Watch: Minty Twistees spark snack debate

The iconic Maltese snack Twistees has launched a new, limited-edition flavour and nobody saw it coming: mint.

Known for its classic cheesy taste, the savoury snack took an unexpected turn on Tuesday with the release of a minty-fresh version. The new flavour has sparked both curiosity and controversy, online and in real life.

Times of Malta carried out a taste test with staff, and the reaction was split. Some gave it a cautious thumbs-up, some described it as “nice” and “good”, and even said they would consider buying a packet.

Others, however, had a much stronger, less favourable reaction. Confused expressions, heads shaking and subtle recoils made it clear that the minty twist was not to everyone’s taste. Many said they would stick to the original flavour.

So, what does it actually taste like?

While the Twistee has the classic, satisfying crunch, the minty flavour is not as pronounced as one might expect. But then it hits you. If a snack and a trip to the dentist had a baby, this would be it. 

Still, there was one thing all testers had in common, curiosity. And that, it seems, was the whole point.

When Times of Malta asked Twistees why they went with mint, the company responded: “Why not? 😊[sic]. It’s innovative, it’s fresh, it’s different.” The idea, they explained, came from one of their flavour suppliers.

“One of our suppliers of flavours introduced it to us and we decided to produce this,” said a spokesperson for Strand Palace Agencies Limited, the company behind Twistees.

The internet also had a field day with this flavour launch. “What evil sorcery is this?” one person asked. Another added: “I thought it’s 1st April… had to check the calendar…”

But the most popular comment may have summed it up best: “So you don’t bring Blue Cheese back but give us crunchy toothpaste?”