REVIEW: Monster Energy Ultra Paradise

Monster Energy Ultra Paradise

What is Monster Energy Ultra Paradise?

Monster Energy just released “Paradise” as the newest addition to its sugar-free Ultra line of energy drinks. According to the back of the can, Monster Ultra Paradise delivers “Pure, Crisp, Invigorating Island Flavors.” The question is, what exactly is an island flavor?

Monster Energy Ultra Paradise 2

How is it?

I’m a frequent consumer of Monster Ultra, so I know the flavors can be difficult to place. Sure, Ultra Red kind of tastes like fruit punch, and Ultra Sunrise tastes vaguely orangish, but what flavor is Ultra Blue? Ultra Zero? Ultra Paradise at least gives us a hint that it’ll be tropically flavored.

Monster Energy Ultra Paradise 3

Upon opening, Ultra Paradise is a hazy light green color. The island flavor is… nondescript. Pineapple, maybe? Or maybe Pina Colada? Is the green color supposed to be a hint? It’s definitely tropical, but I still have no idea what that means exactly. You could tell me it was passion fruit flavored, and I’d believe you. (Full disclosure: those weird purple Starburst are the complete extent of my experience with passion fruit.)

Is there anything else you need to know?

Some varieties of Monster Ultra can be too sweet for my tastes, so I appreciate this one keeps it more subdued. It allows the citric acid tang to add a bit of a kick, which is appreciated when I’m looking for a pick-me-up.

Conclusion:

When imbibing a caffeinated beverage, I’m mostly interested in its pharmacological effect. Most of the time that means coffee, but if I’m at a convenience store of questionable quality, with a pot of coffee that’s been there longer than the clerk, I may reach for an energy drink instead. Monster always gets the job done with 140 milligrams of caffeine, and Paradise fits in well with the rest of the Ultra options.

Purchased Price: $2.00
Size: 16 fl. oz. can
Purchased at: Festival Foods
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, 160 milligrams of sodium, 1 gram of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, and 0 gram of protein, 100% Niacin, 100% Vitamin B6, 100%, Vitamin B12, 100% Vitamin B5, and 140 mg of caffeine.

Click here to read our previous energy drink reviews.

SPOTTED – 3/14/2019

Here are some interesting new and limited edition 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.

Trader Joe s Fudgy Chocolate Quinoa Loaf  Cake Mix
Trader Joe’s Fudgy Chocolate Quinoa Loaf & Cake Mix

(Spotted by Sylvia at Trader Joe’s.)

Stone Ridge Creamery Smart Pint Ice Cream Strawberry Cheesecake Butter Pecan Crunch and Mint Chip
Stone Ridge Creamery Smart Pint Ice Cream Strawberry Cheesecake, Butter Pecan Crunch, and Mint Chip
Stone Ridge Creamery Smart Pint Ice Cream Caramel Cookie Crunch and Chocolate Fudge Brownie
Stone Ridge Creamery Smart Pint Ice Cream Caramel Cookie Crunch and Chocolate Fudge Brownie
Stone Ridge Creamery Smart Pint Ice Cream Peanut Butter Banana Swirl and Mocha Java Bean
Stone Ridge Creamery Smart Pint Ice Cream Peanut Butter Banana Swirl and Mocha Java Bean

(Spotted by Erin K at Cub Foods.)

Bonduelle Harvest Bowl Korean Inspired Beef
Bonduelle Harvest Bowl Korean Inspired Beef
Bonduelle Harvest Bowl Basil Pesto Turkey Veggie  Fettuccine Bowl
Bonduelle Harvest Bowl Basil Pesto Turkey Veggie & Fettuccine Bowl
Bonduelle Harvest Bowl Chipotle Chicken
Bonduelle Harvest Bowl Chipotle Chicken

(Spotted by Sarah R at Safeway.)

Marketside Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
Marketside Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

(Spotted by Bob K at Walmart.)

Solero Cherry and Lime Fruit Pops
Solero Cherry and Lime Fruit Pops
Solero Indulgent Cream Coconut and Banana Cinnamon Cream Pops
Solero Indulgent Cream Coconut and Banana Cinnamon Cream Pops

(Spotted by Bob K at Giant Eagle.)

Serendipity 3 Frrrozen Hot Chocolate Ice Cream
Serendipity 3 Frrrozen Hot Chocolate Ice Cream

(Spotted by Rachel C at 7-Eleven.)

Wholesome Organic Brittle Thins Honey Roasted Nuts
Wholesome Organic Brittle Thins Honey Roasted Nuts

(Spotted by Sarah R at Sprouts.)

Darigold Farmer s Reserve Extra Creamy Butter
Darigold Farmer’s Reserve Extra Creamy Butter

(Spotted by Rachel J at Safeway.)

365 Everyday Value Blueberry Nut Clusters
365 Everyday Value Blueberry Nut Clusters

(Spotted by Sarah R at Whole Foods.)

Skinny Dipped Almonds Dark Chocolate Mint
Skinny Dipped Almonds Dark Chocolate Mint

(Spotted by Sarah R at Market at Edgewood.)

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.

SPOTTED: Triscuit Wheat Berry Clusters

Triscuit Wheat Berry Clusters Cherries  Almonds
Triscuit Wheat Berry Clusters Cherries & Almonds
Triscuit Wheat Berry Clusters Pumpkin Seeds  Sweet Corn
Triscuit Wheat Berry Clusters Pumpkin Seeds & Sweet Corn
Triscuit Wheat Berry Clusters Cranberries  Cashews
Triscuit Wheat Berry Clusters Cranberries & Cashews

I’m going to assume there are no Triscuit recipes on the back of these bags. (Spotted by John R at Hannaford.)

Thank you to all the photo contributors! 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 do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

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.

REVIEW: Heinz Mayomust and Mayocue Saucy Sauces

Heinz Mayomust and Mayocue Saucy Sauces

What are Heinz Mayomust and Mayocue Saucy Sauces?

After the brilliant or infuriating (depending on who you ask) debut of Heinz’s Mayochup, the company has branched out to other mayonnaise condiment mashups with the launch of Mayomust and Mayocue. Following Mayochup’s lead, and as the back of the bottles tell me, these combine the delicious taste of yellow mustard (or classic BBQ) with mayonnaise and a special blend of spices.

Full disclosure: I loved Mayochup. Everything about it tickled me pink (perfect considering the pinkish nature of the product) from the genius name to the social media frenzy all the way to the actual sauce. I was of course very excited to try these new additions to the growing saucy sauce family.

How are they?

Mayomust is a light yellow color and has a nice whipped consistency, but the taste is not what I was expecting. It’s heavy on the mayo with a bit of mustard at the end of the bite. It seems like the ratio should have been adjusted on this one because a better name would be Mayomu.

Heinz Mayomust Saucy Sauces

It’s as if someone used a bottle of mustard but then accidentally refilled it with mayonnaise and it picked up the remnants in the container. It’s kinda like a deviled egg filling but without any eggy goodness or pop of heat. And with vinegar being the second highest ingredient, there’s a little bit of tang, but it ends up more sour tasting.

Mayocue is a light brown color and, when I took the cap off, the smell instantly reminded me of something right off the bat, but I couldn’t figure out what.

Heinz Mayocue Saucy Sauces

A second later it hit me – this is freakin’ Chick-fil-A sauce! My olfactory system was 100 percent correct when I tried it, and I should’ve known since I have investigated recreating it at home. This saucy sauce tastes exactly like that golden delicacy I am completely head over heels for. Both the mayo and BBQ work harmoniously for a delicious sauce that is equally creamy, tangy, and smoky. Unlike the mustard in the other one, I could taste the BBQ here.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Both of these have a special blend of spices like the original Mayochup, but it is hard to tell if Heinz’s blend of spices is the same across the board or perhaps they adjust it accordingly for each sauce. The ingredients list doesn’t help either as they all contain one component listed simply as SPICES, so who knows.

Heinz Mayomust and Mayocue Saucy Sauces with Chicken Strips

As you can see from the picture, I tried these with some good ol’ fashioned chicken strips to help with my judging and even included my special sauce cup to show you how much I love sauces with my food. They both held up well with the chicken as they are thick.

Conclusion:

For these wacky condiment mashups and their success you ultimately have to decide if they stand on their own as a new entity that warrants being in its own bottle. With Mayomust, I kinda wanted to put it aside and run to the refrigerator so that I could indulge in both mayonnaise and mustard separately. Each part seemed to bring the other down.

With Mayocue, the combo ends up being greater than the sum of its parts as I was like, “What’s mayonnaise?” And who needs straight up BBQ sauce? So, pick up the Mayocue if you love Chick-fil-A sauce and skip the Mayomu unless you’d like a decorative mayonnaise.

Purchased Price: $4.59 each
?Size: 16.6 oz. bottle (Mayomust) 16.7 oz. bottle (Mayocue)
?Purchased at: Amazon.com
?Rating: 5 out of 10 (Mayomust)
Rating: 10 out of 10 (Mayocue)
?Nutrition Facts: (2 tbsp) Mayomust – 160 calories, 16 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 280 milligrams of sodium, 2 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 2 grams of sugar and 0 grams of protein. Mayocue – 140 calories, 14 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 200 milligrams of sodium, 4 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 4 grams of sugar and 0 grams of protein.

SPOTTED: Tastykake Scoop Shop Cookies & Creme Mini Donuts

Tastykake Scoop Shop Cookies  Creme Mini Donuts

Tastykake Scoop Shop Cookies  Creme Sleeve

If you’re wondering if there’s ever been Tastykake ice cream, there was. Turkey Hill had a Tastykake Chocolate Cupcake ice cream and mid-Atlantic store chain Weis had a Tastykake Peanut Butter Kandy Kake ice cream. And that history lesson was brought to you by the letter K. (Spotted by @goatheadjp at Winn Dixie and Robbie at Walmart Neighborhood Market.)

Thank you to all the photo contributors! 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 do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

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.

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