Cajun Crackerz

I'm an avid snacker, but crackers are rarely what I reach for.  In fact, I actively dislike many crackers.  Yet I was drawn to a new cracker product, Cajun Crackerz.

"Surrounded by Cajun foods our entire lives, Sam, Shelby, and Will had the vision to take everyday foods and put a spin on their Cajun heritage into them, thus Cajun Crackerz was born. A simple cracker is almost found in a Cajun pantry, restaurant, and camp. Cajun Crackerz brings the flavors of our Bayou roots transforming these everyday crackers into a must-have at every camp, pantry, crawfish boil, and Cajun restaurant!"

I actually didn't realize that basic crackers, specifically saltines or oyster crackers, were such a core part of Cajun cuisine.

My first impression when trying these crackers?  Well, huh.  I never thought saltines could be this good.  Saltines aren't normally remotely exciting crackers, and I don't even really care for the base to them, so I never imagined that adding seasoning would transform them so much.  But, it does.

Ranch.

"Our special ranch recipe was created to bring you the freshness of herbs and spices as well as the creaminess you love. Add them to a dip, salad, or snack for that true southern taste."

"A flavor you will find all over the south, the Ranch flavor’s versatility can be found in so many different dishes. Our recipe has been refined to bring you all the freshness of herbs and spices and that creaminess we all love when ranch is thought of. These flavors in these crackers bring a splash of brightness to any dip, salad or snack. "

The first flavor I tried was the ranch, the flavor I didn't really care about, as I'm just not a ranch person.  My sister (and her kids) are obsessed with ranch everything though, so I figured this would be easy to pass off.  After trying a few, I nearly didn't (and, in fact, they got intercepted by my mother, who planned to give to my sister's family, but tried one, and declared she was keeping them for herself).

It is hard to explain what makes these so good, but, they really just are great.  The cracker crumbles nicely, almost breaking into slight layers.  They were fresh and crisp.  And the seasoning really made them quite flavorful - zesty, tangy, yup, very true to ranch.  Still not quite the flavor I wanted, but, these were a joy to eat, and the flavor was just so legit.

They recommend using with dip, but honestly, they were so flavorful they didn't need anything.  3.5/5.

BBQ.

"Cajun grilled foods are famous for their spices and so are our BBQ Cajun Crackerz. Enjoy their spices and sweetness right now or at your next cookout."

"If a Cajun isn’t boiling crawfish or making a gravy, you’re guaranteed to find them next to a BBQ pit! From fish to wild game to steaks, we’ll grill it all. Our BBQ flavor brings the spices and sweetness from the flavors we spice our grilled foods. These crackers are sure to be a hit at any BBQ! "

Next I went for the flavor that I was most likely to enjoy: BBQ.  When it comes to potato chips, of mainstream flavors, BBQ is definitely my favorite.  While I can't say I've had BBQ in cracker form, I see no reason why they wouldn't work.

And they did.  Damn these are good.  They look like big Cheese-Its, but totally aren’t.  They are insanely flavorful, smoky bbq flavors, with plenty of garlic and onion that linger on the aftertaste.  High salt level.  Soo much coating on them. They are nicely crisp, yet melt in your mouth.  Fantastic base cracker, incredible flavor.

The serving size of these is 5 crackers, at 170 calories, and the bag is supposed to be 5 servings, but I’d have zero problem finishing it in one sitting.  Danger, but oh so delicious. 4.5/5.

Crawfish.

"Experience the flavors of a true southern crawfish boil with our Crawfish flavor. Combining the heat of cayenne with a fresh burst of lemon, these crackers keep the tradition going!"

"A staple in Cajun cuisine is the crawfish. Celebrated throughout Bayou country you will find crawfish boils happening on every corner. This was a must have flavor that truly brings to life the heritage our ancestors have passed down through many generations. With the heat of cayenne to the fresh burst of lemon these crackers are sure to bring you right back to the crawfish boils we all love. "

And finally, the most interesting, crawfish.  I'll admit I've only probably had crawfish about 10 times, so I'm certainly no expert in crawfish boil flavors, but these sounded fascinating.

I ended up hating them.  

Well, I still liked the form factor, the big size, the crispy yet melt in your mouth nature of them.  But the taste?  No.  They just tasted a bit ... rancid?  Hard to describe. And waaaay too salty.  I tried a few times to make sure I wasn't just having a strange preferences day, but no, I did not like these.  1/5 for flavor, but higher for the form factor.