NEWS: The Surprise Inside Cracker Jack’d Power Bites is Caffeine, Which is Better Than The Surprise That Comes With Regular Cracker Jack

2012-11-16 11.48.10

Let’s face it. The prizes in today’s Cracker Jack box suck.

But two varieties of the upcoming Cracker Jack’d line will have the greatest prize ever — caffeine.

According to an AdAge article, the Cracker Jack’d line will include two coffee flavored and caffeinated varieties — Cocoa Java Power Bites and Vanilla Mocha Power Bites. These energy Cracker Jack’d versions are expected to have around 70 milligrams of caffeine in each 2-ounce package.

The Cracker Jack’d line, which is being marketed to adults, also includes non-caffeinated snack mixes and popcorn clusters. These varieties are: PB & Chocolate Hearty Mix, Salted Caramel Kickin’ Back Clusters, Cheddar BBQ Hearty Mix, Spicy Pizzeria Intense Mix, Buffalo Ranch Intense Mix, Zesty Queso Hearty Mix, and Berry Yogurt Hearty Mix.

Looking at the non-caffeinated flavors, it appears their surprise is coating our fingers with seasoning or melted chocolate.

SPOTTED ON SHELVES – 11/16/2012

Here are some new and limited edition products found on store shelves by us and your fellow readers. We may or may not review them, but we’d like to let you know what new items are popping up. We’ll also occasionally throw in an unusual product.

Trix 3 New Swirls

Oooh. Three new swirls. I’m as excited as the Trix Rabbit on the front of the box. It’s so hard for me to hold back my excitement. Three new swirls are the greatest things to happen to Trix cereal. Can’t you tell how excited I am by the lack of exclamation points in this paragraph? Also, why does the Trix Rabbit look like he’s going to sexually harass someone? (Spotted at Target.)

Progresso Light Creamy Potato with Bacon & Cheese

Progresso’s Light Creamy Potato with Bacon & Cheese is like a black Snuggie. Both warm me up and both are slimming. (Spotted at Target.)

Minute Ready to Serve Jasmine Rice

BOOM! Fragrant Jasmine rice in 60 seconds. Now all I need to do is learn how to make a Thai dish to go with the rice. (Spotted at Target.)

Renuzit Tempting Indulgences

You can smell red velvet cake, creme brûlée, or chocolate covered cherries when you eat them, and now, thanks to these Renuzit Tempting Indulgences, you can smell red velvet cake, creme brûlée, or chocolate covered cherries while the red velvet cake, creme brûlée, or chocolate covered cherries you ate comes out of the opposite end of your digestive system. (Spotted by Rob at Stop & Shop.)

If you’re out shopping and see a new or limited edition product on the shelf (or really unusual), snap a picture of it, and send us an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. If you do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

REVIEW: Limited Time Only Pringles Pumpkin Pie Spice

Limited Time Only Pringles Pumpkin Pie Spice

I have to admit I carry a borderline unhealthy obsession with pumpkin pie spice.

I don’t just crave the stuff, I literally carry my obsession with me. As in the little bottle of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger that never leaves my side this time of year. It goes in my coffee at work, on top of my bagel and cream cheese in the morning, and even in a bag of burnt popcorn already jazzed up with sugar and salt. What can I say, I just crave the stuff.

I’d probably put it on Pringles if I could.

I don’t have to though, because the Pringles man will do it for me. Yessir, having not even cleared the minty taste of my last Pringles purchase, I’ve hit the stooping trifecta by picking up Walmart’s exclusive and limited-time-only Pringles Pumpkin Pie Spice.

Now if you’re asking yourself what universal need a pumpkin spice-flavored Pringles satisfies, you obviously have not had enough pumpkin spice flavored stuff in your life. Unlike pumpkin spice coffee the Pringles Pumpkin Pie Spice won’t burn your upper lip, and unlike pumpkin spice oatmeal and all manner of products with actual pumpkin in them, the crisps aren’t filled with fiber. This is good, because when you eat as much pumpkin as I do, you’ll get too much fiber and then end up farting a lot.

Pringles Pumpkin Pie Spice also comes in handy as a conversation piece while waiting in line at Walmart. It allowed me to make small talk with the people around me about all the weird flavors of chips and crisps Walmart sells. However, Pringles Pumpkin Pie Spice doesn’t help shield me from the crazy woman in the line next to me who, for some reason, found it necessary to buy 33 Shutes and Ladders games. But moving several lanes over did.

I was fully expecting Pringles Pumpkin Pie Spice to, at best, cause me to have an out-of-body snack food experience like I did with the Pringles White Chocolate Peppermint. At worst, I was expecting them to be so dreadfully disgusting that I would pass out and die while eating them on the drive home from Walmart. Amazingly, they weren’t bad. Hell, they are actually pretty good. Much better than dying on the way home from Walmart.

Limited Time Only Pringles Pumpkin Pie Spice Closeup

Pringles Pumpkin Pie Spice have a slightly orangey hue. There’s no mention of “pumpkin” anything on the ingredient list, so they won’t give you enough vitamin A to allow you to go all night vision the next time you’re playing Ghosts in the Graveyard. But that’s okay, because I rock at that game. Although, I would trade having killer night vision for not farting as much while still getting a pumpkin pie spice fix.

The taste of pumpkin flavor is moderate. Not loud or harsh, yet neither quiet nor lost. I like how the flavor is sweet and not too spicy. I also like how the crisps, for one reason or another, retain enough of that flavor to not make for a disjointed finish with the Pringles-tasting base. With just a pinch of salt, the ratio of sweet-salty is actually in favor of the former, making for a lighter taste than one usually associates with popping the top. For those of you keeping score at home, this was a much better crisp than the Pringles Cinnamon & Sugar. 

Limited Time Only Pringles Pumpkin Pie Spice Spice 2

Pringles Pumpkin Pie Spice don’t taste like pumpkin pie, but thanks to real, scientific testing done with actual pumpkin pie spice, I can confirm the crisps do taste like a sweeter version of the classic combination of fall spices. Not only that, but the crisps actually make a nice little dipping vehicle should you have some kind of pumpkin-ey cream cheese or dip concoction nearby.

If nothing else, I believe they provide the first case where Pringles manages to do a really weird sounding limited edition flavor right.

(Nutrition Facts – approx. 15 crisps – 150 calories, 80 calories from fat, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 95 milligrams of sodium, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 2 grams of sugars, and 1 gram of protein.)

Other Limited Time Only Pringles Pumpkin Pie Spice reviews:
Spoil Your Dinner
Fatguy Food Blog

Item: Limited Time Only Pringles Pumpkin Pie Spice
Purchased Price: $1.50
Size: 6.38 ounces
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Pleasantly sweet pumpkin pie spice taste. Not harsh nor bitter in the spice department. Salt of the Pringles is restrained. Flavors don’t clash. Making small talk at Walmart. Won’t cause you to fart while enjoying seasonal tastes.
Cons: Spice could be more assertive. Sweetness lacks true depth of brown sugar found in actual pumpkin pie. Doesn’t contain vitamin A (doesn’t actually have pumpkin, either). Love it or hate it Pringles crispness. Possibly opens the door for ill-fated Pringles flavor development.

NEWS: Jack in the Box’s Munchie Meals Make You Wonder What Jack Is Smoking

IMG_5014

I avoid eating fast food late at night because for some reason the grease and salt makes me have nightmare. No, really, it does. So I’m not looking forward to trying Jack’s Munchie Meals.

According to Brand Eating, Jack’s Munchie Meals are available after 9 p.m., which sucks for me and 4:20-ers.

For six dollars, a Jack’s Munchie Meal includes two tacos, a drink, an order of Halfsies — half curly, half regular fries — and one of the following entrees:

Brunch Burger – A croissant bun topped with a beef patty, fried egg, hash browns bacon, and cheese.

Exploding Cheesy Chicken Sandwich – A chicken sandwich topped with mozzarella cheese sticks and a white cheese sauce.

Stacked Grilled Cheese Burger – A sourdough grilled cheese sandwich on top of a burger.

Loaded Nuggets – Chicken nuggets topped with two kinds of cheese, ranch dressing, and bacon.

If you don’t feel like eating your recommended daily allowance of sodium, fat, and calories in one meal, you can order one of the entrees without the added sodium, fat, and calories from the tacos and Halfsies.

Jack’s Munchie Meals are currently being tested at limited locations. If you’ve tried any of the entrees, let us know what you think of them in the comments.

Source: Brand Eating