Combos – Spicy Honey Mustard
Combos are one of those snacks that I enjoy but very quickly forget about. Every so often I see it in a store and think to myself, “no way, those are still around? I should get some!” That cycle repeats itself every few years or so, and we are currently in the phase of being acquainted again. I don’t pay enough attention to know whether a flavour is part of their standard rotation or a seasonal flavour. I can only assume that mustard is a common enough condiment that this should be one of the staple flavours.
The texture of these is very crispy on the outside, as you would expect from a mass market pretzel. The pretzel shell breaks away easily to give way to the block of cylindrical filling on the inside. The filling itself is reminiscent of a shelf stable cheese spread – it’s not melty or gooey but not rock hard either. It’s soft enough that I’m reminded of those Ritz sandwich crackers. Even the cheese is kind of similar.
The flavour is basically if you somehow turned honey mustard into a semi-solid cylinder and shoved it between a hollow pretzel. The flavour is strong, and unlike a lot of honey mustard flavours I’ve had, this is more just the combo of mustard with a bit of sweetness, as opposed to Dijon mustard that tends to be more sweet than this. I like the combination for sure, and I feel like the flavour is alone to carry the snack. I should also mention the entire experience is a tad on the salty side because of the giant salt crystals that adorn the outer shell, as expected from most pretzel snacks. I kind of like the texture it adds, but not so much the saltiness, though I guess that makes it a great accompaniment to beer.
As embarrassing as it is to admit, I totally forgot that these were supposed to be spicy honey mustard. I kept wondering if my bag was off because I could sense a little bit of heat building up, and I wasn’t sure if it was because the mustard was just strong or I was tasting things. Turns out it’s by design, even if it’s not very strong. The spice builds up over time, but even then it’s not very strong and just barely noticeable.
Combos in general are a great, relatively convenient self contained snack. It’s easy to share, and the size is perfect if you want to binge them and feel like a total glutton. I can see why it’s the official snack of NASCAR. These things are a great spectator snack.
