Category: Reviews

REVIEW: Starbucks Canned Cold Brew Premium Coffee Drinks

Marvo Leave a comment

Like a moth to a flame and a line of cars to a grand opening of a fast food chain opening in an area for the first time, whenever Starbucks offers its coffee in cans or bottles, I must flock to it to get my caffeine fix in a handy recyclable container. The newest additions are the Starbucks Canned Cold Brew Premium Coffee Drinks that come in three flavors: Vanilla Sweet Cream, Chocolate Cream, and Salted Caramel Cream. Unfortunately, I was only able to find the first two.

A Trenta-sized Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew is my go to drink at Starbucks, and this canned version tastes nothing like it. Instead, it’s similar to other canned vanilla coffee drinks that have a light coffee flavor and are heavy on the cream, sugar, and flavoring. That’s not necessarily a bad thing because love those kinds of drinks and buy them regularly. But because this tastes similar to those, there’s nothing compelling for me to prefer it over them, especially because those drinks come in 12- or 16-ounce bottles or cans, while this one comes in an 11-ounce skinny can.

Chocolate Cream is my favorite between the two flavors I purchased, mainly because, when the drink is shaken or stirred lightly, it’s like I’m drinking chocolate milk. The Arabica coffee only comes through when the it’s been sitting for a while, giving it a pleasant mocha flavor, but give it a swirl, and it tastes like chocolate milk again. Very good.

But here’s the thing with both smooth java drinks, and some other bottled and canned Starbucks drinks: I have no idea how much caffeine these have. The amount is not printed anywhere on the can, unlike Starbucks Doubleshot and Tripleshot Energy Drinks. It feels like I’m getting some pumped into my bloodstream with every sip, but that could be a placebo effect, since my body equates coffee to caffeine. Not knowing that number is a deciding factor. If I’m getting 50 milligrams of caffeine, not even tasting like chocolate milk will convince me to buy the Chocolate Creme one over any mocha energy coffee with two or three times more.

Purchased Price: $3.99 each
Size: 11 fl oz cans
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Vanilla Sweet Cream), 7 out of 10 (Chocolate Cream)
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) Vanilla Sweet Cream 120 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 17 grams of sugar (including 13 grams of added sugar), and 4 grams of protein. Chocolate Cream – 130 calories, 3 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 20 grams of sugar (including 15 grams of added sugar), and 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: McDonald’s Bacon Cajun Ranch McCrispy

Marvo 4 Comments

If you want a fast food crispy chicken sandwich with Cajun flavors, you can, of course, get one at Popeyes. But you can now get one at McDonald’s for a limited time because it has rolled out a new Bacon Cajun Ranch McCrispy.

McDonald’s newest chicken sandwich features a crispy chicken fillet, crinkle cut pickles, three half strips of applewood-smoked bacon, and a Cajun ranch sauce on a potato roll. There’s also a deluxe version that includes lettuce and tomatoes. It’s a slight variation of last year’s limited time only McCrispy offering: the Bacon Ranch McCrispy.

The headlining ingredient, the creamy Cajun ranch sauce, is more spicy than flavorful, but that heat ain’t ragin’. I’d put it at a three on my personal 10-point spicy scale, which is below the Spicy McCrispy. Though the sauce is applied to both buns, I wish the spices used had a bit more punch because the Cajun flavors aren’t too noticeable when eating the sandwich as a whole, especially when I get a bite of the crinkle cut pickles. After trying the sauce on its own, I thought it might’ve been better as a fry or McNuggets dipping sauce instead of a sandwich condiment.

As for the other ingredients, if you’ve had a McCrispy, you know what to expect. The chicken fillet has a pleasant thickness, and most of the chicken’s crispiness is at the edges. The crinkle cut pickles have a tasty tang, and the potato roll adds some sweetness. I’m also glad this sandwich includes bacon, not only because of its salty and meaty flavor but also because its addition allows some rhyming in the menu item’s name. We need more rhyming in product names.

McDonald’s Bacon Cajun Ranch McCrispy is a somewhat satisfying twist on the original premium chicken sandwich, although now that I think about it, more specifically, the Spicy McCrispy. While it may not outshine Popeyes’ chicken sandwich, the addition of bacon and the new sauce does help elevate it to a tastier option than the original McCrispy.

Purchased Price: $7.59*
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 630 calories, 33 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 85 milligrams of cholesterol, 1650 milligrams of sodium, 49 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar, and 33 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

REVIEW: Starbucks Spicy Lemonade Refreshers

Erin 3 Comments

Starbucks has recently been easing us into Spring with the calming powers of lavender drinks. But just as you were about to doze off due to the floral scent or the mediocrity, the Siren is here to shake you and your taste buds awake with a line of Spicy Lemonade Refreshers. Available in Pineapple, Dragonfruit, or Strawberry, these drinks combine Refreshers bases with lemonade, ice, a three-pepper chili powder blend, and freeze-dried fruit pieces.

I wanted to try the Pineapple and Dragonfruit varieties, but because the Starbucks nearest me was out of dragonfruit, I went to the next closest location. After watching the barista climb a stepladder and root around in a cabinet for a while, I eventually received two almost identical, predominantly purple drinks. It was clear something was a little off, but the taste test revealed that they were different beverages despite the visual similarity.

The Spicy Pineapple features a pineapple-passionfruit base to which lemonade, chili powder, and fruit chunks are added. The fruit should have been pineapple, but mine came with dragonfruit instead. This didn’t fundamentally alter the flavor so much as the hue, with the overall taste being pineapple-forward. These drink more like juice than lemonade, probably because the Refreshers bases are made with white grape juice concentrate. The lemonade takes a backseat and the chili powder is immediately noticeable, with a tingle in the back of the throat that builds to an all over heat that’s pleasantly spicy without being cough-inducing. There’s a tropical vacation vibe, and the spicy-fruity marriage is refreshing and summery. If you’re the sort of person who enjoys a Tajin rim on a cocktail or a few slices of jalapeño in their lemonade, you’ll be happy with this icy blend of sweet and heat.

Spicy Dragonfruit starts with a mango-dragonfruit blend, and again, the juice base overshadows the lemonade, but that’s in no way a complaint because these are delicious. The mango and dragonfruit flavors play well together, and the chili blend (which features sugar, paprika, salt, ancho chili powder, cayenne, chili powder, and a few other things) complements them both. The freeze-dried fruit pieces are mostly too large to escape the drink’s lid, but if you remove it and eat them, they’re almost shockingly crunchy. They don’t taste bad, but it was a texture I wasn’t expecting, and it left me feeling like that classic TV gag where someone mistakes potpourri for a snack. I’m not sure they’re supposed to be this way, but that isn’t stopping me from eating them.

I assumed these would just be gimmicky and that spice isn’t something I need from Starbucks, but I’m happy to report that I was wrong. It’s a shame they’re only here for a limited time because they’d be excellent sipping for summer days. It’s worth noting that I got the Pineapple version again from a second location that was also out of pineapple pieces, so supplies here might be very limited – get ‘em while they’re hot!

Purchased Price: $5.75 each
Size: Grande
Rating: 9 out of 10 (Spicy Pineapple), 9 out of 10 (Spicy Dragonfruit)
Nutrition Facts: (Spicy Pineapple 200 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 220 milligrams of sodium, 50 grams of total carbs, 0 gram of dietary fiber, 41 grams of total sugar, 1 gram of protein, and 55 milligrams of caffeine. Spicy Dragonfruit – 200 calories, 0.5 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 220 milligrams of sodium, 49 grams of total carbs, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 42 grams of total sugar, 1 gram of protein, and 50 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Chobani Flip Cinnamon French Toast

Marvo 6 Comments

I can’t remember the last time a Chobani Flip variety made my mouth do a chef’s kiss or say magnifique, but this Chobani Flip Cinnamon French Toast got me to do both. The yogurt and mix-in combo features maple-flavored lowfat Greek yogurt with cinnamon rice crisps, maple-flavored cookies, and fudge bark.

I enjoyed this treat so much that after one spoonful I didn’t even take the time to enjoy the mix-ins individually, which I usually do when I try a new Chobani Flip variety. Who eats the mix-ins individually? I do. I’m a bird, okay? But that doesn’t matter here because my mouth turned into a Dyson vacuum and sucked up this tasty yogurt. I ate this so fast that the crunchy rice crisps and cookies never got a chance to even get slightly soggy.

I wouldn’t say the yogurt and mix-ins ultimately tasted like French toast, but it definitely nailed the cinnamon and syrup, which brought the bready breakfast staple to mind. But it didn’t have the slight egginess that French toast has. Despite that, this flavor is so good that I wish Chobani made bigger Flips. Instead, I will have to settle for eating two of them in one sitting. And since this isn’t a limited batch flavor, I can eat two in one sitting without worrying about it disappearing off shelves.

Purchased Price: $1.79
Size: 4.5 oz container
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 160 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 18 grams of sugar (including 15 grams of added sugar), and 9 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Pop-Tarts Crunchy Poppers

Marvo 7 Comments

I’m not sure why these new Pop-Tarts Crunchy Poppers exist.

Pop-Tarts already has a snack-sized product called Pop-Tarts Bites, which has been around since 2019 and still exists. I’m no conspiracy theorist, but maybe it’s Kellogg’s attempt to remove the Pop-Tarts Bites line without much fanfare, similar to how it quietly removed its name from the front of Pop-Tarts boxes.

Pop-Tarts Crunchy Poppers are available in two varieties: Frosted Strawberry Crunch and Frosted Brownie Crunch. From what I can tell, these Crunchy Poppers are crunchier and smaller than Pop-Tarts Bites. Each box comes with ten pouches, each of which contains 11 pieces that remind me of tiny hot dogs (yes, even the brownie ones), and I like them enough that I wish they came in one large, resealable, and shareable pouch. For now, I’ll just dump whatever I have left into a Ziplock bag and label it “Share Size.” But, spoiler alert, I won’t share them. Nom nom nom.

Let’s start with the texture of these poppable snacks, which are crunchier than a Pop-Tart toasted at almost every browning level, except, of course, the highest, which usually make Pop-Tarts look like they were dipped in Hell. Their crunchiness makes me wish Kellogg’s could figure out how to make regular Pop-Tarts this crunchy right out of its foil packaging. Imagine not having to toast them and burn your mouth with the molten filling anymore. That would be heaven.

As for their flavors, well, they taste like the Pop-Tarts we know and occasionally burn our mouths with. Frosted Strawberry Crunch tastes exactly like the popular Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tarts, while the Frosted Brownie Crunch reminds me of the Frosted Chocolate Fudge Pop-Tarts. If you buy both varieties, I recommend combining the two in your mouth for some chocolate-dipped strawberry-like goodness. Even though the pieces are small they do have enough filling to pack a flavor punch.

Pop-Tarts Crunchy Poppers are a fine snack, and because of their texture, I feel they’re better than Pop-Tarts Bites. So, it might be time to say goodbye to Pop-Tarts Bites.

Purchased Price: $8.29 each*
Size: 10 pouches
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10 (both)
Nutrition Facts: (1 pouch) Strawberry – 110 calories, 2 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 105 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 9 grams of sugar (including 9 grams of added sugar), and less than 1 gram of protein. Brownie – 110 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 100 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 9 grams of sugar (including 9 grams of added sugar), and less than 1 gram of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.