Whoa whoa whoa, wait a minute! What the hell has happened to poor Clancy? It seems that Aldi’s main chip brand line has been partially replaced by a Mexican brand. If only that wall would have been built! 

Sarcastic racism aside, I am actually wondering exactly what the reasoning is for the brand change. Is it a temporary solution due to some type of manufacturing shortage? Is powdered cheese something you can even be short on? Is it a permanent change? So far, it only seems to affect a couple different chip-like products (I think pork rinds are another), another thing that makes the change so bizarre. Just like the name, which is just “crunchy cheese”; no mention of curls or any other descriptors on the packaging. I mean, it’s obvious what they are just by looking at them, but there’s usually more information on the packaging.

It’s…well, a cheese curl. Are there really that many differences between brands of cheese curl? I don’t really think so, and this is further proof of my theory. It’s got that crunchy wood-like texture that so many private labels share. (Does anyone else equate the inner texture of cheese curls as “wood-like”? For some reason, almost every time I take a bite of one, I picture splintering wood.) The taste is mostly salt, but with a cheesy finish, also similar to other private labels that I’ve tried. These might be slightly saltier than others, but they’re still edible, especially if you have a craving for a cheesy snack in the shape of a curl.

Pajeda’s version also that trademark orange powder generously dusting every curl that ends up dusting your fingertips and getting all over the place. That’s always part of the cheese curl experience, and they manage to get that part down, too. 

It’s been so long since I’ve had Clancy’s version (which I see I never reviewed…sigh) that I can’t really compare the two. But like I said, I feel like a lot of these are pretty similar across the board, so the differences would have been fairly minor. You pretty much know exactly what you’re getting yourself into when you pick up a bag, and these provide the bare minimum experience at a no-frills price. Is it going to be your favorite brand? Probably not. But I feel like the gap between “worst” and “best” cheese curl is a lot smaller than other products, so this should satisfy all but the pickiest “crunchy cheese” aficionados.

Overall: 5.5/10. It’s a basic cheese curl at a basic price. Pajeda’s version has the same crunchy texture and fingertip-coating cheese powder as virtually every other brand. It also retains the mostly-salty-but-also-cheesy taste of many other curls. They might be slightly saltier than other brands, but cheese curls are one of those snacks that are pretty similar across the board. There’s not really much else to say about it…unless you’ve never had “crunchy cheese” before, then you already know what you’re getting. An average product, through and through, but that’s not always a bad thing.