Trader Joe's Crispy Crunchy Spicy Mochi Rice Nuggets

The OG mochi rice nugget snack is one of my favorite snacks from Trader Joe's. It is the crunchiest of crunchy snacks with that slight al dente finish. It is ever-so-slightly greasy and very addicting. The flavor is pretty mild, so you can pretty much pop one after the other without thinking, which is why I only buy it sometimes because I can't keep it around my house. They recently came out with a spicy edition and I was more than happy to try it out.

I love reading too much into the packaging, but there's something that is both playful and insidious about this scenario. Like aww cute little dancing mochi nuggets amidst a backdrop of...California wildfires? Of a spicy mochi nugget burning himself and losing his hair? Or like...maybe a scene from Dante's Inferno? 

The seasonings look very interesting. Something tells me that this spicy snack is actually....spicy. 

1) This is the spiciest food/snack that I've tried from Trader Joe's, not counting hot sauces. It definitely beats the ghost pepper chips in terms of spice. 

2) It has an aroma that sort of reminds me of spicy central Asia/southeast Asian barbecue skewers - peppery and warm. 

3) The first bite lures you into a sense of false security. Like..oh it's like a mild spice. And then you think you're in the clear - and then the spice just kicks you in the throat. For me, this is the reaching the upper end of my spice tolerance. Like, it's spicy, straddling a fine line between pleasure and pure pain. It's a similar sensation that I get from eating Shin ramyeon - it's spicy..and OMAI IT'S A LOT SPICIER THAN I EXPECTED I MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE THIS BUT IT'S PRETTY GOOD SO I'LL KEEP GOING. 

3b) No, it's not as spicy as fire noodles. :P 

4) The combination of peppers used gives it a nice complexity that I wish I could analyze, but unfortunately I reach the threshold of pain before I can ponder any further. There's also a warmth from the cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger that rounds out the spiciness, which I find pleasant. 

5) It goes without saying, if you can't handle spice, you will not enjoy this product. But if you like spice, I think you'll find this enjoyable. They say spice increases your appetite - I think the spice level here actually keeps my snacking under control. Like, my brain actually receives the signal that "oh this is too much, I should stop" thanks to the spice.

6) $2.99 for a 6.35oz bag. 

TL;DR: Trader Joe's Crispy Crunchy Spicy Mochi Rice Nuggets. These lil guys actually pack the heat. 8 out of 10. Mantou Joe repurchase? Yes. I could go for more pain.