by Bottom Line: The Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme and Big Cheez-It Tostada from Taco Bell Deliver a Fun Gimmick, but Not Much Heat.
Taco Bell has something new!
No, really! They have added something brand new that is not just a remix of existing ingredients with a new name attached.
What is it? Well . . . it’s a . . . giant Cheez-It.
No, really. Sixteen times bigger than a regular Cheez-It! And this is not just a new item, it is “Unrivaled Innovation” according to the Taco Bell app. You’re not going to argue with the Taco Bell app, are you?
The marketing “geniuses” at Taco Bell have teamed up with the people that make Cheez-It crackers and they have brought us the Big Cheez-It and loaded it with Taco Bell ingredients. Here’s the rundown:
Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme: Seasoned beef, nacho cheese sauce, lettuce, diced tomatoes, and reduced-fat sour cream along with a Big Cheez-It wrapped in a grilled flour tortilla.
Big Cheez-It Tostada: Seasoned beef, diced tomatoes, lettuce, shredded cheese, and reduced-fat sour cream topped onto a large Cheez-It.
I like Cheez-Its and I like Taco Bell, so what could go wrong? I tried both of the new items over a couple of visits.
First up was the Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme. The Crunchwrap is not something I usually order from the Bell because it is pretty hefty in calories and price, but I thought I would try the new version. For those who frequent this establishment, you know what to expect. It has the seasoned beef, which is usually quite reliable, along with the shredded cheese and vegetables, and a dollop of sour cream. All of that delivers the standard Taco Bell experience, but the Big Cheez-It replaces the tostada shell that is typically there in order to deliver that “unrivaled innovation.”
The problem with that, though, is that the Cheez-It did not hold up. When I first cut this open, I thought they forgot to include the giant cracker. There was a thin layer of orangish residue, but nothing beyond that (unlike the pictures in their advertising that show a fully prominent cracker). The only thing that proved the Cheez-It was ever there was one corner of the cracker that survived sticking out of one side of the wrap. The Big Cheez-It basically disintegrated after just a few minutes of being wrapped in with the other ingredients. You could still detect it was there by the cheesy, salty taste familiar to the crackers, but it was like someone crushed up some Cheez-Its and spread that throughout the wrap. I’m not quite certain how this one made it through the test marketing, but the crunch was not there because the cracker lost its crackerness.
As for the Big Cheez-It Tostada, that worked out better. (I snapped a picture of that but did not realize it was blurry until I had eaten most of it.) Everything is piled on top of that, and the cracker holds its crunch for the most part. Though by the time I got to the center, it was getting pretty mushy. I liked the Tostada version better than the Crunchwrap–it’s mostly the same ingredients, just a different assembly–and this is kind of a fun gimmick. But I’m not particularly excited about going back for a second round like I was with the Stuffed Cheez-It Pizza from Pizza Hut. I loved those and I’m hoping the Hut will bring them back at some point. (And make a spicy version, please!)
As for whether the Big Cheez-It items bring any heat, well, this is Taco Bell and they don’t advertise them as spicy, so . . . no. They have the typical mild taste of items from the Bell, so you will need to kick them up with some added sauce. Their Fire and Diablo sauce bring some heat, but then those tend to take over the flavors. A much better choice is Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce (more on that one here), which has a taco sauce-like flavor but also amps the heat up quite nicely.
As for the value of these items, the new Crunchwrap sells for $5.79 in my area, which is actually twenty cents less than the regular Crunchwrap Supreme. So if you like the Crunchwrap, it’s definitely worth it. The Tostada is $3.99, and that seems rather pricey. I would just assume they bring back the Spicy Tostada, which was one of my favorite items, and it was a value menu option at under two dollars. Nutrition-wise, the Crunchwrap packs in a whopping 570 calories, so go easy on the items you add to your order. The Tostada is more reasonable at 230 calories, so you can add a regular taco (170 cals) and have a decent meal that doesn’t go over 400 cals total.
These are limited-time-only items, and Taco Bell regulars will know what that means. Try them while you can because they might disappear at any time. The chain is advertising these pretty heavily, though, so perhaps they will be around for a couple of months. They are mostly just a cross-brand gimmick but worth trying out if you like Cheez-Its and Taco Bell.
Nutrition Info
Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme
Calories: 570
Fat: 22g (8g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 17g
Carbs: 75g
Sodium: 1460mg
Big Cheez-It Tostada
Calories: 230
Fat: 13g (6g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 10g
Carbs: 18g
Sodium: 570mg
