{"id":18931,"date":"2015-08-12T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-08-12T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/?p=18931"},"modified":"2021-01-03T21:27:35","modified_gmt":"2021-01-04T07:27:35","slug":"review-taco-bell-dare-devil-loaded-grillers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/08\/12\/review-taco-bell-dare-devil-loaded-grillers\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Taco Bell Dare Devil Loaded Grillers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Taco<\/a><\/p>\n

I have a confession, dear readers.<\/p>\n

I am a weenie. <\/i><\/p>\n

That\u2019s right: I\u2019m the guy who needs a tissue after a single Flaming Hot Cheeto. I\u2019m the guy who thinks playing Doritos Roulette is cruel and unusual punishment. And Thai food? More like \u201cI want to die food.\u201d <\/p>\n

And I\u2019ve been mocked for it my whole life.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why taking on the challenge of Taco Bell\u2019s new Dare Devil Loaded Grillers, which come in three escalating levels of spiciness, was a personal quest for me. If I can handle these, maybe I can regain some self-respect. No longer will I quiver before a bottle of Sriracha. <\/p>\n

So without further ado, allow me to channel my inner Dante and dive into these three tortilla-wrapped circles of Hell.<\/p>\n

\"Taco<\/a><\/p>\n

First up was Mild Chipotle<\/b>. The wrapper seemed to mock me with its condescending tone and mellow yellow colors. The insides were kinda squished together, but between the many, thick layers of tortilla were scant amounts of beef, plenty of gooey cheese, strangely damp wads of red corn chips, and the tempting beige sauce. <\/p>\n

Flavor-wise, the toasty, grilled flour of the tortilla and the slight edge of the cheese dominated all else, with the sauce backing it up with a savory creaminess that had a palpably high fattiness. Little meatiness could be found, and the chips got too soggy to lend any sort of fun crunch. Regardless, as a fan of quesadillas, this tasted a lot like a pleasantly zesty one.<\/p>\n

As for the spice, after finishing a bite I noticed a relaxed buzz in the back of my throat, but nothing even my greenhorn tongue couldn\u2019t handle.<\/p>\n

\"Taco<\/a><\/p>\n

Kicking it up a notch (shame on Taco Bell for not working in the phrase \u201ckick it up a nacho\u201d somehow), I bit into the Hot Habanero<\/b> griller. Aesthetically, it looked nearly identical to its plain-Jane little brother, except with a much thinner and angrier looking orange layer of creamy sauce.<\/p>\n

Compared to Chipotle, the taste here was like a \u201chot beef injection.\u201d Wait, wait. That\u2019s not what I mean. Don\u2019t Google that, please.<\/i> But anyway, the noticeable tang of the pepper made the smoky, seasoned beef flavor much more prominent here, with undertones of garlic and black pepper. Our \u201cchipper\u201d friends manage to pop in with a brief, hot corniness, too. <\/p>\n

The heat was a slow buildup, so much so that I thought I was safe until my tongue and throat started to tingle and whimper like a dog who played with a porcupine (thank my German Shorthair, who took a faceful of quills to bring us that analogy). Fortunately, the steady burn wasn\u2019t nearly intense enough that a long swig of milk couldn\u2019t wash it out.<\/p>\n

\"Taco<\/a><\/p>\n

But then it was time for Fiery Ghost Pepper<\/b>. It was to be my personal final boss: my Bowser, my Ganondorf, and my last mine in a tense game of Minesweeper. Unlike its creamy siblings, this one just oozed a sinister, bubbly red liquid (okay, maybe I imagined the bubbles). <\/p>\n

In terms of flavor, I was barely able to sense a salty combo of meat and corn chips before the acrid acidity of the sauce took over, with the harsh, concentrated pepper flavor overwhelming and seeping into all else. Even the formerly friendly cheese betrayed me and became pasteurized magma.<\/p>\n

Et tu, nacho?<\/i><\/p>\n

To seasoned veterans of seasoned spice, the heat may not quite be \u201c1,000,00 Scovilles,\u201d but it was enough to make me say \u201cSco-ly s***!\u201d My tongue went numb to flavor, my throat resonated with capsaicin, and trying to wash it down with milk was as futile as Smokey the Bear crying tears of disappointment onto a forest fire. <\/p>\n

\"Taco<\/a><\/p>\n

For a total price of $3, the Dare Devil Grillers were a fun novelty, but outside of Chipotle, I can\u2019t imagine buying any for an actual meal (though they are large enough for one), since the burn takes way from the familiar flavor, which you could easily get from many of Taco Bell\u2019s other items. <\/p>\n

Since I can see my word count here is already starting to rival Dante\u2019s Divine Comedy<\/i>, too, and since I\u2019m still nursing a crispy tongue, I think a brief haiku summarizing each Griller will suffice:<\/p>\n

Chipotle, my friend:
\nCheesy, zesty mayo-filled
\nBeef quesadilla<\/p>\n

Habanero, oh!
\nPeppered meat, slow-building heat
\n(That sounded dirty)<\/p>\n

Ghost pepper: need Tums
\nLike Pompeii, heat buries taste
\nOw ow ow, owww, ow!<\/p>\n

(Nutrition Facts – Chipotle<\/b> \u2013 420 calories, 200 calories from fat, 22 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 940 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of dietary fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein. Habanero<\/b> \u2013 380 calories, 160 calories from fat, 18 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 900 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of dietary fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein. Ghost Pepper<\/b> \u2013 400 calories, 180 calories from fat, 20 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 970 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of dietary fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 11 grams of protein.)<\/small><\/p>\n

Item:<\/b> Taco Bell Dare Devil Loaded Grillers
\nPurchased Price:<\/b> $1 each
\nSize:<\/b> N\/A
\nPurchased at:<\/b> Taco Bell
\nRating:<\/b> 7 out of 10 (Chipotle)
\nRating:<\/b> 6 out of 10 (Habanero)
\nRating:<\/b> 5 out of 10 (Ghost Pepper)
\nPros:<\/b> Flavorful beef with cheese and toasty flour tortilla. Unbeatable value. The sinful goodness of \u201cpalpably high fat content.\u201d Conquering your personal Ganondorf.
\nCons:<\/b> Pain and heat mask flavor as you move up in heat. Only difference between Grillers is flavor emphasis. Soggy chips. The crushing betrayal of \u201cpasteurized magma.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have a confession, dear readers. I am a weenie. That\u2019s right: I\u2019m the guy who needs a tissue after a single Flaming Hot Cheeto. I\u2019m the guy who thinks playing Doritos Roulette is cruel and unusual punishment. And Thai food? More like \u201cI want to die food.\u201d And I\u2019ve been mocked for it my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1440],"tags":[1477,1519],"class_list":["post-18931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-fast-food","tag-taco-bell"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":18904,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/08\/06\/fast-food-news-taco-bell-dare-devil-loaded-grillers\/","url_meta":{"origin":18931,"position":0},"title":"FAST FOOD NEWS: Taco Bell Dare Devil Loaded Grillers","author":"Marvo","date":"August 6, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Update: We reviewed it! Click here to read our review of all three. Taco Bell's newest menu additions are the Dare Devil Loaded Grillers. All three come with a warm flour tortilla filled with seasoned beef, nacho cheese, crispy red strips, and your choice of mild chipotle sauce, hot habanero\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fast Food News"","block_context":{"text":"Fast Food News","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/fast-food-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Taco Bell Dare Devil Loaded Grillers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Taco-Bell-Dare-Devil-Loaded-Grillers.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Taco-Bell-Dare-Devil-Loaded-Grillers.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Taco-Bell-Dare-Devil-Loaded-Grillers.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18262,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/03\/26\/fast-food-news-taco-bell-crispy-chicken-chickstar-grillers-and-quesadilla\/","url_meta":{"origin":18931,"position":1},"title":"FAST FOOD NEWS: Taco Bell Crispy Chicken Chickstar, Grillers, and Quesadilla","author":"Marvo","date":"March 26, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Update: We reviewed it! Click here for our Chipotle Chickstar review. Taco Bell's new Crispy Chicken lineup features their new premium all white meat crispy chicken that's been marinated in Mexican spices and has a crunchy coating made from corn tortilla chips. The Chickstar is pretty much a crispy chicken\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fast Food News"","block_context":{"text":"Fast Food News","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/fast-food-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Taco Bell Crispy Chicken Chickstars","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Taco-Bell-Crispy-Chicken-Chickstars.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Taco-Bell-Crispy-Chicken-Chickstars.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Taco-Bell-Crispy-Chicken-Chickstars.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16192,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2014\/01\/25\/fast-food-five-1252014\/","url_meta":{"origin":18931,"position":2},"title":"FAST FOOD FIVE – 1\/25\/2014","author":"Marvo","date":"January 25, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are five recent fast food news bites: Do you know what this is missing? It needs tacos inside of it so it can have the tongue twisting name, Quesaritoco. (via Grub Grade) CHEEEEEEEEESE!!! (via Brand Eating) It's still not cheeseburgers in pizza crust, but I guess this pizza will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fast Food News"","block_context":{"text":"Fast Food News","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/fast-food-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"IMG_4433","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3747\/12127000124_22fe40fef3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16577,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2014\/03\/29\/fast-food-five-3292014\/","url_meta":{"origin":18931,"position":3},"title":"FAST FOOD FIVE – 3\/29\/2014","author":"Marvo","date":"March 29, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are five recent fast food news bites: Panda Express is offering free Golden Szechuan Fish on April 1st. April 1st? Why do I feel like I'm being tricked into going to a Panda Express where there will be no free fish? If there is free fish, here's our review.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fast Food News"","block_context":{"text":"Fast Food News","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/fast-food-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"IMG_4092","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7280\/13477665343_3995422a52.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":35876,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2019\/04\/05\/fast-food-news-taco-bell-loaded-nacho-taco\/","url_meta":{"origin":18931,"position":4},"title":"FAST FOOD NEWS: Taco Bell Loaded Nacho Taco","author":"Marvo","date":"April 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Check your car's compartments for loose change, because Taco Bell has two new $1 menu items for a limited time -- the Loaded Nacho Taco and Spicy Loaded Nacho Taco. The low-priced item is a soft-shell taco stuffed with seasoned beef, cheese, nacho cheese sauce, lettuce, and seasoned red chips.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fast Food News"","block_context":{"text":"Fast Food News","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/fast-food-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Taco-Bell-Spicy-Loaded-Nacho-Taco.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Taco-Bell-Spicy-Loaded-Nacho-Taco.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Taco-Bell-Spicy-Loaded-Nacho-Taco.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Taco-Bell-Spicy-Loaded-Nacho-Taco.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Taco-Bell-Spicy-Loaded-Nacho-Taco.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":35939,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2019\/04\/09\/taco-bell-loaded-nacho-taco-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":18931,"position":5},"title":"REVIEW: Taco Bell Loaded Nacho Taco","author":"Louis","date":"April 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"What is the Taco Bell Loaded Nacho Taco? The Bell continues its recent trend of Loading up just about every item on its menu, now delicately doctoring up its tacos with the tight and tangy addition of seasoned red chips and nacho cheese along with seasoned beef, lettuce, and shredded\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Taco-Bell-Spicy-Loaded-Nacho-Taco-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Taco-Bell-Spicy-Loaded-Nacho-Taco-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Taco-Bell-Spicy-Loaded-Nacho-Taco-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Taco-Bell-Spicy-Loaded-Nacho-Taco-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Taco-Bell-Spicy-Loaded-Nacho-Taco-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18931\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}