REVIEW: Malt-O-Meal Maple Bacon Donut Cereal

Brandon 5 Comments

What is it?

Although I typically associate Malt-O-Meal as being a purveyor of “hot cereal” (porridge? runny oatmeal? gruel?), it makes over THIRTY varieties of the cold stuff, and the latter actually equates to 75% of its sales. So I guess the joke is on me. While most of its offerings mimic those of its biggest competitors — Kellogg’s and General Mills — its newest flavor is a bit of an original: Maple Bacon Donut.

How is it?

It’s decent, but I don’t know that “maple bacon donut” is what I get from it. Mostly, it tastes like an extra sugary Honey Nut Cheerios with a liberal dash of artificial smoke and a bit of salt. And that description may sound kind of awful, but I assure you that the actual result is not. Every once in a while I got a little something maple-like, but mostly, it was “general sweetness.” Again, with a little smoke. And some saltiness.

Anything else you should know?

Like most Malt-O-Meal cereals, this variety comes in a resealable bag, and the bag is the size of a pillow. This is a really great thing if you like the Malt-O-Meal you purchased; if you weren’t a fan, however, congrats to your children on the giant bag of cereal they’ll inherit upon your passing.

Conclusion:

While I appreciated this new and unusual flavor, I’d be reluctant to buy again. It was only slightly better than okay, and there’s just SO much of it. As it is, I’ll probably already be passing this bag down to the next generation. (Which I mean, kind of a steal for less than $6.)

Purchased Price: $5.48
Size: 30 oz bag
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 150 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 250 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 17 grams of total sugars (including 17 grams of added sugar), and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Nestle Coffee mate Zero Sugar Twix Coffee Creamer

Margaret 4 Comments

What is it?

It is a dream.

A big dream.

Sure, sometimes we have dreams that are terrifying and recurring, thus inciting a visit to a therapist… BUT sometimes you’ll find a good dream. The good ones? We make them come true. Need proof? Take a look above. This was a dream made real at Coffee mate headquarters. In this subtle “cardboard box” shade of brown container, Twix has been made into liquid form. What mad science is this? Let’s find out…

How is it?

Kinda disappointing.

Look, I’m impressed by the smell. It has the exact poof of sugary fragrance that happens when you open a Twix wrapper: caramel, cocoa, all with a hint of cookie in the background.

But the taste? Well, I was hoping it would taste like a melted Twix. But no. Alone, it tastes like white sugar and some weak, weak NesQuik. In coffee, it tastes like what happens when you forget about a s’more in the fire and the whole thing comes out a mangled mess and then you accidentally set off the fire alarm from the s’mores and now the fire trucks are here and you have to deal with that AND the burnt s’mores. It’s just a feeling of overwhelming disappointment.

Anything else you should know?

If you just melt a Twix in the microwave, you’ll have a much more fulfilling experience.

Conclusion:

Coffee mate really had an opportunity to bank on the Twix flavor. But it ended up tasting like cheap caramel with a dash of something brown. It was worth trying, if only to fulfill my unending sense of curiosity, but I wouldn’t go out of your way for this one. On the whole, this Twix-inspired creamer was ambitious, but not even Cookie Monster would touch this one.

Purchased Price: $3.98
Size: 32 fl oz
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 tbsp) 20 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 5 milligrams of sodium, 2 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Doritos Sweet & Tangy BBQ

Ann 15 Comments

Doritos Sweet & Tangy BBQ Bag

Of all the chip flavors I’ve tried and enjoyed, I don’t believe I’ve ever had barbeque-flavored Doritos. I believe there’s a Bold BBQ flavor available in Canada, but I guess every time I’ve been north, I’ve prioritized All Dressed chips instead. BUT NOW, a new Doritos flavor is available in the US — Doritos Sweet & Tangy BBQ.

Doritos Sweet & Tangy BBQ inside the bag

True to Doritos’ well-established brand identity of delivering bold flavors, these Sweet & Tangy BBQ Doritos looked and smelled like they were full of flavor right out of the bag. There was a strong aroma of vinegar, sweet barbeque, and tons of seasoning powder.

Doritos Sweet & Tangy BBQ dark seasoning

Maybe it’s because this particular seasoning is pretty dark, but these looked very heavily seasoned, which I prefer. But the taste really did surprise me a little bit. First of all, the corn chip flavor stands out MUCH more with this than it does in the traditional Doritos Nacho Cheese flavor. I’m not entirely sure why but I think it’s because the nacho cheese seasoning is much more salty and savory, and this chip is pretty sweet.

The other surprise is the distinct lack of smoke. Maybe I should have assumed this with a name like Sweet & Tangy, but this relies heavily on the BBQ flavor spectrum of tomato, vinegar, and brown sugar. I didn’t find it smoky at all, and it was very much NOT like the standard BBQ potato chip flavors you’d find at the market. There was a crisp acidic tang in the finish and aftertaste.

Overall I found these Doritos to be pretty unique. I think they’ve managed to hit a BBQ flavor in a super specific way with the sweet acid punch while still delivering a crowd-pleaser. I still prefer the OG Nacho Cheese flavor, but this is a compelling addition to the Doritos lineup.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 9.25 oz bag
Purchased at: Mariano’s
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (about 11 chips) 150 calories, 7 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.