Honeycomb

Name: Honeycomb
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: Post

Review: This cereal is big. The shape reminds me of Waffle Crisp (another Post cereal). With a corn and oat base, the only advertised flavor is honey. It kind of gives you the impression of sucking on honeycombs harvested from a bee's hive. Except, they're not dripping with honey - the honey's already been extracted. All that's left is the comb, with its residual honey flavor. For me to like this cereal, it would need something extra. Maybe an add-in. But I couldn't say what. After soaking in milk for a few minutes, the combs are a bit like soggy styrofoam. I could take it or leave it.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Still searching for that "big" honey flavor.

Frosted Bunches

Name: Honey Bunches of Oats - Frosted Bunches
Variation: Honey Bunches of Oats
Manufacturer: Post

Review: I spotted this cereal last year, but passed it over since I had no experience eating Honey Bunches of Oats. But now that I've started familiarizing myself with the lineup, I'm happy I was able to have another chance to give it a try. Given the presence of corn flakes in this cereal regularly, using frosted flakes instead is a great idea. From the first bite, the added sweetness is a welcome presence. It's still dense, and no competition for most of the cereals I like to eat, but it may just prove in the end to be one of the few versions of this cereal I can tolerate.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Sweet, and flecked with oats.

WinterFest Fruity Pebbles with Marshmallows!

Name: WinterFest Fruity Pebbles with Marshmallows!
Variation: Fruity Pebbles
Manufacturer: Post

Review: Just when I thought I was done with the holiday line of Fruity Pebbles cereals, Post has figured out the trick to get me to buy their WinterFest Fruity Pebbles again - they added marshmallows! It's basically Marshmallow Fruity Pebbles, just limited to the Christmas colors of red and green. Which is to say, not as pretty. In fact, the green is very dull - somewhat Grinch-like. I like that the marshmallows are simple, white, and round - they could be snowballs, and remind me of the marshmallows in Hot Cocoa Puffs. I'll begrudgingly give this cereal a two bowl rating, but I'm still waiting for Cocoa Pebbles to get the holiday treatment. Hot Cocoa Pebbles, anyone?

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Fruity, but looks an unappetizing dirty yellow.

Honey Bunches of Oats - Honey Roasted

Name: Honey Bunches of Oats - Honey Roasted
Variation: Honey Bunches of Oats
Manufacturer: Post

Review: I've never had Honey Bunches of Oats before. Judging from the box, the closest comparison I can pull from my immediate experience is Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats 'N Honey. It looks like corn flakes, but with oat and granola clusters. It has a sweet and nutty flavor - but not super sweet. It's very crunchy. Seems like a bit of a bridge between the "healthy" cereals and the "candy" cereals, but it's not really sweet enough to hold my interest. I'm not crazy about it. I'd sooner eat this than plain Cheerios, but it's no Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch.

What I will be interested in is trying the different flavors, especially almond and strawberry. There are cereals where you pour a big bowl, and you get to the end thinking, "it's not enough!" And then there are cereals where you get halfway through the bowl and you think, "why'd I pour so much?" This is the latter. I don't know if I fully understand it - because the cereal itself doesn't taste terrible. But it's very dense and requires a lot of chewing. Even the thought of having to work through another bowl fills me with dread. I'd say it's definitely more manageable in smaller quantities.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Flaky, and only mildly flavored with oats 'n' honey.

Cheerios

Name: Cheerios
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: So, I've been contemplating trying some of the classic - basic - cereals I don't expect to like, so I can review them for my blog, just for the sake of completion. And I found a great way to try one without committing to a whole box - just buy a little pouch at the dollar store! That said, for a cereal like this, it's still too much. It tastes like cardboard! I think I might like it even less than plain Rice Krispies (at least they have a fun popping effect). I took inspiration from the box art and cut up fresh strawberries into it, to give it some semblance of flavor. It was still a slog getting through the bowl. It's not just that it's bland, the taste is actually off-putting. It's like the cereal version of drinking soda water. I know there are people out there who like soda water (as there are probably people who like plain Cheerios), but no thanks. Hard pass.

Rating: 🥣 (if that)
Leftover Milk: I was so eager to be done with the bowl once I finished the Cheerios, I didn't even take the time to taste the milk.

Lucky Charms

Name: Lucky Charms
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: As novelty variations of classic cereals go, there are a lot of versions of Lucky Charms that simply feature the superficial addition of a new marshmallow (few of which ever stick around) - so I've basically already reviewed this cereal many times over. To reiterate, it's fairly plain, but it's the best marshmallow-based cereal on the market, as the plain oat pieces allow the marshmallows to shine, instead just being an add-on. (It's like the difference between the cherry on top of a sundae, and a cherry pie). I was recently looking through my baby book, and I noted that my favorite food was listed as Lucky Charms. So it makes sense that this is one of my favorite cereals. After all, I've been eating it for a long time.

Rating: 🥣🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Marshmallow-y!

Froot Loops

Name: Froot Loops
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: Froot Loops are a perennial favorite. With vibrant, rainbow colors, it's one of the most colorful cereals on the market (though not as colorful as Fruity Pebbles). As I've mentioned before, I was surprised when I learned that it's a lemon-flavored cereal, because I don't normally like lemon foods that much. But this is an exception. I even prefer it to General Mills' flagship fruity cereal, Trix. Critics could complain that it's a bit dry and chalky, but that doesn't bother me. It actually stays pretty crunchy in milk.

Rating: 🥣🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Tastes like lemon frosting.