NEWS: Upset This Year’s Trick or Treaters By Passing Out Chips Ahoy! Halloween Cookies

/ / Spotted on Shelves

If you’re looking to piss off the trick or treaters in your neighborhood and ensure your home will get either egged or TP-ed, then pass out Chips Ahoy! Halloween chocolate chip cookies. Their chocolatey goodness puts them just a step above a roll of pennies, but their fragility puts them several steps below any candy.

Chips Ahoy! Halloween are somewhat similar to Chips Ahoy! American Summer, except instead of red. white, and blue candy coated pieces, they just have orange candy coated pieces. Since they aren’t very different, I also expect Chips Ahoy! Halloween to taste just like regular Chips Ahoy! cookies.

Let’s just hope Nabisco decided this time to make Chips Ahoy! Halloween in an appropriate country, unlike with Chips Ahoy! American Summer which were made in Mexico. So I hope Nabisco had these Halloween holiday chocolate chip cookies made in Transylvania.

Chips Ahoy! Halloween are currently available for a limited time in 13 ounces packages.

NEWS: Wendy’s Hot ‘N Juicy Cheeseburgers Coming Next Month

/ / Fast Food News / 2 Comments

Wendy's Cup: Logo

Thanks to girl’s/women’s clothing companies, I associate Hot, Juicy, and Hot ‘N Juicy with words printed on the backsides of sweatpants. But Wendy’s, the world’s third largest hamburger fast food chain, might change my word associations with their upcoming Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy Cheeseburgers.

Wendy’s new burgers have juicier, thicker 100% North American beef patties, crinkle-cut pickles, sweet red onions, and thick tomato slices in between buttered, toasted buns. The Hot ‘N Juicy Cheeseburgers come in three varieties: a 1/4 lb. burger with a single beef patty, a 1/2 lb. burger with two beef patties, and for real meat lovers, a 3/4 lb. burger with three beef patties.

But if you LOVE apostrophes, you’ll enjoy any Wendy’s Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy Cheeseburger.

A Hot ‘N Juicy 1/4 lb. Single has 580 calories, 33 grams of fat, 14 grams of saturated fat, 1.5 grams of trans fat, 1,240 milligrams of sodium, and 31 grams of protein.

A Hot ‘N Juicy 1/2 lb. Double has 810 calories, 48 grams of fat, 21 grams of saturated fat, 2.5 grams of trans fat, 1,580 milligrams of sodium, and 51 grams of protein.

Finally, a Hot ‘N Juicy 3/4 lb. Triple has…do you really want to know how Fat ‘N Salty it is? Well, if you do, it has 1,060 calories, 67 grams of fat, 30 grams of saturated fat, 4 grams of trans fat, 2,070 milligrams of sodium, and 72 grams of protein.

Wendy’s Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy Cheeseburgers will roll out nationwide on October 3rd.

Source: Grub Grade

Image via flickr user El Gran Dee / CC BY 2.0

NEWS: Nabisco Expands Wheat Thins Line With Smoky BBQ Version

/ / Spotted on Shelves

Update: Click here to read our Wheat Thins Smoky BBQ review

You know what the world needs?

More Wheat Thins flavors…and Wheat Thins coming in a box size that’s as large as a Cheerios box. Perhaps a 32 ounce box of Wheat Thins.

While a large Wheat Thins box may never happen, a new Wheat Thins flavor will soon be hitting shelves. According to the super food blog, Foodbeast, Nabisco will be releasing Smoky BBQ Wheat Thins later this month.

A serving size of 14 pieces has 140 calories, 45 calories from fat, 5 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, 65 milligrams of potassium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. A serving also has 10 grams of whole grain.

Smoky BBQ Wheat Thins will be available in 9.5 ounces boxes.

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s Fair Goodness Cake!

/ / Reviews / 7 Comments

Ben & Jerry's Fair Goodness Cake!

Hey so guess what — I found the damn ice cream.

Irony is a bitch, amirite?  After literally weeks of searching for the latest Ben & Jerry’s flavor and eventually settling for Breyers Chips Ahoy! as a consolation prize, I finally located Fair Goodness Cake! before I’d even submitted that last review.  Yeah.  That’s like getting a friend request from the girl you had a crush on in high school two weeks after you’ve gotten married.

Except… often when that happens, you realize almost immediately that, old infatuation be damned, you absolutely ended up with the right person.  That happened to me — it’s crazy to think that if I’d actually had the stones to ask her out back in the day, I could right now be with a diehard Twilight and Justin Bieber fan who’s never heard of capital letters.  (Because: hi, we’re 31 years old.  The Biebs should not be on anyone’s radar who was born in the ’80s.)  So I approached Fair Goodness Sake! with anticipation, but just a little hesitance as well.

Juliet famously pondered what was in a name, to which Ben and Jerry’s response is clearly, “An opportunity for a double pun, duh.”  Fair Goodness Cake! isn’t the slickest of their ice cream names, but you’ve got to respect the sheer ambition of referencing both the fair trade nature of the ingredients and the flavor itself in the title.  I’d been looking forward to this one for a while because, beyond the fact that B&J rarely steer me wrong, I was curious to see if I could taste the difference between standard chocolate ice cream versus “German chocolate cake” ice cream.

Ben & Jerry's Fair Goodness Cake! Closeup

In answer to that question: yes, although it’s subtle.  I’d say the chocolate is probably a little darker and richer than what you’d consider “ordinary” chocolate, both in appearance and flavor.  Texture wise, while there are some crumbled cake bits in it, they’re pretty unobtrusive and blend well into the smoothness of the ice cream.  If anything, they could’ve added a little more German chocolate cake without anyone complaining, I’m guessing.  FGS! also contains coconut, which I personally can take or leave.  To me it’s like the kid sidekick of the ice cream world — I’m not going to complain if it’s there, but if it happens to get accidentally left out, or blown up or beaten to death with a crowbar, I’m kind of okay with that.  Anyone who got that reference, collect five nerd points and give yourself a wedgie immediately.

But I know that many of you, like my wife, are avowed coconut lovers, and rest assured that Ben & Jerry have not forsaken thee.  Fair Goodness Cake! boasts a strong, distinctive coconut presence that can’t be ignored.  Arguably a little too much so — the container boasts of a coconut caramel swirl, but the caramel is almost an afterthought, disappearing quicker than a bartender’s attention when you sit down and order a water (or so I’m told by people who order water in bars).  In all seriousness, the caramel is there, but very subtle and definitely overpowered by its bigger, more prominent cousin.  Damn your diva-esque ways, coconut!

Despite what the name might lead you to believe, there’s nothing especially esoteric about Fair Goodness Cake! ice cream.  It’s not some incredibly niche flavor that like three people will appreciate; it’s just solid, non-flashy ice cream.  Nothing wrong with that (other than the price… five dollars?!), and while I might’ve desired more parity between the coconut and the caramel elements, overall it’s still tasty stuff.  Coconut lovers can probably add an extra point to that score, but for everyone else: don’t hesitate to pick some up if you see it, but I wouldn’t drive more than a mile out of your way to get some either.  Although it is a limited batch, so if you DO decide to partake, don’t wait too long — he who hesitates does not eat cake.

(Nutrition Facts — 1/2 cup — 260 calories, 120 calories from fat, 13 grams of total fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 65 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of total carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 27 grams of sugars, 4 grams of protein.)

Other Ben & Jerry’s Fair Goodness Cake! reviews:
On Second Scoop

Item: Ben & Jerry’s Fair Goodness Cake!
Price: $4.99
Size: One pint
Purchased at: Acme
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Finally finding the damn stuff.  Further confirmation that you married the right person (not that any was needed).  Cake chunks that enhance the rich chocolate.  Nice texture.  Double puns.  Doesn’t spare the coconut, if that’s your thing.
Cons: Does EVERY new frozen dessert have to have an exclamation mark in its name?  Kid sidekicks.  Remembering you never would’ve stood a chance with the girl you’re making jokes about.  Who hid the caramel?  $5 is pretty ridiculous for a pint of ice cream.

GUEST REVIEW: Taylor’s Tonics Cafe Azteca

/ / Reviews

Taylor's Tonics Cafe Azteca Sparkling & Spiced Espresso Cola

(Editor’s Note: This guest review come from Aaron, one of the The Soda Jerks. The best way I can describe The Soda Jerks is to compare what they do with what Conan O’Brien did on his old NBC Late Night show. While Conan showcased bands you’ve probably never heard of, The Soda Jerks review sodas you’ve probably never heard of.)

I honestly don’t know what I’m in for with this current review. Let’s just cut to the chase. I have a bottle of Espresso Cola in front of me and it’s a bit unnerving. It’s unnerving because without looking at the ingredients label I can’t even imagine how much caffeine is in this thing. It’s unnerving because I’m not the biggest fan of coffee flavored anything… including coffee. Finally, it’s unnerving because it’s from the makers of Chai Cola and that was a pretty powerful drink in its own right.

The official name of this beverage is Taylor’s Tonics Cafe Azteca Sparkling & Spiced Espresso Cola. That my friends is a name. Even abbreviated the name becomes T.T.C.A.S.A.S.E.C. making it no shorter than the word musketeer. I’m not sure what that proves but you get the example regardless. The label adoring this bottle is sepia through and through, giving the bottle a fake “Old Westerny” feel. Ingredients of T.T.C.A.S.A.S.E.C. are as follows: Sparking water (infused with Fair Trade Coffee, Cocoa, Cinnamon Bark, and Cayenne), Evaporated Cane Juice, Natural Flavors of Vanilla, Mocha, and Spice, Citric Acid, and Natural Caffeine (40mg). That is one impressive, and daunting, ingredient list for a cola. I guess all we can do now is give it a huff.

Let’s crank up the scare factor for Ol’ Aaron just a bit more. This smells just like an iced coffee. I smell no cinnamon, no vanilla, no cocoa… just coffee. I can only hope that the bitter aroma escapes the bottle as the sweet, sweet, flavor rests inside. Here goes something! Let me make sure I take this bottle and “Rock Gently” as the instructions instruct.

WHOA! Too. Many. Flavors. Without taking another sip for the moment I tasted coffee, cinnamon, cayenne, and cocoa in that one sip. They weren’t blended together in a smooth friendly way either. Each of those individual flavors attacked my mouth in a cruel and menacing way. With the second sip, the coffee flavoring seems to have either died down or my taste buds are instantly used to it now. The cinnamon/cayenne acts as if it’s being forced to be consumed and it’s using all its power to not be. It’s tiny nails slide down the back of my throat giving me one of the harshest mouth feels I’ve had in a very long time, if not ever.

The cocoa only comes in at the end of the terrible roller coaster. The cocoa isn’t a nice guy either, not in the slightest. Cocoa is the guy that ruins those roller coaster pictures they sell after the ride. In this case, he’s flipping you off while his friend vanilla seems to be embarrassed to even be there. There they sit behind you and your family, keeping you from owning one of those overpriced memories.

Cafe Azteca tastes as if someone decided to make their own soda with all the ingredients they love but they have no idea how to make soda. “Sure we’ll throw in some coffee, and some cocoa, and maybe a little cayenne. Stir it real good, and WHAMO!”

I’ve now had four sips and winced with each one. I’ve been very aware that this soda isn’t for me for quite some time now. I’m sure Cafe Azteca has a strong market somewhere… probably with people who like coffee soda (all six of them). My stomach is bubbling something fierce, and I really don’t want to drink this anymore. I must suffer and take a fifth sip though. By taking this fifth sip I’ll be able to tell if Cafe Azteca makes me wince five out of five times. Who cares if something happens four out of four times… five is where it’s at! Let’s find out.

I’ve got to be the simplest simpleton on the planet for doing that, of course I winced. Cafe Azteca is one of the top three worst sodas I’ve ever had. I’ve never been to Mexico but it seems that Cafe Azteca is just another way for Montezuma to get his revenge.

Verdict – Do Not Buy!

~A

For more reviews of sodas you’ve never heard of, go and visit The Soda Jerks.

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