Kotas Reviews Sweetos

Hola Amigos! It's another blast from the "Winter Stockpile" past today, as I slowly clear out the back log. I am a big fan of innovation in snack foods, and lately, that seems to be the rule rather than the exception. How many flavors of Doritos does the world really need? All of them apparently, and many of them are actually good. Other snack foods have taken notice, like Lay's Chips, and the humble Cheeto has in recent years joined in on the fun. Today we look at their first foray into sweets: The Sweeto.

Now that's a mascot who knows how to party.

Cheetos were pretty straightforward for decades. First introduced in 1948 as "Crunchy Cheetos", they stayed exactly the same for over two decades before branching out into the Cheetos Puffs variety in 1971. They dabbled a bit in 1983 with a "Bacon" variety, but it wasn't until the 90s that different flavors of Cheetos were even really considered, with the addition of Flamin' Hot Cheetos. The 2000s saw an explosion of different flavors as well: Flamin' Hot con Limon, Chedder Jalapeno, Xxtra Hot, Salsa con Queso (I'm sensing a theme here), Honey BBQ, Mountain Dew (Seriously, but only in Japan for some reason...probably because Japan)...the list goes on. Still, Sweetos are their first foray into 100% sweet offerings and the first that can arguably not really be called Cheetos, because, well, no cheese flavors at all. A bold move by Frito-Lay, that's for sure.

I rather like the bag, with Chester Cheetah prominently displayed in a presumably Xtreme Sledding Event that has been marred by the appearance of the titular Sweetos. It's not very clear, but the package's purple portions are metallic in finish. Very freakin' classy. Let's see what's inside!

Well, that's about what I expected.

The cinnamon scent is extremely strong, as expected from a snack that bills itself as a Cinnamon Sugar Puff, and has a heavy quality to it that I just can't seem to place. The ring shape is not what I would have expected from the Cheetos people, but it probably allows for better flavor dust coverage or something. That or someone has a hankering for things that resemble doughnuts, but are not doughnuts. They resemble fat, cinnamon flavored Funyuns on the plate. Let's hope they taste good.

Actually, I was quite surprised by the flavor. I absolutely expected cinnamon and sugar, of course, along with a bit of corn base in the crunch, but what I absolutely did not expect was a strong butteriness to tie it all together. This is not the best description ever, but these taste EXACTLY like the cinnamon toast my mother used to make for me when I was a lad. It is uncanny, really, how many memories this flavor brought back to me of cold mornings and hot buttered cinnamon toast. Oh, I should probably mention that I really loved that cinnamon toast, so I really love this flavor. The after taste is a bit too corn-ish for a perfect recreation, but damn is it close. 

On the FACE Rating System, these get 2 smiley faces. If you love Cheetos...well, these might be up your alley, but there is very little beyond the packaging that screams Cheetos. As just a tasty snack though? Bring me more bags. I have more trips to take down memory lane. If you love cinnamon toast, you owe it to yourself to try these. Hopefully they will return next year for the Winter.