE POWDER, CORN POWDER, CABBAGE POWDER CARROT POWDER, KUDZU ROOT POWDER, MONK FRUIT POWDER SEAWEED POWDER), SHIITAKE MUSHROOM, CORIANDER, SUGAR, STAR ANISE, FENNEL, CINNAMON, BAY LEAF, VITAMΔ°N E (MIXED
The original version these taste incredibly similar to the original Huang Fei Hong peanuts I’ve reviewed in the past. Just like the original, and like the others in this box, they come in an air-filled bag so that you can shake them to make sure the spices fully coat the peanuts before opening. As with the original Huang Fei Hong these don’t stack up well compared to my personal favorite Sichuan peanuts, the 50 Hertz Tingly Peanuts. As with those the peanut quality is not quite as fresh, large, and crunchy, and the number of Sichuan peppercorns is not nearly as high or as fresh resulting in a much reduced numbing sensation compared to the 50 Hertz brand. These aren’t bad by any means, and if you’re particularly sensitive to the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns and don’t care for it you may like these better. The umami flavor is real in these and despite the mushroom powder there isn’t a mushroomy flavor, just a nice umami savoriness. Heat level is minimal and perhaps a bit under even the original Huang Fei Hong.
Sichuan Double Heat
Bitter: π‘π‘βββ
Salty: π‘π‘π‘ββ
Sour/Tangy:π‘π‘βββ
Sweet: π‘ββββ
Umami: π‘π‘π‘π‘β
Heat: π‘π‘π‘βββββββ
Quick Flavor Notes: Peanut, chile, warm spices, Sichuan peppercorn
Recommended: Yes
Texture: Medium sized peanuts with ok crunch
Ingredients: PEANUTS AVOCADO OIL, CHILI PEPPERS, SALT, SICHUAN PEPPER, YEAST EXTRACT. WHITE PEPPER, PAPRIKA, ONION, GARLIC, MUSHROOM SEASONING (SALT MUSHROOM POWDER, YEAST EXTRACT, CORN STARCH, APPLE POWDER CORN POWDER, CABBAGE POWDER, CARROT POWDER, KUDZU ROOT POWDER MONK FRUIT POWDER, SEAWEED POWDER), SHIITAKE MUSHROOM, CORIANDER SUGAR, STAR ANISE, FENNEL, CINNAMON, BAY LEAF, VITAMIN E (MIXED TOCOPHEROLS) (ADDED TO RETAIN FRESHNESS). CONTAINS: PEANUTS.
Sichuan Double Heat takes the same essential recipe as Original Heat but ups the ante on the chile peppers and the Sichuan peppercorns. The result is noticeably spicier with some real kick and a much more pronounced Sichuan peppercorn flavor and numbing sensation. Interestingly, that extra heat and extra numbing seem to bring out the other aromatic flavors in this version more. I can taste the star anise, coriander seed, and cinnamon especially when the Sichuan peppercorn sensation kicks in. This one is not only hotter than the original and the Huang Fei Hong version but also noticeably spicier than the 50 Hertz Tingly Peanuts. The Sichuan peppercorn flavor in this version also seems fresher with the woody, cedary, metallic, slightly citrus flavor playing perfectly off of the warm spices and the dried chiles. Like the Original Heat there’s still a solid umami punch, and this version just looks meaner with a much redder peanut than the Original Heat. If you’re looking for some noticeable heat and numbing plus a stronger Sichuan peppercorn flavor this is the one to get.
Salt and Sichuan Peppercorn
Bitter: π‘π‘π‘ββ
Salty: π‘π‘π‘ββ
Sour/Tangy:π‘π‘βββ
Sweet: π‘π‘βββ
Umami: π‘π‘π‘π‘β
Heat: ββββββββββ
Quick Flavor Notes: Peanut, citrus, salt, white pepper
Recommended: Conditional
Texture: Medium sized peanuts with ok crunch
Ingredients: PEANUTS, AVOCADO OIL, SALT, SICHUAN PEPPERCORN, YEAST EXTRACT, ONION, ROCK SUGAR, GARLIC, NATURAL FLAVORS, WHITE PEPPER, SHIITAKE MUSHROOM, CORIANDER, STAR ANISE, CINNAMON, VITAMIN E (MIXED TOCOPHEROLS) (ADDED TO RETAIN FRESHNESS). CONTAINS: PEANUTS.
Going to the other extreme from the Sichuan Double Heat, this version contains no chiles at all, and are in fact marketed as “Savory Peanuts” instead of “Spicy Peanuts” like the others. The Salt and Sichuan Peppercorn version also differs from the previous two in that it uses green Sichuan peppercorns instead of the red. 50 Hertz also has a product like that, their Tingly Cashews, and like their Tingly Peanuts vs the Sichuan Original Heat from Wa-Chaa 50 Hertz uses considerably more Sichuan peppercorns and fresher ones as well. This is doubly irritating because Wa-Chaa peanuts are not particularly cheap, perhaps only a slight discount by volume compared to 50 Hertz. Green Sichuan peppercorns have a more citrus-forward and floral flavor than the red and lack the earthiness that the reds have. There’s still a subtle cedar flavor but they taste a bit fresher and brighter overall. With the lack of heat the mushroom flavor actually comes more forward in these as well which is pleasant against the green Sichuan peppercorns and the slightly funky flavor of the white pepper. Overall I do wish these had many more and fresher green Sichuan peppercorns for a stronger flavor of them and more numbing, but they’re still tasty.
Sichuan Barbecue
Bitter: π‘ββββ
Salty: π‘π‘π‘ββ
Sour/Tangy:π‘π‘βββ
Sweet: π‘π‘π‘π‘β
Umami: π‘π‘π‘π‘β
Heat: π‘βββββββββ
Quick Flavor Notes: Peanut, Cumin, Chili Powder, Sweet
Recommended: Conditional
Texture: Medium sized peanuts with ok crunch
Ingredients: PEANUTS, AVOCADO OIL, ROCK SUGAR, SALT, PAPRIKA, YEAST EXTRACT, SICHUAN PEPPER, CHILI PEPPER, CUMIN, SESAME, NATURAL FLAVORS, ONION, GARLIC, BBQ SEASONING (ONION POWDER GARLIC POWDER, SALT, CUMIN POWDER, CHILI POWDER, SPICES YEAST EXTRACT), SHIΓTAKE MUSHROOM, FENNEL, CORIANDER, STAR ANISE, CINNAMON, VITAMIN E (MIXED TOCOPHEROLS) (ADDED TO RETAIN FRESHNESS). CONTAINS: PEANUTS, SESAME.
Chinese barbecue is traditionally known as Shaokao and comes from the Uyghur region of Xinjiang where it was heavily influenced by Islamic traders along the Silk Road. From there is spread throughout China with each region adding its own bit of personality. The original Xinjiang style is cumin heavy while in Sichuan they go in for more chiles and Sichuan peppercorns. Down in the Canton a style developed independently that was sticky-sweet while in the northeast Mongolian influence led to something that looks closer to today’s Korean BBQ. I mention this because Wa-Chaa Sichuan Barbecue Peanuts seem to take inspiration from multiple regions. Though labeled Sichuan they have a strong cumin flavor that’s associated with Xinjiang as well as a prominent sweet element that’s more common in Cantonese and Shanghai style barbecue. There are Sichuan peppercorns and some chiles in these but they take a big backseat to the cumin and the sweetness. Perhaps because of the sweetness the fennel and cinnamon come through more in this one than in the other flavors. The overall taste of these is very pleasant, but again I’m left wanting significantly more heat, more Sichuan peppercorn flavor, and more numbing sensation.
Summary
I can appreciate what Huang Fei Hong is doing here with the Waa-Cha brand but aside from the Sichuan Double Heat flavor I found the others to be lacking both in terms of heat and in terms of Sichuan peppercorn flavor and numbing sensation. I may order the Sichuan Double Heat again as it does have stronger heat than any other Sichuan peanuts I’ve tried but I still have to stand by 50 Hertz as having much fresher peppercorns with much more intense numbing and higher quality peanuts that lead to a higher quality experience. Added that Waa-Cha isn’t really less expensive than the premium option and I can only give this a conditional recommendation if you’re really wanting to check out some of the unique flavors.
