Review: Jimmy John's Firecracker Wrap Brings The Heat But Not Much Else

Jimmy John's just released a fiery new limited-time item, the Firecracker Wrap, along with a new flavor of house-brand potato chips called Firecracker Jimmy Chips. If the "Firecracker" name didn't give it away, both items are indeed meant to lure you in with spiciness, a trend which has been a mainstream selling point for novelty fast food items lately.

The Firecracker Wrap brings the heat from the outside in, because it all starts with a red jalapeño tortilla as a base. It's filled with turkey, salami, ghost pepper cheese, garlic aioli, Jimmy Peppers, and more, but the real gimmick is that the new Firecracker Jimmy Chips are crushed up inside the wrap as well.

The Firecracker Wrap ($11.29 at the location nearest me) is a loud, flamin' hot shade of red. It's not particularly heavy on the cheese and meat but still has some physical heft to it thanks to the weight of the tortilla.

Upon my first bite, I was puzzled — for all the color, there's a troubling lack of actual flavor in this thing. Most of it comes from the acidic punch of the Jimmy Peppers, but otherwise, even the saltiness of the salami barely breaks through. I even plucked out a piece of ghost pepper cheese to see how it tastes by itself; it's also strangely bland.

But to my surprise, a creeping heat started to kick in after a few bites, and it hung around at a medium-high level through the duration of my lunch. The Firecracker Wrap at least brings the spice it advertises, but I still can't get over its comprehensive lack of flavor. The chips, however, are a nice touch. It's mainly due to their texture, since they add a nice crunch to each bite, but that comes at a tradeoff. You've got to eat the wrap pretty quickly to enjoy it at its peak.

Maybe I'm just brand-conditioned to the flavor of Flamin' Hot Cheetos, but the fire engine red color of the chips seems like sort of a red herring. Instead of being tart, spicy, and salty like Flamin' Hots, the Firecracker Jimmy Chips ($2.19 at my location) lean toward salty and sweet. They are, however, on the spicier end for potato chips, which I like. I'd also liken them to a medium-high heat.

I'm not so sure I'm a fan of the sweetness here, unfortunately. Again, it could just be that mental Flamin' Hot expectation due to the chips' bright color, but so far, nothing's gotten anywhere near dethroning my favorite Salt & Vinegar chips from Jimmy John's. If the chain were to spice-enhance those, however, I might actually change my tune someday.

Overall, the Firecracker Wrap and Jimmy Chips combo is a mixed bag. Both deliver on their selling point of spice, but the wrap itself miraculously (in a not-so-good way) manages to dodge all other flavor, while the potato chips are worth a novelty nibble at most. This fireworks display is one quick, underwhelming flash — and that's all you're going to get.