Nick,
Just curious, where did you get yours from? the website?

Mike, I got them from a hot shop in Alburquerque, NM. But you can order them online I believe.

Hi,
Saw these cookies on the Food Network,but,when I go on line I can’t find their website,do you have any info.
Thanks

Bonnie - You can buy them online here: http://www.sparxfoods.com/

[...] Posted on 05.31.05 by Nick @ 10:09 pm I wanted to do a post follow up on the Sparx Cookie review, since I had also bought the Jalapeno Pea [...]

A) why were you eating Duke’s kibble as a kid?
B) You must have gotten some cookies that were mishandled because they are GREAT!! Where do you get the dog food analogy? The Cayenne Toffee Pecan are sooo buttery good and perefctly balanced by the heat. The Chipotle Double Fudge are a chocolate lovers fantasy. But my absolute favorite had to be the Ancho Oatmeal Raisin. Outstanding!! Sweet, chewy, with a hit of chile. I can’t stop eating them.
I say, check the date on the bottom before you buy to make sure they are fresh.

I did check the date on the bottom of the packages and they were well before the expiration date, as I stated in the posts - did you read them? You, A - work for the company or B - get them fresh to you door. If you do work for the company, I would gladly accept a few samples if you feel my reviews were unjust. Like I said, I really want to like these cookies, but there is no way in HELL that I could give the cookies I had a good review. And if you do work for the company, why not just contact me directly? If you are simply a consumer, please let me know who order them from.

Hey, Nick -
Caught your response, but no, I don’t have any affiliation with Sparx Cookies. I just like ‘em and so much so that I eat a hell of alot of them (way more than my trainer at the gym would ever condone). I just find it hard to believe that you could have tasted the same cookies that I’m eating and still have had the experience you did. Since you clearly like the concept of a spicy/sweet confection, I can only surmise that something was very awry with the Sparx packages you purchased, although I can’t imagine what sort of handling would turn them into something that tasted as you’ve described. I order them from the Sparx website. I had originally discovered them in a store near my home, but found that since I liked them so much, I could save myself a little money by ordering them directly from Sparx headquarters. At this point, I’ve received three separate shipments from Sparx and all have been consistently delicious. And, they’ve kept in my cupboards for months without any sort of change in quality. Clearly, everyones’ tastes are different, but it’s hard to believe that a Sparx cookie could illicit the sort of distateful comments that you reviewed. If I were you, I’d order some from the website and give them another try. When you do, I’ll be really interested to read your revised comments. I’ll bet anything you’ll feel differently. I’m intrigued and anxiously await your anticipated new review.

Jeff- Glad to hear you like them so much. But I’m not going to buy anymore of the cookies, unless I get a sample or have the oppurtunity to taste these cookies elsewhere. Like I’ve said all along, I really want to like these cookies, I love the concept, but the ones that I had were disgusting and I’m not going to change that review.

I have nothing to do with the company. FYI, I’m actually a chef. I just like the cookies and disagree with your reviews. And yes, I can read. You wrote your Jalapeno Peanut Butter review (5/31/05)AFTER the date on the bag (4/10/05), Einstein. Why wouldn’t you bring your complaints to them or your retailer directly? There is a contact page on their website, I’m sure you know. I got mine at Continental Cookies in Hackensack NJ. The lady there told me that is where they are baked so maybe mine were very fresh.

I’m well aware that I wrote the second review on 5/31/05 - but that’s not when I ate the cookies. I had actually eaten the Peanut Butter cookies back on 3/25/05, so well before their expiration date. At the time I did not post the second review because I didn’t want to post another bad review, I don’t set out to rip into peoples products, I’m just honest and if I feel that I’m going to be unjust in my review, I always get a third party opinion. And trust me, my review was a whole lot nicer then anyone else that I convinced to try the cookies.

And I did take the complaint to the retailer as well, but all I got from them was “The date says they are still good, since they’re opened there’s nothing we can do for you” - Which equates to a big fat 0.

Hi Nick,
My name is Rich Saslaw and I am the President of Sparx Foods, proud makers of the multiple award winning Sparx Spicy Cookies. Came upon your blog while “googleing” Sparx Spicy Cookies and, naturally, was very interested to read it through. Sorry you had such a bad experience with them. Certainly not everyone likes Sparx Spicy Cookies but we’ve never heard the comparison to dog food before.
Sparx are 100% satisfaction guaranteed (as noted on the back of every package) and, after reviewing our internal e-mails, I can’t find the e-mail you said you sent to the company (not that I doubt that you did). We would have gladly sent you new product or refunded your money. No questions asked. We fully stand behind our products.
Regardless, I can only imagine that the cookies you purchased were not handled properly by the retailer, which resulted in an unpleasant smell and taste. While not past the expiration date, they were quite close and, if over-exposed to heat (as might have happened in Albuquerque), they may have gone bad prematurely. It is very rare that our products are sold anywhere near that close to the expiration date. We pride ourselves in not over-selling to retailers to make the short-term buck if they cannot move them swiftly. Ultimately, if the consumer gets an old cookie that tastes poorly, it is our fault and obviously gives the customer a bad impression.
I would appreciate the opportunity to have you reconsider your opinion of Sparx Spicy Cookies by us sending you some fresh, free samples for your consideration. If you would be kind enough to conatct me via e-mail (see below) so that I can get a ship-to address, I would be very grateful. If you would prefer your money back, we will gladly send you a refund.
I think the honesty and candor you exhibit throughout your site is great and I liked how you stuck to your guns with Jeff (even though I obviously liked his review better). It is terrific to have a source for unbiased, reliable opinions to help us cut through the tremendous spicy product clutter that continues to grow in our markets. Thanks for your service.
Hope you give us another try.
Best Regards,
Rich Saslaw
President
Sparx Spicy Cookies
customerservice@sparxfoods.com

Please feel free to send any samples to the address listed below. I’m glad the review is making you take another look at your product, like I said on the blog, I really want to like them, but I couldn’t honestly say that the cookies I had were anything close to good. And I understand that products can go bad, I believe in my first review I even said I liked them.

I feel that I must also mention that your IP address is logged when you post a comment on the blog, Jeff.

Nick,
I’m not sure I understand your reply.

First, where did I say we were “taking another look at our product”? We, and many, many others, think Sparx Spicy Cookies are fantastic. All I said was that I would be glad to send you fresh product to see if that was the problem. I fully realized that you may simply not like them and was willing to take that risk. We were not planning to reformulate or “take another look at our products” just to gain your favor.

I’m still looking for your original e-mail complaint and would be grateful if you have a copy that you could re-send to me. Some have not liked our cookies but no one has ever criticized our customer service or satisfaction guarantee policy. We stand 100% behind Sparx Spicy Cookies and say so on every package, plain and clear, along with our address and website to accomodate questions and comments.

You also seem to be a bit contradictory. You say you “are not out to rip into peoples products” yet that is exactly what you did and continue to do. I’m sure you could have come up with something more descriptive and less inflammatory than to refer to our cookies as “dog food” and “disgusting”. If that’s not ripping, I’m not sure what is. That is beyond objective criticism. What was the point of the Jalapeno Peanut Butter Cookie review anyway, other than to just rip us further?

I’m also not sure where I said that your blog comes up first on a google search. In fact, the first entry is TV Food Network based on our recent feature segment on Roker on the Road. Numbers 2 & 3 are Sparx Foods related sites. The next 2 are a terrific web-retailer, Iron Q, which sells our cookies and many other excellent hot products.

Thanks for the advice regarding e-commerce and seo. However, we are primarily a wholesaler and direct retail sales are not a high priority for us. We try to accomodate them as a service to our fans who cannot get them at their local retailer as our distribution grows.

Finally, this ip address is used by several people here at Sparx. We have been talking about your blog around the office and perhaps someone decided to take matters into their own hands and reply to you. I’ll certainly investigate.

We will be sending you some fresh samples for your enjoyment and hope you like them.

Keep blogging!
Rich

Rich - I’m not continuing to do anything but reply to your comments and maintain my original opinion. If I wanted to continue to “rip” into your products I would create fresh posts on a daily basis regarding them. I certainly don’t do that and am even willing to give them another try and post another review, which is much more then most people get.

I think this thread has served it’s purpose.

[...] After a rather lengthy debate regarding Sparx Cookies, I find myself writing yet another review of the infamous spicy cookie. Now, if you read the original review you’ll see that the bags of cookies that I taste tested were pretty darn close to their expiration dates, about a month out I believe. As a follow up to the original review, I felt I must comment on the second bag of cookies I had bought at the same time. This review was not well received by some, which I can understand. So, after receiving a FRESH batch of samples from Richard, the creator of the Sparx Cookies, I set off to do another review and this time gathered up 10 of my closest Chile heads to taste test on. Coincidently we also reviewed Monty’s Salsas (that review to come soon). [...]

I need information your products please.

Thanks

I’m with Tree Of Life and need additional information about your line. Please contact me ASAP. 201-662-7200 opt 1 x5554

How do I order. I saw you on the food net work. I would like to order some cookies. Please return my message. thank you, bye.

Hi. I would like to order some cookies. Please return my message. Thank you, Chris.