I Ate Taco Bell's Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme So You Don’t Have To

One day, I was minding my own business when an email appeared in my inbox, as if it were divine intervention by the fast food gods. I was invited to an “influencer event” to try out the new Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme before Taco Bell unveils it to the public later this week.

I’d heard rumblings on social media about the collaboration, and while I’m not the most ardent Taco Bell stan, my love for Cheez-Its knows no bounds. Our household typically devours an entire box of the salty, savory, cheesy snacks mere hours after opening. My favorite current genre of Cheez-Its is the Extra Toasty version, known for its bold flavor and slightly added crunch I can’t ever get enough of.

So, I had to know more.

When I arrived at the designated address in Chinatown, I was escorted to a second-floor space that looked like a not-so-distant sci-fi future. (I was, of course, reminded of the 1993 film Demolition Man, in which Taco Bell is the last restaurant standing.)

At the full bar, they served a signature cocktail known as the “Cheez-Itini,” described as “a zesty martini with a blend of vodka, fresh lemon, and lime juice, blanched with a hint of orange liqueur" and garnished with, what else … a Cheez-It. The drink resembled a radioactive orange cooler that reflected off the event space's gel-hued purples, blues, and oranges, leaving me to wonder if this was the future I was promised.

It was as if I was drinking the cartoon version of the Vesper martini. (If only my younger self could have seen it.)

The serving robot.

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Courtesy Taco Bell

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At that point, a series of restaurant robots emerged carrying trays of what we all came for: the Cheez-it Crunchwrap Supreme. I tore into the octagon with great enthusiasm and high hopes that my salty, cheezy dreams would be ultimately fulfilled.

What I got instead was … Taco Bell.

The crunchwrap itself isn't anything to scoff at — the chain has built its empire on this creation of seasoned ground beef, nacho cheese sauce, sour cream, lettuce, and tomato.

But where were the Cheez-Its?

I wanted more crunch, cheezy zest, texture, and flavor — I wanted Cheez center stage.

I got none of that.

I even reached for a couple of sauce packets from another rover robot waiter in hopes of upping the ante a bit, but it was more the same. Even though there is a giant Cheez-It cracker laid out in the middle of the Crunchwrap, its flavor and texture was lost.

Despite being underwhelmed by the Big Cheez-It, I still made the most of an evening staged for influencers. As a token of this monumental occasion, I got a hologram of myself dancing inside a giant Crunchwrap, even though all I wanted was more flavor.

Maybe next time.