Category: Reviews

REVIEW: Cheez-It Grooves Scorchin’ Hot Cheddar Crackers

Marvo

Cheez It Grooves Scorchin Hot Cheddar Box

“Scorchin’ Hot” sounds like a store brand attempt at a flavor that’s supposed to taste and burn like Frito-Lay’s Flamin’ Hot. Oh wait, it turns out Walmart used it. I guess it’s going to be super awkward when Walmart comes out with a Great Value version of Cheez-It’s new Grooves Scorchin’ Hot Cheddar Crackers that uses the same flavor name.

For those of you who don’t follow crunch snack crackers, Grooves are an offshoot of the Cheez-It line that debuted several years ago. The cheesy flavors that I’ve tried have been decent to good. Although I haven’t tried the Hot & Spicy variety, so I don’t know how “extra hot” these are. When it comes to the crunch, Grooves are somewhere between regular Cheez-It crackers and Wheat Thins.

Cheez It Grooves Scorchin Hot Cheddar Red

This Scorchin’ Hot Cheddar flavor is as light on the cheesiness as any Flamin’ Hot product. It’s not the first thing your mouth will notice when you start eating it. That honor goes to the heat. It’s not Flamin’ Hot-spicy, but it’s more like two or three levels below that.

With products that have the spicy Frito-Lay seasoning, there’s a point where I have to stop because my mouth gets a bit too hot. But with these Cheez-It Grooves, I ate them at a scorching pace without the need for something to soothe my mouth. Of course, your eating speed may vary based on your mouth’s heat tolerance.

But it’s not only hot spices and cheese that I taste. There’s also hints of garlic and onion powder, which are also in Flamin’ Hot seasoning but are much more noticeable with these crackers. While these aren’t as spicy as Flamin’ Hot, they have a more well-rounded flavor. Although I’ve made fun of its name, I do enjoy these crackers.

Cheez It Grooves Scorchin Hot Cheddar Pale

As much as I like this Cheez-It Grooves flavor, I do find the underlying cracker’s paleness to be a bit odd. They are made with rice flour, so I understand why they might be that way, but I don’t remember any other Grooves flavors being so pale. It also doesn’t help that the crackers aren’t entirely coated with seasoning and that its dark red color makes the paleness stands out even more.

Purchased Price: $2.89
Size: 9 oz.
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (18 crackers) 130 calories, 6 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 3 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 1 gram of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 270 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, less than 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Reese’s Ultimate Peanut Butter Lovers

Marvo 24 Comments

Reese s Ultimate Peanut Butter Lovers Wrapper

I’m someone who slightly prefers seasonal holiday item-shaped Reese’s products over regular Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

These non-cup shapes that I pick up at 50 percent off the day after the holiday include Trees, Pumpkins, Ghosts, Eggs, Bats, Hearts, Bunnies, Holiday Lights, Stockings, Santas, Carrots, and probably sometime in the future, witch hats and cats. Just throwing those out there, Hershey’s.

I think I enjoy the shaped ones more because they seem to have a different peanut butter to chocolate ratio than the cups. Or perhaps getting them at 50 percent off is the reason they taste extra special.

Anyhoo, I do love that unique sweet and salty Reese’s nutty filling, which I believe my taste buds notice more with the seasonal Reese’s. That’s why Reese’s new Ultimate Peanut Butter Lovers Cups that are entirely coated in a peanut butter-flavored candy intrigue me.

Oh, um, don’t get this confused with Reese’s Peanut Butter Lovers that have been on and off shelves over the past few years (currently on, I believe). The non-monogamous shell on those is part-chocolate and part-peanut butter candy-flavored.

Reese s Ultimate Peanut Butter Lovers Shell

Nibbling the top of the ridged edges of these reveals the tan shell with faint brown specks has a mild nutty flavor similar to the gritty filling within it. Because they taste alike, the peanut butter flavor is taken to another level. It creates a delectable treat for Reese’s peanut butter fans. Also, at times, it reminds me of a White Reese’s, but one with a less sweet shell. Because of my previously mentioned Reese’s peanut butter adoration, I do love these light brown cups.

Reese s Ultimate Peanut Butter Lovers Filling

However, I will admit the chocolate and PB combination that make up the original Reese’s (and all holiday shapes) is hard to beat. The whole reason why we love Reese’s is because of the two ingredients. But it’s nice to be able to experience a product that’s as close as we’ll get to having a shell-less peanut butter cup.

Reese’s Ultimate Peanut Butter Lovers is the “ultimate” Reese’s product for peanut butter fans. Well, again, unless The Hershey Company discovers a way to make its popular candy shell-less.

DISCLOSURE: I received free product samples from The Hershey Company. Doing so did not influence my review.

Reese’s Ultimate Peanut Butter Lovers Cups will be rolled out in standard (1.4oz, SRP $1.09), king size (2.8oz, SRP $1.79) and miniatures (9.3oz, SRP $4.09) at retailers nationwide beginning in early April 2021 for a limited time.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 1.4 oz/2 cups
Purchased at: Received from Reese’s
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 pieces) 210 calories, 13 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 156 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 15 grams of sugar, 13 grams of added sugar, and 7 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Strawberry Ice Cream Cone Hershey’s Kisses

Brandon 16 Comments

Limited Edition Strawberry Ice Cream Cone Hershey s Kisses Pouch

What are Strawberry Ice Cream Cone Hershey’s Kisses?

Hershey’s newest Kiss is a straightforward take on a classic summer sweet -— a strawberry ice cream cone. The package suggests that it is “strawberry flavored creme and cookies.” See, the cookies are little crunchy bits meant to mimic “cone,” and the strawberry flavored creme… well, you get it.

How are they?

Delightful. Though the smell made me a little leery with its plastic artificialness (think “lip gloss being marketed to 6-year-old girls”), the taste was exactly what you’d expect -— a Hershey’s Kiss engineered to invoke strawberry ice cream. (In a cone, even.)

Limited Edition Strawberry Ice Cream Cone Hershey s Kisses Innards

The strawberry tastes less artificial than the smell would lead you to believe. The crunch of the cookie bits provides a nice textural contrast from the creme’s silkiness. They are sweet, but it’s subtle.

Anything else you need to know?

Limited Edition Strawberry Ice Cream Cone Hershey s Kisses Creme

These things are weirdly flesh-colored. So, yeah, sorry for pointing that out, but once I realized it, I couldn’t unsee it. Therefore, if you have an aversion to flesh-colored foods, you’ll probably want to pass. (Is that an actual thing? Probably. I feel like everything is a thing these days.)

Conclusion:

Limited Edition Strawberry Ice Cream Cone Hershey s Kisses Foil

These Kisses remind me of the Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars we could buy at lunch during elementary, middle, and high school. If you like those — or at least want to relive the glory days that were your middle school years — you’ll likely enjoy these, too. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to find my No Fear shirts.

Purchased Price: $3.69
Size: 9 oz. bag
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (7 Kisses) 160 calories, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 40 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates,0 grams of dietary fiber, 15 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein

REVIEW: Cheez-It Loaded Popcorn

BrandonP 10 Comments

Cheez It Loaded Popcorn Bags

What is Cheez-It Loaded Popcorn?

The well-known cheese cracker brand, turning 100 years old in 2021, branches out to test its flavors on popcorn. While Cheez-It uses the term “Loaded” in bold print, the popcorn comes in the two very straightforward flavors of cheddar and white cheddar.

How is it?

Cheez It Loaded Popcorn Cheddar

When first trying the cheddar popcorn, the initial salty notes were quickly followed by an unexpected hit of sweetness. I had to double-check the bag to see if Cheez-It was attempting “Chicago-style,” where they mix caramel and cheese popcorn together. Nope. It’s just a surprisingly odd flavor to cheddar popcorn. It took some effort to get past the unusual taste to even recognize the subtle cheese flavor in the Cheez-It Loaded Cheddar Popcorn. Even after eating, an unpleasant mixture of flavors lingers in the mouth.

Cheez It Loaded Popcorn White Cheddar

The flavor of the white cheddar popcorn is far more recognizable and satisfying. The Cheez-It Loaded White Cheddar Popcorn instantly delivers on salty and sharp, almost Parmesan, notes of aged white cheddar. The sweetness, while still present, is more forgivable when it is properly counterbalanced by the more tangy cheese flavor as well as hints of onion and garlic. Overall the popcorn delivers a decent flavor that might not be a new go-to snack but will have you reaching for a second handful.

Anything else you need to know?

Cheez-It opted for all mushroom-shaped kernels, the more uniform globe shape, as opposed to butterfly-shaped. This means the Cheez-It Loaded Popcorn is slightly less tender but is said to have far less tiny pieces accumulating at the bottom of the bag. My bag of white cheddar still had a generous amount of broken pieces on the bottom. I never came close to the bottom of the cheddar flavor.

Conclusion:

As a child, I was always thrilled when my family would be gifted a large popcorn tin for the holidays with a cardboard insert that would separate the plain buttered, caramel, and cheese popcorn. Reminiscent of Homer Simpson eating all the chocolate out of numerous cartons of Neapolitan ice cream, my brother and I would devour the cheese section to the bottom of the tin while the others remained largely untouched.

If you share my love for cheesy popcorn, you could do worse than Cheez-It Loaded White Cheddar Popcorn. In fact, worse will be displayed right next to it in cheddar flavor.

Purchased Price: $3.99 each
Size: 6 oz bags
Purchased at: Lucky Supermarket
Rating: 3 out of 10 (Cheddar), 6 out of 10 (White Cheddar)
Nutrition Facts: (2 cups/31 grams) Cheddar – 170 Calories, 12 grams fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat, less than 5 milligrams cholesterol, 300 milligrams sodium, 14 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams dietary fiber, 1 gram total sugars, 3 grams protein. White Cheddar – 170 Calories, 12 grams fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat, less than 5 milligrams cholesterol, 270 milligrams sodium, 15 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams dietary fiber, 2 grams total sugars, 3 grams protein.

REVIEW: Pepsi Mango

Julie 20 Comments

Pepsi Mango 2021 Can

Confession: I’m a mango fiend.

I love them in savory or sweet dishes, juiced or whole. When my local grocery store’s supply is paltry, I will happily enjoy artificially flavored products to get my fix. Basically, if a mango is involved, I will likely be nearby, begging for a taste and sneaking leftovers into my Tupperware container for later. My love for the precious tropical stone fruit is why I was drawn to Pepsi Mango like a thirsty fruit bat to an actual mango.

Although Pepsi Mango – Pepsi’s first permanent flavor in five years – was a new discovery for me, the world has seen its likes before. Previously introduced as a limited offering in 2019, it joined lime and berry varieties to give Pepsi Wild Cherry competition as the brand’s most beloved fruit-and-cola mashup.

(Why am I late to the Pepsi Mango party? In 2019, I was likely still distracted by the release of Diet Coke Flavors, a lineup that included a mango version of my favorite caffeine source. Alas, those products, which I found too artificial and astringent-tasting to truly love, left me disappointed.)

Pepsi Mango 2021 Pour

Forgive the gaps in my soda experiences. The important thing is that today is a new day, and I get to experience Pepsi Mango now. The product’s package promises classic Pepsi “with a splash of mango juice and other natural flavors,” and even before my first taste, the juice’s presence made itself known. The soda’s aroma is wonderful and genuinely fruity. If it weren’t for the carbonation tickling my nose, I would have thought my glass was full of fresh juice or smoothie.

Pepsi Mango 2021 Top

In the first sip, mango flavor is at the forefront. Like the Pepsi’s smell, the bright, refreshing taste is strong and unexpectedly accurate. The classic cola taste follows, and while the mango overpowers it by a mere hint, the flavors play together well. I had expected the juice ingredient to give the Pepsi an additional harsh sweetness, but somehow it wasn’t too saccharine. The tropical flavor is a natural pair to Pepsi’s citrus notes, and this combination seems to cut through the syrupy quality that dark colas can have.

Pepsi Mango also has a smoothness and overall drinkability that I would not expect from a cola. Its end result is a delicate aftertaste that almost reminds me of drinking flavored iced tea — without sacrificing the carbonated crispness. This quality, combined with its spot-on fruity flavor, elevates this soda to next-level good.

Pepsi Mango 2021 Box

Mango fans will be pleased with Pepsi’s choice to resurrect this product, which is also available in the Zero Sugar variety. (Look for both kinds in 20-ounce bottles and 12 packs of 12-ounce cans.) Come summer, I will look forward to enjoying this Pepsi again as a refreshing treat on a hot day. The only downside: the three brands of mango-flavored sparkling water stashed in my pantry now seem a lot less enticing by comparison.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 12 pack of 12 oz cans
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per 12 oz can) 150 calories, 0 grams of fat, 95 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, 41 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.