When Taco Bell came out with its Milk Bar Birthday Cake Churros last year, I wrote three questions in my snack journal:

1. Why didn’t Taco Bell come out with standard cinnamon sugar churros first?
2. Whose birthday are we celebrating?
3. Would it be weird if I stuck a candle at the end of it and then stuck the churro into a birthday cake?

Then Taco Bell came out with Salted Caramel Churros, and I jotted down three notes in my snack journal:

1. Where are the standard cinnamon sugar churros?
2. Why isn’t the filling salted caramel-flavored?
3. These are much easier to juggle than the birthday ones.

But FINALLY, Taco Bell has come out with Cinnamon Sugar Churros dusted with cinnamon sugar and filled with cream cheese. And that led me to add three more questions to my journal:

1. Why did it take so long for Taco Bell to offer regular churros?
2. Are they better than Taco Bell’s Cinnamon Twists?
3. Is it weird that I have a snack journal?

Like the Salted Caramel Churros, these are sold as a pack of three mini churros and are part of the Luxe Value Menu. After eating two right away and one several hours later, I wish I had more because they are damn delicious.

While the exterior tastes like many other churros I’ve had with a bold, sweet cinnamon flavor, what sets these apart from a standard churro is the cream cheese filling.

Oddly, the ingredients call it “horchata flavored filling” and the churros themselves “horchata churros,” but I didn’t taste anything different from a standard cream cheese filling. Its tang complements the sweet cinnamon sugar coating and makes these taste slightly different from your usual carnival churro.

I’d love a chocolate-filled version someday, but for now, these more than satisfy my sweet tooth. They also met my desire for a texture adventure, with a satisfying crunch.

Although they are served warm, they’re still quite good chilled. I intended to save one for my wife, so I put it in the fridge. But a few hours later, I got hungry, and its fried cinnamon sugar aroma pulled my nose, made me open my mouth, and stuffed the whole thing in it. I was totally forced. Surprisingly, it was not only good, but it had most of its crunch. Shhhh. Don’t tell my wife since she doesn’t read this site.

Taco Bell’s Cinnamon Sugar Churros are flat-out tastier and more sweet-tooth satisfying than the chain’s Cinnamon Twists. I really wish Taco Bell would either keep them on the menu or replace the Twists with them. I’m going to write that in my snack journal now.

Purchased Price: $2.49*Size: 3 pieces
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 190 calories, 9 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 6 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

*Because I live on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

Taco Bell’s Chicken Fajita Nacho Fries weren’t handed to me on a sizzling platter that frightens me a little every time I dine at a Chili’s. But the limited-time offering did make my eyes sparkle a little.

As you can probably guess from the name, what sets these loaded Nacho Fries apart from previous iterations is the addition of bell peppers and onions. The slow-roasted chicken and creamy jalapeño sauce have been used with several other Nacho Fries variants. As for the rest of the toppings, you know them. I know them. So let’s say them together: nacho cheese sauce, sour cream, and a blend of mozzarella, pepper jack, and cheddar cheeses.

I feel like for a place called Taco Bell, bell peppers should be a standard ingredient among its dozens of options. That’s my biased opinion as someone who enjoys the vegetable enough to buy a bag of them from Costco regularly, but I’m glad they got some love from Taco Bell again. (Yes, there have been other “fajita” products in the past.) By the way, if you’re into bell peppers but not into Nacho Fries, the chain is also offering Fajita Street Chalupas with either chicken or steak.

The gloopy toppings — sour cream, nacho cheese sauce, and creamy jalapeño sauce — all bring a bit of flavor, especially the latter two. Nacho cheese sauce and Nacho Fries go together as well as Oreo cookies and milk, and the creamy jalapeño sauce adds a bit of savoriness that enhances the peppers. While the sour cream has a hint of tang, its flavor gets lost in the mix of toppings, and the same goes for the chicken.

What doesn’t get totally lost are the flavors of the Nacho Fries seasoning, bell peppers, and onions. Even after being seasoned and cooked, the veggies still have some snap, which is a welcome textural contrast to the sauces and fries that have gotten a little soggy from the sauces. They also bring a genuine fajita quality to the dish. Or maybe my taste buds are just conditioned to associate peppers and onions with fajitas. Either way, it works.

One last thing about the peppers. I wish they came in a variety of colors instead of all green. I want to taste the bell pepper rainbow.

Taco Bell’s Chicken Fajita Nacho Fries are quite tasty. However, I can’t say I liked them more than previous iterations of Nacho Fries, even with my adoration for bell peppers. But I’d have enjoyed them less if they came on a sizzling platter.

Purchased Price: $7.29*

Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 540 calories, 34 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 1290 milligrams of sodium, 45 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 14 grams of protein.

*Because I live on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

Taco Bell’s new Strawberry Cinnabon Delights are simply a mild variation on the Cinnabon Delights we’ve been eating at the chain for years now. But that’s the appeal of the revamped product — it takes what we already love and changes it up just enoughto make it feel different but not too different. It’s a safe bet for a limited time only fast food snack … maybe too safe.

Weirdly enough, the new product comes in two comically disparate sizes. You can get a 2-pack for about $3 or you can splurge for the 12-pack version that’ll run you well over $8 once applicable state and local taxes are factored in. You’d think there’d be a middle ground, medium-sized product on the table, but like “fetch” in Mean Girls, six-packs of Strawberry Cinnabon Delights just aren’t happening.

I opted for the 12-pack because hey, you have to eat something while watching blender infomercials at two in the morning. The first thing you’ll notice is the smell. The bag emits a very strong scent of strawberry (of the artificial persuasion), and you also get a nice, greasy, fried dough smell that automatically tricks you into thinking your kitchen is a top-secret Dunkin’ location. You get a whiff of these things, and you will be entranced.

If you’ve ever had a Munchkin from Dunkin’ before, it’s more or less the same thing here — except the Delights are jam-packed full of cream cheese frosting. And as the name implies, the exterior dough ball is speckled with a nice dusting of strawberry-flavored sugar. It can be a little faint in low-light situations, but you can definitely see red speckles all over these things.

Taste-wise, the Delights are pretty much exactly what you’d expect. That’s the best thing about the product — and its biggest weakness at the same time. I guess the question is how much of a cream cheese-to-strawberry-flavoring-to-fried-dough ratio you prefer. I’d argue that it’s probably something like 45 percent cream cheese, 45 percent fried dough and 10 percent strawberry. As powerful as the strawberry scent may be, the overall product doesn’t taste that much like the fruit it’s imitating. Granted, it’s more flavorful than a generic grocery store brand strawberry doughnut hole, but the gap isn’t as wide as you might anticipate.

The good news about these Delights is that they’re perfect for instant gratification snacking. Alas, it’s such a mild recalculation of the standard Cinnabon Delight formula that it kind of feels like an unnecessary field trip. If you already love the product, you’re more than likely going to love these, but if you’re not a fan, I doubt these strawberry variants will win you over.

The price point is the real backbreaker here. For two Delights you can literally destroy in ten seconds, it’s a bit expensive, especially considering it almost costs as much as some full-sized cereals. With this particular product, Taco Bell is obviously pitching to people who already enjoy the regular Delights. It’ll likely please them, but newcomers might be a little disappointed in how non-special this special edition dessert tastes.

Purchased Price: $7.39
Size: 12-pack
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (One piece) 80 calories, 6 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 35 milligrams of sodium, 7 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar (includes 4 grams of added sugar), and less than 1 gram of protein.

When you think “Taco Bell beef,” a VERY specific kind of product enters your mind. And the beef in Taco Bell Shredded Beef Nacho Fries is not that idiosyncratic, unmistakable Taco Bell beef at all.

It’s hard to describe. It’s shredded beef, alright, but not shredded beef a la Arby’s. More like shredded beef, Sloppy Joe-style (just sans the Sloppy.) It has a decent mouthfeel and an adequate level of chewiness, but frankly, it’s a bit forgettable. After all, there are SO many different ingredients in this thing that the beef itself just kind of soaks up the congealed flavor of everything else. And for the most part, that’s a good thing.

I doubt I have to reintroduce anybody reading this to Taco Bell’s Nacho Fries. They’re a fan favorite for a reason, and TB didn’t meddle with the product at all here. In addition to the shredded beef, we get a deluge of Creamy Jalapeño sauce, a smattering of pico de gallo, and no less than four different types of melted cheese blends on top of it all. Nacho, cheddar, mozzarella, pepperjack — the band’s all here, folks, and you already know how beautiful their medley sounds (and tastes, I guess.)

It seems like the general taste of the Shredded Beef Nacho Fries would be super obvious, but there are more nuances going on than you might anticipate. The sinewy, stringy meat does a pretty good job of augmenting everything else on the plate, but it doesn’t change the mouthfeel and texture as much as you’d imagine. The fry seasoning, the sauce, and the monsoon of cheeses drown out everything else, even the pico de gallo ingredients. There’s nothing dry or savory about this dish, and I can see how that might turn off some potential consumers. Nor is it very spicy, though it occasionally catches you off guard with a “kick” out of nowhere; the flavor’s power seems to ebb and flow, with some pockets of the dish definitely carrying a more robust, potent taste.

If you’re looking for something zesty, filling, and oily in the best possible way, these things are right up your alley. Hardcore Nacho Fries fans are probably going to love this product by default, although it doesn’t taste that much different from some of the chain’s previous variants. It would’ve been nice to see Taco Bell amp up the product with something different — i.e., a new kind of sauce or more supreme-style toppings — but overall it’s hard to complain about everything you get here. The relatively steep price point might be a deterrent to some people, but you do get a rather filling dish.

That said, I still think the Fiesta Strips should’ve been included. And definitely a black olive or two.

Purchased Price: $5.99
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 480 calories, 30 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,080 mg of sodium, 42 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 13 grams of protein.

Taco Bell understands that true innovation isn’t accomplished in broad strokes, but mild refinements. The Cantina Chicken Mexican Pizza is proof of this.

This fusion of the Cantina brand with the Mexican Pizza works wonderfully, to the point I’d contend it’s one of the best things you’ll find in the entire Taco Bell canon.

By now, we all know how TB’s Mexican Pizzas work. We’ve got two tortillas, with a smattering of black beans and what the restaurant touts as “savory, slow-roasted chicken” wedged in between them. The quality of the poultry here is much better than what you’d expect from the franchise. Like, it actually has some chewiness, and it isn’t buried alive in salt like the rotisserie-style chicken you get at rival fast food chains. Maybe it’s not on par with Chipotle, but it doesn’t feel like run-of-the-mill TB chicken, either.

Atop the pizza, we’ve got a smorgasbord of toppings. We’ve got a tri-cheese blanket consisting of pepperjack, mozzarella, and cheddar, we’ve got the iconic green chile sauce, we’ve got pico de gallo, and we’ve got purple cabbage … and lots of it. I’ve never been a big fan of cabbage in Tex-Mex, but I actually liked the textural variety it adds with this particular product. It’s a bit muted, but in a fast food item like this, muted cabbage is hardly a negative.

All by itself, the Cantina Chicken Mexican Pizza is exactly the kind of limited-time-only offering you’d want from the Bell. It’s crispy, it’s chewy, it’s comically cheesy, and it has a richer, more varied amount of ingredients in the mix than the standard Taco Bell product. Pretty much my only complaint is that the interior chicken was a little skimpy, but that’s the kind of thing that varies from store to store. As is, it’s still a top-tier Taco Bell item and something any long-time Mexican Pizza fan would almost certainly enjoy.

Yet the thing that pushes the Cantina Chicken Mexican Pizza from being a very good fast food selection to a genuinely great one comes in the side dressings. The Avocado Verde Salsa isn’t exactly a “new” offering from Taco Bell, but the Jalapeño Citrus Salsa certainly is. The latter is reason alone to give these things a try. It’s the best sauce I’ve tried from TB in ages, and it’s something that already deserves to be a year-round item. Heck, I’d even pay extra for it — it’s that good.

Once you’ve mixed the two salsa packets onto the Mexican Pizza, not only do you get a nice green and orange color palette, but you also get an absolutely stellar combination of flavors that’s unlike anything else you’ll find at Taco Bell. It’s chunky, it’s gooey, it’s zesty, it’s delightfully spicy, and it’s filling like you wouldn’t believe. Taste-wise, this is one of the ritziest and most complex dishes we’ve ever gotten at the Bell. It’s definitely worth checking out — especially considering it could leave the menu and never, ever come back.

Purchased Price: $6.49
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 520 calories, 29 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 75 mg of cholesterol, 1,190 mg of sodium, 37 grams of carbohydrates, 9 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar (includes less than 1 gram of added sugar), and 27 grams of protein.