REVIEW: Fruity Cereal Kit Kat

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Fruity Cereal Kit Kat Wrapper

One of the best progressions in junk food over the last four years has been Hershey’s edging closer and closer to mimicking Nestle’s insane Kit Kat flavor production in Japan.

While stateside we’re still nowhere near the heights of experimentation reached overseas, we’ve had a myriad of interestingly flavored wafer bars that began with 2017’s relatively blasé California Strawberry from the Flavors of America line. Since then, we’ve been gifted Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie, Sweet Cinnamon, Lemon, Raspberry, Birthday Cake, Key Lime Pie, Witch’s Brew, and the latest exciting addition: Limited Edition Fruity Cereal.

Kit Kat is one of those candy bars that I don’t want to call underrated because they’re very popular but feels at times underappreciated, even by myself, in its purest form. Milk, white, and dark without any limited time bells and whistles always deliver on a light and crispy sweet treat whenever they cross my path. This new Fruity Cereal version falls right in line with the expectation set by their core lineup; it’s refreshing, tasty, and not extreme in the slightest.

Fruity Cereal Kit Kat Fingers

The opaque pink color dotted with specs looks like it could be crumbs straight out of a bag of Fruity Pebbles. The bar carries a gentle fruity aroma that smells more white chocolate sweet than distinctly berry or citrus. The flavor goes along with the muted color, which is not necessarily bad; it just doesn’t punch me in the face. I get creamy white chocolate followed by a mild strawberry (a spooky hint of Franken Berry, perhaps?) that finishes with the lemon-lime citrusy zing I associate with most “fruity” cereals.

Fruity Cereal Kit Kat Layers

When I think fruity cereal, I autopilot to Fruity Pebbles, my personal favorite. This Kit Kat makes my brain go right to Froot Loops, which I’ve always enjoyed but associate with less of a citrus intensity and overall flavor wallop than Pebbles. Maybe it’s also recency bias from the amazing Fruity Pebbles Candy Bar that came out earlier this year, studded with actual cereal that leaves me searching for that magnitude of flavor. In any case, this Kit Kat is good!

Although the flavor is mild, it’s enjoyable. There’s a distinct creaminess that comes with any variety of Kit Kat, which takes center stage here. While it doesn’t knock my socks off the way my first Japanese Green Tea Kit Kat did or come close to the absolute perfection of Pumpkin Pie, it’s a solid ode to a crunchy breakfast that any Loops or Pebbles fan can break off a piece of.

Purchased Price: 88 cents
Size: 1.5 ounces
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 package) 220 calories, 12 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 35 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 20 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Sour Patch Kids Mystery Flavor

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Sour Patch Kids Mystery Flavor Bag

I don’t believe I put forth a good showing in my Mystery Flavor Twizzlers review.

I tried to solve that flavor conundrum to no avail for days, and it left me a broken man.

I vowed to leave the snack detective game, never to return! I retired my houndstooth hat, my magnifying glass, and wait… Sour Patch Kids has a new mystery flavor?!

Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in!

Ok so, unlike the typical bright and vibrant Sour Patch Kids, these mystery pieces are all white. I tried my best not to let that somehow influence my guess.

As we all know, Sour Patch Kids are sour before they’re sweet. These took extra long to get to the latter. The typical sour sugar punch felt especially pronounced this time around.

Sour Patch Kids Mystery Flavor Bowl

Once the sour crystals melted away, I was left with a shockingly mild sweetness. I was instantly stumped and starting to regret my decision to return to the mystery game. I don’t really know how to describe the flavor other than “confectionary.” I know that’s a broad description, but it tasted more in line with a flavor you’d get in a pastry than the usual fruity Sour Patch fare.

My initial instinct was mild coconut, but then realized I broke my rule and let the color influence my guess, so I settled on… banana, which is also white. Maybe the color actually is a hint?

The flavor isn’t strong at all. It’s tasty, but it’s far and away the weakest Sour Patch flavor I’ve ever had. I think I might be right with banana, but if you wanted to tell me there might be something like vanilla, or marshmallow, or the aforementioned coconut, I’d believe it. Pina Colada? Maybe? Some kind of multi-ingredient dessert concoction? That seems more like a Jelly Belly thing than Sour Patch, no?

Unlike Twizzlers, these Sour Patch Kids came with clues on the bag. My bag had one, and I was able to snap a pic of a different hint as well.

Sour Patch Kids Mystery Flavor Clues

“It gives laughs and can be a riot, cause when it flies nobody’s silent.”

“Across the pond it has a different name, but there’s an extra ingredient in the game.”

Putting aside the fact these hints stink, I landed on Banana Cream Pie.

I would say the first hint means some clown is hilariously throwing a pie, and while this is happening, everyone else is making a ruckus and laughing up a storm.

The second hint makes a little more sense. In the UK, a banana cream pie is called “Dame Madeline’s Stupendous Yellow and White,” and as we all know, the extra ingredient is baked beans. It’s an acquired taste, but is it the flavor of these Mystery Kids?

Sour Patch Kids Mystery Flavor Alone

Ya know what? I’m stumped again. Maybe I’m just not cut out for this snack detective game. Don’t hire me to find your lost donut.

I’m saying it’s probably banana, maybe banana cream pie, and I’m also saying that despite being hard to decipher and pretty weak, they taste just fine. I’m gonna be super bummed if these are just another in the long line of “birthday cake” flavored snacks. Am I overlooking the Kids’ birthday?

Sour Patch Kids Mystery Flavor Mix

You can buy Mystery bags or regular Sour Patch Kid bags with some mystery flavored pieces mixed in, but be warned, the OG flavors will dwarf the mystery flavor.

You can submit your guess on their website, but if you somehow win with “Dame Madeline’s Stupendous Yellow and White,” you owe me a cut of that $50k prize. I want at least $3! I accept Venmo, Paypal, and whatever crypto is hot at that precise moment.

Best of luck with your guesses!

Purchased Price: $2.89
Size: 8 oz.
Purchased at: 7-11
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (12 pieces) 110 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of total carbohydrates, 23 grams of sugars, 0 grams of fiber, 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Frankford Cocoa Pebbles Milk Chocolate Bar

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Frankford Cocoa Pebbles Milk Chocolate Bar Wrapper

What is the Frankford Cocoa Pebbles Milk Chocolate Bar?

After the Fruity Pebbles Candy Bar release in November, it was only a matter of time before we would see the popular sister cereal, Cocoa Pebbles, get its own candy bar. The chocolatey, crunchy, mini flaked cereal is sprinkled throughout a milk chocolate bar.
?

How is it?

Frankford Cocoa Pebbles Milk Chocolate Bar Top

Frankford Cocoa Pebbles Milk Chocolate Bar Bottom

While it’s been a while since I had a bowl of Cocoa Pebbles, they have a distinct and unforgettable flavor. Unfortunately, they are pretty lost in the chocolate sauce (so to speak) with this candy bar. While there is a slight difference in taste, it essentially feels like a Nestle Crunch bar. There is a little more of a fudgy flavor than a Crunch bar, but it’s fairly subtle. It’s still a fine treat, but if you are a Cocoa Pebbles fanatic, I imagine it might disappoint. ?
Frankford Cocoa Pebbles Milk Chocolate Bar Split

When compared to the Fruity Pebbles Candy Bar, the Cocoa Pebbles variety is a weak sophomore attempt. The former managed to give you a balanced cereal and candy flavor profile, but the latter fails to stand out in both categories.

Anything else you need to know?

I think we’ve reached a point in history where kids only know Fred Flintstone as a cereal mascot, and that makes me feel old beyond belief. Excuse me while I look up night face creams on Amazon.

Conclusion:

While a fine middle-of-the-road chocolate bar, I doubt it will impress its target audience of Cocoa Pebble devotees. For the price, if you’re curious enough to try it, I say go for it. It’s novel and worth a try, but with literally dozens of higher quality chocolates at checkouts, it’s certainly not going to be my go-to. With the Fruity Pebbles Candy Bar being a home run, it’s a shame this one didn’t quite reach the same level of excellence.

Purchased Price: $1.34
Size: 2.75 oz
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/3 bar) 140 calories, 8 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 30 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 grams of fiber, 14 gram of sugar, and 2 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Mystery Flavor Twizzlers

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Mystery Flavor Twizzlers Package

What are Mystery Flavor Twizzlers?

Uh, I have no idea. That’s kinda the point.

How are they?

I think this may be the most successful “Mystery” flavor gimmick of all time, because these Twizzlers taste like… nothing. I’m mystified. The mystery is how anyone could possibly come away from these with an idea of what they just tasted.

I’m gonna try to explain, but I’m not sure I’ll be successful.

Mystery Flavor Twizzlers Closeup

There are really no clues on the boring packaging to go off of, so let’s start with what we know, these probably aren’t a flavor that Twizzlers has done before. Just going off the purpley-brown color rules out Strawberry, Cherry, Chocolate, Grape, and Raspberry. I can’t help but feel like a standard fruit wouldn’t be worthy of a mystery flavor anyway.

The smell, which is infinitely stronger than the taste, reminded me of something familiar. I ultimately decided it was Hawaiian Punch.

Tastewise? Man, these just taste like bad Twizzlers.

Twizzlers don’t really bash you over the head with flavor as it is, they just taste like twisted leathery plastic more than anything. If I was blindfolded, I would think I was eating a regular red Twizzler from a bad batch. I tried really hard to concentrate, but my brain just kept thinking, “Oh, this is a Twizzler!”

They’re not sweet, they’re not especially fruity, and there’s just nothing distinct about them.

This could be fruit punch, but it literally packs zero punch, and I don’t think that’s unique enough to base a Mystery Flavor campaign around. Fruit Punch isn’t exciting, and this was, frankly, more like a fruit slap. Nah, it was more of a “poke,” to be honest.

Perhaps I was swayed by the color, but I thought maybe it could be a soda-based flavor. Perhaps cola or Dr Pepper? Ya know what, my final guess is Cherry Cola.

Mystery Flavor Twizzlers Package Closeup

Anything else you need to know?

Nope, scratch that, Wikipedia claims Twizzlers briefly had a Cherry Cola flavor in 2006. Unless this is a rehash of that, I guess I’m just gonna stick with Fruit Punch Poke.

I honestly feel like this could be a prank, with the flavor being “nothing.” That would actually be hilarious.

I’m not kidding. I waited a week to write this review because I wanted to keep eating these while my taste buds were fresh. They always tasted like a sugarless red Twizzler with ZERO aftertaste.

Conclusion:

Mystery Flavor Twizzlers Question

So, like all great mysteries, this one ends… with zero resolution?!

Twizzlers were a perfect brand to try the mystery thing – they’re literally twists! I don’t know how they failed so miserably.

Please try these and help me understand what the heck I’ve been eating. I’ll revisit them after every guess because I’m definitely gonna have these lying around for a while. At least I’ll have some environmentally safe drinking straws to sip cherry cola through if I could actually manage to tug-o-war another one out of the sticky bag.

Purchased Price: $1.98
Size: 16 oz bag
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (3 Pieces) 120 calories, 0.5 grams of fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 gram of saturated fat, 70 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of total carbohydrates, 14 grams of sugar, 0 grams of fiber, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Reese’s Crunchy Peanut Bar

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Reese s Crunchy Peanut Bar Wrapper

Some new Reese’s products are announced with great fanfare —- social media announcements, television commercials, or (as I like to imagine) a red carpet dotted with Reese’s Pieces to lead the way to the closest candy aisle. Other products seem to surprise us, one day gracing shelves with an air of nonchalance that makes you think they’ve been around for years.

For me, at least, the Reese’s Crunchy Peanut Bar falls into the latter category. After all, it seems like a simple idea and consists of everything Reese’s does best: chocolate, peanut butter, peanut butter creme, and, of course, crunchy peanuts. When I first saw the bar in stores, I wondered if it was the Cheshire Cat of Reese’s products, disappearing and re-appearing to play tricks on my mind, until social media confirmed its brand-new status.

Reese s Crunchy Peanut Bar Coating

Despite its unassuming entrance into the Walmart checkout and, therefore, my growing sugar stash, one thing about the bar isn’t unassuming: its size. This King Size packet contains one hefty bar, which comprises three servings of Reese’s goodness and measures about 3/4 of an inch in thickness.

Reese s Crunchy Peanut Bar Split

The combination of flavors in Reese’s Crunchy Peanut Bar is a sweet-and-salty lover’s dream. Inside the standard chocolate coating are a substantial layer of peanut butter and lots of roughly chopped peanuts, densely packed and held together by peanut butter and creme. The peanuts are the dominant force, providing a nice hit of salt that plays beautifully with the other components. The bar has a greater peanut-to-filling ratio than any crunchy-filled peanut butter cup I’ve tried and maybe even enough peanuts to make a PayDay feel insecure.

Although the wrapper lists peanut butter and peanut butter creme as separate components, they taste similar and are initially hard to distinguish. The visible layers of soft peanut butter filling are deliciously sweet with a lighter, smoother texture than your standard Reese’s filling.

Reese s Crunchy Peanut Bar Crumble

Meanwhile, the subtle peanut butter creme seems closer to a peanut butter-flavored version of the “white creme” (oil-based white chocolate substitute) that we all know. Delicate layers of hardened creme are remarkable more in function than taste, acting as a binding agent to hold the peanuts in place. Because of this, the bar crumbled apart easily, like a dessert bark, and sometimes felt like an odd choice. At times, I wished for more of a creamy element to add some moisture, especially when the loose peanut crumbles felt like trail mix in my mouth.

If you are a believer in the peanut butter war that pits Team Crunchy against Team Creamy, the Reese’s Crunchy Peanut Bar is definitely a victory for Team Crunchy. As a member of Team I Shouldn’t Have to Choose, I enjoyed this new product, but found it easy to detect small flaws due to its simplicity. Peanut fans will revel in Reese’s latest release, while others yearning for more daring or complex flavors might find that, among other options, this bar fades into the background.

Purchased Price: $1.48
Size: 3.2 oz (90 g)
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per 1/3 bar) 170 calories, 12 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, 12 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.

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