One notable letdown over this past
Christmas season was a smaller than normal offering of seasonal
snacks. Even the items that were floating around could prove
troublesome to track down. The flip-side is that snack companies was
apparently holding off till the new year to usher in a massive wave
of new stuff. Most prominent in this avalanche of calories are
something like 15 new cereals and a variety of Pop Tarts brand
expansions officially cementing breakfast as the meal of 2019.
Considering this month has me in full hibernation mode I'm more than
ready to tackle these new goodies. Come along and I'll try to steer
you away from the bad stuff.
Overwatch Lucio-Ohs
For those of a certain age there are
memories of a time when half the cereal aisle comprised of commercial
tie-ins to popular brands. Growing parental oversight and Ralston
moving away from the market changed all that which makes something
like this Overwatch cereal feel like a quaint callback to another
time.
Personally I have zero experience with
Overwatch as multiplayer shooters are about as appealing to me as
stubbing my toe on a door-frame. Furthermore I don't understand the
lore of that universe which only adds to my confusion towards why
they would make a cereal for such a stereotypical character as the
one on the box. Whatever the case I approached these with no
knowledge as to whether they were something unique or simply
repackaged Fruit Loops though the box claims a “sonic vanilla”
flavor.
Opening the box offered up a rather
nice scent. It's sweet but not overbearing, a theme that carries on
to the taste itself. Imagine a marshmallow-tinged take on Fruit Loops
but mellowed out enough to make for downright comfortable eating.
Mark this one as a pleasant surprise.
Most companies would have simply repackaged a pre-existing product
with maybe a shaped marshmallow to set it apart. Instead it was given
a legitimately decent flavor combined with an overall decent
presentation. I'd definitely be down for buying more and that's
saying something when my shopping list is already full of cereal. On
a scale of 1-5 let's give it somewhere in the 3.5 or 4 arena.
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros
A vast amount of the new cereals are
different takes on already established brands. CTC comes out with a
fresh take that doesn't break the mold with their new Churros
variety. The excitement level heading into these was pretty high
cause, let's be honest, the churro stands alongside the elephant ear
one of mankind's greatest achievements. Sadly this cereal doesn't
quite match up to that level of quality.
Don't get me wrong this is still a
tasty snack but there's not enough to separate it from regular Toast
Crunch. Everything from the smell and taste comes up just short of
the original. It's a little less sweat, possibly more greasy, with a
rougher texture. It's decent enough but I highly doubt this one will
be sticking around for long. I give it a 3 so at least try it while
you can.
Strawberry Rice Krispies
Appearing out of nowhere as what I can
only assume to be a Valentine's promotion the newest Rice Krispies
try to enter the overcrowded field of fruity cereals. Considering the
key selling point of traditional Krispies is to be comfortingly bland
it was hard to guess what they might be aiming for with this
Strawberry variety.
Opening the box I discovered a
deliciously sweet smell that suggested something far different than
the original cereal would ever provide. Taste was another matter
however. The things smell sweet, they look sweet, brother... they
ain't sweet. Sure there's a hint of berry flavor but these' really
aren't all that special. They might make for some interesting treats
when baked up with marshmallow goo but as a cereal this is a letdown.
These are gonna scrap by with a 2.5 as they aren't bad, simply
disappointing.
Cheerios Oat Crunch Cinnamon
Technically a leftover from last fall
that I hadn't gotten around to eating, this addition to the Cheerios
family tries to balance their own style with something similar to
Honey Bunches. The value of this marriage of styles is really going
to come down to the individual mostly due to the texture. My nephew
for instance loves this stuff and practically goes through a box each
week. To me the experience feels like eating wall insulation. The
Cheerio bits are just fine mind you. It's the oats that give me grief
by being mushy yet unyielding which left me hacking for a good 20
minutes after finishing a bowl. Given the difference of opinion these
are getting a range rating of 2.5 to 4. If you don't mind the bits of
oat gunk you'll likely fall on the higher end of that rating.
Cheez-It Snap'd
Taking a break from all the breakfast
items we head over to the cracker aisle where we find the latest
Cheez-It innovation. The new Snap'd line in theory is like Ritz Chips
only these are awesome. There are three or four different flavors of
which I've had two and both quickly became favorites. The double
cheddar is a pure burst of cheesy goodness while the sour cream entry
provides a more balanced flavor profile. I can't stress just how
wonderful these are as they nearly negate the need for regular
Cheez-It crackers. Not too salty or crunchy they provide a perfect
balance of what you want from a good crunchy treat. Absolutely
deserving of a perfect 5. The smell, taste, texture, even the
packaging is well-done. I', declairing these chips will serve as the
spirit animal of 2019.
That's all for tonight but don't you
worry. I've already got more goodies waiting to be reviewed including
some new Oreo cookies and Pop Tarts. Even better is the ample time
available to get these articles done as the current crop of classes
is much more laid back than the last grouping. For now I must leave
you in order to search scholarly articles and hopefully not fall
asleep in the process.
No comments:
Post a Comment