The Impulsive Buy

REVIEW: Ruffles Flamin’ Hot BBQ Potato Chips

Tiffany / March 1, 2021 / Reviews / 10 Comments

What are Ruffles Flamin’ Hot BBQ Potato Chips?

The latest chips to churn out of the Ruffles factory bring together its ridged spud slices with a spicy BBQ flavor. It’s apparently the first time any Frito-Lay product has combined Flamin’ Hot – of Cheetos fame – with BBQ. This is being marketing-spun as Jayson Tatum’s (the basketball player featured on the bag) signature flavor as he hails from St. Louis, and it reminds him of his hometown barbecue.

How are they?

I’m giving props to the Ruffles flavor gurus because they know how to tantalize taste buds. At first blush, this flavor sounded boring and done before, but the eating experience was anything but lame.

It was incredibly well-seasoned – not a bare piece of potato in sight – which helped ensure a flavorful eat. I was also really impressed by the size of each chip. Not just the fact that it wasn’t a bag of crumbs, but also that each piece was the perfect size to pop whole into my mouth – covering the majority of my taste buds in one bite for max flavor!

The BBQ was practically perfection with its symphony of savory, sweet, and tangy notes. It definitely was dominant as the heat came up as an afternote. The spice built up, though, because I ate myself to a capsaicin-induced runny nose. So, if you pace yourself, you can control the heat level as the ‘cue tempers the spice, unlike the spicy wallop of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos on their own.

Anything else you need to know?

So far, I’m pretty impressed with the NBA and Ruffles collab line. I really enjoyed the Anthony Davis x Ruffles Lime & Jalapeno chips from last year.

Conclusion:

Whether you’re an avid NBA fan or not, these are worth picking up on your next snack run. If eight ounces is too much heat to commit to, you can find them in a single-serve size as well!

Purchased Price: $2.98
Size: 8 oz bag
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (about 11 Chips) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 1.5 gram of saturated fat, 200 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of total sugars, 1 gram of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Special K Blueberry Cereal (2021)

Marvo / March 1, 2021 / Reviews / 10 Comments

If you’re a Special K cereal historian (there’s has to be one in the world), you’ve probably interjected while reading the title of this review with the declaration that there was a previous Special K Blueberry Cereal.

That was probably followed up with you saying how the older version had blueberry bits in the flakes with oat and blueberry clusters mixed in.

And you probably waved your spoon in the air angrily and uttered something about Special K Blueberry with Lemon Clusters. But we don’t have time for a long history lesson because I have to declare to everyone that THIS new Kellogg’s Special K Blueberry Cereal is my favorite Special K cereal ever, my special Special K cereal, okay.

The concept is simple, and it follows a lot of other current Special K varieties. It combines the brand’s not-so-special-looking crunchy wheat and rice flakes with freeze-dried fruit. I haven’t had EVERY Special K variety with fruit, but I’ve had most, and this one stands out in my mind.

With real blueberries, the cereal has a natural fruity flavor. Although, it appears my box didn’t get a whole lot of them. But here’s a cool blue thing about this cereal — yeah, there could’ve been more freeze-dried berries, but even when there aren’t any on my spoon, what I put into my mouth has a noticeable berry flavor.

I imagine the Japanese train occupancy at rush hour closeness that the cereal experiences before it’s opened for consumption causes a lot of rubbing against each other, which allows a little bit of blueberry flavor to end up on every crispy flake. While Japanese trains at rush hour are unpleasant, this part of a complete breakfast isn’t.

I didn’t try the previous version of Special K Blueberry Cereal, so I can’t compare. But let’s not remember that past. Let’s think about the future, which involves me eating more of this.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample from Kellogg’s. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 11.6 oz box
Purchased at: Received from Kellogg’s
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup w/o milk) 150 calories, 0.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar (11 grams of added sugar), and 3 grams of protein.

Cereal Kellogg's Special K

REVIEW: Ruffles Double Crunch Spicy Cheddar Jack Potato Chips

Vin / February 26, 2021 / Reviews / 3 Comments

What are Ruffles Double Crunch Spicy Cheddar Jack?

Double your pleasure, double your crunch, that’s the statement of the great chip, in Ruffles Double Crunch Spicy Cheddar Jack.

Ok, that intro didn’t work at all, but remember that fun gum jingle?!

How is it?

I’m a fan of any cheese with “Jack” in the name, whether it be Monterey, Pepper, Colby, or the titular Cheddar. If I see any of those as a menu option, it’s my burger cheese of choice, so naturally I liked the flavor of these chips.

I admit I don’t actually know what the “Jack” means, but the ingredients list Blue Cheese, Swiss, Parmesan, and Monterey Jack along with Cheddar and almost every powder in your spice rack.

They all merge into a flavor that’s about 2/3rds of the way to “Queso.” If I was blindfolded, I’d probably throw my hands up and guess “Jalapeno Cheddar,” so they deliver on their namesake.

As for the heat, I judge all spicy snacks on the “Flamin’ Hot” scale, and these are just below that. There’s an evenly dispersed, tolerable dry heat that smacks every inch of your mouth with the same intensity.