Swedish Fish Oreo Taste Test

The first thing to know about Swedish Fish Oreos is that they're the red panda of the cookie world—these suckers are hard to find in the wild, er, grocery store. Specifically, if you're above the Mason-Dixon Line, since they're sold exclusively available at Kroger supermarkets, located primarily in the South and Midwest.

But two failed attempts on eBay's Swedish Fish Oreo black market and one TT editor's generous Carolina cousin later, our New York office was armed with not one but two packs of Oreo's latest creation.

It was time for a round: Oreo or Ore-no.

First, let's address the smell, which I can't pretend that I enjoyed. The smell of an Oreo is one of the best parts of the full Oreo experience—peeling back the crinkly plastic and getting hit in the face with wafts of chocolate wafer, and maybe a rogue flying crumb if you're lucky. The Swedish Fish aspect takes that experience away, replaced now with an ambiguous halfhearted cherry odor.

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On to the taste. While I still wouldn't choose one over a standard Oreo, they truly aren't bad. Stop thinking about how weird it sounds and embrace the fruity filling. The cream actually has a smoother texture than its classic cousin; it's spreadable, almost like icing.

Think of it this way: Have you ever had a chocolate-covered Swedish Fish? Granted, they're out there, but I've never met someone who has a strong passion for them. For flavor profile reasons, I think the filling would be better sandwiched between vanilla cookies, rather than chocolate.  That said, at the end of the day, we had two empty packages in the Test Kitchen . . . and I'm not disclosing where all the cookies went.

Some people in the office said they taste like medicine. But can we address the fact that "tasting like medicine" shouldn't be a negative quality? Medicine makes you better. Next.

I'm not sure why Oreo keeps out-Oreo-ing itself, as there's no one else in the competition. It officially has "craziest sandwich cookie invention," on lockdown. But in terms of flavor, I don't hate it. And the truth is, the next time the brand releases a new variety, even if it's flavored like sawdust or pickle juice, I will be ready for another round of Oreo or Ore-no.

Let's have a look at how the Internet reacted, shall we?

Some people were RUTHLESS:

 
Others swam upstream in the river of Swedish Fish Oreo haters:

And yet others claimed to be disappointed by the taste . . . but only after suspiciously testing the whole package. Scott, why are there only two left?