REVIEW: Starbucks Lavender Oatmilk Chill

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Starbucks’ new Lavender Oatmilk Chill looks so relaxing. The top of it in the photo above makes me feel like I’m hovering above light purple clouds and I’m going to meet the Care Bears. I’m getting sleepy just by looking at it. Heck, if you attach the cup to a necklace or something, you could probably hypnotize me.

The shaken drink features oatmilk, lavender powder, ice, and a scoop of freeze-dried dragonfruit pieces. It’s caffeine-free, so this might do the trick if you want a beverage to help you chill.

My experience with lavender food extends from lavender ice cream in Japan that was totemo oishii (very delicious) to lavender-flavored teas to help me sleep. But something about the Lavender Oatmilk Chill doesn’t have me singing its praises from lavender-covered hilltops.

Its aroma smells very similar to the lavender sleep spray I use, which I’m not sure is good or bad. It’s relaxing but also concerning because it reminds me of a product I’m not supposed to consume. But I consumed this Starbucks drink anyway, and the first couple of sips tasted like fruity cereal milk, but that faded and was replaced with the expected lavender flavor. The oatmilk adds a pleasant creaminess I don’t think I’d get with other non-dairy milk options. While I couldn’t get the scent of the lavender spray entirely out of my mind, I thought the floral flavor was nice and definitely drinkable.

As for the freeze-dried dragonfruit pieces, I’m pretty sure they’re just there to make the drink look even prettier for social media, adding dark purple spots to contrast the light purple drink. Although edible, I’m not sure they’re meant to be consumed because they can’t come out from the sipping lid’s opening. While the drink was shaken vigorously, it didn’t taste like the dragonfruit’s flavor got mixed in with the lavender. But dragonfruit can taste so mild that I’m not surprised it doesn’t come through. They also didn’t do anything for me when I removed the lid and chewed on a few pieces while sipping the drink.

Overall, I like this drink, but I don’t lovender it. But if you’ve been eyeing Starbucks’ Lavender Crème Frappuccino for its lavender flavor and lack of caffeine but don’t want the calories, fat, and sugar the blended beverage has, relax, my friend. The chain’s Lavender Oatmilk Chill is here for you.

Purchased Price: $4.95
Size: Grande
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 230 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 220 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 22 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

SPOTTED: Snak Club Hot Ones Snack Mixes

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Snak Club Hot Ones Tangy Chili Snack Mix
Snak Club Hot Ones Smoky Sweet Snack Mix
Snak Club Hot Ones Hot Habanero Snack Mix

No Last Dab? (Spotted by Amanda Y at Kroger.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

REVIEW: Rehab Monster Green Tea

Marvo Leave a comment

Arizona Green Tea with Ginseng and Honey is a beverage I pick up when I want something big, cheap, and sweet, but not too sweet. I usually drink it when I want to relax after a long day of yard work or being in the sun all day. This Rehab Monster Green Tea, with its 160 milligrams of caffeine, might be the drink that I consume if I’m getting ready for a day of pulling weeds, cutting grass, and trimming trees.

Along with the caffeine from Monster’s energy blend, Rehab Monster Green Tea also contains electrolytes, B vitamins, coconut water, milk thistle, and quercetin. What’s quercetin? That’s a good querstion. It’s a food supplement that helps boost immunity.

Before trying Rehab Monster Green Tea, I expected it to taste like an Arizona Green Tea but with a noticeable bitterness from Monster’s energy blend. And that was what popped into my head as the amber-colored beverage went down my gullet. If Arizona decided to make a green tea energy drink, I imagine it would taste similar. But since that doesn’t exist yet, if I have a hankering for a caffeinated iced green tea drink, this would be it. It’s sweet and tasty, but I wish its bitterness was less noticeable. I guess it’s hard to hide it when green tea has a light flavor.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 15.5 fl oz can
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 15 calories, 0 grams of fat, 70 milligrams of sodium, 7 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of sugar (including 3 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 160 milligrams of caffeine.

SPOTTED: Jack Link’s Wild Dr Pepper Snack Sticks

Marvo 1 Comment

Jack Link's Wild Dr Pepper Snack Sticks.

What would be even wilder is to make these a little hollow so that we could use them as meat stick straws for our Dr Pepper. (Spotted by Robbie at Dollar Tree.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Party Blizzard

Denis Leave a comment

Once you reach a certain age, the word “party” takes on a different meaning. As a kid, the parties were non-stop: frequent birthday parties at school, pizza parties after your T-ball team finished last in the league, and a party just because the ice cream truck was in the neighborhood and all your friends got together. In high school and college, some people just needed a time and a place, and the party was on.

But after that, things change, especially if you have kids. Who’s going to babysit, what’s the parking situation like, is the party location more than 10 minutes from my house? If you’ve reached that stage in your life in terms of parties, the good news is that the new Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Party Blizzard has arrived, and there’s no need to have someone watch the kids, unless you don’t want them to get a sugar high.

This creation, a party of the Summer Blizzard Menu, is loaded with sugar in the form of chocolate chip cookie dough, peanut butter topping, peanut brittle crunch, and sprinkles. I’m going to assume you are familiar with the first two components, as cookie dough and peanut butter topping are mainstays of the Blizzard family. They both do a solid job here. The cookie dough is soft and chewy with a hint of chocolate, and the peanut butter topping adds some extra creaminess to the vanilla soft serve base.

As for the peanut brittle, it’s a nice addition but not exactly mind-blowing. The pieces are quite small, sometimes even smaller than the sprinkles, and as such, they deliver more crunch than flavor, especially in a mixture that already has peanut butter topping. If you do zero in on a piece of peanut brittle, there is a slightly different peanut buttery flavor compared to the topping, but it really doesn’t stand apart. The sprinkles add some color and crunch, but they also don’t bring much in terms of flavor.

With a nice mix of chewy cookie dough, crunchy peanut brittle, and sprinkles, this Blizzard delivers some nice texture variation and a solid peanut butter flavor with a hint of chocolate. It would have been better if the peanut brittle pieces were larger, but this Blizzard still delivers a satisfying party for your tastebuds without things getting out of hand.

Purchased Price: $4.19
Size: Small
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 880 calories, 39 grams of fat, 18 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 490 milligrams of sodium, 120 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 87 grams of sugar, and 17 grams of protein.