TBG Eats: Taco Bell's New Volcano Taco

Current Weight: 173.0 lbs.

173 pounds?! How'd my Black ass lose close to 10 pounds in the last month? Long story, actually, and one of many that was unfortunately shoved aside in favor of that 30-part, 30-day baseball feature "Sounds of…uh, Something".

Anyways, it had been several weeks since I last patronized Taco Bell. I hadn't seen any new menu items recently advertised, so I was straining to read the drive-thru menu from four cars back. "Does that say…'Volcano'?", my thought balloon read. Indeed it did. Would this be the death of my diet? Nah…more like a trial separation from sensible eating.

The Volcano Taco is actually quite the fast food marketing coup. It's really just a regular crunchy taco with a red corn shell and something called "cheesy lava sauce". But, don't ever underestimate the power of packaging, kids. Along with a worthless degree, that's one of the few things I took away from my myriad of marketing classes at San Diego State.

Perhaps I'm heaping faint praise here, but the bright red Volcano Taco looks good compared to the original – even if there's no discernable difference in taste between the two shells. The "lava sauce" is surprisingly peppery with a bit more kick than you'd expect from Americanized Mexican fare. The usual ground beef, lettuce and cheese round it out.

At only 89 cents, the Volcano Taco is the latest addition to TB's value menu and, personally, a damn fine apology to me for the chain's removal of the Grande Soft Taco from the cheap eats section a few months back.

Grade: 5 (out of 5)