I Tried the Taco Bell Churro Chillers So You Don’t Have To
The Churro Chiller comes in four flavors. I tried three, and lived to tell the tale. Photo credit The Vine
Taco Bell is stepping into the dessert realm with its first ever shake, the Churro Chiller. Available at only one Taco Bell restaurant in Irvine, I happily stepped up to try it — ya know, for journalism.
My unwilling companion for this journey was my son. Home from college for the holidays, and on his way back from the dentist, he was appalled that I would take him straight to a fast food restaurant at 11 am to try some shakes.
“We’re just going through the drive-thru, right?” he asked.
No, I explained, we needed to try them in the store for the full Taco Bell experience.
Is it too early to have a shake at 11:18 am? Not at Taco Bell. Photo credit The Vine
Approaching the kiosk to order, my son had more questions.
“You’re not actually going to order more than one, right?”
Yes, I explained, we needed to try all of them (Mexican Chocolate, Dulce de Leche Coffee, Wild Strawberry and Sweet Vanilla) in order to fully assess the new offerings.
I ordered three after my son decided that sitting at a table with four milkshakes would be a mortifying experience. I conceded that Wild Strawberry was not worth a try. After all, if I wanted fruit, I certainly wouldn’t look to Taco Bell for it.
“So you’re going to drink three milkshakes at 11 am?” my son asked.
“I’ll freeze whatever’s leftover.”
When our order was ready, the woman behind the counter was kind enough to provide me with a drink holder. As advertised, all three shakes were covered with a thin layer of cold foam. Atop the foam, floated a product the fine people at Taco Bell have dubbed “churro crumbles.” Each shake had a sauce drizzled along the sides of the cup: chocolate sauce for the Mexican Chocolate, caramel sauce for the Dulce de Leche Coffee, and an unidentifiable purple goo for the Sweet Vanilla.
The first Churro Chiller flavor I tried was the Sweet Vanilla, which lived up to its name. It delivered outrageously sweet and cloying vanilla flavors with the ferocity of a lightning bolt. The churro crumbles actually provided a much needed counterpoint to balance out the shake’s sugary flavor. Their slight crunch was a good distraction too.
Next up was the Dulce de Leche Coffee, which provided more depth of flavor and a better balance of sweetness, thanks to its subtle coffee notes. My son decided that one was the best of the three.
Finally, I tried the Mexican Chocolate, for which I had my highest hopes. The shake was slightly chocolatey and very faintly laced with a tinge of cinnamon. I was hoping for more of a chocolate punch and maybe even a little chili heat to evoke those “Mexican” flavors. It had more of a run-of-the-mill chocolate flavor, and was my favorite of the three.
These flavors were specifically designed to appeal to a Taco Bell fanatic. The Irvine-based company says its fans expect them to deliver flavor profiles that it describes as “Mexican-inspired.” Although the Taco Bell branding and description never actually use the word “milkshake,” the Churro Chillers are creamy, sweet, and semi-frozen shakes that would appeal to most people.
“We are constantly listening to what our fans are craving next and we are thrilled to offer them a frozen creation that’s just as delicious and desirable as their favorite menu item,” said Taco Bell U.S. Chief Marketing Officer, Taylor Montgomery, via a press release.
Although I won’t miss them when their limited run is over, I’m glad I had a chance to try them out. Even my son seemed okay with it all in the end.
“Thanks for embarrassing me at a Taco Bell, mom.”
Care to try these sweet new offerings from Taco Bell? The Churro Chillers are currently available at one Taco Bell location (2222 Barranca Pkwy, Irvine, CA 92606) for a limited time while supplies last.