I tasted all 15 flavors of Spam, and there's only one that beats the original

Lucien FormichellaMay 8, 2020, 01:22 IST

Insider

Spam is quite divisive, but the canned meat is a delicacy to many and I enjoy eating the original with egg fried rice.
To see which Spam flavor is the best, I tried all 15 varieties, which range from turkey Spam to Spam with black pepper.
My least favorite was Spam with cheese, which looked really unappetizing and tasted extra processed.
The only flavor that was better than the original was Spam with tocino seasoning, which tasted sweet, spicy, and delicious.
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Spam might be the most divisive meat product around, but you may not be familiar with its wide range of flavors.

As someone who enjoys the canned meat, I wanted to see what the other versions tasted like and if any of them could top classic Spam. As it turns out, only one worthy flavor beats the original.

Here's what it was like trying all 15 flavors of Spam and ranking them.

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Spam with tocino seasoning is the only flavor I'd choose over original Spam.

Spam with tocino seasoning is incredible. Lucien Formichella for Insider

Spam with tocino seasoning seems like it will taste like sweet bacon, so it should be good.

Spam with tocino seasoning. Lucien Formichella

I still love the classic Spam, even after trying all of its brother and sister flavors.

"Lovely Spam! Wonderful Spam Spa-a-a-a-a-a-a-am." Lucien Formichella for Insider

Few things taste better than classic Spam.

I already know I love the original Spam. Lucien Formichella for Insider

Can a Spam flavor be described as robust? If so, that's what this one is.

Spam with Portuguese sausage seasoning was so flavorful. Lucien Formichella for Insider

The Spam with Portuguese sausage seasoning smells like my favorite soup, which is a good sign.

Spam with Portuguese sausage seasoning. Lucien Formichella for Insider

Smells can be quite deceiving — I liked this one a lot.

I really enjoyed the garlic Spam. Lucien Formichella for Insider

The smell of the garlic Spam was unsettling.

Garlic Spam. Lucien Formichella for Insider

There's something to be said for the fact that less sodium means I can feel better about eating more Spam.

The lower-sodium Spam impressed me quite a bit. Lucien Formichella for Insider

I don't understand how Hormel could make Spam with 25% less sodium.

Spam with 25% less sodium. Lucien Formichella for Insider

The combination was good, but not quite what I wanted it to be.

I think I may have hyped up teriyaki Spam too much. Lucien Formichella for Insider

I'd be surprised if teriyaki Spam is anything less than great.

Teriyaki Spam. Lucien Formichella for Insider

It didn't quite meet my lofty expectations, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Chorizo Spam let me down, but I still liked it. Lucien Formichella for Insider

I love chorizo, so I couldn't wait to try Spam with chorizo seasoning.

Spam with chorizo seasoning. Lucien Formichella for Insider

Unsurprisingly, this tasted like Spam and jalapeno.

I'd rather add my own, fresh jalapenos to Spam. Lucien Formichella for Insider

Jalapeno Spam sounded pretty good, but seeing a pepper in it was disconcerting.

Jalapeno Spam. Lucien Formichella for Insider

It wasn't terrible, but I did feel like I was missing out.

This Spam had a bland, turkey flavor but it wasn't bad. Lucien Formichella for Insider

Turkey isn't as good as ham, but I expected oven-roasted turkey Spam to be a solid flavor.

Oven-roasted turkey Spam. Lucien Formichella for Insider

I would definitely eat this with some eggs.

This Spam seemed like a great breakfast option. Lucien Formichella for Insider

I love bacon, but I could see Spam with real Hormel bacon being too much of a good thing.

Spam with real Hormel bacon. Lucien Formichella for Insider

This flavor was legitimately hot, and it might be good in a larger dish.

This Spam was, indeed, spicy. Lucien Formichella for Insider

The hot and spicy Spam kind of smelled like plastic.

Hot and spicy Spam. Lucien Formichella for Insider

The flavor of the pepper was too overwhelming.

I wish this flavor had half of the amount of pepper. Lucien Formichella for Insider

If this was an old-timey cartoon, I'd be sneezing as soon as I opened the Spam with black pepper.

Spam with black pepper. Lucien Formichella for Insider

This mostly tasted like original Spam, but that angered instead of impressed me.

As a fan of Spam, I can't get behind this one. Lucien Formichella for Insider

I was extremely dubious about this flavor because Spam is just not meant to be "lite."

Spam lite. Lucien Formichella for Insider

Spam really got the smoky flavor in the can, but it was not very good.

I could taste the smoked hickory, but I kind of wish I didn't. Lucien Formichella for Insider

The hickory-smoke-flavored Spam wasn't my first choice, but it sounded pretty good.

Hickory-smoke-flavored Spam. Lucien Formichella for Insider

This flavor wasn't exactly terrible, but the cheese had a plastic flavor I couldn't ignore.

Spam with cheese was my least favorite flavor of the ones I tried. Lucien Formichella for Insider

Upon first glance, Spam with cheese wasn't exactly appealing, but I was optimistic.

Spam with cheese. Lucien Formichella for Insider

Before embarking on my taste test, I whipped up a batch of egg fried rice.

I think Spam pairs well with egg and rice. Lucien Formichella for Insider

Let's start with some of Spam's backstory since the canned meat dates back a few decades.

Spam is a cured meat product. Lucien Formichella for Insider

Michelin-starred chefs share 8 delicious breakfast dishes everyone should know how to make

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