REVIEW LIGHTNING ROUND (STORE BRAND EDITION) – 2/5/2013

CVS Pharmacy revamped their Gold Emblem line of snacks and they sent us a bunch. Here are quick reviews of a few of them:

Gold Emblem Classic Blend Trail Mix

Closeup View

Item: Gold Emblem Classic Blend Trail Mix
Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 16 ounces
Purchased at: Received from CVS Pharmacy
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Really good. Uses real M&M’s. Has a lot of peanuts, raisins, and M&M’s. FreshLock zipper is strong enough to turn bag into pillow on trail. No trans fat.
Cons: Basic trail mix. Could use more cashews and almonds. Having to share these with others on a trail. Raisins weren’t very plump. Makes horrible markers to trace your way through a forest because they’ll be eaten by forest creatures.

Gold Emblem Dark Chocolate Covered Jumbo Cashews

Closeup View

Item: Gold Emblem Dark Chocolate Covered Jumbo Cashews
Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 10.5 ounces
Purchased at: Received from CVS Pharmacy
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Good. Decent dark chocolate. A little addictive. Thick coating of dark chocolate. Decent source of fiber. 50 percent cacao (I think this is a good thing). I can pretend I’m eating human kidneys.
Cons: Cashews weren’t very crunchy and their flavor got lost in the chocolate most of the time. Cashews were normal sized, chocolate made them look bigger. Contained several opposite of jumbo cashews.

Gold Emblem Black Cherry Flavored Sparking Water

Item: Gold Emblem Black Cherry Flavored Sparking Water
Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 33.8 fl. ounces
Purchased at: Received from CVS Pharmacy
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Pleasant cherry aroma. Decent mild cherry flavor at first. Calorie free. Fat free. Clear.
Cons: Flavor becomes less appealing the more I drink it. Weak carbonation. Loses whatever carbonation it has really fast. Artificial sweeteners seems to leave a coat in my mouth. Contains no juice. Caffeine free.

Gold Emblem Absolute Divine Chocolate Chip Cookies

Closeup View

Item: Gold Emblem Absolute Divine Chocolate Chip Cookies
Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 10.6 ounces
Purchased at: Received from CVS Pharmacy
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Surprisingly, they’re slightly better than Chips Ahoy. Addictive. Bigger chocolate chips than Chips Ahoy. Loaded with chocolate chips. No trans fat. Ate half the box in one sitting.
Cons: Not absolutely divine. I had divine cookies and these aren’t even divine. As bad for you as Chips Ahoy. Packaging isn’t resealable. Forgetting to try them after microwaving them for 10 seconds. Ate half the box in one sitting.