Liquid IV Hot Chocolate
It’s cold here on this rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I’m talking high 60s to low 70s. BRRRRR. Fortunately, I had this hot chocolate mix to warm me up, which was on the clearance shelf for 50 percent off or five dollars.
Unfortunately, I used only one of the six packets in the box to keep me warm and gave the rest away because this hot drink mix is a hot mess. It smells and tastes like I’m drinking watered down hot cocoa next to a busy perfume section at Macy’s. Is that hard to believe? Yeah, it is hard to believe Macy’s is busy nowadays. There’s also a slight sourness in the aftertaste, which is what I expect from fruity Liquid I.V. flavors, but not from a hot chocolate-flavored one.
Maybe Liquid I.V. should stick with only cold drink flavors?
Swoop Peanut Butter Chip Blitz High Protein Dessert
After opening the top, I saw a shimmer that made it look icy, but once I started scraping away at the top, a regular ice cream-looking level appeared.
I’ve never been a fanboy of high protein ice creams, like Halo Top and Enlightened. They were okay tasting, but didn’t wow me. However, this pint of Swoop did wow me. Not just because it’s a high protein ice cream, but it’s an ice cream that has a decent texture despite not having milk, skim milk, or cream. The only “dairy” listed is from whey protein isolate, and the first ingredient is water. It’s also made with avocado oil, and dates sweeten the chocolate. I know, all that sounds like it should be an awful product, but it’s not.
The pint features peanut butter swirls, dark chocolate flakes, and a maybe-vanilla base. While there are some peanut butter swirls going through the middle of the pint, they were mainly on the outer rim of the dessert. But with every scoop, there was a pronounced peanut butter flavor. The chocolate flakes were plentiful, and it’s hard to believe Swoop used unsweetened chocolate, dates, and coconut oil to make them.
Like any great ice cream pint, I could’ve eaten this in one sitting.
Alani Nu Cherry Bomb Energy Drink
I didn’t have high hopes for this zero sugar energy drink because when I searched the Target website to see if the nearest store had it in stock, I noticed its product page had an overall 3-star rating from shoppers. However, like other Alani Nu products I’ve tried, this one is great as well.
According to the brand, this energy drink is a “twist of cherry, vanilla, and cola flavors.” But it really should be rearranged to cherry, cola, and vanilla because the cherry is definitely the most prominent, followed by the cola, and somewhere there’s vanilla. However, my tongue didn’t notice it. Think of it as Cherry Coke or Wild Cherry Pepsi, but the cherry initially dominates the taste buds, then the cola comes through for a bit, and then the cherry fully rushes back in, which might be too much for some.
The Cherry Bomb name is definitely fitting. Also, I think it’s The Bomb. And with 200 milligrams, it’s also a caffeine bomb.
Dark Chocolate Reese’s Puffs Cereal
Our reviewer, Tiffany, covered this cereal earlier this week, and . After trying the sample General Mills sent me, I have to agree with a lot of what she said.
This cereal has a better balance between the chocolate and peanut butter flavors. It definitely makes the original Reese’s Puffs taste too peanut butter-y. I also agree with her that this should be the default Reese’s Puffs cereal. I don’t think General Mills would lose any money by doing that. Also, we don’t have to get rid of the original completely. General Mills could bring it back every so often with a graphic that calls it the “Retro Recipe.”
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