New Doritos Locos Taco fails to set world on fire

| Senior Cadenza Editor

Peanut butter and jelly. Wine and cheese. And now, Taco Bell and Doritos. The two food giants have come together in one of the most powerful alliances since Sauron and Saruman joined forces in “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.” Following their successful launches of Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch tacos, Taco Bell and Doritos chose Fiery as their next crazy flavor of Doritos Locos Taco (DLT). Much like last time, the company used social media to promote the new taco flavor. Along with Instagram and Twitter, Taco Bell also used the relatively new app Vine as its primary platform of promotion. Vines have become the most hit-or-miss form of social media, but Taco Bell has been on-point with its Fiery DLT Vines, once again enlisting Internet celebrities for help.

Sadly, Taco Bell failed to live up to the hype it created around the taco. Maybe it’s because I’ve never had a Fiery Dorito or because the first two tacos surprised me with how tasty they were, but this was not worthy of the Taco Bell name (and it’s not like Taco Bell is five-star cuisine to begin with). It wasn’t awful by any means, but it might just have been the worst thing I’ve ever eaten at a Taco Bell (which is not a scale anyone wants to be measured on). The shell was bright red and gave off red dust that reminded me of eating Hot Cheetos. Did I just give Taco Bell its next great idea—the Hot Cheetos shell? I would be first in line for that. Anyway, back to the taco in hand. The shell was just a tad tangy and spicy, but nothing that made me think Fiery. The meat filling was standard, with lettuce and cheese on top. One day I imagine Taco Bell will figure out a way for lettuce and cheese to actually stay inside the taco, but alas, that was not this day.

The worst part of the new Fiery DLT was that it was redundant. Taco Bell already carries a Volcano Taco, which is similar in taste but with a cooler name. And the Volcano Taco has a special sauce on it that adds depth to the meat flavor as well as some spice and texture. A quick Google search tells me that there are more than 20 different flavors of Doritos. Taco Bell could have chosen a more original flavor for its newest taco shell rather than creating Volcano Taco redux. Imagine a Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos Locos Taco or maybe a Salsa Verde Doritos Locos Taco. Color this Taco Bell fan disappointed; I expect mas from one of the hippest fast food chains in America.

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