Taste Test: McDonald’s Chicken McCrispy Sweet Paprika, Watermelon Twist Cone, Calamansi McFizz and Crisscut Fries

McDonald’s Chicken McCrispy Sweet Paprika, Watermelon Twist Cone and Calamansi McFizz were released on Thursday (Mar 30) along with the returning Crisscut Fries as part of its new limited-time menu.

With the exclusion of the Watermelon Twist Cone, the new additions can be bought together as a Sweet Paprika two-piece meal for $10.55.

The menu items are available for purchase after breakfast hours at 11am on weekdays and 12pm on weekends for both dine-in and takeaway options. 

Curious to find out more about the additions, I headed down to McDonald’s to give them a try. Here’s what to expect:

The new Chicken McCrispy is quite similar to its original counterpart in terms of appearance, but in the taste department, it’s less spicy.

The paprika contributes a subtle earthiness, along with a sweet and peppery taste of the McCrispy. This results in the chicken tasting like a less spicy version of the original McCrispy.

Nevertheless, I still found myself scarfing down the drumstick and thigh as the chicken itself was still deliciously crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

Even though its mild taste left me yearning for more spice, I thoroughly enjoyed the Chicken McCrispy Sweet Paprika.

While these aren’t new to the McDonald’s menu, I had never gotten the chance to try them. As a diehard fan of the regular McDonald’s fries, I was literally shaking with anticipation to try the Crisscut Fries for the first time.

The Crisscut Fries tasted rather similar to the original McDonald’s fries, just reshaped into a Crisscut shape and with more salt.

I’d caution those with high expectations that the Crisscut Fries would not be as flavourful as the seasonal shaker fries. After all, it is only seasoned with salt.

However, I probably would still upgrade my meals to get Crisscut Fries in the future as they were hot and provided a satisfying crunch. Furthermore, they served as a nice change of pace from the original fries.

The Calamansi McFizz lived up to its name – it was refreshing and carried a citrus lemon-lime flavour. 

The drink tasted almost identical to sprite as both beverages are lime-flavoured soft drinks. While it wasn’t exactly game changing, I would still buy the citrusy, tropical refresher again.

I decided to get both the Watermelon Twist Cone and Watermelon Cone as a dessert to top off my meal.

By the time I made my three-minute journey from the McDonald’s outlet to my office, the ice cream had already slightly melted down my hands.

With that in mind, do ask for napkins if you don’t intend to gobble up the whole cone on the spot.

The Watermelon ice cream had a light and refreshing flavour that is reminiscent of melon milk.

The full Watermelon Cone had a stronger and sweeter taste compared to the twist cone. It became slightly overwhelming over time.

If you are not a fan of strong ice cream flavours, I’d suggest opting for the Watermelon Twist Cone over the full Watermelon Cone as the vanilla soft serve helped to provide a balance in taste.