By Adam Campbell-Schmitt | FoodAndWine.Com

Troy Warren for CNT #Foodie

Wait, isn’t that an oxymoron?

If you reached your convenience store snacking peak back in the 1980s and ’90s, you’ll know there is no cooler chip than Cool Ranch Doritos. But the kids of today aren’t satisfied with “cool” anymore. They want hot — Flamin’ Hot, to be exact. The fiery red powder has been dusted on everything from Cheetos to bagels and even infused into ice cream and Mountain Dew. It’s nothing short of a flavor phenomenon.

But instead of fanning the flames of a generational war between millennials and zoomers, Frito-Lay may have found a way for our divergent palates to come together. Starting this month, get ready to wrap your taste buds around Flamin’ Hot Cool Ranch Doritos.

How does that work? Frankly, we’re not sure. But the mashup, as described by the brand, “combines the classic Cool Ranch flavor fans love with a spicy, bold crunch.” It joins Flamin’ Hot Nacho Cheese and Flamin’ Hot Limon in the Flamin’ Hot Doritos category.

“Doritos is no stranger to bold — whether it’s bold flavor, bold experiences or our bold fans that embody the Flamin’ Hot attitude,” Caio Correa, senior director of marketing, Frito-Lay North America, said in the announcement. “With new Doritos Flamin’ Hot Cool Ranch, we took a legacy flavor that has been beloved for generations and injected it with a spicy new edge to bring consumers a tasting experience that’s on truly Another Level.”

It’s not the only recent upgrade to Cool Ranch Doritos: In 2020, the company also revamped the original Cool Ranch with even more “cool” seasoning. And earlier this year, they even brought the Cool Ranch flavor for the very first time to Lay’s Potato Chips.

As for the Flamin’ Hot Cool Ranch flavor, snack food lovers should look for classic Cool-Ranch-blue-colored bags with both a flame-licked font and chip in stores “just in time for the new year.”

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