Spring Edition Trix

Name: Spring Edition Trix
Variation: Trix
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I almost didn't buy this cereal. I had just tried another new version of Trix that I thought would pair well with Easter, and then they spring this on me? Here I am, trying to work through my backlog of reviews of cereals I bought during a dry spell, before the annual New Years haul (currently sitting on top of my fridge, begging for attention) put me back in the red. Meanwhile, these spring-branded cereals keep popping up, demanding advance placement. It just feels rude for a brand new cereal to come in and jump the line ahead of a bunch of other boxes that have been waiting patiently for their turn in the spotlight. But, some cereal varieties feature more timely themes than others...

Anyway, this is just Trix, but with all flower shapes instead of fruit shapes - so you know what you're getting. The differently-colored flowers do look nice all together, and it seems like there are some Trix Minis mixed in (unless they're just detached flower petals). Interestingly, the first couple bites taste almost like you're eating fruity popcorn (it's a corn-based cereal), although the cereal pieces don't stay crunchy in milk for very long. It's not bad, but I still prefer the version of Trix that has marshmallows.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Fruitier than I was expecting.

Trix with Marshmallows

Name: Trix with Marshmallows
Variation: Trix
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: After having not one, not two - not even three, but four! different versions of Trix with marshmallows, I was getting kind of tired of it. But now that I've had a bit of a break, I got excited when I saw this cereal on the shelf, because it's the first one I've tried with the regular fruit-shaped cereal pieces (and not, as in three of the four cases, the swirled puffs).

Plus, those bunny marshmallows ("look what hopped into Trix!") are adorable as heck. And their simple, white design is the perfect contrast to the vibrant colors of the rest of the cereal. It's fruity, with a hint of marshmallow. The cereal pieces are firm and crunchy. It's good. But I feel like the fruity flavor doesn't linger long enough, and you can really taste the corn base. I still wouldn't pick this cereal over Froot Loops with Marshmallows.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Nothing to write home about.

Spring Fruity Pebbles

Name: Spring Fruity Pebbles
Variation: Fruity Pebbles
Manufacturer: Post

Review: I didn't realize Fruity Pebbles had such a strong holiday game, but after Halloween and WinterFest, here we are with Spring Fruity Pebbles. Not quite on the level of Rice Krispies, but getting there. And, like Rice Krispies, the holiday varieties feature the "same [fruity] taste!" Well, at least in Fruity Pebbles' case, there is a taste. Even if it's one I'm still not too fond of. The pebbles appear in pretty pastel colors - visually reminiscent of Birthday Cake Pebbles, but with more green (and also prettier than Spring Krispies, thanks to the pink). But I'll stick with my holiday varieties of Cap'n Crunch and Reese's Puffs, thank you very much.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Very sweet and fruity.

Berry Swirl Lucky Charms

Name: Berry Swirl Lucky Charms
Variation: Lucky Charms
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: This year's new Berry Swirl Lucky Charms would seem to be our replacement for long lost Fruity Lucky Charms, and it looks like an upgraded model! Not only are there new berry marshmallows - and mmm, they're almost juicy! - but the "oat" pieces (I noticed with interest that this version of Lucky Charms uses a corn base) are vibrantly colored in rainbow shades, as if you'd added Lucky Charms marshmallows to a bowl of Trix. It's the most colorful cereal since Fruity Pebbles! And while it's not quite as fruity-flavored as that cereal (although I like it better than Berry Pebbles), it is noticeably fruity. Like a bit of sunshine at the end of the rainbow, this cereal is poised to brighten your mornings. I predict it will be popular.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Pink, and mildly berry-flavored.

Cinnamon Cheerios

Name: Cinnamon Cheerios
Variation: Cheerios
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: This cereal is pretty straightforward. It's dominated by the flavor of cinnamon. Just cinnamon. Which still makes it taste kind of plain. I feel like it needs something else in addition to the cinnamon - like apple (but not vanilla). Or even a creamy frosting! That said, it's still better than Oat Crunch Cinnamon. Probably because it's sweeter. But I don't think Cinnamon Toast Crunch has anything to fear from this cereal. One thing I will say in its favor - which is a testament to the Cheerios brand - is that this cereal manages to be better than Minecraft Creeper Crunch, even without having any marshmallows.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Very cinnamon-y.

[Experiment] CinnaRaisin Toast Crunch

Description: I'm embarrassed to admit that it was only recently that I realized Cinnamon Toast Crunch is basically designed to imitate a real toast treat - cinnamon toast. I'm more familiar with cinnamon raisin bread, so the second I figured that out, I thought to myself, I wonder how this cereal would taste with raisins in it? After all, it's not like raisins in a cereal are unheard of - take Raisin Bran, for example. That's a cereal I used to like to eat as a kid, despite the plainness of the bran flakes, all on account of the sweet bites of raisin.

I don't eat it much anymore, though, because a survey of nutritional content I conducted revealed that it's one of the cereals on the market with the highest sugar content, due to the raisins. Which makes me think that adding raisins to an already sweetened cereal (and not just plain bran flakes) isn't the brightest idea. Nor did it help that when I stirred the cereal, the raisins all sank to the bottom, and I had to put more on top just to get a good picture!

In any case, the cereal itself tastes great, and it almost perfectly emulates the flavor of biting into a piece of cinnamon raisin toast, with that occasional burst of sweetness. I would just recommend a light touch - think of the raisins as more of a garnish, rather than a mix-in. It's not that Cinnamon Toast Crunch isn't perfectly good enough all on its own, but I'd have to call this experiment a success.

Rating: 🥣🥣

Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Name: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: In the pantheon of classic breakfast cereals, Cinnamon Toast Crunch is a relative newcomer, debuting in the '80s when many of the standards (e.g., Lucky Charms, Froot Loops, Cocoa Puffs) debuted in the '50s or '60s. Could that be why I don't recall having it as a kid? Or was it just because the idea of cinnamon toast didn't really speak to me? After all, Reese's Puffs is one of my all-time favorites, and it debuted in the '90s. Regardless, that mistake has certainly been rectified since the start of this blog - given the sheer volume of novelty variations this brand puts out.

I've never really given it much thought until now, but Cinnamon Toast Crunch is more than just a plain cinnamon cereal. What makes it so good is that it's not just cinnamon, there's... I want to say a buttery flavor, that serves the impression that you're eating toast. The cereal pieces have an unusual shape - wide and flat, with ridges and a slight curve - but they're not unwieldy, and they have a pleasant crunch. I think that if I'd had more of a history with this cereal, I might have given it a three bowl rating, but for now I'll reserve that rating for the Chocolate alternative, which I like even better.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Sweet and cinnamon-y.