Cereal Archives - Page 33 of 66

REVIEW: Maple Cheerios Cereal

September 26, 2018January 22, 2021 Vin 4 Comments

Maple Cheerios Cereal

Well, all the pumpkin stuff is out, so that can mean only one thing – it’s also maple season!

Now I don’t know if fall necessarily makes people think “maple syrup” but brands sure like to load the shelves with maple flavor variants around this time of year, and I’m certainly not complaining.

I’m particularly excited about one brand’s (American) foray into the maple realm – Cheerios.

Cheerios has been knocking it out of the park lately with new flavors. In the past year, I’ve enjoyed its takes on banana, peach, cinnamon, and peanut butter, so I have little doubt about this one.

There’s a nice waft of maple scent when you open the box, but the cereal pieces themselves aren’t flashy. They look like a standard bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios.

Maple Cheerios Cereal 2

I ate a quick handful of dry Maple Cheerios before pouring in the milk to get a true idea of the taste. The amount of flavor is on par with the aforementioned flavors you’ve probably already had. Cheerios never really overpower you with too much sweetness. I enjoy that because it gives me a sense that I’m eating healthy. Well, healthier.

After I added milk, the cereal lost some of its luster. Honestly, they kinda tasted like Honey Nut Cheerios, which is an all-time classic cereal, but I imagine that news may be disappointing to some. Don’t be too bummed, as there’s still a maple finish, so it’s not exactly like Honey Nut.

Maple Cheerios Cereal 3

One other thing I noticed was that despite not being “waffle” flavored, there’s almost a buttery essence as they sog in the milk. It was really nice. If you’re expecting these to be the new “Waffle Crisp” or “French Toast Crunch,” that’s not what you’re gonna get, but I will say this is like a snooty grownup version of those confectionary classics.

While there isn’t a maple explosion, fans of Honey Nut Cheerios should find this a satisfying bowl of cereal. The leftover milk was pleasantly maple flavored and somehow a lot sweeter than the cereal itself. It was a little too sweet for me if I had to find fault.

Maple Cheerios Cereal 4

You can eat these plain or in milk, and you’ll more than likely enjoy them either way. You can also do what I do and cover a banana in peanut butter, then sprinkle Cheerios on top™. I find this to be a great pre-gym snack. I actually sold the recipe to Blue Apron. I’m pretty sure Food and Wine Magazine named it the “Best New Recipe” of 2014.

So yeah, Maple Cheerios is another great flavor in its lineup. I hope it keeps the product line rolling. Gimmie some coconut Cheerios. How about something crazy like pineapple? How about going nuts and combining them for a Pina Colada type flavor? I’m excited to see what’s next.

(Nutrition Facts – 3/4 cup – 110 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 120 milligrams of potassium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $2.50
Size: 10.8 oz. box
Purchased at: Wegmans
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Another winning flavor for Cheerios. Tasted like Honey Nut. Good dry or in milk. Tastes great on a peanut butter covered banana! Game on the back of the box.
Cons: Perhaps a little light on the Maple flavor. Milk runoff somehow too sweet. Canada’s apparently had this flavor for a while. Summer’s over. I lied – Blue Apron sent me a cease and desist.

QUICK REVIEW: Limited Edition Chocolatey Winter Lucky Charms Cereal

September 21, 2018January 22, 2021 Mark 4 Comments

Limited Edition Chocolatey Winter Lucky Charms Cereal

What is it?

General Mills has launched a new festive cereal just in time for the holidays.

Except that it isn’t new. Chocolatey Winter Lucky Charms is just regular Chocolate Lucky Charms with the marshmallows from last year’s Cinnamon Vanilla version.

How is it?

Limited Edition Chocolatey Winter Lucky Charms Cereal 2

Limited Edition Chocolatey Winter Lucky Charms Cereal 3

I am disappointed that this cereal is so unoriginal. But I’m not that disappointed, because Chocolate Lucky Charms is great, and I would even say it’s better than the original. It’s OK dry, but it creates chocolate milk, which makes consumption delightful.

Limited Edition Chocolatey Winter Lucky Charms Cereal 6

I wonder if this cereal is an attempt to be a hot cocoa flavor, since it already has the essential elements of chocolate and marshmallow. So I heated up some milk and ate it in a mug. The marshmallows became foamy and dissolved, just like the marshmallows in a packet of Swiss Miss. It takes a lot of cereal to make the milk chocolatey, but this would be a comforting breakfast or snack when it’s actually cold outside (i.e. not September).

Is there anything else I need to know?

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This cereal contains my biggest yuletide pet peeve: eight-pointed snowflakes. Snowflakes only have six points, people! It’s basic science!

Limited Edition Chocolatey Winter Lucky Charms Cereal 5

Scientific inaccuracy aside, I cannot possibly think of anything more appropriate for someone to eat while watching The Leprechauns’ Christmas Gold.

Conclusion:

If you’re looking for something new, this isn’t what you want. But it’s a fun tweak to a classic cereal.

Purchased Price: $3.64
Size: 21.2 oz. box
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (3/4 cup) 100 calories, 10 calories from fat, 1 gram of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 0.5 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 150 milligrams of sodium, 65 milligrams of potassium, 23 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 10 grams of sugar, 12 grams of other carbohydrates, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Frosted Flakes Cereal

September 3, 2018January 22, 2021 Sarah 2 Comments

Kellogg s Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Frosted Flakes

I am a grump during the summer, so I generally welcome any hint that fall is around the corner. I was excited to try the Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Frosted Flakes, especially since it was 90 degrees out and I. Am. So. Done. With. Summer.

I opened the box eagerly, hoping for the essence of autumn to wrap me in its crisp coziness. Whoa. The scent was artificial and strong — pumpkin spice wool sweater, pumpkin spice window cleaner, pumpkin spice plastic wrap, but definitely not anything edible.

Kellogg s Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Frosted Flakes 2

Before pouring in the milk, I tasted a few of the dry cereal pieces. Less sugary than regular Frosted Flakes, it was more like corn flakes with a dusting of nutmeg. Unfortunately, I couldn’t imagine eating these dry no matter how desperately I wanted to move on to autumn.

Kellogg s Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Frosted Flakes 4

I was nearing the point of resigning myself to more days of summer by the time I poured the milk. Lo and behold, visions of campfires, football games, and open windows slowly emerged. Faint notes of pumpkin pie were in each spoonful, though the “spice” was a hit or miss in each bite. Some bites were more nutmeg forward, while others were more cinnamon-y. It was hard to detect any pumpkin, leading me to wonder if there was any in there at all, because it was definitely more spice than pumpkin.

Kellogg s Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Frosted Flakes 5

Not wanting to give up on this fall flavor quite yet, I prepared myself another bowl. It was better than the first, tasting more and more like pumpkin pie with each bite. I was pouring even more cereal into the bowl before I knew it, perhaps distracted by the artwork on the back of the box touting “Tony’s Pumpkin Up the Jams Festival.” I used to have a pair of Jams (as did any other hip kid in the 80s) and the idea of having gourds up in them did not sound comfortable. Soon I was daydreaming of fall music festivals, the state fair, hot chocolate, and PSLs.

Aha! Now I know why I was enjoying each bowl of this cereal more than the previous one! The left-behind milk increasingly tasted more and more like the creamy Thanksgiving pie as more spice infused it as I ate. The spice in the milk was balanced and a faint pumpkin flavor peeked through. I almost enjoyed drinking the milk as much as I enjoy a pumpkin spice latte.

Almost.

Kellogg s Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Frosted Flakes 3

Unfortunately, this was a lot of mediocre cereal to endure for a small amount of goodness. Next time, I’ll get my pumpkin spice fix elsewhere. If I want it on my cereal, I’ll sprinkle some on regular Frosted Flakes instead.

(Why haven’t I thought of that before???)

(Nutrition Facts – 3/4 cup – 110 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 150 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 10 grams of sugars, and 1 gram of protein.)

Purchased Price: $2.69
Size: 10 oz. box
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: Not overly sweet. Mild flavors were not cloying and tasted natural.
Cons: Strong plastic smell. Minimal pumpkin flavor. Needs to soak up milk before best flavors come out.

REVIEW: Carl’s Jr. Froot Loops Mini Donuts

August 31, 2018January 22, 2021 Sean 8 Comments

Carl s Jr Froot Loops Mini Donuts

I love hip-hop.

And I love junk food.

Those may seem like unrelated interests, but truth be told, they have a lot more in common than you think. They both have very high highs – Travis Scott’s Astroworld and Krispy Kreme’s Reese’s Outrageous Doughnut, and very low lows – Hostess’ Cotton Candy Twinkies and the general existence of Lil Pump. They both simultaneously flourish and hurt themselves with excessive output.

Like Nabisco’s continual push to release more Oreo flavors than the year before with only a few true gems, or when E-40 released “The Block Brochure,” with nearly 60 songs and only a handful worthy of repeat listens. But the shining light of commonality between these two separate things is their ability to thrive in collaboration. Hip-hop tracks that bring together three or four of the hottest MC’s in the game are almost always bangers, and when junk food titans join forces to create a cohesive product, it isn’t always great, but at the very least it’s fun.

Welcome to the world, Carl’s Jr’s Froot Loops Mini Donuts!

First things first, the packaging is fantastic. So much of the allure of limited time junk and fast food lies in the bag or box that it comes in, and this Froot Loops-branded carton that looks like it could house mozzarella sticks or jalapeno poppers sets the stage for a wonderful fulfilling experience before the eating even begins.

Carl s Jr Froot Loops Mini Donuts 2

Opening the box is a sight and smell to behold, with five different colored donuts that mimic Froot Loops’ signature rings perfectly and carries the bold, strong scent of the cereal with absolute precision. It’s a sensory symphony of artificial fruit flavor and sugar. Some of the donuts have a thicker coating like a layer of frosting, and some have a thinner, more dissolved look like a traditional glaze.

Carl s Jr Froot Loops Mini Donuts 4

My hypothetical rule of collaborative truth continues to thrive as these donuts taste as good as they look and smell. Super soft and slightly crispy, the donuts burst with a perfect fruity citrus-forward flavor that tastes EXACTLY like the love child of Little Debbie and Toucan Sam. This revelation leaves me with some pretty haunting visuals, but it’s the absolute realest description possible.

The rings with a thicker, more visible layer of icing unsurprisingly pack a heftier taste bud punch, but the lighter glazed ones still get the point across, just a bit less convincingly. Like the actual cereal pieces, despite the glaringly different colors schemes, they all taste the same, like “froot.”

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In the vast land of junk and fast food collabs I can safely declare Froot Loops’ appearance at Carl’s Jr. a super hot feature. It’s such a natural and well-done pairing that I can’t believe one of the bigger companies like Dunkin’ or Krispy Kreme didn’t get to it first, but as a company known for welcoming bigger brands into their home with open arms, Carl’s Jr. just earned themselves another gold star.

(Nutrition Facts – 5 donuts – 320 calories, 15 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 360 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 24 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 5 donuts
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Perfect Froot Loops flavor packed into a soft mini donut. Great box art. Awesome vivid colors
Cons: Slight inconsistency in the glaze/coating that leaves some donuts a little less spectacular than others. $2.99 is a bit high for 5 donuts, but I saw in other markets it’s $1.99, which seems perfect