Cheetos, the cheesy snack that has turned fingertips orange since 1948, has launched a new product. This is a first for the Cheetos brand, as the new snack, Sweetos, has nothing to do with cheese. Instead, these new Sweetos are intended to be more of a dessert snack, featuring a cinnamon sugar coating.
I was lucky enough to get my hands on a trial of Sweetos ahead of their planned launch around Easter. They came packaged in a small purple box. Upon opening, bright orange paper sprang forth. The Sweetos themselves were wrapped in a small white tube, the only part of the whole package not dressed up in any way. As soon as I cut open the tube, the smell of cinnamon sugar hit my nose. It wasn't overpowering, but definitely noticeable.
Inside the tube contained three Sweetos snacks. Given that I am a man who loves eating things I shouldn't, I was a little saddened to see so few. I could at least take comfort in knowing that all three of the Easter-egg-shaped snacks were still held together, and there were no loose crumbs in the bottom of the tube. You and I both know that when you have a shaped food (be it Mac & Cheese, chips, cereal, you name it), it just tastes better when it is fully formed.
I scarfed up all three quickly. My first impressions were that they reminded me of the Cinnamon Twists that can be found at Taco Bell. Like I said, I love eating things I shouldn't so this comparison is one I hold as a compliment. The cinnamon had a nice balance with the sugar, and overall they were not as sweet as I was expecting. There was also a somewhat Cheetos-inspired bit of flavor as well coming from the puff itself. The corn puff used is surely the same recipe as the ones used for the rest of the Cheetos line, and has a somewhat distinct flavor that immediately makes my mind think of powdered cheese.
I was disappointed once I had finished devouring the third Sweetos. This was not due to what I had just ingested, but instead because there was none left. I would have happily continued munching away if this was a full-sized bag like the ones coming out in the next month or so. If that's not the sign of a successful snack, I don't know what is. Will I go out of my way to secure a bag of Sweetos once they do hit store shelves? Probably not. If given the choice, I would definitely just take a classic bag of Cheetos over these, but if I do happen to run across one, I will definitely pick it up. If anything, it will scratch my Taco Bell Cinnamon Twists itch until the next time I need my FourthMeal fix.
So what do you think? Will you buy a bag of Sweetos this Easter season? Will you just stick to the classic Cheetos Crunchy or Puffs that we all know and love? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
