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.

Cocoa Puffs

Name: Cocoa Puffs
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: As basic a chocolate cereal as you can get, this has always been one of my favorites. It's a shame I hardly ever get to eat it anymore, on account of all the novelty cereals I have to keep up with. And sadly, Cocoa Puffs doesn't indulge a lot of novelty variations (although the few I've seen - such as Hot Cocoa Puffs, Brownie Crunch, and even Ice Cream Scoops - are among my all-time favorites). My first bite into this cereal had me savoring that familiar cocoa flavor. And who wouldn't love being left with a bowl of chocolate milk? So simple, yet so effective. By the way, this cereal tastes really good with fresh strawberries cut up into it - I can't believe I never thought to try that before!

Rating: 🥣🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Chocolate!

Fruity Pebbles

Name: Fruity Pebbles
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: Post

Review: Given how many times Post has repackaged this cereal with the "same fruity taste!" - there's one for every season: fall, winter, spring, and summer - this review is just a formality at this point. I bear no ill will towards Fruity Pebbles, unlike Rice Krispies, which is unforgivably bland. It's a beautiful-looking cereal - in fact, that's one of the things that's diminished by the selective color approach of the seasonal varieties. I even think it smells great! But, as a fruity cereal, I could take it or leave it. Now, Cocoa Pebbles, on the other hand...

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Fruity, but crunchy.

Third Anniversary Post

Welcome to the third anniversary of this blog! It may not seem apparent from all the Sunday reviews I've been posting, but from the back-end, it's clear to me that the workload really is finally letting up. (Consider that I've been able to spend pretty much all of October reviewing the different Monster Cereals, insted of being drowned in an influx of holiday novelties).

I could have stuck to a single review-per-week schedule, and potentially had reviews queued up and ready six months into the next year, but though a regular and reliable posting schedule is good for audience retention (like I even have an audience), I really prefer to post the reviews I write within a relatively short time frame, instead of sitting on a mound of content (like a greedy dragon), doling it out a little bit at a time.

Year 3 Haul

What this means is that, going forward, there may be busy periods and dormant periods as the market fluctuates. However, I should have a chance to continue reviewing the classics, and maybe even try out some cereals I normally ignore - like, I dunno, Honey Smacks or Honey Ohs! or Honey Bunches of Oats (why are they all honey cereals?), or something like that. We'll see. It's been a great run, but I'm not ready to retire just yet.

Cereal For Breakfast (A Defense)

Breakfast cereal is a huge market - it can't be denied. After all, breakfast cereals take up a whole entire aisle in the supermarket! Yet still, people love to disparage the idea of eating cereal for breakfast. Especially if you're not a kid anymore. They say it's like eating candy, or drinking soda for breakfast.

Listen, I don't pretend cereal is a health food. But I also try not to go overboard with it. (Tip: pour your bowl then put away the box - when you get to the bottom, you won't be tempted to top it off). Some cereals are obviously better than others, but in reasonable quantities (which is to say, not too much but not too little, either - up to two posted servings daily), it's simply not comparable to eating a Snickers or drinking a Coke. Plus, they're fortified with vitamins!

So go ahead, eat your bacon and eggs, dripping with fat and cholesterol, and douse your pancakes in butter and sugary syrup. And go on feeling smug about that person sitting next to you with a bowl of cereal. It doesn't have to be the perfect breakfast. It just has to be no worse than the alternative.

But here's the thing. I don't have a huge appetite early in the morning. A bowl of cereal is all I need to tide me over until lunch. And then I have only a simple bowl and spoon to wash, which is a nice and easy way to start the day. But there's more.

I sometimes complain about how quickly these companies turn over new novelty cereals (mainly because I'm a completionist, and it's hard to keep up with it all), but the reality is, nearly every week for the past three years I've had something new to try. And that's exciting! It's good to have something to look forward to. Even if it's something as simple as a bowl of cereal.

So, you see, for me it is the perfect breakfast, after all!

Kelce Mix

Name: Kelce Mix
Variation: Reese's Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I have no idea who "Kelce" is, or why he's important enough to have a cereal named after him. Frankly, I don't care. The less said about those two ugly mugs staring back at me from the front of the box, the better. Now, the cereal - this is a truly intriguing mix of three cereals I like, with very different flavors: cinnamon, marshmallow, and peanut butter & chocolate. The instant I saw it in the store, I wanted to see how it all tastes together. Notwithstanding my recent Monster Combos, I haven't had a good cereal mix since Cinnamon Toast Crunch Lucky Charms MIX! So let's dig in.

Right out of the box, this cereal presents a visual cohesion that belies the varied nature of its components. It's all shades of tan and light brown, with the marshmallows providing a nice pop of color. It's a surreal phenomenon, but I can identify the flavors of each of the individual cereals if I focus on them. Together, the taste is not unpleasant - though I feel like it could use more marshmallows. It's not as good as any of the cereals individually (I don't think it would satisfy a craving for any particular one), but the sheer audacity of combining them all together makes you feel like a bit of a maverick for eating it. I'm not going to say I love it, but I definitely like it. This has certainly been one of the more memorable cereal experiments I've tried this year.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Carries hints of the various flavors, but altogether relatively plain.

Sea Berry Crunch

Name: Sea Berry Crunch
Variation: Cap'n Crunch
Manufacturer: Quaker Oats

Review: I've been on the lookout for this cereal ever since the last box I bought (all the way back in January) was recalled (along with Cinnamon Crunch). So you can imagine my excitement - and relief - when I finally saw it back on the shelves late in the year. I thought it would just be like a blue version of Oops! All Red Berries. But then I read that it was "berry" flavored, so I've been eager to try it.

The "blue" is actually more of a turquoise, and it looks beautiful. Does it have more of a blueberry (as opposed to strawberry) flavor? Maybe. It's hard to tell; and you can't figure it out by looking at the ingredients, because all it says is "natural and artificial flavors". Regardless, it tastes great, as expected. I'm not sure I'd choose it over the regular version of Oops! All Berries, but I enjoyed having it as an alternative.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Sweet, and mildly fruity.