Author: Mark

REVIEW: Sour Patch Kids Lemonade Fest

Mark

Since Sour Patch Kids are famously “Sour. Sweet. Gone,” it only makes sense there would be an entire pack devoted to lemonade, that spectacular drink that perfectly balances sour and sweet. (Seriously, I think we take lemonade for granted.)

Sour Patch Kids Lemonade Fest consists of four lemonade flavors:

  • Strawberry lemonade (pink)
  • Blue raspberry lemonade (blue)
  • Lemonade (yellow)
  • Cherry lime lemonade (red)

Strawberry lemonade has a lovely fake strawberry flavor. Look, this is a candy, so I don’t care if it tastes fake. It tastes just as I hoped it would! I’m not sure if I can detect lemon per se, but it’s hard to notice something that’s known for being sour in a candy that’s already sour.

Blue raspberry lemonade is good, but I’m not sure I would guess it was raspberry in a blind taste test. It’s more generically sweet and sour.

I think plain lemonade is the sourest of the bunch. It’s just regular lemon, but sometimes you just need the simple classics, and I’m glad it’s in the mix.

Cherry lime lemonade is fascinating. It has a hint of bitterness like you would get from actual limes. Whatever cherry is in there takes a backseat to the lime. This is the closest to something you would find in nature.

Honestly, if I were just mindlessly eating these, I think the cherry lime flavor is the only one I would notice is different from the others. If I eat all four at once, it’s very sour, but no flavor sticks out. Even though they are all similar, I think I like these four flavors more than I like most Sour Patch Kids mixes!

While many candy mixes have fan favorites, I don’t think there’s one flavor I look forward to more than the others in this case. I might have favorite Starbursts, favorite movies, or favorite children*, but I don’t have a favorite of the Sour Patch Kids Lemonade Fest mix.

*Note: I don’t actually have children. Which means I get to keep these all to myself!

Purchased Price: $2.75
Size: 8.02 oz bag
Rating: 8 out of 10
Purchased at: Dollar General
Nutrition Facts: (12 pieces) 110 calories, 0 grams of fat, 25 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 23 grams of sugar (including 23 grams of added sugar), and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dr Pepper Peeps Marshmallows

Mark 3 Comments

What are they?

This Walmart-exclusive flavor of the Easter perennial brings the classic soda into marshmallow form.

How are they?

It has probably been two decades since I last drank Dr Pepper, but when I smelled the carton of burgundy chicks, I could almost feel the carbonation in my mouth. Yep, that’s a Dr Pepper scent!

When I eat them, the flavor is diluted. It still tastes like Dr Pepper, but marshmallow is more prominent. Oh, and if you’re wondering, there’s no caffeine in the ingredients.

Dr Pepper diehards (and there are a lot of them) will probably want a stronger flavor. However, these are tame and safe enough that you could put them in Easter baskets for the whole family and everyone would be pleased with them. (As long as they like Peeps in general, that is.)

Anything else you need to know?

Back in 2018, I reviewed Peeps mystery flavors, and I guessed with 30 percent confidence that one of the flavors was Dr Pepper. I was wrong (it was blue raspberry), but I can’t help but wonder if my review gave Just Born the idea for this year’s product.

Conclusion:

Dr Pepper is a worthy addition to the selection of flavored Peeps, even if the flavor could be stronger.

Purchased Price: $1.36
Size: 3 oz package
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (4 chicks) 110 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 0 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 24 grams of sugar (including 24 grams of added sugar), and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Hershey’s Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Kisses

Mark 7 Comments

What are they?

The package describes these new Valentine’s Day Kisses as “extra creamy milk chocolate with strawberry flavored center.”

How are they?

These Kisses have the same chocolate that the other filled Kisses have. It’s a little different from the solid Kisses, but it’s largely a vehicle for the filling.

The filling in this case is bright red, and I don’t know if I would have pegged the flavor as strawberry if the wrapper and the plume didn’t tell me.

I enjoy this candy, but it’s not one I would miss if it didn’t come back. It’s excessively sweet, and I say that as someone with a tremendous sweet tooth.

Anything else you need to know?

If the description sounds familiar, it should: I’m pretty sure these are exactly the same as Vampire Kisses the company has released for Halloween.

It might seem weird to recycle Halloween candy for Valentine’s Day, but they’re practically the same holiday. You don’t get the day off of work or school, and they both use candy to market age-inappropriate things to children (horror and romance).

The flavor itself might be more appropriate for February, but I prefer the blood-red concept for October. So many other candies use the strawberry chocolate flavor this time of year, and they execute it better.

Conclusion:

Hershey’s Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Kisses are fine and passable. They would be great in a Valentine’s goody bag. But the seasonal aisle is full of better and more interesting candies.

Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: 9 oz bag
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (6 pieces) 120 calories, 5 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 20 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 16 grams of sugar including 13 grams of added sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Spam Figgy Pudding

Mark 16 Comments

SPAM Limited Edition Figgy Pudding Can

I have reviewed some weird things during my six years at The Impulsive Buy.

But I’m pretty sure this new Spam Figgy Pudding is the weirdest. When I learned of its existence, I knew it would be so delightfully, seasonally unusual that I had to try it. I’m generally indifferent about regular Spam, but I’m a sucker for anything with a holiday theme.

(Spam’s website consistently treats its name as SPAM, but Merriam-Webster opts for Spam, so I’m going with that. It’s easier to type.)

SPAM Limited Edition Figgy Pudding Ingreidents

Here’s how the website describes it: “SPAM Figgy Pudding brings a blend of warm spices and seasonal ingredients that will be the star in many wintertime recipe favorites. With notes of cinnamon and nutmeg combined with fig and orange flavors, you’ll taste true holiday comfort that will have you caroling all season long.”

Now, I’ve never had a figgy pudding for at least three reasons:

  • I’ve never stepped foot in the UK.
  • The authentic recipes sound unreasonably complicated.
  • I am not 200 years old. (Yet.)

Therefore, I can’t compare it to a real figgy pudding. But with that caveat, how is it?

Well, there’s definitely a seasonal vibe to it. I taste spices (though I’m not sure I can pick out specific ones), and I taste fruit, especially orange, making it a little sweeter. If you like Spam, this is a fun, festive variation! My dad eats Spam regularly and doesn’t like this version as much as the classic, but he said it’s fine if you want a different flavor.

SPAM Limited Edition Figgy Pudding Pancake

Now, I didn’t know what to do with a brick of the stuff, but fortunately, the website has several recipes. I opted for the Spiced Dutch Baby Pancake. I followed the instructions as well as I could, except I didn’t have a 10-inch cast-iron skillet like the recipe called for. I ate it with the recommended cranberry butter (thanks, Thanksgiving leftovers!), maple syrup, and powdered sugar.

SPAM Limited Edition Figgy Pudding Pancake Slice

This was a weird dish, to be sure. But I’m a fan of mixing sweet and savory, and the Figgy Pudding Spam paired well with the sweeter elements and the spices of the pancake. I mean, it’s still Spam, so there’s something mildly off-putting about it. But I had no problem finishing the pan.

Spam Figgy Pudding is only available in a two-pack (mine came in a cardboard sleeve that fell apart in transit). I’m still trying to figure out what I’ll do with the second can, but I’m sure I’ll find a good use for it!

SPAM Limited Edition Figgy Pudding fried

Because this is a novelty food, it’s more expensive than the original Spam. As far as the food itself goes, it’s not worth the price. But if you are a die-hard Spam fan, or you just like trying weird products, go for it!

Purchased Price: $14.13 plus shipping
Size: 2 12-oz cans
Purchased at: Walmart.com
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 oz) 180 calories, 15 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 600 milligrams of sodium, 4 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar (including 4 grams of added sugars), and 7 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Kellogg’s The Elf on the Shelf North Pole Snow Creme Cereal

Mark 3 Comments

Kellogg s The Elf on the Shelf North Pole Snow Creme Cereal Box

What is it?

The Elf on the Shelf line of cereals* has a new Walmart-exclusive flavor that “magically cools your mouth as you eat.”

*I can’t believe Elf on the Shelf is now a line of cereals, plural.

How is it?

Kellogg s The Elf on the Shelf North Pole Snow Creme Cereal Dry

Let’s start with the promise of cooling. When I eat a piece dry, I do notice a sensation in my mouth, one that I don’t get from other cereals. Is it cooling? I don’t know; you might be able to convince me it’s a warming sensation.

Kellogg s The Elf on the Shelf North Pole Snow Creme Cereal Milk

But in milk, the feeling is diluted. I do get some kind of cooling phenomenon when I drink the leftover milk, but that might just be the literal temperature.

I compared the ingredients with the Elf on the Shelf Sugar Cookie Cereal, and it appears that the magic ingredient is calcium carbonate. Any geologist worth their halite* can tell you that’s limestone.

*salt

As for the flavor, I have no idea what “North Pole Snow Creme” is. But the waffle cone on the box suggests that it’s supposed to be vanilla. It does taste like vanilla, which is hard to mess up. But really, this just tastes like any other generically sweet corn cereal.

Kellogg s The Elf on the Shelf North Pole Snow Creme Cereal No Marshmallows

The marshmallows are so rare that Kellogg’s needn’t have bothered.

Anything else you need to know?

I compared this new cereal with the Sugar Cookie variety, and the Snow Creme version is better. So if you’re at Walmart, there’s no need to pick up that red and green variety.

The wintry color scheme of this cereal is my favorite part.

Conclusion:

The Elf on the Shelf branding means this cereal is an opportunistic cash grab, not a worthwhile cereal on its own. The “cooling” sensation is too subtle to be, well, cool.

Purchased Price: $4.48
Size: 12.2 oz. box
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 1/3 cup, 39 grams) 140 calories, 1 gram of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 0 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 200 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of dietary fiber, 13 grams of sugar (including 13 grams of added sugar), and 2 grams of protein.