Cinnamon Toast Crunch Mexican Style Hot Chocolate

Name: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Mexican Style Hot Chocolate
Variation: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Cinnamon Toast Crunch shows off their south-of-the-border flare once again with an intriguing new flavor for the holidays. (Although it makes for an obnoxiously long title). I had to look up what constitutes "Mexican style" hot chocolate - there's a little more to it than just adding cinnamon. I'm interested to find out how this cereal compares to regular Chocolate Toast Crunch (which has been, inexplicably, discontinued recently).

First off, the toasties are very dark - suggesting a darker chocolate than usual. I know dark chocolate isn't to everyone's taste, but I'm a fan. Honestly, the best hot cocoa I've ever had has been dark chocolate. There's definitely something more going on here beyond just chocolate and cinnamon, though. It's actually a little bit spicy. Like CinnaFuego Toast Crunch, but (mercifully) dialed down to just a slight tingle on your tongue. The first bowl was a little bit strange, then it began to grow on me. But after eating it for days on end, I think it's beginning to irritate my throat. If nothing else, this has definitely been the most unique hot cocoa cereal I've ever tried.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Like a frozen Mexican style hot chocolate!

Demogorgon Crunch

Name: Demogorgon Crunch
Variation: Eggo Homestyle?
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: With the arrival of the final season of Stranger Things imminent, I'd been thinking how surprising it is that I've never seen a Stranger Things cereal before. Lo and behold, in the eleventh hour, out of my imagination and onto store shelves comes... Demogorgon Crunch! (I would have called it Stranger Rings). Notwithstanding my excitement, I'm a little hesitant because it's maple-flavored - on account of Eleven's obsession with Eggo waffles, I presume. Not that I don't like waffles, but maple isn't one of my favorite flavors. (Even when it comes to waffles, peanut butter is my preferred add-on - thanks, Waffle House). But, it's got marshmallows!

So, the cereal pieces actually look like waffles, and are very reminiscent of Kellogg's former Eggo Homestyle cereal (even more so than that other maple-with-marshmallows cereal, Elf). They're big, and have a good crunch. The "upside down" marshmallows (as if a marshmallow could have any sense of direction tumbling out of a cereal box) are two-toned, and resemble flashlights, demogorgon faces, and d20 dice. The box has a retro, Saturday morning cartoon vibe to it - which is appropriate for an '80s nostalgia show - with an eclectic tableau printed on the back of the box, tied to a lost-and-found game that'll test your knowledge of Stranger Things trivia. I think that, without the marshmallows, I would get bored of the waffles pretty quick, but all together, I found myself barrelling toward the finish, and still anticipating the next bowl.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Subtly sweet and syrupy.

Fourth Anniversary

As we round out the fourth year of this blog, I can tell you that we've definitely reached a milestone. For the first time since I started this blog four years ago, there have been periods where I actually had to scramble to find cereals to review, to keep up my once-a-week schedule. Short of starting down the long road of trying Chex or Special K (and I don't really want to open either of those cans of worms at this point in time), I'm on the brink of hitting a wall. And that's okay.

Year 4 Haul

Sure, there'll be an influx of cereals for the New Year, as there always is; and sporadic pop-ups throughout the rest of the year (especially around holidays). I'm not saying this blog's going to end. But there will come a time - maybe sooner than later - when I won't have something new to post every single week. Honestly, I'm looking forward to kicking back, focusing on what's on the shelves right now, and no longer scrambling to keep up, post-dating reviews weeks in advance, while boxes sit on top of my fridge for months before I get to open them up. Stick around, because I'm not going anywhere. I'm just gonna take it a little bit easier from here on out.

Wicked (Elphaba Caramel Apple)

Name: Wicked (Elphaba Caramel Apple)
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: It's time to try Elphaba's caramel apple cereal! Can I just say, I think caramel apple is a great flavor for fall. I'm surprised there isn't a dependable standard that appears on the shelves every year. You can't even have Caramel Apple Toast Crunch without getting Apple Pie Toast Crunch and Dulce de Leche Toast Crunch (assuming you can find them both), and mixing them together. Apple Jacks tried a Caramel variety once upon a time, but I barely had a chance to taste it. I thought Monster Cereals' new addition Carmella Creeper was here to stay, but I haven't seen hide nor hair of her this year.

On to the cereal at hand. These puffs are a sickly green color, but it contributes to the "Wicked Witch" aesthetic - similar to Snow White's poisoned apple, but that's a different story. The texture and corn flavor is comparable to that of Glinda Good Berry, but with caramel in place of strawberry. It does remind me of eating Carmella Creeper without the marshmallows. But how come these "caramel apple" cereals always taste predominantly of caramel, but not really apple? Apple is a good flavor! TMNT Mutant Mayhem was just cinnamon apple - no caramel - and it was pretty good. Very sweet and fruity, like applesauce. Come to think of it, this cereal reminds me more of caramel corn.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Imagine somebody dropped a single Werther's Original into your milk.

I mentioned that pink and green were my favorite colors, didn't I? Well, I also like putting them together, so I couldn't resist mixing Glinda and Elphaba in the same bowl. And you know what? It's actually quite good. The Good Berry adds some needed fruitiness that was lacking from the Caramel Apple. Perhaps they should have mixed them together from the get-go. I guess these witches really are two halves of a whole heart!

Wicked (Glinda Good Berry)

Name: Wicked (Glinda Good Berry)
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Kellogg's may have nabbed the deal to promote the new hit series Wednesday at your breakfast table, but General Mills has countered with their own promotion of the new movie Wicked, based on a stage adaptation of characters from L. Frank Baum's enormously popular Wizard of Oz story. And what better way to honor a two-part movie about two contrasting characters, than to give them each their own cereal? One features Glinda the Good Witch, and the other Elphaba, known to many as the Wicked Witch of the West. I really like their contrasting aesthetic - pink and green are my two favorite colors!

Light side meets dark side?

We'll start with the good witch Glinda. The cereal is called "Good Berry", and it's very pink (albeit a little salmon-shaded) - I'm guessing it's strawberry. It reminds me a little bit of JoJo Siwa Strawberry Bop! (minus the marshmallows). These "crispy corn puffs" are actually quite substantial - they offer a solid bite; they're not overly light and puffed with air. They do taste noticeably of corn, but it doesn't clash with the fruity flavor. It's pretty good - I don't even miss not having marshmallows very much. Disappointingly, the leftover milk is quite plain - how cool would it have been to have these two cereals turn the milk their respective colors? Ah well. It's the only complaint I really have.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Only a very mild strawberry flavor.