Heat labels on snack packets are usually decoration. “Extra spicy” means whatever the marketing team felt that morning. We wanted ours to mean something, so every Bong Crunch packet carries a jhal level from 0 to 5.

Here is what each number is actually promising.

0 — no heat

Salt and the ingredient itself, nothing more. Our Salted Peanut sits here. Safe for children, safe for anyone who says they cannot manage spice and means it.

1 — barely there

A background warmth you would probably not name as heat if nobody mentioned it. Roasted Chana, Gathiya and Moong Dal live at this level. This is the range that disappears fastest at a family gathering, because everyone can eat it.

2 — gentle

You notice it now, but it does not build. Green Matar is here. Good with cha, good for a long evening where you are eating steadily rather than in bursts.

3 — a proper kick

The middle of the range and, for most people, the sweet spot. Bhujiya and Tok Jhal Misti both sit here. There is a definite catch at the back of the throat by the third or fourth mouthful, and it fades between handfuls rather than accumulating.

4 — hot

Sustained heat that stays with you between mouthfuls. You will slow down without deciding to.

5 — keep water nearby

Our Jhal Chanachur. This is not a novelty heat and it is not trying to hurt you, but it is genuinely fierce and it builds. People who love it tend to eat it alone rather than share it, which tells you something.

Why the number is not the whole story

Heat interacts with everything else in the mix. Sourness cuts it. Sweetness rounds it. Fat carries it further. A level 3 with tamarind in it will feel milder than a level 3 without, even though the chilli is identical.

The other variable is what you drink. Cha makes heat sharper. Water spreads it around. Anything sweet or milky puts it out fastest, which is why a glass of lassi next to a level 5 is not cheating — it is technique.

If you are buying for a group and you do not know their tolerance, buy two packets at levels 1 and 3. That covers almost everybody, and the level 3 will still be the one that empties first.