Here are a few product reviews posted this week from other blogs we follow.

Darn. I thought these were gummy antacids. Hey, Tums! Make some gummy antacids so my heartburn can be a little fun. (via What’s Good At Trader Joe’s)

This product has to be one of the oddest orgies of carbs and cheese I’ve ever seen. (via Freezer Burns)

This European candy isn’t crazy. You know what’s crazy? The fact that you have to drive on the left side of the road in some Europeans countries and drive on the right in others. (via Candyblog)

Dangnabbit! I thought these Japanese Pringles were sour and bitter. Doesn’t sour and bitter sound like a typical Japanese Pringles flavor? (via Food Junk)

Next month, Suntory, Japan’s only bottler, distributor, and licensee for Pepsi, will release the limited edition Pepsi Black. The dark colored soda will have 50 percent less sugar than regular Pepsi and a lemon flavor. It follows the bright colored Pepsi Pink, which was released in Japan last fall, and Pepsi Dry, which was released last summer.

Here’s the Google Translated press release, because the translations are sometimes funny.

Suntory International Food Co., Ltd., as a new lineup of PEPSI, will launch new nationwide from Tuesday, June 19, Coke “Pepsi Black” not sweet for adults.

The Company launched the “Pepsi dry” in May last year, has created a new genre in cola drinks market “not sweet” that Coke.

This time, it is intended to release new Coke “Pepsi Black” for adults in addition to the value “not sweet”, and reinforced a sense of satisfaction when drinking.

Awaiting, we have enhanced the aftertaste with suppressed sweetness is to receive 50% off the sugar compared to the “Pepsi Cola”, streamlined and made ​​with a sense of satisfaction when drinking by adding the scent of lemon fresh new . The package adopted for the first time the PEPSI logo black and white design was finished in classy black-toned.

In addition, we clearly express that be called “black” product name “not sweet” taste.

It should be noted, such as turning on the TV-CM from actively when released, will continue to appeal strongly the charm of the “Pepsi Black”.

Pepsi Black will be released in Japan on Tuesday, June 19th and will come in 490 ml bottles that retail for 140 yen. If you’re not in Japan, which 99 percent of you aren’t, you’ll probably be able to pick some up via eBay, J-List, or Napa Japan.

Source: Rocket News

I hate to admit, but Jack in the Box has taught me a lot about food.

The fast food chain introduced me to the tough-on-the-outside-but-soft-on-the-inside ciabatta bread. With a breakfast menu that’s available all-day, they assured me it’s okay to eat breakfast at three in the afternoon, seven at night, or right before I go to bed. And, Jack in the Box got me acquainted with the smoky and spicy chipotle pepper when they released their Chipotle Chicken Sandwich in the late 2000s.

Back then, the extent of my chili pepper knowledge didn’t go beyond the jalapeño, I believed breakfast ended at 10:30 in the morning because that’s when McDonald’s stopped serving it, and the breads Subway offered were the fanciest I knew of.

Jack in the Box’s latest chicken sandwich, which uses the chipotle pepper, is the Chipotle Chicken Club. The sandwich combines a spicy crispy chicken breast topped with chipotle sauce, hickory smoked bacon, American cheese, lettuce and tomato on toasted sourdough bread.

After unwrapping the sandwich from its paper enclosure, I was instantly a little disappointed with its size. It makes a newborn kitten look big and it doesn’t look like it’s worth the $4.79 I paid for just the sandwich. The Chipotle Chicken Club Combo here on this rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is $5.49, while most other places it’s $4.99, so the sandwich will be cheaper where most of you live. However, I wouldn’t complain so much about its size if I could buy the sandwich for $3.99.

While I’m in the complaining mood, I’d like to point out the thin chicken breast patty I got with my sandwich. Look at it in the photo below. They must’ve gotten it from the most flat-chested chickens on the farm. However, while the chicken patty was thin, it was also crispy. Well, the edges at least. Even after the 10 minute ride home from the drive-thru to my place, the chicken patty had a lot of crispiness. However, what was even more impressive was how much crispiness it had the following morning.

Oh, I should let you know that I now have a habit of splitting a fast food sandwich in two before eating it and putting the other half in the fridge so I don’t consume all the fat and sodium in one sitting. Anyhoo, after I microwaved the other half for about 40 seconds in its wrapper, I took a bite and noticed the chicken patty’s ability to maintain some of its crispiness. Ain’t fast food technology scary great?

With my complaining about the sandwich’s size and the flat chicken patty, you’d think I don’t care for the Chipotle Chicken Club. Well, I have to say it’s my favorite Jack in the Box chicken sandwich, because the chipotle sauce makes up for most of the sandwich’s faults. The chipotle sauce tastes as if Jack in the Box combined their taco sauce with their mayonnaise, but with a bit more smokiness. It’s a tasty sauce and it gives the sandwich a nice heat that might cause some of you to reach for some cool liquid relief. I was surprised the sauce had flavor and wasn’t all about the heat, like other chipotle items I’ve tried.

If you’re a bacon fan, the amount of piggie in this sandwich will satisfy your pork needs. I wouldn’t call the bacon included crisp, but I wouldn’t call it limp either. The sourdough bread is a little greasy, but as someone who has consumed his fair share of Sourdough Jacks, it wasn’t a surprise. As for the tomatoes, they made my sandwich look like Quasimodo’s back and didn’t really add anything, unless you consider having an ingredient that easily falls out something. I’d suggest ordering the sandwich without tomatoes or discard them and make the farmers who harvested them cry.

If you’re planning to try the delicious Jack in the Box Chipotle Chicken Club, do so soon because it’s only available for a limited time.

(Nutrition Facts – 686 calories, 329 calories from fat, 35 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 77 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,292 milligrams of sodium, 580 milligrams of potassium, 54 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 6 grams of sugar, and 34 grams of protein.)

Other Jack in the Box Chipotle Chicken Club reviews:
Brand Eating

Item: Jack in the Box Chipotle Chicken Club Sandwich
Price: $4.79 (sandwich only)
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Jack in the Box
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Tasty, spicy chipotle sauce. My new favorite Jack in the Box chicken sandwich. A good amount of bacon. Impressive, but eerie, crispiness. Reasonably priced combo, if you’re paying $4.99. My new found willpower to not eat an entire fast food sandwich in one sitting.
Cons: Thin chicken patty. Kind of small. The tomatoes are useless. Awesome source of saturated fat and sodium. My lack of chili pepper knowledge in the mid-2000s. I used to think Subway bread was fancy.

I look forward to summer blockbusters because with those big budget films I can expect a barrage of new or limited edition products to promote them. When the movie involves aliens, I can expect green colored items. Case in point, Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins are each offering several new limited time only menu items inspired by the upcoming movie Men In Black 3, and some of them are green.

Dunkin’ Donuts’ new items are:

Black Cocoa Creme Iced Coffee – combines freshly brewed iced coffee with the taste of cookies and cream, and it’s served with a special pink and black straw. A large without cream has 230 calories, 1 gram of fat, 135 milligrams of sodium, 52 grams of carbohydrates, and 45 grams of sugar.

Undercover Black Cocoa Donut – a star-shaped donut filled with brownie batter butter creme and topped with chocolate icing and star sprinkles. One donut has 340 calories, 16 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 330 milligrams of sodium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, and 25 grams of sugar,

Chocolate Lunarmax Donut – a glazed chocolate cake donut with rich chocolate icing drizzle and star sprinkles. It has 400 calories, 24 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 400 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, and 21 grams of sugar.

Baskin-Robbins’ new items:

Pink Surprise Cake – a triple layer ice cream cake made of Oreo Cookies ‘n Cream ice cream sandwiched between two layers of Devil’s Food Cake and adorned with pink frosting roses.

Flavor of the Month Lunar Cheesecake – features green and white cheesecake ice cream with cheesecake bits and a crunchy graham cracker ribbon. A 2.5 ounce scoop has 180 calories, 11 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 100 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, and 16 grams of sugar.

Spacey Sundaes – the Lunar Lander sundae features Lunar Cheesecake ice cream topped with marshmallow, white cake pieces, graham crackers, caramel, whipped cream and a cherry, while the Agent 31 sundae is made up of Chocolate Fudge ice cream topped with brownie pieces, hot fudge, chocolate sprinkles, whipped cream and a cherry. The Lunar Lander sundae has 820 calories, 30 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 130 grams of carbohydrates, and 98 grams of sugar. The Agent 31 sundae has 850 calories, 40 grams of fat, 29 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 131 grams of carbohydrates, and 94 grams of sugar.

Triple Mocha Cappuccino Blast – a combination of cappuccino flavor base, milk, Chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrup blended with ice and topped with whipped cream and a chocolate drizzle. A 24-ounce size has 820 calories, 34 grams of fat, 24 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 131 grams of carbohydrates, and 90 grams of sugar.

Men in Black 3 opens on May 25th.

While Frito-Lay was making thicker Doritos and Ruffles, it appears they were also thinning Tostitos.

The new Tostitos Thins tortilla chips are not only thinner than regular Tostitos, but they also have a lighter texture. According to the press release, the new chips are, “made from corn that is stone-ground for a light and crispy texture and then lightly dusted with special seasonings to create the two flavors.”

What are those two flavors?

Lime & Salt and TexMex.

Okay, since they’re seasoned, people probably won’t dip them in salsa. But if party goers, game watchers, and movie buffs do stick these thinner chips in salsa or a cheese dip, expect the dip to turn into the Davy Jones’ Locker for broken chips.

Tostitos Thins are now available exclusively at Target stores nationwide through mid-July.

Have you ever regretted drinking a 40-ounce Slurpee?

I have. But only because of the excessive amounts of sugar I consumed and brain freezes, and not because a man of my age shouldn’t be drinking something called a Slurpee. Thankfully, there’s now Slurpee Lite, which is sugar free and has 50 percent fewer calories than some regular Slurpee flavors.

The first Slurpee Lite flavor is Fanta Sugar-Free Mango.

In order to be sugar free, the frozen beverage has to contain an artificial sweetener, and Fanta chose sucralose.

This isn’t the first time Slurpee has come out with a sugar-free version. There have been several sugar-free Slurpees in the past, like their Sugar Free Blueberry Splash and the Crystal Light flavors, but this is the first to be under the new Slurpee Lite label.

According to the Slurpee website, there are plans to introduce more Slurpee Lite flavors throughout the year.

Update: We’re received information about upcoming Slurpee Lite flavors. In July, Slurpee Lite Strawberry Banana will be released. And, in August, Slurpee Lite Cherry Limeade will become available.

A 12-ounce serving has 30 calories, 0 grams of fat, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, and 6.5 grams of fiber. Yes, I did just type 6.5 grams of fiber, which is more than 20 percent of your daily recommended intake for fiber.