REVIEW: Taco Bell Cheesy Dipping Burritos

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I’m no expert when it comes to Taco Bell product nomenclature, but I think the new Taco Bell Cheesy Dipping Burritos should’ve been called Meaty Cheesy Dipping Burritos because I found them to be more meaty than cheesy.

An order comes with two burritos, and two versions are available: one with Cantina slow-roasted chicken and another with grilled, marinated steak. Both also come stuffed with a blend of cheddar, pepper jack, and mozzarella cheeses and Avocado Ranch in a flour tortilla with cheese grilled to the outside. By default, a side of creamy chipotle sauce is included for dipping. But you can swap that with the equally creamy nacho cheese sauce or reduced fat sour cream. Hmmm. Maybe these should’ve been called Meaty Cheesy Creamy Dipping Burritos?

Taco Bell describes these as “two snack-sized burritos” and also says that these come with a “full serving” of chicken or steak. However, what I noticed after picking up my bag is that they don’t feel snack-sized, and without any vegetables, rice, beans, guacamole, Fiesta Strips, pico de gallo, jalapeños, or Seasoned Fries in them, they feel like they’re filled to the gills with meat. With just three ingredients in them – meat, cheese, and sauce – maybe these should’ve been called Easy Peasy Meaty Cheesy Creamy Dipping Burritos.

The cheeses inside and outside of them don’t play a significant flavor role because the Avocado Ranch and meat seem to take center stage here. But that’s without dipping it into the creamy chipotle sauce. When the smoky and peppery sauce is applied, it takes over the taste buds, mostly negating the Avocado Ranch but letting the meat’s flavor get some of the spotlight. However, the steak’s flavor stood out noticeably more, making things taste too meaty and less balanced. Between the two varieties, I preferred the Cantina chicken’s taste over the steak’s, with and without the dipping sauce.

While both varieties are good, I still can’t get behind the name Cheesy Dipping Burritos. They have cheese, but whatever is included doesn’t make them taste cheesy. I guess if you really want these to be truly cheesy, swap the chipotle sauce with Taco Bell’s bright nacho cheese sauce and turn them into the Easy Peasy Meaty Cheesy Creamy Orangey Dipping Burritos.

Purchased Price: $6.59*
Size: 2 burritos per order
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Chicken), 6 out of 10 (Steak)
Nutrition Facts: (2 burritos w/Creamy Chipotle Sauce) Slow Roasted Chicken – 720 calories, 50 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, 120 milligrams of cholesterol, 1430 milligrams of sodium, 37 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 30 grams of protein. Steak – 710 calories, 49 grams of fat, 16 grams of saturated fat, 105 milligrams of cholesterol, 1580 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 30 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did. The advertised price is $4.99.

REVIEW: Jack in the Box Caesar and Fajita Jack Wraps

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When Jack Wraps debuted in 2023, I complained in my review about how small the chicken pieces were compared to the tortilla. They were so dinky that I couldn’t help but feel ripped off. But now Jack Wraps are packing a chicken tender that’s strikingly larger and meatier than those found in the original. Also, there are two new varieties: Caesar and Fajita.

The Caesar Jack Wrap features grilled white meat chicken strips or a crispy chicken strip with shredded lettuce, tomato, and Caesar dressing wrapped in a warm flour tortilla. The Fajita Jack Wrap has grilled white meat chicken strips or a fried white meat chicken strip with caramelized onions, shredded cheddar, lettuce, tomato, and chipotle ranch swaddled in a flour tortilla. I decided to get both with the crispy chicken for this review.

Of the two, the Caesar one was my favorite, although the Caesar dressing sometimes reminded me more of tartar sauce than a salad dressing. Maybe whatever seasoning is in the chicken’s breading throws the taste slightly off. However, when I got a generous gob of the Caesar, the savory flavors of the dressing stood out more. Also, the chicken’s crispy breading kind of brought croutons to mind. As for the tomato slice, it really doesn’t offer much other than making me reminisce about how Costco’s Chicken Caesar Salad from the food court used to have cherry tomatoes.

Maybe I’ve watched too many Chili’s commercials, but I believe bell peppers are one of the main ingredients in fajitas, so I’m disappointed they weren’t included in the Fajita Jack Wrap. However, the ingredients that are in the tortilla create a tasty menu item, except for the caramelized onions, which aren’t noticeable. The cheddar and the smoky and tangy chipotle ranch give this wrap a fajita vibe. I guess the sauce’s pepperiness is a decent stand-in for the bell peppers that should’ve been in this.

While I wouldn’t recommend the original Jack Wraps back in 2023, I have no problem recommending these updated versions. Thanks to the larger chicken strips, they’re surprisingly hefty, making them quite filling. And they don’t make me feel like I’ve been ripped off.

Purchased Price: $3.69 each
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Caesar), 7 out of 10 (Fajita)
Nutrition Facts: Caesar – 430 calories. Fajita – 410 calories. Other nutritional numbers aren’t available on Jack in the Box’s website or app.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Sabrina’s Brown Sugar Shakin’ Espresso

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Dunkin’ is bringing some exciting espresso energy into the new year. On December 31st, it announced the limited time “Sabrina’s Brown Sugar Shakin’ Espresso” beverage in partnership with pop singer Sabrina Carpenter.

If you don’t know who that is, her hit song “Espresso” single-handedly helped Americans pronounce espresso correctly. Hint: it’s not ex-presso!

Because Starbucks popularized the iced shaken espresso, I had to compare the OG (Starbucks’ Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso) to this Dunkin’ offering.

Starting with beverage build: While the beverage may seem simple – espresso, brown sugar, and oatmilk – there are differences in how each is made.

First, the espresso itself: Dunkin’ uses what it calls “bold espresso,” which I assume is a standard dark roast. Starbucks uses blonde espresso, a lighter roast with a higher caffeine content. Second, the brown sugar: Dunkin’ calls it “brown sugar notes,” whereas Starbucks specifies “brown sugar and cinnamon together.” Lastly, I will quickly note that both list “oatmilk,” but spoiler alert: this ingredient makes a huge difference in taste.

Now, onto the actual beverage experience and taste test: The first thing I noticed was size (insert one of Sabrina Carpenter’s dirty jokes here, as she often makes them). I usually don’t order Dunkin’ and Starbucks simultaneously, but the value comparison was striking when compared side-by-side. A small iced at Dunkin’ is 16 ounces, whereas a small at Starbucks is 12 ounces. The latter is 15% more expensive and 4oz less! +1 to Dunkin’.

However, I’d rather have less of a good thing than more of a “just okay” thing. Flavor-wise, Starbucks’ version just tasted better. It had more depth – the brown sugar tasted less corn syrup-like and more deep and developed with the cinnamon as the final note.

Dunkin’s version, on the other hand, started strong. It was more espresso-forward, but I couldn’t get over the aftertaste. It wasn’t overpowering but faintly artificial and what I can only describe as “eggy” or yolk-like tasting, which I attributed to the oatmilk. Dunkin’ typically uses Planet Oat oatmilk, while Starbucks uses Oatly.

Ultimately, Dunkin’s drink reminded me more of a “regular” Starbucks Iced Shaken Espresso—not quite delivering on the promise of a Brown Sugar Oatmilk Espresso.

Sabrina made me do it, but I’m sticking to Starbucks for this shaken espresso rendition!

Purchased Price: $4.89
Size: Small (16 oz)
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 120 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 18 grams of sugar (including 18 grams of added sugar), and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Baskin-Robbins Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream

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Cinnabon is the Febreeze of a shopping mall. When you are within the aroma radius of a Cinnabon, all the other smells are enveloped by the enticing lure of cinnamon, cream cheese, and dough. While the Eau de Cinnabon is strong, the flavors of one of its famous cinnamon rolls are even stronger. However, that bold taste is not what you get with Baskin-Robbins’ Flavor of the Month Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream, which features cinnamon roll ice cream, dough pieces, and cinnamon cream cheese swirls.

The cinnamon roll base has a mild cinnamon flavor with a little something else that makes it taste a little bit different than a straight-up cinnamon-flavored ice cream. While the actual baked good has a bold flavor from the spice, it doesn’t hit the taste buds as hard here. With that said, it doesn’t lack flavor or anything like that, but again, it’s just that I wish the warm spice punch was more potent. Not even the cinnamon cream cheese swirls did anything to amp things up.

As for the cream cheese, the same thing I’ve written about the cinnamon level in this scoop above can be written about the cream cheese taste. While it’s definitely noticeable and gives the ice cream scoop a pleasant tanginess, it’s as slight as the spice.

As for the dough pieces, they don’t seem to add any cinnamon or cream cheese taste. They’re just there to provide a texture similar to the cookie dough pieces you’d find in any chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. As someone who loves those chewy pieces whenever they show up in ice cream, I have no complaints about their texture, but I wish they added something to help enhance the flavor.

I know I sound down about Baskin-Robbins Cinnamon Roll Ice cream, but I definitely did enjoy it. Again, I just wish the cinnamon and cream cheese notes were stronger instead of tasting closer to what I imagine eating the cinnamon and cream cheese-saturated air inside a Cinnabon location is like.

Purchased Price: $4.39
Size: Single Scoop
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2.5 scoop) 180 calories, 9 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 19 grams of sugar (including 16 grams of added sugar), and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Starbucks Cortado

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Hello, Cortado!

Starbucks is starting the year with a bang – well, a real caffeine bang – with the introduction of the Cortado. It has three ristretto shots of the Starbucks Blonde Espresso and steamed milk.

To start, let’s have a primer on what a ristretto shot is. Yes, a ristretto shot is an espresso shot, but the way it’s made is slightly different. There is less water “pulled” with the shot from the espresso machine, so while it uses the same amount of ground coffee as a regular shot, there’s less liquid that actually comes from the machine. So to put it simply, it’s more concentrated. There’s a lot of caffeine in a little liquid!

OK, on to the review! Holy cannoli, this might be my new favorite drink. First of all, it comes in a short cup (8 ounces), and it is ADORABLE. I think this is the first time I’ve ever ordered a short drink at Starbucks (and I’ve been a proud gold card member since 2013). It somehow made the drink FEEL less intense despite the three shots inside!

The Blonde Espresso here really has a nice, light flavor. Combined with the steamed milk, I really liken this to a latte. Same concept – espresso and milk – just with the method described above. So if you’re a latte lover, consider trying this as an alternative when you need more of a buzz. It was buttery and biscuit-y in flavor and very smooth to drink. If you’re customizing, you can certainly choose a milk alternative here (whole milk is the standard recipe).

I certainly didn’t notice a taste difference with the ristretto shot, so don’t be wary of that. But the 230 milligrams of caffeine did power me through the afternoon! You could start your day with the Cortado or have it as a pick-me-up. I highly recommend and am looking forward to more of these in my future. A great way to start the new year!

Purchased Price: $4.45
Size: Short
Purchased at: Starbucks
Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 90 calories, 4.5 grams of total fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 8 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 6 grams of total sugars, 5 grams of protein, and 230 milligrams of caffeine.

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