Tag: Cheerios

The informational PDF I got from General Mills promoting its new Cheerios Oat Crunch Berry Cereal says that the whole grains provide “long-lasting energy,” but I have no way to prove that. However, having had a few Cheerios Oat Crunch varieties over the years, including this new Berry flavor, I can definitely say the cereal maintains a long-lasting crunchiness while sitting in milk.

Like regular Cheerios varieties, the whole grain cereal part eventually gets soggy. But the oats in the center of those pieces provide an auxiliary crunch that’ll be around even for the slowest cereal eaters.

This new Berry version joins Cinnamon, Oats ‘N Honey, and Almond in the Cheerios Oat Crunch lineup, and it features a blend of raspberry, strawberry, and blueberry purees with natural flavors. When I sit, focus, and become one of the slowest cereal eaters, my taste buds can pick out the different berries. But when I’m mindlessly shoveling the cereal with milk into my mouth while I mindlessly scroll through suggested Instagram Reels that, for some reason, are about home organization and natural disasters, I mostly notice the raspberry and blueberry. Whether I eat it slow or fast, this cereal’s flavor is delightful.

However, while the berry taste starts strong with the first few spoonfuls with milk, that flavor noticeably fades before I’m halfway through the bowl. Does it wash into the milk and get diluted? Did Cheerios make a deal with The Devil by offering some of the cereal’s flavor in return for helping maintain the cereal’s crunch? Also, hold up. There’s a Cheerios Oat Crunch Almond variety? When did that happen?

I’m a fan of Cheerios Oat Crunch Cinnamon Cereal, and I’m a fan of this new berry variety. I can’t tell if it gives me long-lasting energy, but its tasty berry taste makes me long for it. Also, as I mentioned in my review of the Cinnamon one, I want a chocolate version from General Mills.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample from General Mills. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 18 oz box (Large Size)
Purchased at: Received from General Mills
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 220 calories, 5 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1.5 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 2.5 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 42 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar (including 10 grams of added sugar), and 4 grams of protein.

What is it?

Banana Caramel Cheerios combines banana-flavored sweetened whole grain oat cereal and caramel-flavored sweetened whole grain oat cereal. From what I can taste, it’s not a mashup of Banana Nut Cheerios and Dulce de Leche Cheerios, if you were wondering.

How is it?

On paper, this limited edition variety looks as if it might challenge Honey Nut Cheerios for supremacy on my personal Cheerios Chart. But it doesn’t because I’m having difficulty tasting the banana and caramel. What I do taste is a nondescript sweetness that turns out to be a decent flavor.

Look, I tried really hard to taste the individual flavors. That involved me separating the lighter colored banana pieces from the slightly darker caramel pieces, creating a spoonful of only one flavor, shoving that spoonful into my mouth, putting my head into my hands, closing my eyes, chewing slowly, and letting the Cheerios-saliva slurry sit on my tongue before swallowing. But even taking all those extreme steps to eat this cereal mindfully didn’t help. With both, there wasn’t anything that made me think banana or caramel.

Cheerios have never had bold flavors, but I can taste what I’m supposed to taste with previous varieties. But with these, not so much.

Anything else you need to know?

Why doesn’t General Mills mix Honey Nut Cheerios with other varieties? Recently, it seems like the company is throwing various Cheerios flavors, except regular and Honey Nut, at the wall to see which ones stick to make new varieties. Wait. That doesn’t make sense. Cheerios don’t stick to the wall like Taco Bell ingredients. However, wet Cheerios do. Okay. Recently, it seems like the company is throwing various soggy Cheerios flavors at the wall to see which ones stick to make new varieties.

Conclusion:

Banana Caramel Cheerios is a bit disappointing but not offensive. If a family-size box magically appeared at my doorstep, I’d eat it and give thanks to the breakfast gods. I’m not going to give up a perfectly edible box of sweetened cereal that can help lower my cholesterol.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 10.9 oz box
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup w/o milk) 140 calories, 2 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 1 gram of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar (11 grams of added sugar), and 3 grams of protein.

I don’t know about you, but the name “honey vanilla” instantly calls to my mind some kind of skincare product; something sweet but not syrupy, understated and tasteful but with a hint of sumptuousness. The back of this Cheerios box, with its posh descriptors “rich,” “delightfully tempting,” and “O so joyful,” only made me more confident in this association.

Gingerly plucking a single glossy “O” before preparing my bowl (I may or may not have even felt elegant enough to do this with my pinky finger raised), the first thing I noticed was its sticky texture. Crisp and firm on the outside, this cereal glistened with a vanilla-glazed gleam. Upon my taste test, the solid interior gave way to its airy inside with a satisfying crunch. Eaten dry, the cereal tasted pleasant but not overly flavorful. It struck me as more or less just a milder version of the ubiquitous Honey Nut Cheerios, and I’m not sure I could have pinpointed which ingredients made it unique without the box’s helpful visual cues of a vanilla flower and generous honey swirl adorning the iconic heart-shaped bowl. It had a faint sweetness, but the foremost flavor was oat-y; it didn’t surprise me when I noticed the box also bore a proud (but perhaps unnecessarily capitalized) proclamation of “first ingredient WHOLE GRAIN OATS.”

Pouring milk over the cereal coaxed out more notes of both honey and vanilla, but it remained alluringly demure. Another word that kept springing to my mind was “mature.” I was introduced to a measured, subtle wave of sweetness, not the punch to the face of sugariness that I frankly often look for in my cereal choices. These Cheerios were also pretty quick to become mushy in the milk, and while I know that can be a controversial quality, I was personally a fan.

I’m a strong believer that the back of a cereal box should be given just as much consideration as the taste, and this one certainly fits the product’s “refined but slightly saccharine” aesthetic with its honey-and-vanilla-themed sudoku-esque visual puzzle. A high school classmate of mine infamous for his elaborate and uncomfortable outfits used to live by the motto “aesthetics over practicality,” and while our gym teachers disagreed, I think Honey Vanilla Cheerios would. This charming puzzle seemed kind of impossible to actually fill out since the six icons you’re tasked with drawing in the correct order are mostly differentiated by color, and I’m guessing most people don’t eat their cereal with neutral-toned crayons at the ready. But hey, still cute and classy!

Overall, Honey Vanilla Cheerios are plain but pleasing, an ideal breakfast for a day filled with agreeable-but-not-too-spirited activities like gracefully smelling a moderately-scented flower or playing a prim game of checkers where, win or lose, you’d never dare get in your opponent’s face about it. If the prospect of purchasing a cereal with a name that sounds straight out of Bath & Body Works excites you, these should suit you just fine.

Purchased Price: $3.00
Size: 14.3 oz box (“Large Size”)
Purchased at: Stop & Shop
Rating: 6 out 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup – cereal only) 140 calories (180 with 1/2 cup skim milk), 2 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 170 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of carbohydrates, 9 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

What is Limited Edition Strawberry Banana Cheerios Cereal?

After the Strawberry Cheerios and Banana Nut Cheerios of yesteryear, both have joined forces. There are also heart-shaped pieces, which makes me wonder if they’re trying to get a jump on Valentine’s Day. Bold move, General Mills.

How is it?

To me, Honey Nut Cheerios might be the perfect cereal. There’s a kind of spectrum that runs from bran flakes on the healthy end to Cocoa Puffs on the other, and Honey Nut Cheerios artfully balances right in the center like a world-class gymnast. The taste is just sweet enough that you feel like you’re getting a bit of a treat. Now I don’t know if Honey Nut Cheerios would really be considered healthy by nutritionists (who would probably recommend a breakfast of wild-caught salmon instead) but darnit, it FEELS healthy.

So the question here is whether or not these are as good as HNC. Short answer: no.

Strawberry Banana Cheerios have two types of pieces, pink and plain: they’re also in the shape of either hearts or traditional Cheerios “Os.” The pink are strawberry flavored, while the plain are, in theory, banana-flavored. While the pinks provided that standard artificial strawberry flavor you’ve encountered elsewhere, the plains had an aftertaste of popcorn, which is weird.

When I had the cereal in a bowl, I was able to taste a little bit of banana flavor. The pieces kept their integrity while I was eating and didn’t turn to mush, but considering how fast I can scarf down cereal, that’s a low bar to clear.

I put a banana down next to my cereal knowing that next time, this cereal was going to get banana-fied, whether it wants to or not. This may be a crime.

Anything else you need to know?

From the back of the box I have learned that, sadly, a car powered by strawberry juice did not in fact drive across the state of Texas. Disappointing.

Conclusion:

Strawberry Banana Cheerios are inoffensive, but they are lacking in flavor. That’s okay though, because BYOB (Bring Your Own Banana).

Purchased Price: $4.88
Size: 14.9 oz box
Purchased at: Stop & Shop
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 140 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 150 milligrams of sodium, 30 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 11 grams total sugar, and 3 grams of protein.