What are Garlic Parmesan Combos?
The ‘bos are back in town, this time in the flavor of garlic bread.
How are they?
I imagine most people enjoy the taste of garlic bread, and Garlic Parmesan Combos do a pretty good job mimicking that flavor profile. That being said, you’ll probably also need to be a big fan of hard, horrific smelling cheeses to really enjoy these. More on that later.
I usually prefer pretzel Combos to the baked cracker cylinders, but the crackers did a great job as a bread proxy. They’re basically as salty as the pretzels too, which I appreciated.
The filling is exactly as advertised. It’s a cheesy, garlicky clump of dry mud. If spread on a loaf of bread, it’d be gross but would probably taste how you’d want snackified garlic bread to taste, with perhaps more cheese flavor than you’re accustomed to. It was definitely a bit too much for me.
The garlic didn’t bother me, but that cheese…
Anything else you need to know?
I mean, look, I knew what I was getting into, but the filling smells awful. Garlic and parmesan aren’t exactly scents you’d want to burn a candle of, but it’s so much worse than I expected.
I basically held my breath before popping each one in my mouth. I called them “‘bos” as a joke, but I think I now know what the “BO” stands for.
It stinks (literally) because they do actually taste good. The smell was just so hard to overcome. If I walked into an Italian joint and caught a waft of garlic and parmesan, I’d probably find it appetizing. Something about that smell coming off that weird Combo paste nearly made me sick.
Conclusion:
It probably didn’t help that my bag had a loose asteroid of filling just floating amongst the crackers like a bag of inverse silica gel, but I really couldn’t get over that rancid smell. It knocked the score of these otherwise tasty snacks down 4 whole points.
Maybe I’m just too sensitive? If you’re one of these maniacs who pop provolone cubes like Tic Tacs, these may not bother you. You’ll most likely enjoy the taste, but just know that if you eat a bag, you might want to steer clear of society for a day or two because you’ll probably reek.
Purchased Price: $2.39
Size: 6.3 oz.
Purchased at: Wawa
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz) 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 300 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of total carbohydrates, 3 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein.