REVIEW: Reese’s PB&J Big Cups

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I’m a big fan of the current Renaissance Reese’s is having these days. It feels like we’ve had more peanut butter cup innovation over the last 12 months than the previous 12 YEARS, and I, for one, am there for it. I have to admit, I’ve had mixed feelings about some of the newer creations, but on the whole, I am just happy for all the new treats.

In addition to some heavy hitters that dropped recently, like the Caramel Big Cup and Red Velvet, we now have PB&J with strawberry and grape flavors! Honestly, the only real surprise is how long it took Reese’s to come out with such a classic peanut butter pairing, especially as we’ve had things like cereal, sugar cookies, and pretzels featured in peanut butter cups. But the wait is over! It’s peanut butter jelly time sans baseball bat.

Let’s start with the grape, if only because it comes first alphabetically.

After opening the package, there is a whiff of chemically grape and then the familiar peanut butter and chocolate combo. That fruity scent almost brings to mind the grape flavor of Big League Chew. I cut the first cup in half to get a view of the inside and was disappointed at the ratio of peanut butter to jelly inside. If this were a sandwich, it would absolutely not pass muster. This is disappointing for two reasons: 1) It throws off the flavor balance in the candy. 2) I KNOW Reese’s can and has done better! The ratio in the recent Chocolate Lava Cup and the aforementioned Caramel Cup was much better.

The chocolate and peanut butter you know and love are the same as you’d expect, with the artificial grape flavor playing a distant third. It tastes very fake when my tongue could pick it up. I even pulled apart the cup to get a better taste, and it was hard to get much flavor, even with a finger swipe of just the sticky purple goop itself. What is there is very reminiscent of grape Kool-aid with a bit too much water mixed with it.

Now, onto the strawberry.

The initial scent upon opening these is oddly both stronger *and* weaker. Stronger in that there’s definitely more there, more present than the grape, weaker in the sense that it smells less like the intended flavor. It’s less of a specifically strawberry fragrance and more of a generically sweet, fruity candy scent. That didn’t bode well.

As with the grape, the strawberry layer is pitifully thin and utterly lacking. Interestingly, it had a stickier consistency though. It reminded me of the squeeze tube-type candy like Ooze Tubes.

Just like with the grape, the flavor was faint and very artificial. It reminded me of mixing green gummy bears into Sprite and letting them sit long enough to start dissolving. It was like someone turned down the flavor without turning down the sweetness.

All in all, both flavors are good for peanut butter cups but really weak if you’re specifically looking for peanut butter AND JELLY cups.

Purchased Price: $3.19 each
Size: 2.8 oz
Purchased at: CVS (Grape), Cumberland Farms (Strawberry)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (both)
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 190 calories, 10 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 22 grams of total sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

SPOTTED: 4/4/2025

/ / Spotted on Shelves

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

Bettergoods Monster Cookie Mix
Bettergoods Sea Salt Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix
Bettergoods Gluten Free Pancakes And Maple Syrup Muffin Mix
Bettergoods Gluten Free Banana Nut Muffin Mix
(Spotted by Amanda Y at Walmart.)
Baskin Robbins Cookie Monster Ice Cream
(Spotted by Allison H at Harris Teeter.)
Idahoan Microwaveable Cup Variety Pack
(Spotted by Amanda Y at Walmart.)
Kroger Bakery Fresh Carrot Orange Muffins
(Spotted by Amanda Y at Kroger.)
Sprouts Mini Cinni Bites
Sprouts Almond Poppy Seed Muffins 4 Pack
Sprouts Blueberry Lemon Muffins 4 Pk
Sprouts Nothing But Butter Croissants
(Spotted by Sarah R at Sprouts.)
Bakehouse Bread Hummingbird
(Spotted by Amanda Y at Kroger.)
Four Sigmatic Calm Organic Mylk Hot Cocoa
Four Sigmatic Calm Organic Dark Hot Cocoa With Reishi Mushroom
Four Sigmatic Focus Organic Green Tea
(Spotted by Sarah R at Sprouts.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email ([email protected]) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

REVIEW: Taco Bell Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa

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Taco Bell is gonna Taco Bell when it finds something that sticks. When that happens, it attempts to add that thing to every menu item possible. The thing that has stuck for a while now is making cheese literally stick to the exterior of tacos, burritos, fries, regular Chalupas, and now compact Chalupas with its Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa.

These mini Chalupas come in two per order and feature Cantina chicken or marinated steak with onions, cilantro, cheddar cheese, and chile lime crema sauce. I ended up purchasing the chicken one, but I’m a little disappointed I couldn’t get one chicken and one steak with an order since there’s no upcharge for the steak one.

While they look a bit appetizing with the cheese attached to the shell, that cheese doesn’t make these taste as cheesy as expected. However, they do add some crispy texture to the soft-ish Chalupa shell. Now that I look at it again, the cheese adhesions remind me of zombie movie makeup. Okay, now it’s less appetizing.

Despite the cheese and the decent amount of ingredients within the shell, the most dominant taste was the Chalupa shell’s breadiness. While the shell is the eye-catching highlight of the menu item, it shouldn’t also be the most tongue-catching ingredient.

I tried the other components separate from the Chalupa shell, and they have a nice flavor, with the marinated chicken, onions, and chile lime crema sauce standing out the most. It’s pleasant enough that I wish I could’ve tasted it more with the Chalupa shell.

Now, let’s talk about their size. By calling them “Street Chalupa,” I know they’re supposed to be small like street tacos. However, even though there are two, their size makes them seem more like a value menu item. So what I paid for them, and even the advertised price of $5.49, is a hard price to swallow.

Taco Bell’s Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa won’t be sticking around permanently because it’s a limited-time item. But if it ever comes back, I’m sure I won’t be sticking it and its bread-y flavor in my mouth again.

Purchased Price: $6.99*
Size: 2 Chalupas per order
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 order) 580 calories, 38 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 60 milligrams of cholesterol, 1030 milligrams of sodium, 37 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 23 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

REVIEW: Baskin-Robbins Paloma Paradise Ice Cream

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Baskin-Robbins is bringing the summer vibes during a spring month with the introduction of its Paloma Paradise Ice Cream, April 2025’s Flavor of the Month. The pink-colored scoop features paloma-flavored ice cream and sorbet with mild chili pepper lime swirls.

What’s a paloma? You’d be correct if you think it sounds like a place in California. If you said it’s a community in Illinois, I am impressed with your geography genius. But this treat was inspired by the tequila-based cocktail called the paloma. It’s a mixture of tequila, lime juice, and grapefruit soda (like Fresca) or grapefruit juice. However, you need not worry about alcohol in the ice cream or sorbet.

I’ll admit that grapefruit hasn’t been the first citrus fruit I’ll grab when experiencing scurvy because the fruit’s infamous sourness turns me off. However, I enjoy sipping on a Fresca whenever it’s in a cooler at a barbecue. Thankfully, the ice cream and sorbet base have all the grapefruit flavor but without much sourness. It’s a sweet, citrusy, creamy, and refreshing base. I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The sorbet has an icy texture that could give the impression that there are icy chunks in the ice cream itself. However, I didn’t experience that too much so there probably wasn’t much sorbet in my scoop.

The most intriguing ingredient is mild chili pepper lime swirls. But while I could see chili pepper specks in the swirl, they disappointingly provided a subtle chili pepper kick that’s as silent as the letter B in the word “subtle.” So, if you’re worried about this having a bit of spiciness, you have nothing to fear. Instead, the swirls provide a punchy lime flavor that complements the grapefruit taste without adding any sourness.

While you need not worry about puckering, there’s a little flavor twist that might be weird to some. Despite not containing any alcohol, I tasted a hint of an alcohol vibe with several spoonfuls. It’s not off-putting and adds a little authenticity to the scoop, but I can understand how it might be a turnoff to some.

Baskin-Robbins’ Paloma Paradise is a lovely summery flavor to enjoy during the spring.

Purchased Price: $3.79
Size: 2.5 oz scoop
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 130 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 18 grams of sugar (including 16 grams of added sugar), and 2 grams of protein.

SPOTTED: Ghost Warheads Sour Black Cherry and Peaches Energy Drinks

/ / Spotted on Shelves / 5 Comments

I still have yet to drink a Ghost Energy Drink. I did try to drink one, but then I quietly left it behind at the store. (Spotted by Justin G at Chevron.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email ([email protected]) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

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