Kit Kat - New & Improved

Name: Kit Kat Cereal - New & Improved
Variation: Kit Kat Cereal
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: It's only been a year since Kit Kat debuted, and already, I've been seeing a "new & improved" version on the shelves. For months, every time I'd go shopping, I'd stare at it doubtfully. It's still new. How could it possibly be improved? Finally, I broke down and decided to give it a try. The cereal pieces are lighter-colored. My first impression of the flavor was positive, but the more I eat it, the more of a chore it becomes. Other than a faintly savory note - butter, perhaps? - it's kind of bland, and tastes less like Kit Kats than I remember. And the milk is still plain. I thought, at the very least, they could have fixed that. I'm surprised this is a General Mills cereal. It's like they found a good seller, and then changed the recipe to use cheaper ingredients so they could maximize profits. Capitalism strikes again, I guess.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Completely, utterly plain.

Fruity Pebbles Waffles!

Name: Fruity Pebbles Waffles!
Variation: Fruity Pebbles/Waffle Crisp
Manufacturer: Post

Review: The cereal wars are real! Not long after I picked up Cinnamon Toast Crunch Waffle, I spotted Fruity Pebbles Waffles! on the shelf, as if in response. But I've seen pancake mixes flavored with different popular cereals, so I guess it's not that unusual. The first thing I noticed when I opened the comically fat box, is that these blocky waffle pieces remind me of Waffle Crisp - which makes sense, as that is also a Post cereal. So it's basically Waffle Crisp flavored with Fruity Pebbles. The rainbow flecks are pretty, if underwhelming compared to Fruity Pebbles. And the flavors are kind of subtle, especially after soaking in milk. I think I'd rather have plain Waffle Crisp so I can mix it with something better - like Peanut Butter Crunch.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Looks like a birthday in your bowl!

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Waffle

Name: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Waffle
Variation: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Making a good companion to French Toast Crunch, here's Cinnamon Toast Crunch reenvisioned as a waffle cereal! The cereal pieces are bigger and thicker - like Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rolls - but actually a little bit unwieldy to chew on. The taste is like CTC with a little bit of maple drizzled on top, but the predominant flavor is butter. It's like eating heavily buttered waffles. It's definitely the "butteriest" cereal I've ever had, and I'm not sure that's something I like. Plus, I'm not crazy about maple. It's been a minute since I've had Eggo Homestyle and Waffle Crisp, but - in spite of the quality of the Cinnamon Toast Crunch brand - I think I liked those waffle cereals better. But, if you really like the taste of butter, you might like these better than I did.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Have you ever had a cinnamon maple butter milkshake?

Cheerios Veggie Blends

Name: Cheerios Veggie Blends (Apple Strawberry & Blueberry Banana)
Variation: Cheerios
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I know I said I wasn't going to bother trying these - as it's my experience that foods blended with veggies don't usually taste very good (V8, I'm looking at you). But I've been a little more health-conscious lately, and I was looking at the possibility of eating some less sugary alternatives to my usual Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs for a change. Plus, I was sure Maple Cinnamon Cheerios Hearty Nut Medley would be better than these, but that cereal turned out to be a total trainwreck. And these? Well, at least they're edible...

They have a dull, multigrain-like coloring. I can definitely taste that veggie-like flavor (1/4 cup of veggies per serving!), but also with a hint of fruitiness - but only a hint. However, with about half the sugar (or less) of the sugariest cereals on the market, they are not sweet. Are they improved by adding fresh fruit? Well, marginally. Even with fresh fruit, they're still not sweet enough for my palate. I think I'll be able to stomach these two boxes, but there are better flavors of Cheerios out there - in the mid-range for sugar and with low fat content - that I would rather eat.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Just a little sweet and fruity, with an unmistakable veggie undernote.

Cinnamon Crunch

Name: Cinnamon Crunch
Variation: Cap'n Crunch
Manufacturer: Quaker Oats

Review: This is one of two new varieties of Cap'n Crunch that I originally picked up at the start of the year. But, unfortunately, there was a recall. So I've been waiting patiently to see them on the shelves again, and this is the only one I've spotted so far. It's a straightforward - but intriguing - new variation of Cap'n Crunch. No Crunch Berries, just cinnamon crunch pieces. And you can really taste the cinnamon. It's reminiscent of eating snickerdoodle cookies. I guess if you don't like cinnamon, you're not gonna like this - it's a straighter dose, I think, than what you get in Cinnamon Toast Crunch. But I like it. The crunch pieces have a good mouthfeel, and they're sweet, to keep you coming back for mouthful after mouthful. Now I just hope I can find a[nother] box of Sea Berry Crunch...

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Expect sweet, cinnamon milk.

Raisin Bran with Cranberries

Name: Raisin Bran with Cranberries
Variation: Raisin Bran
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: I'm lukewarm about Raisin Bran, but I was excited when I spotted this new variety on the shelves, because I do like cranberries, and they're a good fit for this cereal. At least, that's what I thought. After tasting it, I don't know how well the flavors mesh. Raisins are nice and sweet. Cranberries have a tartness, and a whole different flavor profile. You'd think maybe they'd balance each other out (as the box claims), but I think they kind of clash. Well, it's not terrible (and the more I eat it, the more it's growing on me). But it's not the slam dunk I thought it would be, either. It was a fun novelty to try. But my favorite version of Raisin Bran is still Raisin Bran Crunch.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Flaky, flaky, flaky.

Raisin Bran Crunch

Name: Raisin Bran Crunch
Variation: Raisin Bran
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: As you might have noticed, Raisin Bran hasn't really been on my radar - until just recently. But I've been spying this cereal for a while now. I don't remember having it as a kid, and I started to worry that it might disappear from shelves before I had a chance to try it. That is, until I sat down to watch the disaster movie 2012 (which actually came out three years earlier than that). There's a scene in the movie where people are panicking in a supermarket. And I noticed Raisin Bran Crunch right there on the shelf in the cereal aisle (of course I was looking at the cereals) - 15 years ago!

Regardless, its time has come. Despite sounding even healthier with its oat clusters, this cereal manages to contain even more sugar than regular Raisin Bran - on account of its honey coating, I imagine. That said, it's pretty good. Flavor-wise, a definite improvement. I'm not surprised it has stuck around. But with the raisins and the high sugar content (rivaling even a cereal like Mega Stuf Oreo O's), I would recommend eating it in moderation. Alternatively, Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch is quite good, and has notably less sugar.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Sweet as honey, but flecked with bran.