Tag: Dairy

REVIEW: Nestle Sensations Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamilk

Dustin 16 Comments

Nestle Sensations Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamilk Bottle

As a Cinnamon Toast Crunch fan, I feel a personal obligation to try new foods that utilize its flavor. I have previously reviewed two Cinnamon Toast Crunch-themed items here. The ice cream was spot-on, but the creamer was a major let-down.

With the release of the new Nestle Sensations Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamilk, I wondered which end of the spectrum it would land on. The concept seems straightforward: a drink that should taste like the milk from a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Nestle Sensations Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamilk Out of Bottle

I poured some of it into a glass and was immediately disheartened. It seemed quite thick. There are no visible cinnamon specks in the drink. I gave it a quick whiff and was able to detect faint traces of the spice.

I took a swig of it and found the consistency to be immediately off-putting. It was considerably thicker than expected. It is akin to the texture of nutritional drinks, like Ensure. If you have ever been lucky enough to try one of those, you know that it is not the most pleasant experience.

Nestle Sensations Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamilk Top

The cinnamon flavoring is quite underwhelming. It was much milder than the milk from a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. There was another underlying flavor that I could not quite put my finger on. Nestle may have been going for a “cereal” taste in the milk. Unfortunately, because I thought of nutritional drinks, I kept perceiving that flavor. It is not necessarily offensive, but it screams artificiality.

My initial plan for this review was to pour Cinnamilk over a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and double-up on the cinnamon-y goodness. It isn’t good enough to do that, though. I did not want to waste a bowl of cereal.

I am not a food scientist, clearly. However, I cannot understand why Nestle did not use real cinnamon in this beverage. This was the same problem that plagued the coffee creamer. If this had actual cinnamon or even a more prevalent cinnamon flavor, I could have overlooked the unpleasant consistency. For me, Cinnamilk completely missed the mark. Store-bought horchata tastes more like Cinnamon Toast Crunch milk, and that does not even contain dairy.

Purchased Price: $1.68
Size: 14 fl. oz. bottle
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 260 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 39 grams of sugar, and 14 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Fireball Cinnamon Holiday Nog

Marvo

Fireball Cinnamon Holiday Nog Carton

What is Fireball Cinnamon Holiday Nog?

From the makers of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky comes a non-alcoholic, cinnamon-flavored holiday nog that doesn’t have the warm spice listed in its ingredients. According to the carton, “Fireball Holiday Nog is rich and creamy, energized with the bold Fireball taste you love.”

How is it?

Well, I haven’t had Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey, so I can’t say if it has a bold Fireball taste. But the nog does have a familiar flavor.

Do you like Wrigley’s Big Red Gum? Do you swallow Wrigley’s Big Red Gum, seven years of digestion be dammed? If so, then drinking this will have your taste buds thinking you’ve poured a creamy, liquidized version of the gum into your mouth. So no worries about gum wads slithering through your digestive tract for seven years. Although, you’ve never had to worry about that.

While this nog’s flavor reminds me of Big Red Gum, and it’s from a whisky brand that claims its main product, “Tastes Like Heaven, Burns Like Hell,” it has no cinnamon burn. I don’t know if that’s from it lacking the ingredients that cause the burn or if the dairy in this instantly soothes it.

Fireball Cinnamon Holiday Nog Carton Closeup

I’m sure there have been other cinnamon-heavy nogs, but this is the first one I’ve experienced. And I have to say that I very much like its bold flavor, which I’ve been savoring from fancy whiskey glasses.

Anything else you need to know?

Fireball Cinnamon Holiday Nog Carton Firenog

Despite ownership of fancy whiskey glasses, I don’t drink alcohol. So I didn’t do what the carton, I mean, The Dragon recommends, which is add some Fireball Cinnamon Whisky to this to make a Firenog cocktail. (Wait. How come this nog isn’t called Firenog?) Its recipe calls for mixing one part Fireball Whisky with two parts of this creamy beverage. I imagine if you flip the ratio, it’ll turn you into the dragon that’s wrapped around the carton or make you feel like you did.

Also, note that it’s a “Holiday Nog.” So no eggs were used. But dipotassium phosphate was. I loves me some dipo-pho!

Conclusion:

Fireball Cinnamon Holiday Nog’s bold flavor might be a turnoff for some tongues, but I adore it.

DISCLOSURE: I received free product samples. (Thanks, Walmart!) Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 1 quart
Purchased at: Available at Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 280 calories, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 220 milligrams of sodium, 42 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 39 grams of sugar, and 8 grams of protein.

REVIEW: TruMoo After Dark Mexican Style Chocolate Milk

Marvo 8 Comments

TruMoo After Dark Mexican Style Chocolate Milk

What is TruMoo After Dark Mexican Style Chocolate Milk?

It’s part of TruMoo’s decadent line of flavored milk that has a name that I only say using a seductive whisper.

The line also includes Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel and Vanilla & Chai Spice. This spicy flavor is dark chocolate milk with notes of cinnamon and a kick of chili pepper. The dairy base is whole milk, and it’s sweetened with real cane sugar.

How is it?

The chocolate and cinnamon in the ultra-pasteurized milk help create a delicious treat that the artificial growth hormone-free cows used to provide the base of the beverage would be proud of. Unfortunately, the ingredients list doesn’t contain cinnamon. Instead, it’s under “Natural Flavors.” But, the milk’s tastiness helps me turn a blind eye to that.

TruMoo After Dark Mexican Style Chocolate Milk Closeup

As for the burn one would expect with Mexican-style chocolate, it’s there and it happens on the back of my throat. Most of the time it occurs after the first sip, but other times it takes a second sip for the spiciness to hit. To me, it isn’t intense. It’s below a hot cinnamon candy. But if you’re sensitive to spicy foods, definitely avoid it.

Is there anything else you need to know?

TruMoo After Dark Mexican Style Chocolate Milk Pour

If you avoid carrageenan, this is not a beverage for you. But speaking of liquid thickeners, maybe it’s just me but, I found this flavored milk to be thicker than others I’ve had. Along with the seaweed extract, the milk also has cellulose gum to help thicken it. There’s also cellulose fiber, which after a lazy Google search, I still don’t know what it does. Is it another thickener? Maybe one of the food scientists in the audience can educate me.

Also, I’m a little sad this doesn’t come in a half gallon size.

Conclusion:

I like TruMoo’s After Dark Mexican Style Chocolate Milk. I also like TruMoo’s decision to branch out into flavors that seem more mature and creative than what TruMoo is mostly known for, which is adding food dyes to vanilla flavored milk.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 1 quart
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 230 calories, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 160 milligrams of sodium, 30 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 27 grams of sugar, and 9 grams of protein.

QUICK REVIEW: Market Pantry Sugar Cookie Milk

Mark 1 Comment

Market Pantry Sugar Cookie Milk

What is Market Pantry’s Sugar Cookie Milk?

Target’s store brand has created a new holiday milk, meant to taste like sugar cookies. It has only five ingredients: milk, sugar, natural flavor, carrageenan, and vitamin D3.

How is it?

Market Pantry Sugar Cookie Milk 2

As I first drank it, the flavor was extraordinarily familiar to me. It was on the tip of my tongue (literally), but I couldn’t quite place it. Then it came to me: caramel corn.

This milk tastes exactly like caramel popcorn. But without those annoying kernels that get stuck between your teeth!

So, does it taste like what it’s supposed to? Well, it could. There are so many sugar cookie recipes that there’s probably one out there that tastes like caramel corn. I did detect a bit of butteriness, a key ingredient of sugar cookies. There was also a vibe of baked goods. I like it, but it doesn’t taste like any sugar cookies I have had.

Is there anything else I need to know?

Unopened, this milk has a longer shelf life than typical unflavored milk. It’s early November, yet the best-by date is Christmas Eve.

Conclusion:

Market Pantry Sugar Cookie Milk 3

I don’t like this as much as chocolate milk, and it doesn’t really taste like sugar cookies, but I had no problem consuming a whole glass of it. And it has half the calories of eggnog, making it a not-quite-as-bad-for-you option for a holiday party.

Purchased Price: $2.49
Size: 1 quart
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 200 calories, 7 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 100 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 26 grams of total sugars, 15 grams of added sugars, and 7 grams of protein.