The Doritos of my youth
When Doritos were created, there was only one flavor. Doritos flavor. Which is to say, Taco Flavor. It wasn't until 1972 that Doritos released a second flavor, Nacho Cheese, which became their most popular product. Doritos released new flavors about once a decade, until the sudden explosion of Doritos flavors in the 1990s and beyond.
But back in the day, life was simple, and there was only one Doritos flavor. And it was good.
I had forgotten this until I tried a bag of the new throwback style Doritos. The bag features the original look from the 1960s and 1970s. I never would have thought I would feel nostalgic about tortilla chips. But when I opened the bag and tried a chip, my first thought was, "THIS IS WHAT DORITOS TASTE LIKE."
In the last few decades, the various Doritos formulas have strayed far from their initial mandate. Which is fine - obviously a lot of people like them. But it just doesn't work for me. For one thing, the more "Extreme" the flavor, the more likely that I will get instant heartburn. Heck, I get heartburn just thinking about eating Doritos. These flavors today? They are too extreme. (Also, those kids need to get off my lawn.)
But Taco Flavor Doritos are juuuust right. They have plenty of flavor, but not OMG EXTREME amounts of flavor. Frankly, I prefer the subtlety. It's hard to believe that a Doritos flavor could ever be called "subtle," but compared to some of the flavors out there these days, Taco Flavor fits that bill.
Now it must be said that there are a lot of purists out there who claim that this is NOT the original Taco Flavor. Doritos may have added some sour cream notes, or people may just not be remembering correctly a taste from forty years ago. Hard to say. I myself have no opinion on the subject - they taste pretty authentically "1970s Doritos" to me, but I was a kid then, and it was a long time ago, and Doritos could easily have shifted a few flavors and I wouldn't notice.
Apparently, these retro Taco Flavor chips are going to be with us on a permanent basis. I'm pretty happy about that. It's rare that a limited edition becomes a permanent fixture, but if anything deserves that coveted slot, it's Taco Flavor Doritos.
Later this year they will be releasing another retro classic: Sour Cream and Onion. Rest assured I will be keeping my eyes peeled!