How you doin’? (hopefully, you read that in the proper Joey Tribbiani voice). I’ve returned with a new cereal review of our favorite Friends. This new-ish Friends cereal is brought to us by General Mills in a small box that packs a heavy punch of hearty whole wheat and cornflakes. You can find it in your local cereal aisle if you want to pair it while watching reruns of the classic sitcom.

Aesthetics

As always, we begin this review by judging (er, reviewing) the box by its cover. If you’re a Friends fan, which I assume you would be if you were buying and eating this cereal, then you automatically recognize the colors used, the photo frame that adorned the door of Monica’s rent-controlled apartment, and the inspiration of the cereal: Central Perk.

However, the best part of the packaging comes on the back of it where there is a fun little game where you have to move a sofa up flights of stairs. Just remember to always PIVOT! PIVOT! PIVOT!      

Now, let’s talk about the aesthetics of the cereal itself. What you see depicted on the front of the box is basically what you get, except the flakes are obviously larger and darker in color. Picture the flakes from Raisin Bran, but maybe a tad bit bigger and more dense. You catch the aroma of the vanilla bean latte smell when you first open the cereal, but with most cereals, the flavor dissipates a bit when you add milk.

Snackability

Maybe try the cereal dry upon initial opening, but I would not recommend eating it dry as a snack regularly. I think the flavor could get tiring, as well as your jaw getting tired from chewing on the cereal. It left me feeling like Goldmember from Austin Powers when he would eat his special chips.

But to be fair, these kinds of wheat and cornflake cereal are probably not geared toward dry snacking.         

I wouldn’t snack on Raisin Bran or Cornflakes. I have snacked on Frosted Flakes, but that only happens in moments of weakness when I need a sugar fix. (Remember, we listen, and we don’t judge)

Structural Integrity

Here is where the Friends cereal really surprised me. With the cereal being more crunchy rather than crispy, (so not like biting into a Club cracker, but more like biting into a handful of Crunch ‘n Munch) if that makes sense. Despite being flakes, the structural integrity of the cereal held steady for longer than anticipated. Where I expected it to be a puddle of mush at the bottom of the cereal bowl, like with other flake cereal, it was still crunchy until my last bite.

Cereal Concept

Where was this cereal during the initial run of the hit NBC series? Who knows, but better late than never, I guess. If you’re a fan of Friends, this cereal is fun because memories of the show stirred in my mind as I stirred my spoon in the bowl.

Have I had other coffee-flavored cereals? Sure. Have I had vanilla-flavored cereal? You bet. But wrapping both of those under the Friends banner just gave me all the nostalgia feels. So while there are more interesting and groundbreaking cereal concepts out there, this one hits the mark on what it’s attempting to do.

Flavor

When opening the bag, you certainly get the whiff of vanilla bean and a hint of the coffee smell. The reason I am only going with 2 spoons though is that the smell of the cereal doesn’t carry over as strongly when you eat it. I was left thinking that I could use some more vanilla flavor to it, as the wheat and cornflakes seemed to overpower the hit of vanilla bean latte flavor. As mentioned earlier, that flavor only disappears more when milk is added. But, if you’re someone who thinks cereal is often too sweet then maybe this combination will be right up your alley. In the end, I can safely say it tastes miles better than eating wax.

Final Thoughts Friends cereal is a fun trip down the sitcom’s memory lane. Just looking at the box, seeing the iconic logo and imagery triggers all the fun moments replayed in your head. The cereal itself is perfectly okay. It gave me the alusion I was actually eating something healthier than it probably was. The areas where it felt lacking were the lasting flavor and also size of the box compared to how much it costs, but then again all groceries are expensive. For me, I had hopes that this cereal would be a Joey, but it felt more like a Gunther.

I’ll leave you with this final, totally original, song as my ode to cereal reviews: “I’ll be there for you (when the milk begins to pour,) I’ll be there for you (like I’ve reviewed cereals before,) I’ll be there for you, (’cause you’re here reading too.)”