When Taco Bell made folks blow their cheesy minds with its Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme and Tostada last year, I was saddened there wasn’t a Cheez-It cracker taco or chalupa shell. I guess physics, food science, or the Taco Gods couldn’t make that happen.

But I imagine the folks at Ortega saw what Taco Bell did, started stroking their chins, and thought, “Call up the folks at Kellogg, Kellogg’s, Kellanova, or whatever it’s calling itself nowadays and get a meeting.” And that’s how I like to think these new Ortega Cheez-It Taco Shells came to life. Because, let’s be honest, Taco Bell making Cheez-It shells might’ve made the Doritos Locos shells Flamin’ Hot mad.

While Taco Bell’s offerings featured comically large crackers, these taco shells are just Cheez-It-flavored. There’s an orange tint to them that signals these could be cheesy, but no holes or crimped edges to hint at the popular snack. They definitely have a chip crunch, not a cracker crunch.

Like all taco shells, you need to warm them up in the oven for a few minutes. I thought about leaving the shells in my toaster oven for a few more minutes to make them Ortega Extra Toasty Cheez-It Taco Shells. However, I didn’t want the extra risk of my smoke detector going off again. After they came out, a hint of Cheez-It aroma wafted through the air. But when I went up close for a sniff, they smelled more like cheddar-seasoned corn chips.

These have an issue that plagues a lot of other taco shells — you need the dexterity of a surgeon to stuff them. I can’t even remember how many times in the past I’ve gently pried apart the two sides of a taco to put the filling in, only to suddenly turn into the Hulk and break the shell in half. With this box of ten shells, I accidentally broke four, which I turned into a taco salad topping. I’ll get back to that in a moment.

When I ate the shell on its own, the initial taste didn’t remind me of Cheez-Its. But after a couple of chews in, the faint cheesiness and saltiness that reminded me of the baked snack crackers came through. And that was also the case when I filled them up with seasoned chicken, cheddar cheese, lettuce, and taco sauce. Despite all the other ingredients, I noticed a hint of Cheez-It after a few chews. However, I wish that the flavor were bolder to excite my taste buds.

But back to the taco salad I made with the broken shells. When I ate them this way, I could detect the flavor more. Granted, there were two taco shells’ worth of pieces in my salad.

I can’t say these Ortega Cheez-It Taco Shells are a failure because the crackers’ flavor does come through, despite everything in a taco that could prevent it. But, again, that taste needs to be amped up to blow my cheesy mind.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary product sample. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 4.6 oz box/10 taco shells
Purchased at: Received from Ortega
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 shells) 120 calories, 6 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 410 milligrams of sodium, 13 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.