Author: Vin

REVIEW: Creme Savers Hard Candy (2021)

Vin 8 Comments

Creme Savers 2021 Bags

What are Creme Savers?

Life Savers’ creamy hole-less cousins are back after a decade hiatus.

How are they?

Creme Savers were one of my grandmother’s favorite candies, so I’ve always had a special fondness for them. Throughout my childhood, she’d always have them in a bowl with Chocolate Riesen and packs of Pez sans dispensers for some reason.

I recall enjoying Creme Savers the most, so I was pretty excited when I heard they were coming back in orange and strawberry creme flavors.

Then I had them and realized some things are best left in the past.

Creme Savers 2021 Unwrapped

At the risk of lending credence to a stereotype… these are even more “grandma candy” than I remember.

I had an inkling what to expect because of the “creme” of it all, but they have that same mouth coating “warmness” to them that a Werther’s Original or butterscotch have. Does that make sense? I’m not asking for mint adjacent refreshment, but when I eat a hard candy, I at least want it to invigorate me a little. These things are dull – the candy equivalent of warm milk.

Well, to be fair, Orange is extremely dull. Strawberry is actually pretty solid overall.

I’m not sure how a citrus fruit managed to lay dormant, but the creme overpowers the orange to the point it tastes like the ghost of an orange swimming in some Greek yogurt. It’s cloying and will leave you grasping for a glass of water. I was expecting Creamsicle, but instead, I got cream-sick… Nah, I’m bailing on this dumb pun just like I bailed on this flavor. I’ll be giving the rest of the bag away.

Creme Savers 2021 Copy

Strawberry, on the other hand, is pleasant. It’s not great, but it’s easily the better of the two. The strawberry shines so much more than the orange, and since I can’t shake the overall “yogurt-ness” of these candies, it makes sense because strawberry is a far superior yogurt fruit. This is more along the lines of what I remembered. I’ll have no problem finishing the bag.

Anything else you need to know?

While I may not love these, they absolutely live up to their name. As I mentioned above, short of a Werther’s or butterscotch, these are probably the creamiest “sucking candy” I’ve ever had. It really lingers for way too long.

I can’t shake the fact that these taste like hardened discs of fruit-flavored yogurt, and that’s not really what I was hoping for.

Conclusion:

Creme Savers 2021 Wrapped

I guess my memory of Creme Savers faded over the years. I’m still happy to see them back, and I appreciate them if only for making me think of my grandmother’s weird candy dish.

I know these survived overseas while they were discontinued in the US, so maybe we’ll see some more flavors hit shelves in time. I’m always up for Banana Creme anything.

As far as I know, Creme Savers are currently only available at Big Lots, but they seem to be branching out to other retailers soon. Keep an eye on its Instagram account if you’re interested.

Purchased Price: $1.00 each
Size: 3 oz.
Purchased at: Big Lots
Rating: 3 out of 10 (Orange), 7 out of 10 (Strawberry)
Nutrition Facts: (3 Pieces) 60 calories, 1 gram of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 30 milligrams of sodium, 11 grams of total carbohydrates, 9 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Peanut Butter Cup Macchiato

Vin 6 Comments

Dunkin Peanut Butter Cup Macchiato Cup

This is a long time coming for me.

I’m sure at some point Dunkin’ has dabbled with peanut butter flavored coffees, but I’ve never had it before. In fact, every time they put out a new flavor, I wonder when peanut butter is coming. I’ve never even had a peanut butter donut from Dunkin’, so I just kinda assumed they banned it altogether because of allergies or something.

Well, I no longer have to wonder what Dunkin’s take on peanut butter might taste like now that I’ve had its new Peanut Butter Cup Macchiato. Was it worth the wait?

Absolutely.

I never order “macchiatos” despite how fun it is to say, and I honestly had to Google what differentiated them from all the other coffee-based drinks. In case you’re as uneducated as me, it has a higher espresso to milk ratio. I shoulda been getting these all along.

Dunkin Peanut Butter Cup Macchiato Orange

Right away, I was shocked by how orange the macchiato was. It’s vibrant and festive, but all I could really think was, “I bet that’s just a bunch of unnecessary additives making it glow like that.” Either way, it’s fun to look at.

Dunkin Peanut Butter Cup Macchiato Layers

The drink settled in two layers, with the coffee up top and the orange peanut butter goodness down below. I wasn’t entirely sure if I was supposed to mix it up, so I sampled each layer before even getting to that point.

I thought the orange layer was delicious. There was a pronounced peanutty flavor with a nice supporting chocolate accent that didn’t outshine the main attraction. It reminded me of a very thin peanut butter ice cream milkshake.

The consistency of the orange was so velvety and tasty, I was actually a little bummed that half the cup had coffee in it. I probably drank a bit too much of the orange on its own before I ultimately mixed the coffee in.

The coffee portion packed a nice wallop and only cut the peanut butter flavor slightly. I was drinking a strong espresso with a peanut butter cup flavor finish, and I can’t think of anything wrong with that.

I hope I’m not alone when I say this is probably the best new Dunkin’ drink I’ve had in years. I think I loved it.

Dunkin Peanut Butter Cup Macchiato Sign

With that said, this can’t be your everyday order. You wouldn’t wanna drink this every morning because it’s basically a dessert moonlighting as a morning coffee. I guess that’s a clever disguise just in time for Halloween.

Outside of that, and the fact it’s a bit more expensive than the standard menu items, I have no other knocks.

I’ll definitely be a repeat buyer, and now that I can add “peanut butter cup” pumps to any drink in the app, I’m probably gonna run this flavor into the ground.

The Peanut Butter Cup Macchiato didn’t appear on the “limited” section of Dunkin’s nutrition page, so hopefully, that means this might be a mainstay. Don’t risk it though, try it as soon as possible.

Purchased Price: $4.89
Size: Medium
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: NOTE: this is w/ whole milk. I used oat. (24 oz.) 280 calories, 6 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 160 milligrams of sodium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 44 grams of sugar (including 32 grams of added sugar), and 8 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Starburst Airs Gummies

Vin 13 Comments

Starburst Airs Gummies Bag

What are Starburst Airs Gummies?

Here it is, folks, the collaboration between Starburst and Nike that we’ve all been waiting for!

Nah, it’s actually just a new weird spin on Starburst flavored gummies.

How are they?

I guess I should just jump right into it – I think I hated these.

“Hate” is a strong word I try to avoid using, but these things stink.

The entire “air” concept sold me on the spot. I anticipated a unique texture that landed somewhere between those gourmet confectionary marshmallows and gummy bears. I got that, but they were few and far between.

They LOOK pillowy soft, but most of them had the bite of an expired peach ring. Not sure if this makes sense, but the texture was begging for a crystallized sugar coating. That’s the only way that texture succeeds for me.

Starburst Airs Gummies Squishy

For every piece I thought delivered on the name, there were five that were a chore to chew. Some were like Gummy Savers, and some had a dryness to them like the chewy Sea Turtles from Trader Joe’s, which aren’t great, but at least correctly have sugar. It’s like they couldn’t decide which texture to go with, so they just ran the gummy gamut.

The “best” pieces were similar to Haribo Watermelons, which are infinitely better.

Anything else you need to know?

It wasn’t just the texture that threw me off.

The gummies smell exactly like Starburst, but something about the over-chewing reduced the flavor by about 30-40 percent. These just don’t have the Starburst pop I’ve grown to love.

Starburst Airs Gummies Flavors

I know it’s blasphemous to most, but I think Cherry is the worst main Starburst flavor by far, and it was awful here. Strawberry never fails, and I happen to really like the two citrus flavors. Lemon was probably the best, and it seemed to be the softest overall. No idea why, but finally, some justice for Lemon.

Even the pieces I kinda liked that leaned closer to marshmallow were still weak in flavor and left a film on my teeth.

Conclusion:

Starburst Airs Gummies Poured out

I can’t remember the last time I couldn’t put a snack down simply because I wanted to like it. I was trying to will it, but they just never got there.

Starburst has tried many different texture varieties (these, regular gummies, jelly beans, those straw things, etc.) and has never matched the originals. With that said, I think Airs are easily the worst Starburst candy product to date. Don’t even bother.

Purchased Price: $2.18
Size: 4.3 oz
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 3 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (6 pieces) 100 calories, 0 grams of fat, 55 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of total carbohydrates, 20 grams of total sugars, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Thomas’ Limited Edition Everything English Muffins

Vin 14 Comments

Thomas Limited Edition Everything English Muffins Package

What are Thomas’ Limited Edition Everything English Muffins?

If you love everything bagels, but always felt they lacked nooks and crannies, your time has come.

How are they?

Well, they’re better than nothing.

That’s actually selling them short. Thomas has outdone himself.

“Everything” is the most popular bagel flavor in the US, according to my 2021 level research. (That’s where you Google something and just read the little blurb that appears before the links.) I’m shocked it took this long to expand over to the underrated English muffin.

Thomas Limited Edition Everything English Muffins Top

English muffins don’t get enough love. They’re better than buttered toast, and I personally think they’re the single best bread for an egg sandwich. There’s no hole. They don’t crumble like a biscuit or have a strange, messy shape like a croissant. They just get the job done.

Thomas Limited Edition Everything English Muffins Toasted Untoated

Thomas’ Everything English Muffins have all the same ingredients as your typical everything bagel – poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onion, garlic, and salt. Although you can really only see the poppy seeds, and the salt isn’t crystallized.

The flavor doesn’t burst as much as you’d expect from a bagel, and I loved that. It was way more subtle than what I’m used to. I’ve had everything bagels at 8 am and still tasted the onion and garlic at dinner time. There is a perfect balance on these muffins.

Anything else you need to know?

Thomas Limited Edition Everything English Muffins Butter Cream Cheese

I tried these three ways – with butter, with cream cheese, and with egg and cheese. I wouldn’t normally ever think to put cream cheese on an English Muffin, but I had to try it on account of the everything spices. I think plain butter on a medium toasted muffin is still king, but all three ways were delicious.

I would say one drawback to everything flavor is that it probably isn’t gonna blend as well with the sweeter toppings you might like on an English muffin. You might wanna save your various fruit spreads or peanut butter for a plain.

Conclusion:

Thomas Limited Edition Everything English Muffins Wrapper

I’ve bought frozen everything bagels and everything rye bread from the supermarket, but these are easily better than both. I’m not ready to say they beat a good everything bagel from your local spot, but I think the added flavor improves on the typical Thomas’ English Muffin.

These are currently a limited-edition product, but I can’t imagine a world where these don’t become mainstays in due time. Tommy and the crew would be foolish to keep them off the shelves.

Purchased Price: $2.49
Size: 13 oz. (6-pack)
Purchased at: Shop Rite
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 160 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 250 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of total carbohydrates, <1 grams of total sugars, 2 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew

Vin 1 Comment

Dunkin Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Tall

What is the Dunkin’ Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew?

Dunkin’s surprisingly tasty way of hammering down the final nail in summer 2021’s coffin.

How is it?

I’ve been on the fence about this whole “sweet cream” kick Dunkin’ has been on recently…until today.

Finally! This is the first time I’ve had any of their various sweet cream toppings that didn’t melt into a viscous goo within two minutes.

The cold brew itself is standard fare, but it’s a style I love around this time of year. I’m usually a “one pump” of pumpkin flavor swirl guy, but special medium-sized drinks always have three. It’s not something I want every morning, but I really didn’t mind it being a little too sweet for my liking. Plus, I think Dunkin’s pumpkin flavor is great because the “spice” is left out.

Dunkin Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Top

The pumpkin cream is kind of a revelation. I ate a few scoops of it and thought it tasted a little too synthetic at first, but then realized it had a nice light pumpkin pie filling flavor to it. Not only that, I could have been convinced it was spliced with something else. I landed on a vague coconutty taste. While there’s zero indication this is the case, those are two flavor profiles you never get mixed, so I dug it, even if coconut wasn’t technically there.

If this pumpkin cream was sold in a can, I’d probably have that nozzle hovering over my mouth before I even got home.

Anything else you need to know?

The cream is so light and fluffy that it really doesn’t make much sense in watery cold brew. Don’t get me wrong, I liked it a lot, but it just sat there on the top, causing me to mostly eat it on its own as if it was a meringue or something. Once I ultimately gave up and just mixed it into the drink, it didn’t add all that much to the flavor. I think it would probably be more ideal for a frap-style drink.

I also feel like I have to mention that I always use oat milk as my dairy, so my cold brews are always slightly creamier than the rest.

Conclusion:

Dunkin Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew In Hand

This coffee was the first taste of fall I’ve had, so it actually bummed me out a bit. I drank it on a warm, breezy summer day, and while it worked in that setting, I could imagine the crisp cold autumn winds creeping up my neck. I guess it’s time to acknowledge that summer is over. I pretty much use Dunkin’s fall line of products as the gauge anyway.

So, whether you’re a summer dude like me or one of those sweater-loving, Halloween-devoted, and Ugg-thumping Autumn weirdos (I love you all), you can’t really go wrong with a Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew.

Purchased Price: $3.25 (G.O.A.T. Milk is $.25 extra)
Size: Medium
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 210 calories, 2 grams of fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 42 grams of total carbohydrates, 42 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein.