Fast Food Review: New! Volcano Box from Taco Bell

Posted May 14th, 2009 | 5:55pm by Ryan

I grabbed the New! Volcano Box from Taco Bell today. Clocking in at $6.99, bring your appetite or bring a friend to help finish it. The Volcano Box features the return of the Volcano Taco and the mainstream introduction of the Volcano Double Beef Burrito. Also included in the Volcano Box is a Crunchy Beef Taco, Cinnamon Twists and a Large Drink.

Volcano Taco – Your typical Crunchy Beef Taco fired up with a red taco shell and Lava Sauce. Seasoned ground beef, grated cheese, lettuce and Lava Sauce nestled in the red shell The red hard taco shell is just for the aesthetics of making it more Volcano-esque as it’s not flavored any different from what I can tell. Just your typical taco shell with an intimidating new look. The Lava Sauce is pretty hot for my feeble palette. It’s a nice spicy, cheesy beef taco that on first bite you’re just hit with flavor and within a couple of seconds, the spicy sauce really kicks in. It would be cool (and entirely possible) to get a Volcano Taco with some sour cream added to cool things down. I found it strange that the only taste difference between this and the regular 89¢ Crunchy Beef Taco is the Volcano Sauce and it’s $1.29 for the Volcano Taco alone. I guess red shells are more expensive. I’ll deduct some points for the extra cost. All in all though, I could handle the heat and maybe the next time I’ll ask if I can have it topped with a cooling agent…a nice helping of sour cream. GrubGrade: 7.25/10 (Decent)

Volcano Double Beef Burrito – The new kid on the Volcano block really stood out as the hero of the Volcano Box. This Volcano Double Beef Burrito was pretty solid. Here’s an attempt to sound like a Taco Bell ad…it’s “Cheesy, Beefy, Saucy, Ricey, Spicy and Pricey”. How’s that? The Volcano Burrito is similar to the Cheesy Double Beef Burrito. It contains seasoned rice, beef, Lava Sauce, Red Strips, Sour Cream, and Cheddar Cheese. I found that $3.19 for the burrito alone was a little steep considering the Why Pay More! Value Menu has a burrito of similar weight and stature (Cheesy Double Beef Burrito) for 89 or 99¢. The spicy new Lava Sauce is a bit more subtle in the Volcano Double Beef Burrito because there are a lot more ingredients helping to put out the fire. This was a pretty filling burrito and I’m glad there was tasty rice included. It would’ve been cool to have this burrito in a red soft tortilla but still nice addition to the Volcano Menu. GrubGrade: 8.25/10 (Very Good)

Crunchy Beef Taco – A bit of a break from the heat of the Volcano items. Your typical, classic beef, hard corn taco shell. Seasoned beef, grated cheddar cheese and lettuce. Nothing crazy, just simple, tasty and cheap food you can eat by the bagful. At 89¢, it’s a no brainer and a perfect compliment to any Taco Bell order. I’ll go ahead and give it some extra bonus points for being only 89¢. GrubGrade: 7.75/10 (Good)

Cinnamon Twists – Crispy, puffed corn twists, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. This was the first time that I’ve had these and I found them to be bigger than I expected. Very light and crispy. Cinnamon and sugary sweetness. Nothing exceptional but an average sweet treat for only 79¢. I really just wish that Taco Bell would bring back the Choco Taco. GrubGrade: 6.25/10 (Average)

Mountain Dew Baja Blast – An exclusive Taco Bell Mountain Dew flavor, the Baja Blast is marketed as a tropical lime-flavored Dew drink made specially to go with Taco Bell food. Mixing in tropical lime and pineapple flavors, this blue Baja Blast was introduced in 2004. I still prefer Mountain Dew Code Red. The Baja Blast is kinda odd tasting. Not a huge fan but I could see it growing on me if I were to be a repeat drinker. GulpGrade: 5.75/10 (Mediocre)

So for your $6.99, you get a big box of quick-serve Mexican grub that is certain to fill you up. A good way to sample some new offerings at Taco Bell. The New! Volcano Menu currently has just the Volcano Taco and the Volcano Double Beef Burrito. You can make pretty much anything “Volcano” by adding the Lava Sauce. Down the road I see an expansion to the Volcano Menu that I’m hoping will implement a few innovations other than the Lava Sauce alone. It would be cool to get some red soft shell tacos or burritos. Only time will tell. The bottom line is that the Volcano Menu brings the heat and it is sure to satisfy Taco Bell fans out there. The Volcano Double Beef Burrito is a nice addition and I’m looking forward to what’s to come.