Cheez-It Duoz Caramel Popcorn & Cheddar Review

There are a lot of things that don’t seem like they should go together, somehow they work. Denim and sequins, for example. It worked for the 1980s and early part of the 1990s thanks to the BeDazzler. Kelly and Dylan from 90210 – they shouldn’t have worked because she was a bitch and he was a James Dean wanna-be. But they fit together perfectly and we loved them.  #TeamKelly. Orchestras have no business playing Metallica, yet when they do, it’s melodic and beautiful. So when Cheez-Its Duoz came out with their Caramel Popcorn and Cheddar mix, I had a feeling it would be one of those pairings that doesn’t seem like it should go together, but works perfectly.  So maybe, just maybe, Cheez-It came up with something really spectacular that will explode in the snack world.

My favorite snack at the movie theatre is putting peanut M&M’s in my buttery, salty popcorn. I take a few kernels of popcorn and an M&M for each bite and it’s glorious. The sweet and salty mix really kicks it up a notch.  I am thinking this might have the same kind of effect – two things I love – caramel popcorn and cheddar Cheez-Its – together as one.

The sniff test really does a lot for a snack reviewer. My first whiff of the product can usually set off the tone for a review. I take a big snifffffff and smell Cheez-Its. That’s it. Immediately, I’m thinking that this isn’t going to be as fun or exciting as I anticipated. But, I carry on, because that’s what we do. And I’m hungry.

I decided to try this mix like I do with my movie snack – 2 pieces of caramel corn + 1 Cheez-It cheddar cracker. The caramel corn pieces are really big and nicely covered in caramel. You won’t get screwed on that factor, for sure.  I’m impressed already. I’m not surprised by the Cheez-It, because it’s a Cheez-It. Classic and tasty and there’s nothing new there.  I grabbed two pieces of the caramel corn and 1 cracker and popped them in my mouth.  BOOM!  This is fucking awesome! Cheese + caramel = magic. They seriously compliment each other, more than I expected. I also really love the crunch and different textures of crunch it offers from the popcorn and cracker. What’s even cooler is that the caramel from the popcorn stuck to my molars (as caramel should) and the salty part of the cracker lingered – creating a salted caramel kind of aftertaste. The ratio of popcorn to cracker is pretty spot on, too, although there are more crackers than popcorn pieces, it works.

But does the cheddar really stand out? YES. It has that creamy, milky flavor with the little hint of tart you get from a mild cheddar cheese. Mashing that with caramel corn is genius because the flavors act like they were meant to be when eaten together. I feel like my mouth is Tinder and the caramel corn and cheddar Cheez-It met up to get it on, because I taste nothing but sweet love with this combination.

Cheez-It nailed it with this Duoz creation. Sweet and salty are always a great treat, but they took it to another level by introducing the cheddar cheese in the mix. I’m super impressed and have now shoveled half of the box into my mouth. Who am I to stop these two crazy kids from engaging in a union that’s meant to be? Like ice cream and coffee, Sharon and Ozzy Osborne or Arnold Schwarzenegger and politics – they just go together, even though you wouldn’t expect it.

Be sure to check out Jason’s review of the other new Cheez-It Duoz flavor: Cheddar Jack & Sharp Cheddar Pretzel!

Thanks so much to Kellogg’s for sending us boxes of these bad boys. Our opinions weren’t influenced at all, and if they sucked, we would have said they sucked.