Every Combos Flavor Ranked Worst To Best
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Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are the three classic staples of mealtime, but for many Americans and other people around the globe, we have certainly begun to appreciate our designated snack time, in which we can grab a quick bite to eat to keep us going until the next meal — or snack time. Fortunately for us, there are a countless number of different snacks you can choose from. If you like something sweet, there are granola bars and fruits, and if you prefer something more on the savory side, there are chips, crackers, and pretzels. Either way, there's a little something for everyone when it comes to snack time.
One crunchy, baked snack that offers a savory taste is Combos. As the name suggests, the delicious stuffed snacks take the saltiness of your classic pretzels and crackers, and combines it with wonderful cheese and meat flavors. Ever since the early 1970s, this snack has been experimenting with many different snack combinations (via Combos).
There are a few standard Combos flavors to choose from, and admittedly, some are a lot better than others. Here are all of the core Combos snack flavors, ranked from worst to best. This way, when you're choosing your next snack from the gas station or your handy snack stash, you don't spend a long time figuring out what Combos variety will best fit your tastes.
8. 7-Layer Dip
The first Combos flavor we have in this list is the 7-Layer Dip. This snack is made out of a thick, tortilla chip coating, lending a unique twist to the standard Combos experience. It's filled with the spicy, cheesy, and fresh taste of a seven-layer dip. It's branded as having a tangy fiesta flavor, and tastes like the dips that you'd find at a party — all without the worry of your dip slipping off of your chip.
All good, right? Not so fast. First, there's the issue of accessibility. When you look for this flavor on the Combos website, it isn't anywhere to be seen. If you want it, you have to find it in stores, or online. While it may be a bit worrying that you can only find this flavor on shopping sites, in terms of flavor, it isn't awful. There are a good amount of consumers who like this flavor, though they also describe the snack as very salty (via Amazon), not exactly surprising for Combos in general. Others wish that the 7-layer dip flavor reflected the components of the actual dip a bit more. Overall, we wouldn't go for this rather disappointing, difficult to find snack, especially considering all of the other flavors Combos has to offer.
7. Cheddar Cheese Bacon
When you have a snack which has the word "bacon" in it, you generally expect there to be, you know, some bacon in the mix. At least, there should be a distinct bacon flavor. This all came into question when we tried Combo's Cheddar Bacon Baked Pretzel snack, which takes salted pretzel bits and stuffs them with a cheesy filling that supposedly also has a strong bacon flavor. Going off of this alone, you may feel pretty excited about this flavor. Unfortunately, it doesn't live up to expectations, giving us only the ghost of bacon flavor.
The biggest issue we had with this snack is that it's difficult to pick up any actual bacon flavor, no matter how hard you try. If you were to look at the ingredients listed on a pack of this snack, you'd find that bacon isn't even listed on the packaging (via Combos). Reviews for this product agree that it could use more bacon flavor, certainly so if there isn't going to be any actual bacon in the product (via Amazon). Overall, this snack was a pretty serious let down. If you're expecting a delicious bacon-and-cheese-flavored pretzel snack, this particular Combos flavor just won't meet your expectations.
6. Spicy Honey Mustard Pretzel
There's nothing like a fresh pretzel with a spicy, savory honey mustard for dipping. Combos attempts to replicate this flavor with its Spicy Honey Mustard Pretzel flavor, which consists of crunchy pretzel bits filled with a spicy honey mustard-flavored cheese filling. When you bite into these snacks, you're likely expecting the sweet, yet spicy kick of mustard to go along with the salty baked pretzel exterior. However, you'll likely find this flavor a little underwhelming, especially if you've ever had a good honey mustard pretzel before.
The pretzel part tastes really good, as most of the pretzel-based Combos do. However, other than the pretzel exterior, there isn't really anything special to say about this flavor. The flavor of spicy mustard isn't really there. Instead, it just tastes more like the brand's cheddar cheese pretzel Combos as opposed to anything else, much like anything with true spice and heat (via Taquitos Snack Reviews).
To be fair, this flavor isn't bad, exactly. If you really focus, you might be able pick up the lightest hints of the spicy, distinctive taste of honey mustard, but it's still not quite enough to really merit making an entirely different flavor. All told, this is a pretty typical Combos snack, with nothing that really makes it stand out on the gas station snack shelves other than its unfulfilled flavor promise.
5. Cheddar Cheese Cracker
The pairing of crackers and cheese is nothing new. It's a staple flavor pairing, and one that Combos takes advantage of with its Cheddar Cheese Cracker snack. Inside the pack are oven-baked crackers stuffed with cheddar cheese-flavored filling. It's one of Combos' most classic snacks, and we have to admit that it does taste pretty good. The savory cracker paired with the savory, salting filling creates a solid combination of flavors that is a Combos stalwart.
So, why does this flavor rank so low on this list? While this snack is a wonderful addition to any cupboard, when it comes to other Combos flavors, it's rather basic. You can get this flavor combination from loads of other snacks, which also balance out the cheese to cracker ratio a lot better. You'll also find the saltiness of this product to be rather inconsistent, with some packs being way too salty, while others will taste like they need more salt, as some Amazon reviewers note. This last factor is a bit hit or miss, and you're more likely to receive a bag of nicely salted cracker snacks.
Overall, we can see why this would be a classic combo favorite to many, but it could use a little more pizazz when put up against the other flavors Combos has to offer.
4. Pepperoni Pizza Cracker
There's nothing like opening up a box your local delivery place and finding a freshly made, piping hot pepperoni pizza inside. You can have a slice of pizza as a heavy snack, but if you're looking for something lighter but still with the incredible taste of a pepperoni pizza, then the Combos Pepperoni Pizza flavor may be what you're looking for. This flavor combines Combo's standard cracker exterior with a pepperoni pizza-flavored filling. The filling itself is a bright red color, somewhat like the tomato sauce you might find on top of a regular pizza. However, it's made with real cheese and zesty pepperoni flavor.
In terms of the pepperoni pizza flavor, this snack is pretty spot on. You can taste a blast of paprika, garlic, beef fat, and onion powder within the filling (via Amazon). The cracker exterior acts somewhat like the pizza's crust, albeit a little more crunchy. The cracker part is solid, though we feel as though this flavor would have benefited from having a pretzel coating instead of a cracker one, which would have been an interesting variation with potentially deeper flavor. Other than that, it's a solid Combos entry for anyone who loves a good slice of pepperoni pizza and is hankering for a cheesy snack.
3. Cheddar Cheese Pretzel
The next flavor on this list is Combos' Cheddar Cheese Pretzel flavor. This was the original flavor that Combos made when it was first founded (via Combos). There's nothing surprising about this snack, made from a crunchy pretzel tube filled with creamy cheddar cheese-flavored filling. That's it. It's a classic for sure, and a staple among Combos flavors. If you ever find yourself thinking about having some Combos, this is likely to be the one of the easiest varieties to find.
Yet, there's nothing really unique about this flavor, though we do feel that Combos generally does pretzels a lot better than its cracker snacks — which is why this places higher than the cracker variation of this flavor. The pretzels are salty and flavorful, as is the cheesy filling. It doesn't exactly replicate taking a soft baked pretzel and dipping it into a cheesy dip, but for the snack that it is, this is a wonderful Combos flavor. We definitely recommend this if you find yourself craving a cheesy pretzel snack.
2. Buffalo Blue Cheese Pretzel
There's a lot you can do with blue cheese, from putting atop a burger to incorporating it into some Buffalo chicken dip. It's also a key flavor in this next Combos variety, Buffalo Blue Cheese Pretzel. These stuffed pretzels are filled with a spicy Buffalo blue cheese flavor of filling. All told, it tastes surprisingly like the sort of Buffalo dip you may come across at a restaurant or party. Like you may already do with Buffalo wings, you could also dip this snack into some ranch dressing, if you're feel that it needs an extra kick of flavor and don't mind a some extra work. However, the snack itself is flavorful enough, so you might not need to go to that effort.
This Combos snack is pretty spot on in terms of flavor, with blue cheese taste that goes well with the hard pretzel exterior. It's cheesy, salty, savory, and flavorful — what more would you want? There's no actual meat involved, like an actual Buffalo wing, but you probably aren't really expecting that from this snack. You may find this flavor a little more difficult to find in stores, but other than that, this is a very interesting and tasty Combos entry.
1. Pizzeria Pretzel
Ah, pizza. There's a lot you can do with this beloved dish but, honestly? It's hard to top a classic cheese pizza. The combination of the crust, acidic tomato sauce, and savory cheese is hard to beat. It's an iconic experience. Like pepperoni pizza, though, you might not want to have an entire slice of pizza for a snack. Fortunately for you, Combos has a flavor that wonderfully replicates the taste of a cheese pizza, but with a pretzel twist. The brand's Pizzeria Pretzel is, in our opinion, one of the best pizza-flavored snacks that the company carries.
This Combos variety manages to encapsulate the flavors of a fresh cheese pizza fantastically. These combos are a bit salty, but we believe that further helps this snack taste like a savory slice of cheese pizza. This is probably as close to a cheese pizza a snack can get without being the actual thing. Overall, if you like cheese pizzas, pretzels, and bite-sized snacks, then this Combos flavor is just about perfect for you.