[Flashback] Cocoa Puffs Brownie Crunch

Notice: Flashback reviews have been written from memory, without having the cereal in front of me. I started taking pictures of notable cereal varieties several years before I decided to start a blog reviewing them. As such, details beyond whether I simply liked the cereal or not may be hazy, especially regarding the quality of the leftover milk. Whenever possible, I have made an effort to procure another box of the cereal for a proper review (even the ones I didn't like), but due to the ephemeral nature of many of these novelty cereals, this is not always possible.

Name: Cocoa Puffs Brownie Crunch
Variation: Cocoa Puffs
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I stumbled upon this cereal last year while browsing the shelves at Gabe's, where you can sometimes find odd products that maybe didn't sell too well in more conventional venues. Although I can't imagine why these turned up there - they're incredible. Making Cocoa Puffs that taste like brownies (and they really do!) is one of those ideas so obviously brilliant that you have to wonder why it took them so long to come up with it (and why they're not more popular). I liked it so much I bought several boxes and then came back for more, until they were all gone. Now I fear I'll never see it again. And since I found Hot Cocoa Puffs this past winter, these (which I think I like even better) are bound to become my new Holy Grail.

Rating: 🥣🥣🥣

Strawberry Banana Cheerios

Name: Strawberry Banana Cheerios
Variation: Cheerios
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Two weeks of Cheerios in a row? I've noticed lately that there are a lot of varieties of Cheerios on the shelves. I'm not even sure how many of them are new or limited edition. I don't intend to try them all (at least not in the immediate future), but sometimes there are flavors that catch my attention - like this one.

Strawberry banana is one of my favorite fruit combinations (especially in smoothies and on top of French toast); they're also the two most likely fruits that I'll cut up and put in my cereal (blueberries are also good) - and what better cereal candidate could you have for that than this one?

About half of the cheerios in this box are shaped like hearts, which is cute, and the banana flavor is thankfully not that gaudy flavor you get in banana-flavored candies sometimes (which is like bananas on plutonium). As a kid, Cheerios always seemed like such a dreadfully boring cereal, but with all these creative flavors, my impression of it is definitely improving.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Tastes of strawberry and banana, as you would expect.

Chocolate Strawberry Cheerios

Name: Chocolate Strawberry Cheerios
Variation: Cheerios
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: After eating the sort of indulgent cereals I like to eat, I have to temper my taste buds before digging into a bowl of Cheerios. That said, I don't dislike the texture and oaty taste of Cheerios, given the right flavor combination. I would never describe a bowl of Cheerios as "bursting with flavor", but this one, arriving on shelves just in time for Valentine's Day season, has hints of chocolate and strawberry that form a combination that is not unpleasant. I doubt it will become one of my favorite flavors of Cheerios (I have a few in mind that I'm hoping to review for this blog eventually), but I liked it.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: An intriguing blend of chocolate and strawberry.

Froot Loops Sweethearts

Name: Froot Loops Sweethearts
Variation: Froot Loops
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: This Valentine's Day edition of Froot Loops actually features hearts instead of loops. The shapes and the packaging definitely recall conversation hearts, although there are no words involved. The cereal itself tastes just like regular Froot Loops (which I like), but it's always fun when the classics offer a nod to the seasons or the holidays with a novelty product, even when the difference is only superficial (why mess with a good thing?). It's not the heart-shaped cereal I was hoping to find this Valentine's Day season (maybe next year Reese's Puffs will sell Hearts again), but it was a pleasant surprise.

Rating: 🥣🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Slightly fruity.