Tag: Cereal

REVIEW: Smartfood Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries Popcorn Mix

Marvo 2 Comments

Smartfood Cap n Crunch s Crunch Berries Popcorn Mix Bag

When I first heard about Smartfood’s Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries Popcorn Mix, I thought, “Why isn’t there a Cap’n Crunch Kettle Corn Mix?”

But after putting more thought than anyone should about the idea, I realized, “Do I REALLY want popcorn kernel hulls lodged into whatever scratches are made by the Cap’n Crunch cereal?”

Nope.

This less hurtful snack combines Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries from Quaker, owned by PepsiCo, with berry-flavored popcorn from Smartfood, also owned by PepsiCo. Because of the added kernel seasoning, it would be difficult to recreate this combo after its limited time is up with merely a bag of plain microwave popcorn and box of Oops All Berries.

But this is tasty enough that it should come back, or be a permanent addition to the Smartfood lineup.

Smartfood Cap n Crunch s Crunch Berries Popcorn Mix Bag Closeup

Sadly, the popcorn itself isn’t colored like rainbow popcorn. Instead, at a quick glance, they look like plain popcorn. But there is a seasoning layer that makes the popped kernels look like they spent some time suntanning on the deck of the S.S. Guppy. That coating provides a noticeable amount of berry flavor and light saltiness. But it’s not enough to make the popcorn alone a satisfying snack or a product that should be added to the Smartfood lineup.

The Crunch Berries amp up the berry flavor to a level you’d get if you were, well, eating Crunch Berries cereal. I know. It’s a little anticlimactic. Maybe if I rephrase it with ship-speak? The cereal’s flavor hits the bow, stem, port, and starboard sides of my tongue full steam ahead with berry. It’s berry good.

While I find this snack to be wonderful, there is a minor, but correctable issue. When I first started eating it by blindly grabbing some from its bag, I’d feel for the cereal pieces and then feel for some popcorn before pulling out my hand. But almost every time, my fingers would pull out only popcorn. I guess the cereal piece I felt for slipped away somehow. Or I might have the worst luck or useless fingers. But being able to see the cereal pieces, pick one up, and then grab some popcorn helped tremendously.

While Smartfood Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries Popcorn Mix tastes pretty much like Crunch Berries, I did love having the two crunchy textures of popcorn and cereal at the same time in my mouth. Yes, this does seem like an odd combination, but I’m happy to report it works well.

DISCLOSURE: I received free samples of the product. (Thanks, PepsiCo!) Doing so did not influence my review, although it totally seems like it. But I assure you it did not.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 6 1/4 oz bag
Purchased at: Received from PepsiCo
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 3/4 cups) 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 110 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 6 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Special Edition Cookies & Creme Krispies Cereal

Marvo 5 Comments

Kellogg s Special Edition Cookies Creme Krispies Cereal Box

What is Kellogg’s Special Edition Cookies & Creme Krispies?

It’s a flavor I didn’t see coming. I thought Rice Krispies was now all about making colorful seasonal versions, like its Spring Colors and Red & Blue varieties, because they would look cool in a Rice Krispies Treat. I expected an orange and brown fall-colored cereal to appear before any new flavor. But here we are with a cereal made rice, sugar, salt, rice flour, malt flavor, cocoa processed with alkali, and natural flavor.

How is it?

While Rice Krispies snap, crackle, and pop, its flavor, no matter the variety, has never popped, and that’s the case with this cereal. It’s probably the reason why I’ve preferred Cocoa Pebbles over Cocoa Rice Krispies.

Kellogg s Special Edition Cookies Creme Krispies Cereal Closeup

It’s been a while since I’ve had Cocoa Rice Krispies because, you know, the whole Cocoa-Pebbles-being-better-thing. So I can’t say how or if this differs from Cocoa Rice Krispies. But I’ve eaten through three-fourths of this box of Cookies & Creme Krispies, which smells like Cocoa Pebbles Lite, and found myself being fine with the mild cocoa flavor. That’s something I can’t say about Cocoa Krispies.

But I don’t taste the creme part.

Which makes me wonder if we have to include our own creme, i.e., milk. I use Silk Vanilla Soy Milk, so pouring it into this cereal adds a creme flavor. But I don’t taste it when I eat it dry, which, by the way, is still quite good.

Anything else you need to know?

Kellogg s Special Edition Cookies Creme Krispies Cereal Super Closeup

The cereal isn’t as sprinkled with cocoa cookies specks as what’s shown on the box. It’s a bit more sparse.

I would’ve turned this into Rice Krispies Treats, and there’s even a recipe on the back of the box, so I don’t have to Google one and then have every ad I see from then on be about baking. But then I thought about the last time I made Rice Krispies Treats and how I ate the entire sheet. I didn’t even cut it into pieces. My fingers pecked at the marshmallow and cereal treat slab like a bird.

Conclusion:

I’ve found most Rice Krispies varieties to be underwhelming, so I’m surprised I enjoyed Kellogg’s Cookies & Creme Krispies. Maybe I should buy another box and make a Rice Krispies Treats slab that my fingers can peck at.

Purchased Price: Way too much on eBay
Size: 12 oz box
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 1/4 cup without milk) 160 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 150 milligrams of sodium, 37 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 13 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Limited Edition Froot Loops Tropical Cereal

Marvo 1 Comment

Kellogg s Limited Edition Froot Loops Tropical Cereal Box

What is Kellogg’s Limited Edition Froot Loops Tropical Cereal?

It’s a sweetened multi-grain cereal with pineapple, banana, orange, and mango flavors.

How is it?

Of the four fruits listed, pineapple is the only one I can truly distinguish with my non-toucan-sized nose.

Like regular Froot Loops, there aren’t any differences in flavor between the colors. So mix and match all you want, it’ll all taste the same in your mouth. And what does it taste like? Well, I can best explain it by taking the opening sentence of this review and adding some delete HTML tags to it, like this:

A sweetened multi-grain cereal with pineapple, banana, orange, and mango flavors.

If your tongue can pinpoint the banana in this, that would be more impressive than it being able to tie a cherry stem into a knot.

Kellogg s Limited Edition Froot Loops Tropical Cereal Closeup

When eaten dry, the pineapple and orange flavors are most noticeable. Unfortunately, I’ve only been able to get a hint of mango in the aftertaste. But don’t eat this dry! When eating it with my usual Silk Vanilla Soy Milk, it tastes much better, and the fruitiness comes out more. Also, eating it dry allows the underlying multi-grain cereal to be more prominent in the aftertaste. I also noticed is that, even with milk, the flavors don’t have the same punch as original Froot Loops.

Anything else you need to know?

Even though the colors don’t determine any flavors, it’s hard to ignore the green ones. I understand the yellow one, which represents bananas and pineapples. The orange one is self-explanatory, and it probably also represents the mango. But I don’t understand the green ones. Looking at the box, do they stand for coconut tree leaves or the pineapple’s crown? It could also be mango, but a green mango means it’s not ripe.

Conclusion:

Overall, Limited Edition Froot Loops Tropical Cereal was a bit of a letdown. As someone who enjoys banana, naturally or artificially flavored (Hello, fellow banana Runts lovers!), I wish I could taste it in this. Also, I do wish it had the same fruitiness level as regular Froot Loops.

Purchased Price: Way too much of eBay
Size: 10.1 oz box
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 1/3 cup without milk) 150 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 210 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Lucky Charms Frozen Dairy Dessert

Marvo 1 Comment

Lucky Charms Frozen Dairy Dessert

What is Lucky Charms Frozen Dairy Dessert?

It’s vanilla frozen dairy dessert, a cereal swirl, and Lucky Charms marshmallows from the folks at Dreyer’s. It made its debut with a Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ice Cream. Yes, the CTC one is ice cream, although light ice cream, and this is frozen dairy dessert. Sometimes life isn’t fair.

How is it?

It tastes better than it looks.

Lucky Charms Frozen Dairy Dessert Top

I mean that the vanilla base looks like dirty snow to me, and since most of what I see is that base, it’s slightly unappealing. The bright colors from the Lucky Charms marshmallows are definitely a visual contrast to the frozen dairy dessert base. However, most of them in my container had melted into shapeless color globs, making the view from above look like a canvas drop cloth under a first grader’s painting or the Care Bears not taking care of Care-a-lot.

As for the cereal swirl, I don’t know if it exists because it’s not noticeable visually or texturally. Is the dirty snow base actually a fusion of the vanilla base AND cereal swirl?

This frozen dairy dessert does a great job of incorporating all the flavors in a bowl of Lucky Charms. ALL. THE. FLAVORS. The marshmallows, the milk, AND the sweetened oat cereal are all there with every frozen spoonful. And because Lucky Charms is one of my all-time favorite cereals, this 1.5 quart-sized treat tastes delightful. But, after eating one-fifth of the tub, its flavor also makes me think of ice cream in a crunchy sugar cone.

Anything else you need to know?

Lucky Charms Frozen Dairy Dessert Marbits

Because it’s frozen dairy dessert, it’s super easy to scoop out. Also, I’m disappointed the marbits lack that freeze-dried mouthfeel. Instead, they’re just soft melted sugar globs.

Conclusion:

This treat captures Lucky Charms wonderfully, and I recommend it if you’re a fan of the cereal. I could be cliche and write Lucky Charms Frozen Dairy Dessert is, um, you know. But I won’t. But it is, um, you know.

Purchased Price: $2.80
Size: 1.5 quart tub
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 160 calories, 5 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 17 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Limited Edition Mashups Frosted Flakes + Froot Loops Cereal

Julie 1 Comment

Kellogg s Limited Edition Mashups Frosted Flakes + Froot Loops Cereal

What is Kellogg’s Limited Edition Mashups Frosted Flakes + Froot Loops Cereal?

This cereal is a mixture of Kellogg’s favorites Frosted Flakes and Froot Loops. I like to imagine it as an answer to the question: “What hijinks would ensue if Tony the Tiger and Toucan Sam were best friends?”

How is it?

Kellogg s Limited Edition Mashups Frosted Flakes + Froot Loops Cereal 2

I haven’t seen any promotional material elaborating on the question posed above, thus robbing me of the opportunity to see the two mascots exchange sparkling dialogue such as “You got your Froot Loops in my Frosted Flakes!” and “You got your Frosted Flakes in my Froot Loops!” However, this imagined scenario essentially delivers the main idea of what Kellogg’s Mashups offers: equal parts of crispy, lightly sweet corn flakes, and sugary fruit-flavored hoops.

The strong scent of Froot Loops emanating from the bag foreshadowed the taste experience to come. Dry, the cereal’s flavor was dominated by the Froot Loops, but the Frosted Flakes amped up each bite’s crunchiness. My sample appeared to contain a 1:1 ratio of each cereal, so the experience was pretty consistent from bite to bite.

When eaten separately, the Frosted Flakes still taste like their sweet, corny selves, but that kind of defeats the purpose of a mashup, doesn’t it?

Kellogg s Limited Edition Mashups Frosted Flakes + Froot Loops Cereal Milk

With milk, the disparity in texture became more apparent, because the Froot Loops approached soggy territory much faster. For this reason, I am not a huge fan of Froot Loops in milk, so the Frosted Flakes improved the experience by maintaining a much-needed crunch.

Anything else you need to know?

In dreaming up the hypothetical adventures of Tony the Tiger and Toucan Sam, my yearning was less about advertising and more about answering the question at the heart of this product: Why? Why, after Kellogg’s limited edition All Together cereal and General Mills’ Lucky Charms with Frosted Flakes, did Kellogg’s choose to combine two familiar brands when consumers could easily buy two boxes and do the work themselves?

My theory is that Kellogg’s knows there are two kinds of cereal lovers in this world: 1) those who are too lazy, busy, and/or frugal to become cereal mashup engineers and 2) those who will be inspired to buy multiple boxes, searching for the ideal cereal combination. Either way, Kellogg’s drums up business, and I get my heart set on a bowl of Strawberry Rice Krispies with Special K Red Berries.

Conclusion:

Froot Loops and Frosted Flakes pair well in texture, although the Frooty taste dominates. If mixing cereals is your thing, Kellogg’s Mashups saves you time and money, but it seems uninspired compared to other (real or imagined) combinations.

Disclosure: I received a free sample of this product. Doing so did not influence my review in any way.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 9.8 oz. box

Purchased at: Received from Kellogg’s
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 1/4 cup – cereal only) 160 calories, 0.5 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 15 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.