QUICK REVIEW: Limited Edition Cap’n Crunch’s Beach Bash Crunch Cereal

Limited Edition Cap n Crunch s Beach Bash Crunch Cereal

What is it?

As sad as it is to say, eating a bowl of Cap’n Crunch’s Beach Bash Cereal is as close as I’m going to get to actually going to the beach this summer.

Jokes about my current status as a dirt-poor student aside, Cap’n Crunch’s Beach Bash is Quaker’s newest nautical adventure, and combines beach-themed crunch pieces with magical milk-color-changing-sorcery to bring the ocean to your breakfast table!

How is it?

Visually, Beach Bash is about what you’d expect for a beach-themed cereal. Eighty percent of the pieces are standard Cap’n Crunch squares, which happen to look like water wings. The other 20 percent are shaped like stereotypical beach stuff — starfish, floaties, and sharks.

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Taste-wise, it’s Cap’n Crunch. Sweet, crunchy, slightly corn-y, and not much to write home about on its own. If you like regular Cap’n Crunch, then you’ll probably like this, because this doesn’t taste any different.

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The real fun happens after you pour milk into your bowl. Beach Bash has the same milk color-changing technology featured in Halloween Crunch, and uses it here to make your boring old milk turn into an entire miniature ocean! Call me simple-minded, but I like to play with my food, and there’s something about chasing cereal-sharks around a little cereal bowl ocean with my spoon that I find to be both really fun and oddly satisfying.

Is there anything else I need to know?

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Since the cereal has to soak for a couple of minutes in order to make the milk change color, Beach Bash’s quality is contingent on its ability to not instantly turn into mushy cereal-gruel after getting wet. Luckily, this IS Cap’n Crunch that we’re talking about here, so milk viability isn’t an issue. The cereal in my bowl remained pleasantly crunchy after ten minutes of soaking, which was more than enough time for my milk to turn bright blue.

Conclusion:

While I probably won’t make a special trip out to the one Walmart in my area that has this to buy it again, I’d say Cap’n Crunch’s Beach Bash is worth trying, even if it’s only for the novelty factor.

Purchased Price: $2.98
Size: 20.3 oz. box
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (3/4 cup) 100 calories, 15 calories from fat, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 40 milligrams of potassium, 22 grams of total carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of dietary fiber, 11 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Post Golden Oreo O’s Cereal

Post Golden Oreo O s Cereal

I’ve got to be honest, if/when Post’s Golden Oreo O’s Cereal gets discontinued, I don’t think there will the same upswell of support to bring it back like there was with the original Oreo O’s Cereal after it disappeared from shelves.

Because Oreo > Golden Oreo.

So no Bring Back Golden Oreo O’s Cereal Facebook pages to like that’ll cause your Facebook timeline to suddenly have more junk food and weight loss ads. And there won’t be folks who will buy boxes on eBay from sellers in South Korea.

But, even though I feel that way, it’s a decent breakfast cereal.

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The round corn pieces with white sprinkles look like the bleached version of Oreo O’s Cereal. Taking a whiff of the cereal in the bag, it does remind me of the cookies, but its flavor makes me think of another cereal. I can’t put my tongue on what it is, but there’s a part of me that wants to believe it’s C-3PO’s Cereal. That’s probably not the case, and I’m sorry to anyone whose hopes I got up with the previous sentence.

Although I can’t figure out which cereal it’s similar to, its flavor is what I imagine the textbook taste definition of sweet corn-based breakfast cereal would be. It’s a combination of artificial vanilla, sugar, and the sweetness of corn.

Post’s Golden Oreo O’s tastes as much like Nabisco’s Golden Oreo as Post’s Oreo O’s tastes like Nabisco’s Oreo, which means not a whole lot. But I’m fine with that because I’ve been happily filling my bowl with it over the past few days, mindlessly munching on it as I try to figure out what frickin’ cereal it’s like. Some of the sweetness does wash off into the milk, so expect a treat when you slurp it up.

To be honest, much like my position with the cookies, Oreo O’s Cereal > Golden Oreo O’s Cereal. I’m not saying this belongs on a lower tier by any means, but I prefer the chocolate version. It comes in a family-sized box from Walmart, so if you hate it, although I imagine you won’t, it’ll last you for a while.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free sample of the product. Doing so did not influence my review in any way.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 cup – 120 calories, 15 calories from fat, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 25 milligrams of potassium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 13 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.)

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 19 oz. box
Purchased at: Received from PR people
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: The textbook taste definition of sweet corn-based breakfast cereal. Smells like Golden Oreo Cookies in the bag. Sweetness washes off into milk.
Cons: Doesn’t taste Golden Oreo Cookies. Kind of generic cereal flavor. Probably not C-3P0’s Cereal. Can’t figure out what cereal it tastes like.

REVIEW: Post Banana Pudding Nilla Cereal

Post Banana Pudding Nilla Cereal

I’m sure marshmallows were added to make Post’s Banana Pudding Nilla Cereal not so Nilla.

Can you imagine looking down into a bowl that looks like the lopped off tops of bald Muppet heads? Do cereal pieces that could be the needle in a Banana Republic khakistack look appetizing? The marshmallows make this cereal’s appearance go from “yawn” to “yahoo.” So remember kids: Marshmallows make many munchies more memorable.

Doing it this way makes sense because Nilla Wafers are the Triscuit of breakfast cereals. They’re fine to eat by themselves, but they’re better with other ingredients.

The cereal pieces do look like mini Nilla Wafers. But then again I imagine it’s easy to make crunchy, boring tan discs.

Putting the bag’s opening around my nose and mouth like it’s an oxygen mask that dropped from an airplane’s ceiling allows me to inhale a strong scent that instantly brings banana ice cream to mind. We are off to a wonderful start. Oh Buddha, is this a reincarnation of Banana Frosted Flakes?

That cereal was discontinued decades ago, but my taste buds feel as if this comes close. There aren’t dried fruit bits like the Kellogg’s cereal, but the natural flavor is there and it’s as strong as its aroma. So maybe it’s Banana Frosted Flakes’ spiritual successor.

But I should disclose that I’m one of those people who enjoys banana-flavored products (Hello, yellow Runts), so my enthusiasm for this awesome euphoric cereal might be a little inflated.

However, here are a few things that take some air out of my inflated thoughts. The flavor fades a bit when it’s in milk for too long, and, sadly, there’s no strong banana-flavored milk at the bottom of the bowl.

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So what the about the marshmallows that prevent this from looking like a bowl of sand clumps? They don’t add anything to its flavor. I alternated between marshmallow-strewn and marshmallow-less spoonfuls, but they taste the same. The marbits can’t compete with the cereal’s fruity flavoring. But I don’t mind that because the banana is all that’s really important.

I love this cereal. And now I must pick up a box of Post’s Nutter Butter Cereal so that I can combine this with it.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free sample of the product. Doing so did not influence my review in any way. Although, it totally seems like it. But I assure you it did not.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 cup without milk – 130 calories, 15 calories from fat, 2 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 25 milligrams of potassium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 14 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.)

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 19 oz. box
Purchased at: Received from PR people
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Smells like banana ice cream. Natural banana flavor that brings back memories of Banana Frosted Flakes. Marshmallow make this cereal look better.
Cons: Marshmallow don’t add flavor. Flavor fades in milk. No strong banana-flavored milk. Looks like the tops of Muppet heads without the marbits.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Peach Cheerios Cereal

Peach Cheerios Cereal

Do you stay up at night wondering what the next new flavor of Cheerios might be? I certainly don’t, but if I did it would take me many, many nights before I’d guess peach as the next flavor of the iconic oat cereal.

Not that there’s anything wrong with peaches. Despite being the only fruit honored in a state nickname (Georgia, for those who didn’t pay attention in geography class), peaches don’t get much love when it comes to cereals.

There are plenty of options with apples and a plethora of berries (including two of my favorites, Boo and Franken). But if peaches are your thing, there haven’t been many options, save for a few with peaches in a supporting role. That is until now with the introduction of Peach Cheerios.

The Cheerios folks have already covered the obvious flavors with fruit variants including apple, banana, strawberry, very berry and “fruity,” plus the ubiquitous chocolate, peanut butter and cinnamon. The makers of Cheerios have even been a little daring and gone outside of the cereal box, so to speak, with Dulce de Leche Cheerios, a flavor similar to caramel. And of course, Honey Nut Cheerios has been a popular flavor for many years. Even though Cheerios had pretty much tapped all the major cereal-friendly fruits, the choice of peach still seemed a little odd to me, but after tasting it, also a pretty brilliant one.

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Some cereals pack a flavor punch that hits you right in the face, but Peach Cheerios provide a much subtler taste, almost a sweet kiss on the cheek. It’s not overpowering at all, but there’s just enough flavor to add a pleasant hint of peaches, along with a nice peachy aroma.

If you find regular Cheerios to be a little too oaty (or oatey; spellcheck is not giving me a thumbs up on either one so I’m making up words, I guess) and a bit too bland, then you might really like this slightly sweetened version. It’s certainly not a dramatic departure from regular Cheerios with a slightly pinker color and a light glaze of peachiness, but the latter makes all the difference.

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My only disappointment is that the addition of milk didn’t produce the peaches and cream taste I thought it might, but instead it seemed to almost wash away a bit of the peach flavor. It was still good with milk, just not quite as good as eating them naked. To be clear, I am referring to the Peach Cheerios being naked, not me. At least as far as you know.

And here’s a random tidbit: It turns out Honey Nut Cheerios don’t contain nuts, but the name isn’t a complete lie as they do contain honey. So, does Peach Cheerios contain peaches? Well, if you consider “peach puree concentrate” to be peaches, then yes. It’s also “flavored with other natural flavors,” whatever that means. The bottom line is that it’s a solid addition to the Cheerios family.

(Nutrition Facts – 3/4 cup – 110 calories, 15 calories from fat, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 120 milligrams of potassium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $2.87
Size: 23.2 oz. box
Purchased at: H-E-B
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Nice sweetness and taste without being overpowering. You can eat them naked.
Cons: Doesn’t provide a peaches and cream flavor with milk, although it might if you used actual cream. Only here for a limited time.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Birthday Cake Cookie Crisp Cereal

Limited Edition Birthday Cake Cookie Crisp Cereal

I think that it’s pretty much every kid’s dream to get to eat dessert for breakfast every morning. At the same time, I think that it’s also pretty much every parent’s dream to get their kids to eat something at least somewhat nutritious before they load them onto the school bus.

Luckily for sugar-hungry kids and sleep-deprived parents everywhere, Cookie Crisp is here to bridge the gap! With cookies for the kids and 12 vitamins and minerals to keep the parents happy, who can complain, right?

Since they’ve already succeeded in bringing miniature chocolate chip cookies into the cereal bowls of millions of kids everywhere, Cookie Crisp has seemingly set its sights on an entirely new confection to cereal-ize: birthday cake!

After unsealing the bag to appreciate the aroma of freshly-opened cereal, I have to say, this is one of the most delicious smelling cereals I’ve ever bought! It literally smells like an ice cream parlor, and it made me super excited to have a bowl of these crispy cake-flavored-cookies as my post-workout snack.

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Weighing out a proper portion quickly quieted any excitement that I had, though. I’ve never really thought about it much before, but 26 grams of cereal is so small! It barely even fills my cereal bowls halfway. If you’re eating this as a meal, expect to double or triple the serving size, along with the nutrition facts.

Birthday Cake Cookie Crisp looks the same as regular Cookie Crisp, only it seems that it’s traded the usual chocolate bits on the cereal for a sprinkling of Fruity Pebbles dust instead.

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I decided to eat a handful of them by themselves before I poured milk into the rest of my bowl, and any anticipation that I may have had left quickly dissipated. They don’t taste like birthday cake at all! The flavor of the corn completely overpowered everything else, and all I tasted was a generic cereal!

I mean, it’s not awful or anything, but it doesn’t taste different from anything else out there. Certainly not like the cookie-cake-cereal hybrid that I was promised. Eating the cereal with milk nuances the intensity of the corn flavor, but it still doesn’t bring out any cake flavor.

If I hadn’t seen the box before eating this, I would just tell you I was eating regular cereal puffs or something. In brief, this is one limited edition item that’s not worth your trouble to seek out.

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It does work to make some pretty good miniature ice cream sandwiches with, though. Just sayin’.

(Nutrition Facts – 3/4 cup without milk – 100 calories, 10 calories from fat, 1 gram of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 110 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.)

Purchased Price: $3.98
Size: 19.8 oz. box
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: Smells delicious! Decent cereal in its own right. Holds up well in milk.
Cons: Doesn’t remind me of either birthday cake or cookies. Most generic-tasting cereal ever.