As we all know, the quest for the perfect strawberry flavor is one as grueling as the quest for the attainment of the Holy Grail. And the rewards just as ephemeral–this sweet summer strawberry memory disappearing before our tastebuds as if it was never there at all. Or, maybe we don’t all know that, but whatever. It’s hard to find strawberry flavor in candies and cookies that doesn’t taste like it’s a strawberry that’s been synthesized by one of those AI art programs. So, when I saw some Strawberry Oreos from Korea, in a local shop, I was cautiously pessimistic.

In the US, Strawberry-flavored Oreos have been pretty miss or miss. There was the strawberry jelly flavoring in the Jelly Doughnut Oreos (OF WHICH WE NEVER SPEAK AGAIN), the strawberry portion of the Neapolitan Oreos (which I have previously reviewed for you all, because I have honor and will not bow from any challenge), the Strawberry Shortcake Oreo, the Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Oreo, the Strawberry Frosted Donut Oreo, Strawberries & Cream Oreo, but, for some reason, there hasn’t really been a straight up Strawberry Oreo. Which, honestly, seems…odd? I feel like strawberry is a fairly universally beloved flavor and one that has been simulated for sodas and candies for a very long time. Maybe strawberry isn’t pushing the envelope far enough for those Flavor-Creating Stars at Nabisco?

It’s an interesting conundrum, strawberry flavor, because strawberries themselves have a flavor range that goes from juicy, sweet, intense to mildly sweet and watery. Strawberries began cultivation in Europe as far back as the 1300’s. In 1714, a French spy brought Chilean strawberries (which were larger in size) back to France (basically, I just really wanted to include this fact because I have so many questions about it myself), and these were accidentally crossbred with the strawberries common there. This resulted in what is essentially the modern strawberry we know and love today. Of course, over time many types of the berries were bred specifically to be bigger, which depending on who you listen to and your own flavor interpretations often led to beautiful looking but less flavorful berries than the tiny and seedier wild strawberries. What we do know, for sure, is that the flavor of strawberries depends on a huge number of factors: from the amount of water and sun they get, to how long they are allowed to naturally ripen, to the ph balance of the soil they are in. Which ultimately means that maybe no one actually agrees on what exactly a strawberry should taste like. So creating a flavor that matches everyone’s idea of strawberry is a difficult thing to achieve. This means that strawberry candies or soda tastes artificial, because it is and because unlike say, lemon, there isn’t really a single component to a strawberry that we can point to as its dominant flavor. There should be a little sour, a little sweet, a little je ne sais quois.

So, this is a roundabout way of saying I don’t blame Nabisco’s flavor team for not ever really capturing strawberry. I do blame them, though, for often creating a strawberry flavor so overpowering that it wrestles down every single other flavor in the cookie and, honestly the vicinity. But, what about these specific Strawberry Oreos?

They’re actually pretty good. They feature slightly less cream diameter than the majority of flavored Oreos–leading to a chocolate wafer that balances against the candy sweet of the creme in a pretty even way. The strawberry flavor itself is also much less overpowering than say the strawberry creme in the Neapolitan Oreo–so it doesn’t leave an icky aftertaste or smell so strongly that you need to ziploc the remainders so that they don’t besmirch every other snack you have around. I rate these as a solid strawberry attempt that I would eat again.

I Want M(Oreo): Strawberry Fields 4ever? was originally published in ANMLY on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.