Here are some new seasonal products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of them, share your thoughts in the comments.
(Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)
(Spotted by Robbie at CVS.)
(Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)
(Spotted by Amanda Y at Target.)
(Spotted by Amanda Y at Target.)
(Spotted by Rachel C at Walmart.)
Rockstar Unplugged?
Folks, the only Rockstar Unplugged I care about is Kurt Cobain circa 1993.
Oh, Me. That was Dumb. All Apologies.
And let’s just throw one more track from Nirvana’s classic MTV Unplugged setlist right here – Come as You Are… to this review of Rockstar’s new hemp seed-infused energy drinks!
Heh? No? Alright, alright, I’ll just review the drinks now.
Rockstar Unplugged is a new line of beverages that combine hemp seed oil, B vitamins, spearmint, and lemon balm for a “fruit-forward energy boost that helps maintain an easy-going, free-flowing and soul-fueling attitude for any mood or occasion.” Whew.
That contradicts what I expect from an energy drink, but whatever Bruh, I dig the vibe.
I tracked down two of the three flavors – Blueberry and Passion Fruit. Rockstar also released a Raspberry Cucumber variety, but no one told any store within a 20-mile radius of me.
Passion Fruit is a fruit I’ve never eaten, but a flavor I enjoy from various other drinks and candy.
For something called “Unplugged,” the yellow color is ELECTRIC. Unfortunately, the carbonation was weak, so the drink itself never lived up to the color’s vibrancy. It didn’t have that POP I was hoping for.
Taste-wise, it was just generic “tropical fruit,” and a bit too sweet. The flavor reminded me of those little hard guava candies you get after sushi dinners, if you know what I mean.
Blueberry looked and smelled incredible. I thought I was about to drink some Great Blue-dini Kool-Aid, which made me ponder – is blueberry a unique energy drink flavor? Normally when I see a blue energy drink, I expect some uber-masculine name like “Razzmatazz Haymaker” or “Electric Bluedriver,” but here we just get little old blueberry, and it succeeds.
It wasn’t too sweet, leaning more towards a slightly underripe blueberry flavor, but in no way bitter or sour. Not sure why, but the carbonation was also stronger. It “popped,” with a sharp taste that finished with a mellow, satisfying sweetness.
With that said, they both left a light coating in my mouth that I guess I’ll chalk up to the “herbal blend” and hemp seed oil? It wasn’t gross by any means, but was mildly off-putting.
In the end, they’re mid-tier energy drinks, but I’m glad Rockstar tried something new because I feel like they’re getting swallowed up by Red Bull, Monster, and Bang – which seems to have conquered about 75% of every convenience store I go to these days. (When did Bang explode on the scene?)
I drank both in the afternoon and never felt jittery at all. They kept me pretty alert for the rest of the day, so if that’s what adding hemp does to an energy drink, Rockstar Unplugged might be onto something big here. It was borderline Nirvana.
That’s what we call a “really bad callback.”
Overall, I like this concept, but I don’t think Red Bull is in any danger of losing my business. I’ll probably get the blueberry Unplugged a few times this summer, and I hope to find Raspberry Cucumber someday.
Purchased Price: $1.69 each
Size: 12 fl oz cans
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Blueberry), 5 out of 10 (Passion Fruit)
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, 50 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugars, 0 grams of protein, 1.53 milligrams of Vitamin B, and 80 milligrams of caffeine.
Have you ever tried to eat popcorn like how Chester Cheetah is doing it on the front of this bag? It’s not efficient. Sometimes you’ll get lucky and a piece of popcorn will land in the mouth or stick to the tongue, but for the most part, the tongue gets in the way. (Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)
It would be crazy if there’s one piece out there that was blasted by Banksy and no one would ever know because that piece was blindly eaten by an 10-year-old. (Spotted by Robbie at H-E-B.)
Emulating a breakfast staple, it’s fluffy pancakes in salted butter and Vermont maple syrup ice creams.
The side of the pint shares a heartwarming blurb on her inspiration — Young Jeni enjoyed freshly tapped maple syrup, from her grandparents’ trees, with a triple stack of buttermilk pancakes. She soaked them until they became a syrupy, sweet mush.
Buddy the Elf would approve and count this as part of his syrup food group!
After pulling back the lid, I could immediately see two swirl colors – a cream one and a light brown sugar-esque one.
From tasting it, the darker part was unmistakably the maple syrup ice cream. It had a light and caramel-like flavor. However, it wasn’t cloying like caramel can get sometimes. Could I tell that it was from Vermont? Nope, but I can appreciate Jeni’s attention to detail. What I can also appreciate is how one manages to freeze real maple syrup without it crystallizing or diminishing the flavor! Food magics.
By the process of elimination, I anticipated the lighter part to be the salted butter portion. It didn’t really have a pronounced taste, but my taste buds did pick up the saltiness.
The pancake was swirled throughout. But the adjective fluffy should really be in quotes because it creates unrealistic expectations! They were also more like pancake pieces, or in today’s snack vernacular, they could be considered pancake bites. The texture was fine. They were crumby, so they reminded me a bit of stale pancakes, but at least they weren’t frozen solid. I found myself hunting for them like cookie dough pieces in vanilla ice cream, but it was a lot more difficult because these were practically camouflaged.
Altogether, this was pretty good and unique from what’s in the ice cream aisle today! I also always appreciate creamy ice cream that’s easy to scoop, with a spoon, right out of the freezer.
Since day one, Jeni’s has been faithful to her philosophy of high-quality ingredients. All her cream comes from grass-fed cows from a local Ohio milk producer. None of her ice creams have stabilizers, emulsifiers, or corn syrup! Even for the color of this specific flavor, she used hibiscus, apple, and carrot to achieve it. We pay a pretty premium for this, but I think it’s worth it!
While Jeni’s is relatively new to grocery store shelves, she’s been rockin’ it since 2002. If you get a chance to visit one of her 40+ locations, there are scoop shop exclusives (shameless plug for the Pear Riesling Sorbet paired with the Darkest Chocolate ice cream)!
I didn’t need a unique breakfast flavor analog like this to convince me to eat ice cream for breakfast, but I enjoyed the idea AND execution of this.
Purchased Price: $12
Size: 1 pint (473 mL)
Purchased at: Jeni’s Website
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 serving – 2/3 cup or 123g) 300 calories, 18 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 320 milligrams of sodium, 35 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 28 grams of sugar, and 6 grams of protein.
