“There’s a weird smell coming from this area,” commented Sahana Rao (’26).
That’s definitely not what you expect to hear when you spend $35 at Safeway, steal (not really, don’t worry!) a cafeteria plate, and create an elaborate Oreo pyramid consisting of six unique flavors: mint, peanut butter, tiramisu, lemon, Cakesters, and birthday cake. However, she was definitely honest. When we first set up our Oreo display in the middle of the Sobrato Commons, we were planning on a quick review of each cookie. Instead, the event quickly escalated into a widespread Oreo tasting, attracting friends and newcomers alike—all brought together by a love for or hatred of the nostalgic cocoa sandwich treat. Taking all of their input into account, here are our rankings!
Mint (12/10)
Coming in as a clear first place: the mint Oreos. Immediately, we agreed that these were unbeatable. The balance between the cool mint filling and the classic chocolate cookie was perfect, with each bite satisfactory and enjoyable. While nothing can quite dethrone Girl Scouts Thin Mints, these were impressively similar (and half the price), making them a must for fans of the iconic mint-chocolate combination. If you’ve ever craved a Thin Mint but ran out of your freezer stash or lacked seasonal timing, this is your answer. A unanimously loved flavor, the mint Oreo easily surpassed the 10/10, with a final rating of 12/10, leaving us wondering why we even bothered with the others.
Peanut Butter (8.5/10)
Peanut butter emerged as a surprising favorite! While purchasing it in the store, we were apprehensive about the blend of sticky peanut butter with a cocoa cookie, but the combination was unexpectedly fine: “It’s sweet and salty, it’s so perfect, and it tastes so good,” says Sandra Ximen (’26). Nevertheless, the Oreo sparked controversy and Coco Rothenberg (’26) was one of many who felt the combo should’ve stayed in brainstorming: “The peanut butter was too salty and didn’t pair well with the sweetness of the cookie.” Ultimately, the cookie earns an 8.5/10, mostly because compared to the progressively more repulsive Oreo options, we wouldn’t mind eating this one again.
Tiramisu (- /10)
Okay, forget what we said about peanut butter sparking controversy. The opinions of the tiramisu Oreos proved highly inconclusive, so we left it unranked. It’s completely up to personal preference: you have to try it to make up your own mind. Aadya Kumar (’28), taken aback by the disgusting flavor described, “Oh, that’s even worse [than birthday cake] that’s a -10/10!” On the other hand, Pranav Kunisetty (’26) simply stated, “I like tiramisu.” This flavor is simply hit-or-miss, so we’d encourage you to make a Safeway run and try it out for yourself, but don’t say we didn’t warn you!
Lemon (7.5/10)
Optimistically appearing like a “Golden Oreo,” lemon didn’t exactly live up to its packaging. Most of our surveyors determined that the flavor was merely average with an imperfect balance of sweet filling and a crunchy outer cookie. Our very own activities rep, Mr. Grant Lucas, passed it off as a 3/10. If it’s on the table at a party, we’d say maybe just walk by.
Cakesters (5/10)
Perhaps the most unique Oreo flavor—definitely texture-wise—was the Cakesters. These inflated Oreos looked more like cupcakes than the actual Oreos. The soft, cake-like sandwich was a stark contrast to the traditional crisp cookie which Oreos are so well known for. However, this interest faded fast. The flavor wasn’t bad, only unremarkable. Unfortunately, the cakesters satisfied neither a cookie craving nor a cake craving. Anisha Anand (’26) rated these Cakesters 8/10; nevertheless, overall, the experience of the Cakester did not stand out among the surveyors.
Birthday Cake (0/10)
Finally, last and DEFINITELY least was…birthday cake. The moment the package was opened, we knew we were in trouble. This cookie had a sickly sweet smell that was noticed immediately and permeated throughout the room. Unfortunately, the smell was the least of this cookie’s issues. The overwhelming sweetness of the cookie brought a chaotic seven-year-old’s birthday party to mind, with the artificial vanilla flavor overpowering the cookie. Even worse, each bite felt like eating stale icing straight from the tub, as the Oreo was double-stuffed. Surprisingly, this almost unanimous opinion was contradicted by one rare supporter: Katelyn Effendi (’27), who happily exclaimed, “I love birthday cake!” before rating it a surprising 9/10, proving that taste is, in fact, subjective. Most of us couldn’t hold back, giving it a 0/10, which was our final decision. Proceed with extreme caution.
At the end of this Oreo adventure, we came to some key realizations. The mint Oreo ran away with the win, the tiramisu Oreo was extremely controversial, and the birthday cake Oreo should probably come with some sort of warning label. Between all the taste-testing and debate, after all was said and done, we just craved a classic Oreo. These flavors were fun, but they taught us that sometimes, the best way to improve the beloved Oreo is… just to leave it alone.
Except maybe mint. Mint can stay.
