Food Review - Jack in the Box: The Last Shake

So recently, Jack in the Box jumped on to the bacon bandwagon and began pushing their products, including their "secret", limited bacon milkshake. This was a clever ploy to reach the internet-savvy bacon fanatics so I bit the hook and gave it a try.

My short review: Just a taste is enough. Any more becomes gross.

Full review past the jump

The first few sips
It was pleasantly surprising, and it really tasted like bacon, in a good way. It was sweet, creamy, savory and it even had little chewy fat-like bits which gave it a bit more consistency. It was very flavorful and I didn't feel like the flavors clashed.

It gets old
After the beginning, it goes downhill pretty fast. I don't care what the baconatics say, too much bacon CAN be a bad thing. The saltiness and sweetness becomes overbearing and its difficult when you want a drink to go with your other drink. I partially wanted crackers or bread or something neutral, but I couldn't really think of what would make the situation better. Adding more salt or sugar would only compound the problem, and drinking water would make it feel like you're drinking a watered-down bacon shake. The shake becomes too rich after the novelty wears off.

Knowing too much
I read about the bacon shake on Gizmodo, and they mentioned that the shake was not made using any real bacon. Having read that, as I consumed my drink, I was questioning what I was really drinking. A vanilla shake with bacon syrup? And what are these little chewy bits in my drink that have the consistency of bacon fat, but really aren't? It's a facon (fake bacon) travesty! I'm not sure if I would have been happier if I thought it was real bacon and real fat, or if I knew that I was drinking an artificial product which mimicked the properties of the real thing. Also, for the same caloric count (~770 calories), you could easily eat the real thing with a whole breakfast meal.

Final Thoughts
Its an interesting concept and I think it works on a small scale level. I had a lot of difficulty drinking the whole shake. After a while, the flavor was too overwhelming, the concept bothered me, and it grossed me out. If the novelty is worth it to you, by all means try it, but don't have high expectations for a great overall drink experience. Besides... a true bacon fan isn't going to settle for a facon shake. It's the real deal or bust

Have you tried the shake? Leave a comment and let us know what you think!