4 Other Things I Consumed This Week: 10/31/2025

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Spylt Caffeinated Chocolate Milk

Spylt Caffeinated Chocolate Milk

Several folks recently sent me Spotted photos of this Spylt caffeinated milk that comes in several flavors, but it’s been around for a couple of years, so I didn’t post them. It seems only now has it seen a wider rollout.

I’m pretty sure somewhere in one of the thousands of posts on this site, I wished for a caffeinated chocolate milk, and the Caffeinated Chocolate Milk Fairy made my wish come true. But not only does this have 60 milligrams of caffeine, it also has 20 grams of protein, so it’s killing two birds with one Spylt for me. With that much protein, you might think you’re going to get protein shake vibes from this, but it tastes and has a creaminess like the chocolate milk I grew up drinking. It gets its protein from ultrafiltered milk, which is the same process used to make Fairlife milk.

But that’s not all with this chocolate milk. It also has no sugar and only 0.5 grams of fat, which is hard to believe given how good it tastes. Although, as it got warm, I could taste a hint of the sucralose and ace-K at the back end of a sip. Definitely worth a try, and I’ll probably give other flavors a taste.

Kirkland Signature Caramel Brownie Sundae

Kirkland Signature Caramel Brownie Sundae

I blame gravity for this sundae looking the way it does because when it was first handed to me, I could see the caramel syrup sticking to the sides of the cup. But stupid gravity did what stupid gravity does during the 15-minute drive home from Costco, and most of the syrup pooled at the bottom of the cup.

But that’s okay, gravity, because your involvement didn’t affect how much I liked this treat. First, it’s only $2.99 for ice cream, salted caramel sauce, and brownie chunks. That’s cheap. That’s cheaper than a mini Dairy Queen Blizzard, which is half the size of this sundae.

The salted caramel sauce wasn’t overly sweet, but it wasn’t salty or buttery either. The brownie pieces were chewy and chocolatey, but I wish there were more, since I felt like half the spoonfuls I took didn’t have a brownie in them. So I guess the Blizzard wins in the mix-ins department. However, despite those issues, this is a satisfying dessert, and I see myself picking it up again when I need something sweet to follow a salty slice of Costco pepperoni pizza.

Totino’s Buffalo-Style Chicken Pizza Ramen Noodles

Totino's Buffalo-Style Chicken Pizza Ramen Noodles

This wasn’t awful, but I didn’t even finish everything. Once I had eaten most of the noodles, I dumped whatever soup was left into the sink. The thought of drinking watered-down Buffalo sauce isn’t my cup of watered-down Buffalo sauce. There’s no mistaking the Buffalo flavor, and there’s a mild spicy kick, but I didn’t notice a chicken flavor.

The thought, “What should I expect for something that’s around a dollar?” popped into my head. But then again, I find 50-cent ramen packets better tasting and more enjoyable than this. Oh, I should mention that this was sent to me by General Mills, and receiving a complimentary sample did not affect my review. (Amber reviewed this earlier this year.)

Monster Bad Apple Energy Juice

Monster Bad Apple Energy Juice in a glass

We just posted Jenna’s review of this yesterday, but I also want to sing its praises. As I’ve mentioned above, I’ve wanted a caffeinated chocolate milk for a while now, but the thought of caffeinated apple juice has never crossed my mind. This drink isn’t 100% apple juice infused with caffeine and carbonation. It’s only 6 percent juice, but it tastes like apple juice. Actually, with the carbonation, I got more of a sparkling apple cider vibe from it.

Because there isn’t much juice, you aren’t getting the vitamins you’d get from apple juice.  Instead, you get the same B vitamins you’d get from any Monster Energy Drink. I do wish it were vitamin C-fortified, but the 160 milligrams of caffeine more than make up for it. I still haven’t had a bad Monster Juice flavor, and this Bad Apple continues that streak. 

5 Other Things I Consumed This Week: 10/24/2025

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7-Eleven Hawaii Pickle Juice Slurpee

7-Eleven Hawaii Pickle Juice Slurpee

This one came out at the same time as the Cinnamon Toast one I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. Oddly, I was more curious about this one because I’ve been enjoying all the pickle-flavored products that have crossed my taste buds. However, I will not be purchasing this Slurpee ever again, and I regret getting a medium size instead of a small.

Look, it tasted like sweet pickle juice. It was, as the kids I totally made up like to say, sou-weet. But I wish that sweetness was a bit stronger to tame that sourness, much like with the pickle mochi ice cream I had a few years ago. Even though I got a medium Slurpee, I did end up finishing it, but not in one sitting or two. After my initial tasting, I put it in the freezer and ate chunks over the next couple of days. But that cup was all I’ll be sticking into my mouth.

Slate Mocha Latte High Protein Iced Coffee

Slate Mocha Latte High Protein Iced Coffee

Protein plus calcium plus caffeine? That sounds like my kind of drink to give me a shortcut to reach my protein and calcium goals while still drinking my usual amount of caffeine. However, I’m not too high on this high-protein coffee’s flavor and texture.

Its consistency when I swirl it around in a glass doesn’t match what it feels like in my mouth. In a glass, it’s creamy, but in my mouth, it’s almost like water. The can states that there is no carrageenan, which explains how it feels in my mouth. As for its flavor, it doesn’t have a punch like other coffee drinks. I guess “flat” would be the best way to describe it, and I assume the stevia and monk fruit sweeteners are the reason for that.

However, it tastes okay and thankfully its texture isn’t gritty, so I could turn a blind tongue to its lacking taste and texture because of the 20 grams of protein, 550 milligrams of calcium, and 175 milligrams of caffeine.

Celsius Spritz Vibe Snowball Frost Energy Drink

Celsius Spritz Vibe Snowball Frost Energy Drink

This is the second Celsius flavor I’ve ever had. I don’t even remember the first one I had. With that said, I’m not saying Celsius Energy Drinks are unmemorable, because I do remember that first one was tasty.

I will not forget this Snowball Frost seasonal flavor because I’m writing about it here for posterity. But I also won’t forget about it because this flavor seems weird to me. With a name like “Snowball Frost,” I expected it to have a wintery flavor or a taste that matches the colors of winter, like a blue raspberry or blueberry to convey cold weather. Instead, it’s citrusy, which I do not associate with winter. I usually think of anything citrus as a summer flavor. However, I’m not quite sure what citrus fruit I’m tasting. I’m thinking possibly tangerine. It’s not OMG delicious, and I won’t cry tears of sadness when it disappears in spring. If you do see me tearing up, it’s because of my allergies.

Joyride Sour Blue Raspberry Strips

Joyride Sour Blue Raspberry Strips

I’ve been rolling my eyes at Joyride candies ever since they came out because of how little sugar they contain. How can CANDY with little sugar taste good? But after tasting these sour strips, I’m going to have to eat my words, which I’ll substitute with more Joyride candy. 

Because I didn’t give this candy the time of day, I didn’t know it had fiber. This package, which has just six sour strips, has 12 grams of fiber, which is 40 percent of your daily recommended amount. DANG! Yes, it’s much better to get fiber from actual food, but it feels like magic to get it from candy.

But the candy doesn’t taste like it has much fiber. It’s one or two levels of sourness below Sour Patch Kids, but it has a flavor that’s almost as good. And it does it with only 5 grams of sugar. As someone who’s trying to sneak more fiber in my diet, I think I’ll be taking more Joyride flavors for a joyride.

Cove Smurfberry Probiotic Soda

Cove Smurfberry Soda

Bacillus subtilis DE111 is a probiotic. It’s also now in my search engine history with “bison vs buffalo,” “Jason Statham catchphrases,” and “[REDACTED].”

I bought this soda for the probiotics and the Smurfs, but was a little smurfed at the lack of fiber since, as you’ve read above, I’m trying to find ways to sneak the nutrient into my body. I’m also extremely smurfed that this beverage is clear, with no hint of Smurf color. What the smurf is up with that?

According to the can, Smurfberry is supposed to taste like blue raspberry, and it does give me Louie-Bloo Raspberry Otter Pop vibes, but it’s subdued like it’s been watered down a little. It tastes good enough that I’m slightly curious about the other flavors in Cove’s cove. 

5 Other Things I Consumed This Week: 10/17/2025

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Limited Edition Happy Tate’s Bake Shop Chocolatey Chip Latte

Even though I’ve known about this product for a while now, I didn’t intend to buy it because I didn’t want to spend the time writing 400-500 words about it. There are bigger fish to review. But starting these posts that review several products in one, along with its $1.99 price tag, changed my mind.

After trying it, I’m glad I started these posts with mini reviews because this is pretty gosh darn good. It’s a coffee drink made with arabica coffee, but it’s difficult to believe because it totally tastes like some fancy chocolate chip cookie-flavored chocolate milk. I don’t notice any coffee flavor, but I do notice chocolate and notes of brown butter. 

Does this make me happy? Yes.

Kirkland Signature Combo Calzone

I wasn’t planning to try this after Vin’s review, but my wife ended up getting one. Since it’s large enough for two people, she let me try some of hers. 

Its exterior reminds me of Costco’s Chicken Bake, which is my least favorite item on the food court menu because my taste buds find its filling bland. This calzone has a filling that tastes like a supreme pizza (although I wish it had more cheese), it’s cleaner to eat than a pizza slice, it’s filling, and I like its flavor. However, at $6.99, it’s one of the priciest options on the menu, which always gives me pause since I can get three pizza slices or four hot dogs for the same price. I think it’s good enough to order once in a while, but I really wish Costco would bring back its combo slice.

Protein Pop Blue Raspberry Clear Protein Drink

The name Protein Pop makes you think this is soda (or pop, if you live in specific regions). But it’s not. It’s a non-carbonated, clear protein drink. 

Protein Pop comes in four flavors: Watermelon, Peach, Pina Colada, and Blue Raspberry. I picked up the Blue Raspberry one from a decimated end cap with a whole lot of Blue Raspberry, a little Watermelon, one Pina Colada, and no Peach. A can has 22 grams of protein and, thanks to stevia, zero sugar. 

It has an aroma that brings blue raspberry candy to mind, and a taste that reminds me of raspberry or mixed berry Greek yogurt. I’m not sure if that yogurt-like tanginess is coming from the fruit flavor or the whey protein isolate that gives this drink its 22 grams of protein. However, I do absolutely know that the whey gives the beverage a texture that lets you know it has protein in it. It’s not gritty, but it’s not smooth like drinking juice or something similar.

Now, I’m not sure if it’s the flavor or texture that’s responsible for this, but I didn’t notice the stevia at all—thumbs up.

While I’m not sure I like the name Protein Pop because it’s not a soda, I do enjoy its flavor enough that I might give the other varieties a try, if that end cap gets restocked.

Progresso Pitmaster Sausage & Beer Cheese with Potatoes Soup

It just dawned on me that Progresso’s Pitmaster line has an appropriate name for what it’s competing with. It’s being pitted against Campbell’s Chunky soups. Both soups eat like a meal, with generous portions of meat and vegetables in cans that are as hearty as the soup inside them. I received this, and a few other Pitmaster varieties, from the folks at General Mills and ate it with a turkey melt sandwich that General Mills did not provide. 

Since my wife shared her Kirkland Signature Combo Calzone with me, I shared this soup with her, and she said out loud what I thought in my head when we first tasted it: “It kind of tastes like queso.” But with the sausage and potatoes floating in it, it’s more like a chunky queso. The sausages give it a tiny peppery kick, and the plentiful potatoes were pleasantly soft, but not crumbling when I chewed on them. It was a tasty soup to dip my turkey melt sandwich into.

RXBar High Protein Strawberry Peanut Butter Bars

I did not enjoy my first go around with this protein bar. I was halfway through it when I decided I was done and offered the rest to my wife. My taste buds were not getting any pleasure from eating this bar. The only pleasure I ever really got from this bar, and every other one with around 20 grams of protein, is knowing that I’ve taken a shortcut to getting double-digit amounts of protein without much effort. It’s like a lifehack.

With every one of them, I wouldn’t say their flavors are good, and I also wouldn’t say they are horrible, but my mouth has never said, “Mmmmm” when eating a high-protein bar. Sarcastically, it has. Even the Oreo one I tried weeks ago couldn’t muster a yum.

However, I did give it another try and, um, enjoyed it? No. “Enjoyed” is too strong a word. I powered through the whole bar and thought it was tolerable. The peanut butter tastes and feels like dried-out natural peanut butter that hasn’t been mixed with the oil that comes with it. There’s a natural strawberry flavor from real berries, but part of me wishes it were a fruit spread instead, or something with a bit more moisture, because this bar is dryyyyyy. I mean, that’s the case with most of these high-protein bars, but this one seemed particularly so. I don’t know if that’s the peanut butter or the pea protein. With every bite, my thirst seemed to get stronger, and when I eventually finished, I had to chug a lot of water.

Maybe it’s time to stop eating these high-protein bars and just consume meat chunks or non-carbonated clear protein drinks instead.

5 Other Things I Consumed This Week: 10/10/25

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7-Eleven Hawaii Cinnamon Toast Slurpee

7-Eleven Hawaii Cinnamon Toast Slurpee

I know the place card for the Slurpee is janky, but this flavor is decent. I’m not sure if it’s trying to replicate the cereal, but if it is, I don’t think it quite hits the mark. It has that hot cinnamon flavor, but without the hot. It’s kind of like a very mild Big Red chewing gum flavor. It’s a good attempt, but since it doesn’t seem to use actual cinnamon, its flavor isn’t quite comparable to the cereal. With that said, this was an enjoyable slushie, and its flavor is good enough that I might pick up another one before it disappears. However, I don’t know if you can tell, but there’s another new flavor with a janky place card that I’ll probably try next week..

Alani Nu Hawaiian Shaved Ice Energy Drink

Alani Nu Hawaiian Shave Ice Energy Drink

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been loving my journey through the Alani Nu energy drink flavors. However, that journey has hit a bit of a snag. While this flavor is good, it’s also too sweet for me. I mean, all the Alani Nu flavors I’ve tried are sweet, but this one goes over the edge. The flavor tastes like a combination of strawberry, pineapple, and vanilla, with a hint of coconut and a flavor that reminds me of the wooden spoon that comes with shave ice. It’s definitely not a flavor I’d repurchase.

Wonderful Chocolate Covered Pistachios

Wonderful Pistachios Chocolate Sea Salt and Chocolate Toffee

I received free samples of these from Wonderful in the two varieties available: Chocolate Toffee and Chocolate Sea Salt. Both are coated in dark chocolate. These are, um, what’s a word that would best describe these? Wicked. The good wicked. Wicked good. Or maybe Wicked Elphaba Good because the pistachios are green? If I had to pick between the two, I’d pick Chocolate Toffee over Chocolate Sea Salt. The latter definitely hits the sweet and salty spot, but I enjoyed the mild butteriness of the toffee more.

Mela Watermelon Water + Pineapple

Mela Watermelon Water + Pineapple

I picked this up after playing a round of mini golf on the least crazy mini golf course ever. No windmills. No mystery tunnels. No walls to bank off of. I was thirsty dealing with the heat, humidity, speed of the greens, and the fact that I haven’t touched a putter in over a decade. This tasted like I squashed watermelon with my hands because I was frustrated with taking 12 strokes on one hole, letting the juices go through a strainer, and into a glass. The pineapple is milder than the watermelon, so it was kind of easy to miss. Perhaps it tasted like I squeezed a pineapple wedge with my bare hands to let out my frustration for taking 11 strokes on another hole. While I suck at mini golf at this particular course, this watermelon water with a hint of pineapple did not suck.

Humm Mango Passionfruit Probiotic Kombucha

Humm Mango Passionfruit Probiotic Kombucha

My parents have a habit of picking up random stuff at Costco, even if they have no idea what it is. For example, they bought a case of Alani Nu Energy Drink, not realizing it contained 200 milligrams of caffeine per can. Another example is this kombucha from Humm. They picked it up based on the flavor combination, but didn’t know what kombucha was. So when my parents offered this to me during this week’s visit to my childhood home, I had to educate my parents about the fermented drink, which was one of the better-tasting kombuchas I’ve ever had. Sometimes kombucha has a light alcoholic vibe to it because of the fermentation, but I didn’t notice that with this one. It had a taste and feel that’s more like a probiotic soda than a kombucha, with a sweet mango flavor and a bit of tartness from the passionfruit. It’s decent enough that I’m kind of glad my parents impulsively bought this.

10 Other Things I Consumed (September 2025 Edition)

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Here are ten other things I consumed last month that I felt like writing about:

Woodstock Organic Banana Water

Woodstock Organic Banana Water.

At the beginning of the month, a reader sent in a Spotted photo for Banagua Banana Water. Given that I go bananas over banana-flavored products, I really wanted to try it. However, I didn’t find it at my local Safeway. However, while browsing the Japanese drinks at one of the grocery stores near my place, I happened to come across Woodstock Organic Banana Water, and yes, that is the overripe banana color of the water in the can. I assure you, I did not pull that water from a storm drain after heavy rains.

While it’s not appetizing to look at, its flavor is unmistakably banana, and not the artificial kind. Of course, that makes sense since the only ingredient is bananas. However, I didn’t know bananas could hold so much water. While I thought it was good, I don’t think I’d ever repurchase it. If I want to drink a banana, I’d just blend one in a smoothie.

Nerds Gummy Clusters Cherry Lemonade Blitz

Nerds Gummy Clustsers Cherry Lemonade Blitz.

Despite initially thinking this was a silly idea when I first heard about it years ago, Nerds Gummy Clusters are one of my favorite candies to sneak from my son’s Halloween and goodie bag stashes. I love the contrasting textures and fruity flavors. However, this particular flavor was kind of a letdown. I expected a blitz of cherry and lemonade, but it had a more nondescript fruity flavor that I couldn’t quite convince myself was anything else. Maybe the Candy Gods made it that way to get back at me for stealing my kid’s candy? With that said, I enjoyed crunching and chewing through the entire bag, but I wouldn’t pick it up again.

Bloom Crisp Apple Sparkling Energy Drink

Bloom Crisp Apple Sparkling Energy Drink.

My goodness, this limited edition flavor is super yummy. I don’t taste any of the apple cider vinegar that’s in it, unlike a bunch of Poppi soda flavors I’ve had. And it has such a crisp apple taste with ZERO apple juice. That is…I don’t know what that is. Magic? Science? Magical science? Scientific magic? Sorry, I’m super amped up because, as I mentioned before, this tastes wonderful, and it’s given me a boost with 180 milligrams of caffeine from green coffee bean extract.

What I don’t like about it is how it says it has prebiotic fiber, but it’s only ONE GRAM. Any can of Olipop would roll their tab at that number. And that one gram comes from a source that partially sounds like the worst Marvel villain ever: Galactomannan prebiotic fiber. Yes, one gram is more than almost every energy drink in existence, but with the existence of Olipop and its cans that have more fiber than most of us get per day, I expect more.

Bugles Salt & Vinegar

Bugles Salt & Vinegar.

I love salt & vinegar chips, but these did not do it for me because their salt and vinegar flavor is so mild. I want the vinegar to whip my taste buds awake. I want my mouth to taste enough vinegar that when I talk, it smells like a Filipino kitchen preparing some delicious adobo. I did not get that hit of vinegar that I’ve experienced with almost every bag of salt and vinegar potato chips I’ve ever had. If I got another free bag of these (Disclosure: I got a free sample from General Mills), I’d give it away. Give it away. Give it away now.

Bugles Hidden Valley Ranch

Bugles Hidden Valley Ranch.

While I’d give away a bag of Bugles Salt & Vinegar, I’d probably keep a bag of Bugles Hidden Valley Ranch if General Mills sent me another one. (Disclosure: I got a free sample.) This one has a stronger flavor than the Salt & Vinegar one, although, with that said, I wish it were a bit more potent. Maybe that’s just how seasoned Bugles are?

Chex Mix Oreo Muddy Buddies

Chex Mix Oreo Muddy Buddies.

I’m sad this doesn’t come in a bigger bag because I demolished this quickly. According to the bag, these Muddy Buddies are made with real Oreo cookie wafers, and my taste buds believe it. They noticed that darker chocolatey note that Oreo wafers have. And that sugar coating on every piece, which causes the Oreo crumbs to stick to the Chex cereal, brings a sweet, sugary kick that does a great job of standing in for the Oreo’s creme filling. (Disclosure: I got a free sample from General Mills.)

Taco Bell Cheesy Melt Grilled Steak Burrito

Taco Bell Cheesy Melt Grilled Steak Burrito.

It’s no longer on the menu, but the list of ingredients in this sounds like it could’ve been a previous product with a different name or a future product with a different name. There’s seasoned steak, seasoned rice, a three-cheese blend, reduced fat sour cream, and a creamy jalapeno sauce in a flour tortilla. The other burrito that came out the same time as this one, the Chipotle Ranch Grilled Steak Burrito (which I didn’t try), sounded more fun with its steak, lettuce, fiesta strips, cheese, avocado ranch sauce, chipotle sauce, and pico de gallo in a flour tortilla. It had an advertised price of three dollars, which is surprisingly not bad. However, I paid $4.49 for mine. As for its flavor, it tasted much like how its ingredients list looked: familiar. I liked it. It had a decent amount of filling, and I’d order it again if it ever comes back with a new name.

Alani Nu Witch’s Brew Energy Drink

Alani Nu Witch's Brew Energy Drink.

Our reviewer, Sean, convinced me to try this, which has appeared every fall for several years now. Actually, this year marks the first time I’ve tried Alani Nu energy drinks, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by them. Cotton Candy…crazy delicious. Watermelon Wave…wonderful. Sherbet Swirl…succulent. Witch’s Brew…why have I gone so many years without trying this? This caramel apple energy drink, a rare flavor in the energy drink world, is marvelous, and I can see myself revisiting it every year when it returns for the Halloween season.

Oreo Reese’s Cookies

Oreo Reese's Cookies OTIC.

Here’s a second opinion about these cookies. You can read our original review, written by Tiffany, by clicking here if you missed it. To me, there are two types of Reese’s peanut butter. There’s the stuff that gets stuffed into every “Reese’s” product that is Reese’s flavored, and then there’s the filling in the actual peanut butter cups, bunnies, pumpkins, ghosts, nutcrackers, eggs, trees, and whatever seasonal shapes Hershey’s will come up with in the future. To me, they taste different. With that said, these cookies, with their Reese’s peanut butter-flavored filling, don’t bring Reese’s to mind. It does bring to mind Oreo Peanut Butter Cookies, which are damn delicious, and I’d eat one off the floor if it were on there for less than five seconds, because I’m not going to let a wonderful-tasting cookie that was on the floor for only four seconds go to waste.

ZOA Frosted Grape Energy Drink

Zoa Frosted Grape Energy Drink.

I haven’t had a ZOA Energy Drink since I reviewed the original one back in 2021. But in case you haven’t noticed from this post, I’m apparently on my 2025 Energy Drink Tasting Tour. This particular zero sugar energy drink tasted great, and I loved the grape flavor. However, I did notice the artificial sweeteners a bit, which is something I don’t get with Monster Ultra Violet. It contains 160 milligrams of caffeine, derived from green tea and green coffee extract, making it an excellent option for those seeking a grape-flavored energy drink with more natural energy sources.

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