Tag: Kellogg’s

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Special K Blueberry Cereal (2021)

Marvo 10 Comments

Kellogg s Special K Blueberry Cereal 2021 Box

If you’re a Special K cereal historian (there’s has to be one in the world), you’ve probably interjected while reading the title of this review with the declaration that there was a previous Special K Blueberry Cereal.

That was probably followed up with you saying how the older version had blueberry bits in the flakes with oat and blueberry clusters mixed in.

And you probably waved your spoon in the air angrily and uttered something about Special K Blueberry with Lemon Clusters. But we don’t have time for a long history lesson because I have to declare to everyone that THIS new Kellogg’s Special K Blueberry Cereal is my favorite Special K cereal ever, my special Special K cereal, okay.

The concept is simple, and it follows a lot of other current Special K varieties. It combines the brand’s not-so-special-looking crunchy wheat and rice flakes with freeze-dried fruit. I haven’t had EVERY Special K variety with fruit, but I’ve had most, and this one stands out in my mind.

Kellogg s Special K Blueberry Cereal 2021 Closeup

With real blueberries, the cereal has a natural fruity flavor. Although, it appears my box didn’t get a whole lot of them. But here’s a cool blue thing about this cereal — yeah, there could’ve been more freeze-dried berries, but even when there aren’t any on my spoon, what I put into my mouth has a noticeable berry flavor.

I imagine the Japanese train occupancy at rush hour closeness that the cereal experiences before it’s opened for consumption causes a lot of rubbing against each other, which allows a little bit of blueberry flavor to end up on every crispy flake. While Japanese trains at rush hour are unpleasant, this part of a complete breakfast isn’t.

I didn’t try the previous version of Special K Blueberry Cereal, so I can’t compare. But let’s not remember that past. Let’s think about the future, which involves me eating more of this.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample from Kellogg’s. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 11.6 oz box
Purchased at: Received from Kellogg’s
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup w/o milk) 150 calories, 0.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar (11 grams of added sugar), and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Special Edition Krave Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cereal

Ann 4 Comments

Kellogg s Special Edition Krave Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cereal Box

What is Kellogg’s Krave Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cereal?

Well, it’s NOT Krave cereal stuffed full of cookie dough so, sigh that breath of disappointment now. You probably should have been able to figure that out from looking at the box, though, so I’m not going to let you mope about it for very long. This new special edition Krave cereal has a cookie dough flavored outside and the signature chocolate inside that Krave enthusiasts, uh, crave.

Kellogg s Special Edition Krave Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cereal 2

How is it?

For a cereal to attempt to be cookie dough in a world where there are literally cereals made of tiny little cookies is pretty brave, Krave. The sugar saturated air that escapes when you open the box is familiar, expected, and isn’t unlike cookie dough aroma. The little cereal pieces themselves have tiny chocolate freckles on the outside sugar coating, which is unique to this flavor and appreciated by this reviewer for the appetite appeal when trying to convince me that this tastes like cookie dough.

Kellogg s Special Edition Krave Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cereal 3

Trying the cereal plain, the crunchy pieces are definitely chocolatey, and the sweet sugar coating adds a different flavor, but it’s not overwhelmingly cookie dough-like. The biggest challenge is that the taste of cookie dough goes hand in hand with the texture of cookie dough. These cereal pieces are yummy, but I’m not getting very much of the raw flour, raw vanilla, gooey butter flavors of cookie dough.

Kellogg s Special Edition Krave Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cereal 4

How is it with milk, though?

It’s a pretty remarkably different experience when you eat this with milk. The cereal buoys take on milk like a sponge, and the texture shift makes each bite so much closer to the texture of cookie dough. The flavor is still not spot on, but there are hints of eggy doughy notes that come through. Like most Krave cereals, it’s sort of a race to eat it before the whole bowl turns to one amalgam of soft, but who isn’t up for a speed challenge in the morning, right?

Kellogg s Special Edition Krave Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cereal 5

Kellogg s Special Edition Krave Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cereal 2

Anything else you need to know?

Upon reviewing a cross-section, I’m sure it’s no shock that the chocolate insides definitely don’t “ooze” out of the cereal the way the image on the box depicts. Maybe if you microwaved it? Don’t do that.

Conclusion:

All in all, I’m more convinced than ever that the taste profile of cookie dough is elusive and complex. This special edition Krave is grasping at straws trying to hit that flavor if you eat it dry. But try it with milk and I think most people will think to themselves, “Yeah, okay, sure,” while merrily gobbling down these sugar nuggets.

Purchased Price: $3.79
Size: 16.7 oz box
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 5 out of 10 (dry), 7 out of 10 (with milk)
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup dry) 170 Calories, 4 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 135 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 16 grams of sugar (includes 15 grams of added sugar), and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats Cinnamon Roll Cereal

Marvo 2 Comments

Kellogg s Frosted Mini Wheats Cinnamon Roll Cereal Box

What is Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats Cinnamon Roll Cereal?

It’s a cinnamon roll-flavored version of Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats, which I’ve always thought looks like what children would use, frosting side down, in their dioramas to depict hay bales.

Kellogg s Frosted Mini Wheats Cinnamon Roll Cereal Flashback

This not Frosted Mini Wheats’ first cinnamon roll-deo when it comes to this flavor. There was Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats Cinnamon Roll Little Bites cereal back in 2012 when “Mini-Wheats” had a hyphen.

How is it?

Kellogg s Frosted Mini Wheats Cinnamon Roll Cereal Frosting

There’s real cinnamon baked into every cereal piece, but that one warm spice layer has to compete with ten crunchy, flavor-muting golden wheat layers. That ratio gives the cereal a mild cinnamon flavor.

Kellogg s Frosted Mini Wheats Cinnamon Roll Cereal Box Back

(Side note: I didn’t know Frosted Mini Wheats pieces have ten wheat layers until I read this box. An image on the box’s back shows the layers, but I couldn’t accurately determine the individual layers. So it’s the only back-of-the-cereal-box puzzle I’ve been unable to solve.)

Kellogg s Frosted Mini Wheats Cinnamon Roll Cereal Wet

While the cinnamon goodness is light when the cereal is eaten dry, it’s even more so after the wheat pillows get soaked with milk. The vanilla flavor from the Silk soy milk I use stands out more than the spice. As for the frosting, I was hoping it would have, perhaps, a slight cream cheese tang, but it tastes like the same stuff on all the other Frosted Mini Wheats.

Anything else you need to know?

A 25-biscuit serving has 47 grams of whole grain goodness and 7 grams of fiber. But you probably could’ve guessed that by looking at all ten whole grain layers.

Frosted Mini Wheats will NEVER be a beautiful cereal. Every single variety looks the same. Instagrammable? No. But, Instadigestable? Yes. Just kidding. It’s not at all Instadigestable because its fiber will slow down digestion.

Conclusion:

I loved the previously mentioned Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats Cinnamon Roll Little Bites, but I’m less enamored with this newer version. It’s an adequate dry snack, but not so much when eating it with milk.

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

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 14.3 oz box
Purchased at: Received from Kellogg’s
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (25 biscuits w/o milk) 210 calories, 1 gram of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 10 milligrams of sodium, 50 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar (including 12 grams of added sugar), and 5 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Pop-Tarts Pretzel Salted Caramel

Brandon 8 Comments

Pop Tarts Pretzel Salted Caramel Box

What are Pop-Tarts Pretzel Salted Caramel?

Everyone’s preferred toaster pastry is pillowed in a puffy pretzel… pjacket. Okay, I took some alliterative stretches there, but it felt good and so I just went for it. This new flavor — which joins its previous pretzel brethren Cinnamon Sugar and Chocolate — is meant to capture the hearts of breakfast pastry aficionados who need some salt with their sweet.

How is it?

Pop Tarts Pretzel Salted Caramel Top

Well, salty and sweet. And (to my surprise, I’ll admit) really good! The outer shell — the “pretzel” component, if you will — is just a bit crispy and quite salty. There’s an icing drizzle on the outside that you don’t get much from, but the inside filling is sweet (though not overwhelmingly so) and a bit chewy with a decidedly pronounced caramel flavor.

Pop Tarts Pretzel Salted Caramel Filling

My only complaint at all is that there just isn’t enough caramel filling. It’s a very thin layer that seems to primarily reside solely down the middle of the tart. Evening it out — and providing more — would elevate this a full point.

Anything else you need to know?

Pop Tarts Pretzel Salted Caramel Bottom

I’m a firm believer that Pop-Tarts can be enjoyed both toasted and in their natural, raw state; not so with this variety. I tried it both ways and found the un-toasted one, well, frankly pretty bad. The outer shell was chewy and bland and the filling lost some style points, too. If you don’t own a toaster, you should get married because you’ll get a few of them, but in the interim, you may want to skip the pretzel Pop-Tarts.

Conclusion:

While the Pretzel Salted Caramel isn’t going to displace Brown Sugar Cinnamon or Chocolate or Frosted Strawberry or Blueberry as anyone’s primary Tart of choice, it is fine as a new addition to the Kellogg’s breakfast pastry family. Just make sure you actually toast it first, please.

Purchased Price: $2.79
Size: 8 pastries (4 packs)
Purchased at: Sun Fresh
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 pastries) 380 calories, 12 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 710 milligrams of sodium, 66 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 23 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Toasted Oats & Honey Cereal

Dustin 3 Comments

Kellogg s Raisin Bran Toasted Oats Honey Cereal Box

When I was younger, I developed a fondness for Raisin Bran Crunch. It elevates Raisin Bran to a higher level and brings it closer to Honey Bunches of Oats. From both texture and taste standpoints, it was dramatically improved for me. With the release of Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Toasted Oats & Honey, I wondered if it would be in the same vein.

The box claims that the cereal consists of “Delicious raisins & toasted bran flakes sprinkled with hearty oats and honey.” Based on the box’s image, I knew to not expect the same crunch levels of Raisin Bran Crunch. It appeared to have single oats sprinkled on the flakes.

Kellogg s Raisin Bran Toasted Oats Honey Cereal Dry

Upon pouring the cereal, I noticed there were even less oats than the box had led me to believe. There were tiny flecks of oats clinging to the flakes. It was difficult to even distinguish them as being oats.

I tried the cereal dry and it tasted how I expected based on the aesthetics. The bran flakes are slightly crunchier than usual, with a faint oat flavor. The honey is more noticeable and imparts a gentle sweetness on the flakes.

Kellogg s Raisin Bran Toasted Oats Honey Cereal Spoon

Adding milk allowed the cereal to come together. The honey flavor was significantly more prevalent and each bite was sweeter than those of traditional Raisin Bran. It did not taste like there was actual honey drizzled on the flakes, but it was distinctive enough to know what they were going for. The oats’ flavor remained understated, but they showcased an important feature in milk: they helped the flakes stay crunchy for much longer. This is definitely appreciated.

Kellogg s Raisin Bran Toasted Oats Honey Cereal Back

On the back of the box, there is a random image of a package of Raisin Bran Crunch. I am not sure why it is there, but it feels like Kellogg’s is taunting me. “We know this is what you really wanted,” it seems to say.

While not a radical departure from traditional Raisin Bran, this cereal is an upgrade on the tried-and-true formula. Given the choice, I would pick Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Toasted Oats & Honey over the original, without hesitation. If given yet another choice, I would choose Raisin Bran Crunch over both, every single time.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 15.6 oz box
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 7 out of 10
?Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 190 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 160 milligrams of sodium, 46 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 19 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.