Ripping open my flame-red bag of Blair’s Death Rain BBQ Kettle Chips and settling down with a freshly grilled cheeseburger, I was more than ready for some flaming hot BBQ fun.

The smell of the chips right out of the bag was fairly non-descript. A brief wiff of BBQ seasoning, pleasant and not at all overpowering. As is the case with “kettle-style” chips, each chip was uniquely shaped and crunchy, and they were fresh and uniformly seasoned.

Covered in an eye-pleasing redish powder, they certainly looked the part. Biting down, I felt a splash of warmth and a quick dash of BBQ flavor. The warmth lingered as I progressed through the bag, mellow on the tongue, if a tad harsh on the back of my throat. The BBQ seasoning was definitely subdued, neither too sweet, nor too salty. The flavor was there and gone, and in no way overwhelmed the rest of my meal.

Billed as “medium” in temperature, Blair’s BBQ chips come as advertised. A good mellow snack that shouldn’t frighten those members of your family who typically run in fear of the hot stuff. I often find that when I’m eating “kettle-style” chips, I’ll run into overly hard, gnarled individuals. I don’t know if the quality control is better with Blair’s, but I really was impressed with the texture of these chips. Fresh and crispy, with no “jawbreakers”.

I’d have liked a bit more heat and BBQ flavor, but overall I’d have to say Blair’s got a winner here. Now somebody pass me another bag…