REVIEW: Ocean Spray Brew

Ocean Spray Brew

It appears the Bog-tenders over at Ocean Spray used a Mad Lib to brainstorm their new product, because here I am, about to sip an Ocean Spray Brew.

Ocean Spray’s signature cranberries and green coffee beans play supporting roles in two different flavors of this bizarre witch’s brew – Lemonade and Blueberry.

I guess fruit flavor mixed with coffee isn’t exactly a new concept, but I can’t help but feel like Ocean Spray’s tapping an entirely new market that nobody asked for here.

I drink multiple cups of coffee a day but seldom have juice. I don’t dislike it, but I usually find most juices too sweet, almost always too acidic, and any time I drink them, they go down like a shot of whiskey.

So, with that said, am I the market for this stuff? Will I prefer juice with a splash of coffee?

The answer to that question is a resounding YES. These are shockingly tasty.

Imagine you’re drinking a light version of a fruit-flavored iced tea that was not only steeped with a tea bag but coffee beans as well. Huh?

I’ll break them down by flavor:

Ocean Spray Brew Cranberry Lemonade

Lemonade – It smells like iced tea, but once you’re about to take a sip, you get smacked with the scent of coffee. I’d equate this to having a glass of lemon iced tea right after eating a coffee-flavored hard candy. That might not sound all that appetizing in your mind, but it really works. To me, this evoked Italian after-dinner espressos with those little lemon wedges. The brew is perfectly balanced – not too sweet or sour. No flavor overwhelms another.

Ocean Spray Brew Cranberry Blueberry

Blueberry – This one smells like blueberries and coffee grounds. It tastes like blueberry tea that quickly transitions into a berry centric cold brew. I was reminded of dark chocolate covered espresso beans despite there not being any chocolate in the ingredients. I guess it was the dark berry flavor and coffee mixed together that put that in my mind. Imagine an edible espresso bean wrapped in a blueberry-infused chocolate coating. That’s the aftertaste.

Overall, I preferred it slightly more than the lemonade one.

Both of these flavors hit the mark, and deliver on the strange premise. You’ll notice I didn’t mention cranberry once, well, that’s because cranberry plays a great supporting character, despite appearing to be the headliner here. It works perfectly as the bridge ingredient in both flavors. It gave each bottle a nice, mildly sweet dryness that seemed to only elevate the other flavors involved.

Cranberry is better with a partner. Ocean Spray knows this and has managed to marry “cran” to every other fruit in existence. It even somehow managed to convince a chunk of the country that “crayon” is pronounced “cran.” Ocean Spray has that cran-power.

Ocean Spray Brew Both

So, to sum up, if you like fruit-flavored iced teas, and you like coffee, you should like Ocean Spray Brew. I loved it. Then again, I used to order my Dunkin’ iced coffees with a shot of blueberry, and I’m a huge fan of coffee stouts with fruited adjuncts, so I guess I was the audience here.

You get half a cup of coffee’s worth of natural caffeine in each serving, so you can even use this as a refreshing energy replacement in the morning.

I honestly think we just tapped into a new market. Nothing is ever “new” so I’m sure there are “juice coffees” out there, but if you’ve wanted a healthy (by juice standards) flavored iced tea that finishes like a coffee while also giving you a caffeine kick? Here ya go!

Purchased Price: $2.99 each
Size: 1 liter bottle
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 9 out of 10 (Cranberry Blueberry), 8 out of 10 (Cranberry Lemonade)
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) Cranberry Blueberry – 30 calories, 0grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 10 milligrams of sodium, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein. Cranberry Lemonade – 30 calories, 0grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 10 milligrams of sodium, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

SPOTTED – 1/29/2020

Here are some interesting new products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of the products, share your thoughts about them in the comments.

Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Gluten Free Butter Crisp Thin  Crispy Cookies
Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Gluten Free Butter Crisp Thin & Crispy Cookies
Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Gluten Free Milk Chocolate Chip Thin  Crispy Cookies
Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Gluten Free Milk Chocolate Chip Thin & Crispy Cookies

(Spotted by EM at Albertsons.)

Pearson s Bit O Honey Thins
Pearson’s Bit-O-Honey Thins
Pearson s Mint Patties Thins
Pearson’s Mint Patties Thins
Pearson s Salted Nut Roll Thins
Pearson’s Salted Nut Roll Thins

(Spotted by Sarah D at Hy-Vee.)

Little Secrets Milk Chocolate with Caramel Cookie Bars
Little Secrets Milk Chocolate with Caramel Cookie Bars
Little Secrets Mint Chocolate Chip in Milk Chocolate Chocolate Pieces  1
Little Secrets Mint Chocolate Chip in Milk Chocolate Chocolate Pieces
Little Secrets Mint Chocolate Chip in Milk Chocolate Chocolate Pieces  1
Little Secrets Mint Chocolate Chip in Milk Chocolate Chocolate Pieces
Little Secrets Almond Butter in Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt Crispy Wafers
Little Secrets Almond Butter in Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt Crispy Wafers
Little Secrets Milk Chocolate with Sea Salt Mini Crispy Wafers
Little Secrets Milk Chocolate with Sea Salt Mini Crispy Wafers
Little Secrets Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt Mini Crispy Wafers
Little Secrets Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt Mini Crispy Wafers
Little Secrets Peanut Butter in Dark Chocolate Mini Crispy Wafers
Little Secrets Peanut Butter in Dark Chocolate Mini Crispy Wafers

(Spotted by Sarah R at Whole Foods.)

Perry s Ice Cream Strawberry Ice Cream Bars
Perry’s Ice Cream Strawberry Ice Cream Bars

(Spotted by Dorothy at Walmart)

Lily s Dark Chocolate Caramel Popcorn
Lily’s Dark Chocolate Caramel Popcorn
Lily s Milk Chocolate Style Caramel Popcorn
Lily’s Milk Chocolate Style Caramel Popcorn
Lily s Dark Chocolate Covered Caramels
Lily’s Dark Chocolate Covered Caramels

(Spotted by Sarah R at Whole Foods.)

If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you’ve tried the product, share your thoughts about it in the comments.

Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if the product is old, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

COMING SOON: Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy Frozen Desserts Made with Sunflower Butter

CS BNJ Non Dairy Frozen Desserts with Sunflower Butter

Ben & Jerry’s just announced new non-dairy flavors that use sunflower butter in their frozen dessert bases. The line has three varieties in pints:

“Milk” & Cookies (vanilla non-dairy frozen dessert with chocolate chip cookies, chocolate sandwich cookies, and chocolate cookie swirls).

Creme Brûlée Cookie (burnt caramel non-dairy frozen dessert with brown sugar cookies, and salted caramel swirls).

Mint Chocolate Cookie (mint non-diary frozen dessert with chocolate sandwich cookies).

There’s also a fourth flavor that’s a Scoop Shop exclusive — Cold Brew Coffee Fudge Chip (cold brew non-dairy frozen dessert with fudge flakes and a fudge swirl).

According to the company, the flavors are appearing now on grocery shelves and in Scoop Shops. The pints have a suggested retail price of $4.48 – $5.99.

(Image via Ben & Jerry’s.)

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s Netflix & Chilll’d Ice Cream and Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert

Ben  Jerry s Netflix  Chilll d Ice Cream

Pretzels seem like an odd inclusion in Ben & Jerry’s new Netflix & Chilll’d Ice Cream. Is it popular among Netflix subscribers and password sharers? Maybe it’s just me, but popcorn and potato chips are probably munched on more during a binge-watching.

Is there something in Netflix’s algorithm that not only knows we might like Interior Design Masters because we’ve watched Queer Eye, but also what we like to eat while we watch Tan France turn folks from Le Eek to Le Chic? Or maybe Netflix’s algorithm watches us through the cameras in our phones, tablets, and compu…

(Knock at the door)

Hi. Who are you guys? Hey, nice red suits. Wait. W-w-what are you doing? Let me go! LET ME GO! HELP! HELP!

Oh, hello. I’m back. Forget that whole thing about Netflix’s algorithm binge watches our lives through our cameras. Netflix’s algorithm is definitely not watching us right now or threatening me with revealing the amount of high school romance anime I watch.

Ben  Jerry s Netflix  Chilll d Non Dairy Frozen Dessert

Just like Netflix has something for everyone in the family, Ben & Jerry’s is offering Netflix & Chilll’d in varieties that will satisfy everyone’s deal with dairy. The regular version features peanut butter ice cream with sweet and salty pretzel swirls and fudge brownies. The non-dairy one has peanut butter-flavored frozen dessert made with almond milk, sweet and salty pretzel swirls, and fudge brownies.

After trying both, I have to say I prefer the non-dairy one.

Ben  Jerry s Netflix  Chilll d Ice Cream Closeup

The combination of the peanut butter frozen dessert with the saltiness and flavor from the pretzel swirl tastes something like a Nutter Butter cookie to me, which is something I haven’t experienced with ice cream (or frozen dessert). Also, the PB flavor in the non-dairy one is more prominent than the dairy version. Maybe the almond milk used in the base makes it a little nuttier. The peanut butter ice cream in the regular Netflix & Chilll’d is fine, but the frozen dessert stands out a bit more.

Ben  Jerry s Netflix  Chilll d Non Dairy Frozen Dessert Closeup

The pretzel swirls in both pints add a welcomed saltiness that contrast and enhance the sweet components. The swirl in the non-dairy one also gives off toffee notes. I feel the flavor is more prominent in the regular one, but that might be because the peanut butter ice cream doesn’t have as strong a flavor as the frozen dessert. Also, although “pretzel” is in both descriptions, the swirls don’t provide any crunch, which is disappointing.

Unlike the pretzels and their lack of texture, the fudge brownies bring the expected chewiness to each spoonful. And, like we’ve seen hundreds of times with peanut butter and chocolate, combining it with the peanut butter ice cream/frozen dessert results in sweet tooth satisfaction. Actually, the fudge brownies help make the regular version taste similar to a peanut butter cup.

I know. The previous sentence makes it hard to believe I prefer the non-dairy and non-peanut-butter-cup-tasting one.

Chill  Netflix

Both Netflix & Chilll’d pints are NOT binge-worthy. Well, they are, but I don’t want to encourage anyone to eat entire pints in one sitting. Again, I prefer the non-dairy one, but I feel you can’t go wrong with either.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Received from Ben & Jerry’s
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Non-Dairy), 7 out of 10 (Regular)
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) Regular – 390 calories, 24 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 80 milligrams of cholesterol, 290 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 29 grams of sugar, 7 grams of protein. Non-Dairy – 380 calories, 22 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 250 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 27 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free samples of the product from Ben & Jerry’s (thanks Ben & Jerry’s!). Doing so did not influence my review in any way. Although, with ratings like that, you might think it did. But I assure you it did not.

FAST FOOD NEWS: Dairy Queen Double Fudge Cookie Dough Blizzard

News DQ Double Fudge Cookie Dough Blizzard

Dairy Queen’s Blizzard of the Month for February 2020 is the new Double Fudge Cookie Dough Blizzard.

It features chocolate chip cookie dough, choco chunks, and cocoa fudge blended with soft serve. Yes, it’s pretty much DQ’s standard Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard, but with choco chunks.

A mini order has 470 calories, 20 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 66 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 50 grams of sugar, and 8 grams of protein.

If you’ve tried it, let us know what you think of it in the comments.

(Image via DQ’s website.)

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