Similar to various Cheetos products, this is quite hot but not hot enough that I needed to take a drink during eating it, which I thought I’d have to do. Definitely hot though and giving me a little bit of sweat after quickly demolishing the bag. I would definitely recommend this.

I think they’ve tried to balance the cheese flavour and the Carolina Reaper flavour into a level that is palatable for a wide range of people, ensuring repeat purchase. I would surely buy this again.

Look, I’m not going to pretend I’m some sort of capsaicin-chugging lunatic who eats ghost peppers for breakfast. I’m just a bloke who likes a bit of heat with his snacks, and these Herr’s Carolina Reaper Cheese Puffs hit that sweet spot where you feel alive without actually questioning your life choices.

The Heat Factor

The Carolina Reaper, for those playing at home, is officially one of the hottest chillies on the planet. It averages around 1.6 million Scoville Heat Units, which is proper serious business. But here’s the thing: Herr’s hasn’t gone full sadist with these puffs. They’ve dialled it back to something that sits comfortably in the “bloody hell, that’s hot” category rather than the “why am I doing this to myself?” territory.

The heat builds gradually. First bite, you get the cheese. Second bite, there’s a tingle. By the third or fourth puff, your mouth is properly warm and you’re starting to feel that characteristic Reaper burn creeping up the back of your throat. It’s not instant devastation, it’s a slow-burning confidence that keeps you coming back for more, even when your brain’s telling you to maybe ease up a bit.

The Flavour Profile

What impressed me most was how they’ve managed to keep the cheese flavour front and centre. Too many “extreme heat” snacks just taste like regret and capsaicin extract. These actually taste like cheese puffs first, with the Carolina Reaper playing a supporting role rather than staging a hostile takeover of your taste buds.

The cheese base is your standard cheddar-style cheese puff fare, nothing fancy, but it works. That familiar, slightly artificial but entirely addictive cheese powder we all know and love. The Reaper flavour comes through as a smoky, fruity heat with a slight sweetness that’s characteristic of the pepper itself. It’s not just heat for heat’s sake; there’s actual flavour complexity here.

The Texture Game

The puffs themselves are light and airy with that satisfying crunch that makes cheese puffs so moreish. They’re not those dense, styrofoam-textured jobbies that some brands try to pass off. These have that proper melt-in-your-mouth quality where they dissolve on your tongue, leaving behind that orange dust that’ll stain your fingers for the next three hours no matter how many times you wash your hands.

The coating is generous without being overwhelming. You get a proper dusting of the cheese and chilli powder on every puff, which means consistent heat and flavour throughout the bag. No sad, naked puffs at the bottom, no clumps of flavour powder that’ll send you into orbit.

The Aftermath

After polishing off the bag (which happens faster than you’d think), I was left with a pleasant endorphin buzz, slightly sweaty forehead, and a lingering burn that stuck around for a good 10 minutes. Nothing brutal, nothing that had me reaching for milk or bread like some sort of amateur. Just a warm, satisfying glow that reminded me I’d eaten something with a bit of backbone.

My lips were tingling, sure, but in that good way that makes you think “yeah, I could go another round.” That’s the mark of well-balanced heat. It respects you enough not to destroy you, but it doesn’t baby you either.

The Verdict

Herr’s has absolutely nailed the brief here. They’ve taken one of the world’s hottest peppers and made it accessible without neutering it. These aren’t for your nan who thinks black pepper is spicy, but they’re also not going to send you to the emergency room questioning your mortality.

The strategic balance between cheese and Reaper is spot on. They’ve clearly thought about repeat purchase here, because if these were too hot, you’d buy them once for the challenge and never again. Instead, they’ve created something that’s hot enough to be exciting but not so hot that you can’t enjoy them as an actual snack rather than a dare.

At around $4 to $5 a bag (depending where you find them), they’re priced competitively with other premium cheese puffs. Given the quality of the heat and flavour, I reckon they’re worth every cent.

Would I buy them again? Absolutely. In fact, I’m already planning my next trip to the shops. These have earned a permanent spot in my snack rotation.

Rating: 8.5/10

Great heat, solid flavour, excellent execution. Only reason they’re not a perfect 10 is because I’m always going to dock points for anything that isn’t quite hot enough to make me regret my decisions. But for most people, these are as close to perfect as you’re going to get in the Carolina Reaper snack category.

Give them a crack. Your mouth will thank you. Or curse you. Probably both.