REVIEW: Ghost Energy Strawbango Margarita Energy Drink

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Ghost Energy Strawbango Margarita Energy Drink Can

What is it?

Ghost Energy’s Strawbango Margarita Energy Drink is the second limited edition can and first athlete collaboration from the supplement company known for making calorie-free drinkable Sour Patch Kids. The collab is with Maxx Chewning, a fitness YouTuber and owner of the Sour Strips candy line, known for his love of deadlifting and, unsurprisingly, sour candy. Strawbango Margarita was released on Friday, September 9, as a Vitamin Shoppe and Ghost App exclusive.

How is it?

Ghost Energy Strawbango Margarita Energy Drink Pour

Spoiler alert: it’s freakin’ awesome. After my first sip, I exclaimed out loud, “oh man, this is good.” After my second sip, I started bobbing up and down around the room, repeating myself even louder, emphasizing the “GOOD” with even more juice. The can is beautiful, the taste is beautiful, and suddenly the day is beautiful… it is just caffeine, some vitamins, and nootropic focus ingredients in this thing, right?

Ghost Energy Strawbango Margarita Energy Drink Clear

If we dissect its name, the drink should have three things — strawberry, mango, and margarita — and it decisively has them all. Coincidentally that’s also the order in which I taste them. When it hits my tongue, I get a delightful sweet candy strawberry taste, followed by juicy mango, and rounded out with a bright, citrusy lime. When I think margarita, I think salt, and somehow I even get a hit of saltiness in the finish despite there only being 35 milligrams of sodium in the can. It may sound weird, but there’s also a touch of citrus candy, like lemon Pez, in the finish and on the nose, and it really makes the flavor addictive. The aftertaste left in my mouth when I (very temporarily) put the can down is 100% strawberry lime margarita, and it’s wonderful.

I was worried that this limited edition flavor would be too similar to the Ghost Energy Tropical Mango, but it’s very different. I just revisited that one two days ago in anticipation of this release, and this is much less mango-forward than the launch flavor from 2020. As a result, it’s much more complex and, for me, better.

Anything else you need to know?

I’m unsure if this was intentional or just my can, but the carbonation feels lighter than other Ghost Energy releases. The pop from the top sounded a bit underwhelming, and I’m not getting hit by the usual cascade of bubbles, but it works really well. Having less effervescence lets the sweetness really come through, and it feels even more like the adult beverage it’s paying homage to.

Conclusion:

Ghost Energy Strawbango Margarita Energy Drink Glass

This drink may not get you drunk, but it tastes so delicious it might just leave ya flyin’ high. The 200 milligrams of caffeine won’t hurt either, but this limited release is already soaring off of shelves (my store sold out of cases on the first day), so if it sounds good, run, don’t walk, to your nearest Vitamin Shoppe before it’s gone for good.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 16 ounces
Purchased at: Vitamin Shoppe
Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 5 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 35 milligrams of sodium, 1 gram of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Lay’s Kettle Cooked Fritos Chili Cheese Potato Chips

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Lay s Kettle Cooked Fritos Chili Cheese Potato Chips Bag

After polling the general public for over half a decade and creating almost every flavor iteration imaginable, Frito-Lay seems to have decided to start leaning on its heavy hitters. Last year’s inter-brand crossovers brought us Doritos, Cheetos, and Funyuns flavored potato chips. This year, they’ve come back, but they also brought along the new Lay’s Kettle Cooked Fritos Chili Cheese Flavored Potato Chips. What a mouthful, literally and figuratively.

Lay s Kettle Cooked Fritos Chili Cheese Potato Chips Closeup

So how are they?

They’re very accurate. One of the fun parts of these flavor extensions is that because they’re all in the same brand “family,” we get the actual seasoning blends but on a different chip base. Having the EXACT same seasoning is part of the enjoyment.

The cheese flavor is apparent right away and not too overwhelming. The chili seasoning and cumin flavors come up quickly, especially when munching on over-seasoned chips. Before long, I got that feeling in the back of my throat as if I’d just done the cinnamon challenge but grabbed the wrong spice jar, which ended up being smoky chili powder.

It’s possible the corn chip sweetness balances this seasoning better than kettle chips because these get pretty salty pretty fast. It’s almost to the point that they’re a self-regulated serving size kind of snack. But I think the super high chili flavor is an identifying characteristic of Chili Cheese Fritos, so I wasn’t bothered by this.

Also, the significant crunchiness of a kettle chip was the right pairing for such a potent seasoning blend. I think the Kettle Cooked Chips are the far superior chip format among all that Frito-Lay offers, especially when trying to translate a flavor generally found on a uniquely crunchy and savory corn chip. Regular Lay’s just weren’t going to get the job done here.

Lay s Kettle Cooked Fritos Chili Cheese Potato Chips Bowl

Overall, I enjoyed these arguably over-seasoned chips. The chili cheese flavor on the kettle chip base is strong but recognizable. I wouldn’t be mad if they stick around for a while, and they also seem like a good fit for tailgates.

Purchased Price: $3.79
Size: 8 oz bag
Purchased at: Mariano’s
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (about 15 chips) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Panda Express Beyond Orange Chicken

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Panda Express Beyond Orange Chicken Top

I have not eaten my weight in Panda Express’ Orange Chicken, and moments of my life were used to calculating whether I did. But I’ve eaten so much of it that I can instantly tell Panda Express’ faux fowl Beyond Orange Chicken doesn’t taste EXACTLY like the real deal.

But I felt that was going to be the case before trying the new entree because I’ve eaten enough plant-based chick’n/chik’n/chic’n/ch’ken/ch’k’n products to know what to expect, which is something that doesn’t taste exactly like chicken.

Panda Express Beyond Orange Chicken Exterior

It’s hard for me to explain the flavor of the plant-based meat in this entree. It’s not poultry-like, but I don’t find it unappealing. The Orange Chicken sauce is the same sweet stuff with a slight kick that made Panda Express what it is today. I’ve always thought that it’s so tasty that it would go great with any fried animal or plant-based protein, and that’s the case with Beyond Orange Chicken.

However, while I like this and would eat it again, its overall flavor doesn’t convince me it’s as craveable as the original, which is what the Panda Express website claims. But if you’re into plant-based meats, it’s definitely worth a try.

Panda Express Beyond Orange Chicken Finger Heart

While I don’t find the entree’s flavor odd, its appearance is a little weird. Unlike the various piece sizes of the O.G.O.C., Beyond Orange Chicken are uniform and look like Beyond Meat’s attempt to recreate BTS’ finger hearts in faux-meat form.

Panda Express Beyond Orange Chicken Innards

The interior looks tofu adjacent, and the off-white spots in the “meat” look peculiar. Although my issues with the spots might be the result of looking at way too much sci-fi anime and manga. The protein’s texture reminds me of slightly dried up tofu (UPDATE: I’m eating leftovers and they now remind me more of a chicken nugget), and while the exterior has some crispiness, it’s more like a Chicken McNugget than the original Orange Chicken’s breading.

Much like Panda Express’ steak and shrimp entrees, Beyond Orange Chicken has a premium upcharge. Because of that higher price, not being as delicious as the original, and being a limited time offering, I don’t think I’ll ever come close to eating my weight in it.

Purchased Price: $15.90
Size: Large a la carte container
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (4.75 oz) 440 calories, 22 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 810 milligrams of sodium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 15 grams of sugar, and 13 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Snickers Shakers Seasoning Blend

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Snickers Shakers Seasoning Blend Bottle

The new Snickers Shakers Seasoning Blend has taught me that my eating habits are quite dull outside of what I taste for the site. Because after trying the sweet seasoning on a variety of foods, I later realized those foods also ended up being what I shook the Twix Shakers Seasoning Blend on when I reviewed it —- overnight oats, vanilla ice cream, popcorn, smoothies, etc.

I hate to say this, especially because the fine folks at B&G Foods sent me a bottle of its Snickers Shakers Seasoning Blend, but my diet of the same foods over and over again made me realize that the two sweet seasonings could easily be confused for each other.

Snickers Shakers Seasoning Blend Closeup

Let’s break it down. As we ALL know, Snickers is made with peanuts, caramel, and nougat in milk chocolate and is a vastly superior candy bar to Milky Way (Nah, just messin’ with you, Milky Way-ers). But after trying it with all the things I tried it with, my taste buds could only notice the chocolate and caramel, which was also the case with the Twix version. And much like the Twix Shakers, it has a weird flavor that’s nothing like the iconic candy bar when tasted on its own.

Snickers Shakers Seasoning Blend Popcorn

I can understand the lack of nougat flavor because, let’s face it, it might be the fourth most crucial component in a Snickers. But I’m surprised the peanuts aren’t noticeable even though it’s listed high up in the ingredients list.

Snickers Shakers Seasoning Blend Cheerios

Also, much like the Twix version, while the serving size is a teaspoon, I had to add a lot more to my popcorn and Cheerios to get a noticeable flavor. So I recommend, if possible, getting the 9.5-ounce bottle currently available at Sam’s Club instead of the 6.8-ounce one at Walmart.

Snickers Shakers Seasoning Blend Ice Cream

As you can probably tell, I’m a bit disillusioned with this Snickers Shakers Seasoning Blend, although I did enjoy it with vanilla ice cream. If I could’ve tasted the peanuts, I probably would’ve liked it more. But with mostly chocolate and caramel flavors, it bothers me that it doesn’t differ much from the previous Twix version.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary product sample from B&G Foods. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 9.5 oz bottle
Purchased at: Received from B&G Foods
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 tsp) 15 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 4 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of sugar (including 3 grams of added sugar), and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Van Leeuwen Tapatio Mexican Hot Chocolate Ice Cream

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Van Leeuwen Tapatio Mexican Hot Chocolate Ice Cream Pint

After toiling away on reviews of Van Leeuwen’s seasonal offerings (this past Summer’s releases and the very recent Fall releases), I finally got my hands on one of the “weird” ones. And while I haven’t even actually tried one of the previous novelty concoctions, I’ve read and watched enough reviews that I get the gist: the pizza, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and Grey Poupon ice creams all taste exactly like what they’re supposed to taste like, it’s honestly not as off-putting as the reviewer thought it would be, and they’re glad they tried it but probably wouldn’t do it again.

So, then, what about Van Leeuwen’s Mexican Hot Chocolate featuring Tapatio Hot Sauce? Would it follow this extremely established and scientifically vetted pattern?

Not really. I’ll explain.

First, I didn’t think it sounded very off-putting at all, really, maybe owing to the fact that, unlike pizza or cheesy pasta, hot chocolate (even spicy hot chocolate) is already pretty dessert-y.

Van Leeuwen Tapatio Mexican Hot Chocolate Ice Cream Top

Second, I’ve never actually had Mexican hot chocolate, so I cannot tell you whether the taste of the ice cream mimics the beverage in question. What I can tell you is that, 1) there was a lake of fudge, 2) there was a mountain of marshmallows, and 3) the ice cream was standard chocolate, until, you know, the heat.

Van Leeuwen Tapatio Mexican Hot Chocolate Ice Cream Marshmallows

And let’s talk about the heat. I wouldn’t call it a distinctly Tapatio taste, at least not at first. Things get warm with the first bite, sure, starting in the back of the throat where your swallow bones are located. Then it spreads forward like an army of angry villagers carrying torches up to the tip of your tongue. While I never found myself needing to drink milk and/or blow my nose, I could feel it up through my sinuses after only a minute or two. And it stayed. After a while, though, the vinegary flavor of the Tapatio began to register. That wasn’t my favorite part, honestly, but I will say that it made for a good place to stop my consumption.

Up to that point, it was all quite enjoyable. The marshmallows and fudge were very reminiscent of Van Leeuwen’s Campfire S’mores, which I absolutely loved. (I’m not sure anyone in the freezer aisle does those two inclusions better than Van Leeuwen, honestly.) The ice cream, too, was nice; I’ve not previously had their chocolate base, and they do it well.

This brings me to the third point of the review pattern: Jun K. Reviewer thought it was fine and interesting and all, but they wouldn’t eat it again. And, okay. Maybe I’m in agreement here. While this is a perfectly fine ice cream, I’m not sure if the mood will ever strike me to buy it again. I guess maybe I’m just not a “spicy chocolate” person. But maybe you are! And I feel like if you are, there’s a good chance you’ll really like what they’ve done here.

Purchased Price: $4.98
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 280 calories, 14 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 60 milligrams of cholesterol, 130 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates,0 grams of fiber, 30 grams of sugar (18 grams added sugar), 4 grams of protein.

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