Oops, is there drama with Llama Loops?

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Hello everyone! Kayla here.  Otherwise known as Special KK. Coworker of Joe, fellow cereal lover/guest blogger and mom of two boys who eat a ridiculous amount of cereal.

In January, Joe breezed around my cubicle wall and gifted me with a box of Llama Loops. Might have been January of 2019. It’s all run together. In fairness, he didn’t give me a deadline.

Why is Lllama Loops the perfect cereal for me?

Because I have previous experiencing feeding an alpaca a carrot with my mouth.

Also I love novelty. And llamas are way in right now. So review this pink sugary treat? No prob-llama.

Aesthetics

The box is rainbow colored perfection. The artwork is llamazing (yeah, I’m just getting started here) and the back is full of fun facts. Did you know llamas have three stomach compartments? You do now.

HOWEVER. The box promises “glittery sparkles.”

THERE ARE NO GLITTERY SPARKLES. And if you remember Joe’s Caticorn review, this is a false promise we have seen before from the cereal industry. I’m filing a complaint with Capt’n Crunch.

Also.  Another major missed opportunity. Why the heck isn’t it Llama Lloops?

Here’s what the cereal looks like. I borrowed this picture from the internet.

Because I originally took  my pictures for this review during the worst of the beginning of the COVID crash.  So I forgot to take a picture of it in the bowl.

Llawkward.

Snackability

If you need a sugar rush, a handful of Llama Loops alpacas a sugary punch.

When it comes to snacking, I like a cereal that boasts a variety of shapes and textures instead of something as uniform as Llama Loops.  So. Sort of llame. But not a major drawback.

Structural Integrity

When it comes to holding its own in milk, there’s no drama with Llama Loops. These little pink life preservers won’t get soggy on you. And they have a satisfying crunch.

Cereal Concept

If you llove llamas, don’t walk past the box. The product is fine. But that’s not what really matters here, right?  It will make you smile.  And we all need that right now.  Spit happens.  But not with cartoon llamas.

Flavor

This is essentially Apple Jacks, only with the label of indiscriminate “fruit” flavor as opposed to “berry” flavor (Caticorn) or “marshmallow” flavor (Peeps). In other words, we’ve seen this before. My llama didn’t raise a fool!  And while we’re on to you, Kellogg’s, we don’t care if you’re just changing the artificial flavor and the packaging. At least you’re giving us new and novel options, clever packaging and material for many blogs to come.


Final Thoughts

This box was fun wool it llasted. And while the cereal itself is pretty standard, it was still pretty tasty. If you’re into llamas, or if you know someone who is, let me know and alpaca this into your shopping cart. In times when it feels like the alpacalypse is around the corner, go ahead and let Llama Loops llight up your llife.

 

Some things are best left on their own

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In a world where food gimmicks seem to be at an all time high to seduce consumers, I’ll admit that Cap’n Crunch Berrytastic Pancake Mix intriguied me.

The mix is basically Aunt Jemima pancakes but with speckles of Crunch Berries mixed in. When mixing the batter, it looks more like blueberry pancakes than anything.

Before I bravely made the purchase, my friends at City Café in Newman Grove, NE, were kind enough to buy me a box –all in the name of blog content. Thanks! If you haven’t, follow the café on social media.

After a few minutes of whipping up the batter and pouring it in horribly imperfect circles on my skillet, I realized that I either am terrible at making something as simple as pancakes from mix, or that these flap jacks are just weird and look nothing like the picture on the box. Maybe the truth lies in both?

After adding the necessary coverage of butter, and maple syrup, I figured I’d garnish the cakes with some Crunch Berries cereal. As for the taste of the pancakes, they mostly tasted like typical pancakes with some small gritty bites.

In conclusion, and this is coming from someone who ate Sour Patch Kids Chips Ahoy cookies, pancakes and cereal are best left on their own. Maybe Ron Swanson sums it up best below.

If you want both for breakfast or brinner then make each separately and enjoy–and don’t forget the bacon!

Having a go at Eggo cereal

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Guess who’s back back again? Guess who’s back, tell a friend. Guess who’s back, guess who’s back, Eggo’s back. After a seven year hiatus, Kellogg’s brought back Eggo cereal in November 2019. Eggo cereal was originally sold between 2006 – 2012. It should come as no surprise for this cereal to come back when it did, in a time where novelty and nostalgia cereals are reach their peak in popularity. But other than the nostalgia, how satisfying is its return?

Aesthetics

Just to be clear, this is mac and cheese, but I wouldn’t be made if they made a cereal based off this.

Eggo cereal excels in its appearance. The look of the box is as consistent as a box of its frozen waffle namesake. Diving into the bag the pieces of cereal look like little waffles. If that doesn’t paint a clear enough picture for you, let me try this. Imagine a Ritz cracker had a love child with Honeycomb cereal. I also couldn’t help but look down at the bowl of cereal without thinking the shape reminded me of something from my childhood, but I couldn’t quite figure it out. Then it hit me. Wagon wheel mac and cheese!

Snackability

I had high hopes for this cereal’s snackability and let me tell you it only somewhat disappointed. For being small and dense, airy and not hard to bite into. The crunch is satisfying and the morsels are a perfect size (think Corn Pops), but the flavor of it is just so-so, which we’ll get into more in under the Flavor category.

Structural Integrity

I was surprised by how well the cereal held up in milk. With my non-scientific measurement of using the stopwatch function on my phone, the cereal still held some crunch after 8 minutes in milk.

Cereal Concept

The concept obviously isn’t new, since Eggo cereal was on shelves back in 2012. Also, Post Cereals had it’s counterpart in Waffle Crisp until it was discontinued in August. 2018. The timing of Waffle Crisp’s demise was capitalized on by Kellogg’s. So, while it meets the demands of nostalgia, I can’t say it’s an original, groundbreaking concept.

Flavor

Beyond the bright yellow Eggo box that instills happiness (I’m not sure how they do the wizardry they do, but the packaging just makes me smile), you’re greeted with a strong scent of maple flavoring. However, that’s where the flavors, notes, tastes or whatever else you want to call it, ends. When you add milk, it dilutes the flavor even more, so you’re left with a sweet morsel, but not so much of the maple flavor. Also, I was hoping the cereal would have a savory butter flavor, but alas no luck. 

Final Thoughts

I’ve long been a fan of Eggo waffles, ever since I was a kid. The idea of a cereal under the same brand excited me, but what I got was a bowl filled of lackluster cereal. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good, but it’s just not great, and that’s probably due to me having higher expectations. If you want to try this version of the cereal or their blueberry Eggo Waffle cereal then be my guest. I’d be happy to hear what you think of it. But for me, I think I’ll just stick to my frozen, homestyle Eggo Waffles. 

 

Hershey’s Kisses Misses with Cereal Attempt

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There’s a few old sayings, “leave well enough alone,” “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” or insert whatever other cliche you’d like. These phrases hold true when it comes to General Mills’ Hershey’s Kisses Cereal. Let me explain a little more in the following review of this new cereal.

Aesthetics

I’m giving Hershey’s Kisses Cereal a general three-spoon rating. I appreciate the simple design of the box that ties into the brand colors. If they really wanted to splurge they could have added some shiny, foil-like color to mimic the candy wrappers. The cereal pieces itself kind of look like the shape of Hershey’s Kisses, I think? Or perhaps, some sort of piece from the game Operation?The cereal also reminds me of Chocolate Lucky Charms, which is also made by General Mills. As I mentioned in that review, this cereal also has a slight resemblance to dry cat food. 
Snackability

Hershey’s Kisses Cereal isn’t one I envision any sane person snacking on dry for long periods of time – if ever. Yes, you get a hint of chocolate/cocoa flavor with the pieces but it’s not like eating an actual bag of the candies, which I may or may not be doing currently. (Don’t judge me. I know most of you have done the same)

Kids may think they want and like to eat this cereal dry because of it’s chocolate branding, but I think they’d be really disappointed. Overall, it’s just very average as far as eating cereal dry goes.

Structural Integrity

Perhaps one of the areas where Hershey’s Kisses Cereal shines is its structural integrity. Thanks to it’s tiny morsels that are somewhat condensed, they do not get water logged as quickly. The cereal provides a decent, satisfying-enough crunch upon the early bites and doesn’t really start to get a little soggy until the 10-minute mark. (Full disclosure, I usually eat my cereal much faster, but I wanted to actually use a timer for the review – you know, because science)

Cereal Concept

The concept in name was interesting, which is why I think so many people were intrigued when they heard about the cereal. However, strip away the candy name and it’s basically your run-of-the-mill chocolate-flavored cereal. And Hershey’s Kisses Cereal isn’t alone in that issue. Most of these novelty cereals being pushed by General Mills and Post Cereals are the same way.

Flavor

Upon opening the box, the whiff of cocoa smacks your face like Donny’s ashes do to The Dude in The Big Lebowski.

And like other chocolate cereals: Count Chocula, Cocoa Puffs, Cocoa Pebbles, Cocoa Crispies and others, this cereal doesn’t do it for me. Maybe it’s because I’m not an artificial chocolate flavor fan, but if you’re expecting this to taste anything like the Hershey’s Kisses candy then you’ll be extremely disappointed. This cereal falls into the one and done category for me, meaning one bowl and no seconds.

Final Thoughts

I’m a sucker for novelty and packaging, which Hershey’s Kisses Cereal accomplishes. However, I was not naive enough to think this cereal would be to my liking. As mentioned above, I’m not a chocolate cereal fan, so I kind of new what to expect, but was hoping it would surprise me. Regardless to say, it did not. If you’ve had one chocolate-flavored cereal then you’ve basically had them all. Hershey’s Kisses Cereal wasn’t a sweet breakfast treat. Instead, it just left me eager to buy the discounted candies after Valentine’s Day.

In the end, give me milk chocolate and not chocolate in milk.

 

 

Twinkies cereal isn’t what you think and that’s a good thing

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Have you ever anticipated doing something, but not in a good way? For instance, you know you have to deep clean the bathroom, but it doesn’t make you any more excited for that day to come.Well, the day has come for me to meet the latest concoction by Post Cereals (they also brought us Hostess donettes powdered mini donut cereal, Honey Buns cereal and who can forget, Sour Patch Kids cereal.

They couldn’t leave bad enough alone. There’s chocolate Twinkies, pumpkin spice Twinkies, strawberry Twinkies, key lime slime Twinkies and of course every state fair goer’s favorite: the fried Twinkie. Well if that wasn’t enough for you, you can eat Twinkies in a bowl – sort of.Aesthetics

Before even looking at the images on the packaging, you realize that this cereal box is a commitment. While it doesn’t say “family-sized” on it, it might as well be. The design on the box is consistent with the previous Post Cereals x Hostess collaborations – bright, wholesome Americana colors of obesity.

As for the cereal itself, instead of spongy diabetes golden snack cake, it’s a crunchy piece of cereal. If you look closely, you can see a light dusting of powdered coating, similar to what can be found on donettes cereal.

I liken it to looking like a bowl of golden Mike and Ike’s candies. I will admit that they do look like miniature Twinkies though, however the Twinkie shape isn’t exactly a hard one to replicate. Nevertheless, I appreciate the consistency in the box packaging and the look of the morsels.

Snackability

Here’s one area where Twinkies cereal shines, much like its peer, donettes cereal. There’s a satisfying crunch to the cereal. It’s important to note the difference between crunch and crisp. I tend to think of a crispy dry cereal being Chex, Corn Pops, Fruit Loops, or any similar cereal that seems to be less dense. Where I can’t snack on an actual Twinkie due to the fact I can’t stand the texture of the spongy cake and mushy creme-filled center, the Twinkies cereal is a stark contrast in textures. This cereal is a good snack to eat dry during that mid-afternoon workday where you hit the wall and need a jolt of sugar.

Structural Integrity

Due to the shape and the fact it’s more dense, the structural integrity of Twinkies cereal is pretty solid. I can’t stress how much I appreciate the fact there is no cream/frosting filling in the middle of the pieces of cereal. However, after a while (during a normal time of eating a bowl of cereal), the cereal does begin to absorb some of the milk. When this happens, instead of making it mushy like Frosted Flakes or Apple Jacks, it makes Twinkies cereal tastes more like stale cereal. Instead of a hearty crunch, it’s more like a dull crunch, if that makes sense to anyone else who doesn’t live inside my head.

Cereal Concept

I’m grading this a little harder nowadays, since these novelty cereals of “whacky concepts” are becoming more commonplace. Considering all the snacks that are in the Hostess catalog, they could continue to pump out these type of cereals. I have to believe that Post Hostess Snowballs cereal is in the works, and if people are scared off from Twinkie cereal, then Snowballs will be a nightmare come to life. 

Flavor

Without even tasting the cereal, you get an idea of the flavor by just opening the package. Upon opening the cereal bag, it smells like Strawberry Shortcake’s kitchen, if she was baking something vanilla-flavored childhood memories. The taste/flavor is somewhere between those generic vanilla wafer cookies you used to get in Sunday school for a snack, donettes cereal and “birthday cake” baked treats. Overall, it provides a sweet, vanilla flavor, which is what you’d expect from a Twinkie.

Final Thoughts

I’m not a fan of the Twinkies, so I was hesitant to try this cereal. However, don’t be scared by the brand name. While it tries to mimic the shape, color and flavor of the Twinkie, it’s nothing like that spongy, golden log filled of regret. I guess you could say it’s the same, but different? I was beyond pleasantly surprised by Twinkies cereal. As I have noted multiple times in this review, it’s similar to the donettes cereal, which I was also surprised by. I almost hate to admit it, but I think I actually like Twinkies cereal more than donettes. It’s still very sweet and probably not something you are wanting to eat more than one bowl at a time, or one handful of it dry, but to me it doesn’t taste like how a normal Twinkie and that’s a good thing.

How does a cereal from the southern hemisphere taste?

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This review is a little more exotic than the others on this blog, because this one is focused on a cereal, Flips, that was personally imported to me from a good friend who brought it back from her business travels to Colombia. And let’s address the question I’m sure you are all wondering: is any of its ingredients cocaine or coffee? The answer: no.

Flips chocolate cereal is an expanded cereal made with rice, wheat and oat, filled with artificially flavored chocolate cream. The origin of the cereal began in 1992 when Alfonzo Rivas y Cia, a company founded in 1910, first introduced it in Venezuela. It became a fan favorite and before the end of the decade, it had become Venezuela’s favorite cereal. In the early 2000s, it was introduced in Colombia and Panama and in 2010 this cereal made its debut in the United States. The Flips name was later rebranded to be called Toops in 2017 in the U.S. and other markets outside of South America. Now that we’ve got that history lesson taken care of, let’s dive into this cereal.

Aesthetics

Packaging looks like I’m buying gummy candy or a pack of legos. The cereal itself is a standard design that looks like little brown pillows for a G.I. Joe action figure barrack.

For those who may be familiar with Kellog’s Krave cereal, this one is basically a South American version of that. Or, you could say the premise of the cereal is similar to Fillows cereal, which you can read my review on that here.

Snackability

While not terrible in milk, this is one of those cereals where I’d prefer to just snack on it at my desk. It has a satisfying crunch, sweetness and a nice pop of flavor with the chocolate filling. I suppose you could liken it to a breakfast cereal version of M&Ms with its harder shell and candy goodness in the middle.

Structural Integrity

This is where Flips has both good and bad traits, in my opinion. The crunchy shell helps extend the time it can stay crunchy in milk, however, once that shell has been saturated, the once rough texture of the shell turns somewhat slimy feeling to the taste. It sounds worse than it is, but it’s still noticeable. So, if you are eating this cereal or one similar, I’d recommend not letting it sit in milk beyond 8 minutes or so.

Cereal Concept

As mentioned earlier in the review, this cereal isn’t anything new. A multi-grain shell filled with some sweet filling is a staple among cereals, similar to that of ones shaped as circles or rings or varieties that have oats and marshmallows, whether magical or not. However, you know the old saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and this concept certainly fits that.

Flavor

The cereal came in a small, travel-sized pouch, similar to the size of bags I buy my gummy worms, and Sour Patch Kids in, so I wasn’t able to get that initial smell of opening a pouch in a normal box of cereal. However, what I did find once I poured the cereal into my bowl and ate a few pieces dry and then the rest with milk is that Flips has a good, sweet satisfying flavor. I typically am not a fan of cereals that involve chocolate flavor, since it often times tastes too manufactured for me, but this cereal doesn’t seem to bother me as much. I will say though that it’s still sweet enough that I wouldn’t be able to eat a second helping.

Final Thoughts

Despite the ingredients not including coffee beans or cocaine, I’m not mad at Flips cereal. The origin of the cereal is more exotic since it isn’t a U.S. variety, but the cereal itself is similar to many others in your local cereal aisle. I could basically guarantee if you did a blind taste test of Flips and Krave, you wouldn’t be able to tell which is which. So overall, yes, Flips is basically South America’s version of the United States’ Krave cereal, or vice versa, which isn’t a bad thing. So, if you’re interested in Flips, or Toops as it’s rebranded for the U.S. and are unable to find it, just buy a box of Krave and report back.

 

 

 

How Does Baby Shark Cereal Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo?

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Just when you thought cereal makers jumped the shark on creating wacky-themed cereals, Kellog’s says “hold my milk,” and releases its limited edition Baby Shark cereal. The cereal, based on the worst ear worm song imaginable, is released in a two-box pack at Sam’s Club and promises berry fin-tastic flavor. So is this cereal as catchy as its namesake song or is it dead in the water?

Aesthetics

We’re taught at a young age never to judge a book by its cover, so I suppose the same should be said about cereal boxes, right? I’ll hand it to Kellog’s. The box and packaging of Baby Shark cereal is eye catching and appealing to the targeted demographic (present company excluded, of course). If you’re a parent of a toddler and roll past this in the store, I’m sure you’ll have it in your cart in no time. Point in case, look at my friend’s son in the photo below when he was first introduced to the cereal.

Baby Shark earns the Nathan stamp of approval. It’s like Oprah’s Book Club sticker, but more meaningful.

The packaging is the peak of the aesthetic appeal. The cereal itself should remind you of another Kellog’s offering, Fruit Loops. However, it’s berry flavored, has some speckles on it and mixes in round marshmallows. Speaking of which, I think Kellog’s really missed the opportunity to incorporate shark fin shaped marshmallows.

Snackability

While it won’t wow you, the snackability of Baby Shark cereal won’t hurt you either. I’m a fan of Fruit Loops as a car ride snack on occasion, so this is really no different, other than tasting the occasional marshmallow in a bite. Would it be my first choice for a dry cereal snack? No. But there are far worse out there.

Structural Integrity

We’ve reached the weakest category for Baby Shark cereal. If you’ve eaten enough Fruit Loops in your life, you know the structural integrity of it as soon as it rests in a bowl of milk soon fades. The marshmallows soon get soggy too, leaving an undesirable texture in your mouth. And when it comes to cereals like this or Fruit Loops or any similar, there’s nothing worse than a soggy “O” ring to ruin your breakfast.

Cereal Concept

I give Baby Shark cereal three spoons for concept. If nothing else, they get that rating based on being smart enough to take the same cereal and repackage it under a different theme. Case-in-point, if you look at the Baby Shark cereal and it resembles something you’ve seen lately, you’re not alone (and no, I’m not talking Fruit Loops here). Do you remember around Easter when Kellog’s released its Peeps cereal? You can read that review here. Look at the bowl of Peeps cereal below and tell me it doesn’t look just like Baby Shark cereal.

Flavor

When you first open the box of Baby Shark cereal, you instantly know what the flavor is going to be – berry, which they promote on the box. Combine that with the sweetness and chewiness of the white marshmallows that resemble dinner mints and it’s a recipe for a spoonful of sugar. While it’s not too bad, I wouldn’t suggest eating copious amounts of Baby Shark cereal in one sitting, otherwise that filling you had on your second molar may be aching.

Final Thoughts

Baby Shark swims into stores, riding the wave of popularity of an annoying children’s song, hoping to capitalize on that and the cartoonish packaging. Well done, Kellog’s, well done indeed. If you have toddlers, you undoubtedly will have a box of this cereal at the house at one point or another. Side note: I wonder what would happen if you replaced the cereal in this box with a different, “healthier,” option. Would the kids really know the difference or care, just as long as it came from this particular fun box? Someone do that and report back. Inquisitive minds want to know.

Besides the fun branding, the cereal itself is nothing all that groundbreaking or impressive. It’s basically berry-flavored Fruit Loops, or as I mentioned earlier, repackaged Peeps cereal. The cereal isn’t for me, then again I don’t think Baby Shark cereal’s target demographic is 37.5-year-old men. (the things I do for science and for this blog to help others. smh)

 

 

Like the Chiefs, Mahomes Magic Crunch has high expectations

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In April 2019, Hy-Vee signed an exclusive, three-year agreement with the reigning NFM MVP, Patrick Mahomes to include television commercials, social media collaboration, appearances, apparel and exclusive product launches at Hy-Vee grocery stores. And here we are, with a box of Mahomes Magic Crunch sitting on my table. Much like the Chiefs, the cereal comes with plenty of fanfare and expectations. Unlike the Chiefs, the cereal doesn’t pose quite the same choking hazard threat. (sorry Chiefs fans, I couldn’t help myself with that one)

Aesthetics

Let’s start with the packaging, which is oozing Chiefs. Everything from the colors to the fonts to eight photos of Mahomes on the box. If you’re a Chiefs fan, the cereal had you hooked on appearance alone. Opening the bag and pouring a bowl Mahomes Magic Crunch, you’ll be greeted with a familiar looking friend in sugar coated corn flakes (i.e. generic Frost Flakes). I’m not mad about that, as I am a fan of the Grrrrreat classic cereal. It’s not original by any means, but I don’t think that was the intent of this cereal.

Snackability

When it comes to snackability, Frosted Flakes or anything resembling it, isn’t the move to make. The flakes are just too small and there’s no other contrasting pieces of cereal in it to help, like you get from Honey Bunches of Oats, etc. Am I saying that Mahomes Magic Crunch tastes bad dry? No. It’s just not the most efficient and enjoyable way of eating the cereal.

Structural Integrity

Mahomes Magic Crunch, much like its big brother, Frosted Flakes, isn’t the best when it comes to enduring milk for a long period of time. I find it best to eat the cereal shortly after pouring the milk on it, just so it has a little crunch, as stated in the cereal’s name. The thin corn flakes absorb milk fast enough that if you don’t eat it quick enough, you’re left with a mushy substance that you may be able to build your very own yert out of. 

Cereal Concept

I’m giving Mahomes Magic Crunch four spoons, not because it’s original, but because it benefits a good cause. The limited-edition collector’s product is expected to raise $25,000 for the 15 and the Mahomies Foundation. Those proceeds will be donated to help underserved children in the Kansas City and surrounding area. And when I say the concept of creating a cereal for a NFM quarterback with generic Frosted Flakes isn’t original, I present exhibit A:Long live Flutie Flakes! The OG of limited edition collector’s box sweetened corn flake cereal sold within a region of the country with a popular NFL quarterback on the box.

Flavor

If for some reason you haven’t picked up on it yet, if you like Frosted Flakes, you’ll like Mahomes Magic Crunch. And it’s no mistake that the cereal is based off Frosted Flakes. Mahomes himself said in an interview that “I like Frosted Flakes, so I told them to make it as close to Frosted Flakes and they could. They did it. And it’s a little bit healthier, less sugar.” So it might not be Frosted Flakes Grrrrreat, but it’s not bad either. 

Final Thoughts

Mahomes Magic Crunch isn’t bad. It’s actually one of the better “generic” versions of Frosted Flakes I’ve had. I do feel like they missed an opportunity to add some marshmallows to this cereal in the shape of footballs, arrowheads or some other Chiefs-related item. I will also say that $3 a box isn’t too bad for this, especially knowing that some of the proceeds are going to his foundation to help children in the KC area. However, one small observation I had while reading the nutrition numbers, is it weird that this Chiefs cereal is distributed by a company located in Pittsburgh, aka Steeler Country?

Overall, will consumers be disappointed with this cereal? No. Will Chiefs fans be disappointed? Not with this cereal. If any disappointment comes for them, it’ll be late in the season. 🙂

 

 

Fillows fill you

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The cereal aisle never disappoints with its whacky offerings. General Mills recently released Fillows cereal in two different flavors: Hershey’s Cookies ‘N’ Creme and Pillsbury Cinnamon Roll. While each cereal has its own unique flavor shell, they share the same crème filling. Today, I’m taking a look at the cinnamon rolls variety, since I typically have bad luck with cookies and creme-flavored cereals. I’ve never had an outstanding cookies and creme cereal. I guess you could just they’re…

Aesthetics

Working outside-in, the box has a pleasant, eye-catching design with use of orange and turquoise colors. Upon opening the box, I was expected to find the typical clear bag that houses the cereal, but was instead greeted with a foil bag. It reminded me of the packaged food they take in space, or Jiffy Pop that you make on the stovetop. The cereal itself looks rather unassuming with its standard, textured pieces. I was actually expecting the cereal to be more in line with the size of Kellog’s Krave or Pop Tarts cereals, since those also have a creme or flavor filling, but Fillows was smaller than I expected. But we all know size doesn’t matter, right? Right?    

Snackability

Fillows is a tasty cereal eaten dry. The texture and crunch make it feel like it belongs in a sugary Chex Mix of some sort. However, it gets pretty sweet tasting after a few pieces, so that is why I gave it a rating of 3 spoons, instead of 4. Regardless, you won’t be disappointed if you grab a handful of this cereal for a midday snack. 

Structural Integrity

Combined with its texture, size and filling, Fillows is a somewhat dense cereal. It can withstand milk for a reasonable amount of time. (reasonable being that you eat your cereal within 5 or so minutes and don’t let it sit there and turn to mush like some sort of savage) However, if you mistakenly leave it soaking in milk too long, the outer shell loses its texture and becomes more slick and smooth tasting, which is just an odd sensation. You’d have to experience to fully understand.

Cereal Concept

There’s nothing offensive about the idea of cinnamon roll cereal, especially when you compare it to all the other weird flavor combination of cereals. It’s almost as if the people who make all the flavors of Lay’s potato chips have a side hustle of coming up with flavors of cereal. So while the concept of Fillows isn’t bad, it’s nothing overly special. I mean, cookies and creme or cinnamon roll flavored cereals? I’m pretty sure we’ve had plenty of similar ones already.

Flavor

What Fillows lacks in creative cereal concept (hooray for alliteration!), it make sup in flavor. With the first bite, you taste the cinnamon flavor, but it’s not as pungent as the cinnamon flavor of Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Churros. When eaten dry, the flavor reminds me somewhat of a cinnamon graham cracker. When you add milk to the cereal, it seems to heighten the buttercream flavor that you’d expect from a cinnamon roll. Kudos to you Pillsbury and General Mills.

Final Thoughts

My expectations weren’t exceedingly high for Fillows. After all, it’s a cereal named after “filling” and “pillows.” However, I was pleasantly surprised how well General Mills and Pillsbury did to translate that cinnamon roll flavor into a cereal that didn’t suck. Is it sweet, sugary and unhealthy when not eaten is moderation? Of course! But you won’t finish a bowl of Fillows left hungry. I only had one bow of the cereal, and I can tell you that I could go into a food coma/nap right about now but I’d do it all again.

 

Ice Cream for Breakfast? Not quite

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In this edition of, “As the Novelty Cereal Turns,” General Mills brings us it’s latest offering, Drumstick mint chocolate cereal. If you’re thinking, “wait, I thought General Mills already had an ‘ice cream’ cereal?” Well you, my friend are correct. They also make dippin dots cereal, which is similar to Drumsticks. Let’s dig into this review and I’ll tell you a little more.Aesthetics

Nothing really stands out, as far as looks go, with this cereal. If a box of this cereal was on a dating app, it’d be one of those where your friend takes your phone and swipes right, because it looks sweet, safe and nice. The box is pretty simple and reminiscent of the dippin dots cereal box design. The cereal pieces are advertised as cone cereal pieces, ice cream flavored scoops and cocoa nuggets. To me, that’s a fancy way of saying squares, green discs and chocolate balls. The green discs, or ice cream flavored scoops in this case, look like homemade mints done up for a wedding in 1989. Snackability

The short and sweet of it is that this cereal is pretty good when eaten without milk. The trio of cereal pieces provide nice texture diversity and are just sweet enough when you need a little pick me up. Structural Integrity

I had low expectations that this cereal would hold up well in milk. However, I was pleasantly surprised that by the time I finished my bowl, pieces still have some crunch and were not milklogged. (milklogged is a thing right?) I think the cereal pieces being relatively small and compact helped them retain their structural integrity better than most. I dare say, this cereal stayed better in milk than Grape-Nuts. (that could be my hot take of this review) I actually think the milk helps the cereal, but I’ll talk more about that in the flavor section of this review.

Cereal Concept

I’m ranking the concept of this cereal three spoons because it’s nothing really new. As I mentioned earlier, the same company produces dippin dots cereal, which is essentially marketed as ice cream cereal like this. You could give me “Juice Barrel Cereal” and I’d be more impressed with the concept. And I’d want that cereal to come in a six pack of those little juice barrels with each being a different flavor, except for grape. Artificial grape is the taste of bad decisions and codeine. But I digress. 

Flavor

The box promotes “the taste of the original sundae cone now in your cereal bowl.” I can honestly say, it certainly tastes nothing like that. When you open the bag, you’re hit in the face with a strong scent of nothing, except perhaps a faint smell of cocoa from the Cocoa Puffs, err, I mean “cocoa nuggets.” So, if you ever wondered what chocolate balls taste like, it’s Cocoa Puffs. The green cereal pieces have very little mint flavoring to them, which is disappointing, since I expected the cereal as a whole to somewhat taste like my favorite ice cream. Adding milk to the cereal helps, if only because it tells my mind that this is more like ice cream that way. 

Final Thoughts

Drumstick mint chocolate cereal tastes okay and just okay at that. I was overall underwhelmed by it, but maybe I was expecting too much. In essence, it’s almost having a bowl of Golden Grahams and Cocoa Puffs more than mint chocolate sundae. In my years of eating cereal, I’ve learned that cereals advertising as cookies and ice cream for breakfast usually fail to deliver and taste nothing like either.

if you want ice cream for breakfast, then skip this cereal and just have a bowl of ice cream for breakfast. If you’re an adult, you can eat whatever you want because YOU’RE AN ADULT.