[Experiments] Double Chocolate and Reese's S'mores

Description: I was having a bowl of Honey Maid S'mores (the modern analog to one of my childhood favorites), and I thought to myself, the graham cracker ratio is pretty high. Now, as I've written before, S'mores are a balance of three ingredients, one of which is graham crackers. But the graham crackers are practically just a delivery mechanism - the chocolate and the marshmallow are where it's at. So I thought I could try mixing the cereal with some Cocoa Puffs, to boost the chocolate content. And you know what? It works great! Who among us has never put two squares of chocolate on a S'more? The only thing better would be to use Hot Cocoa Puffs to increase the marshmallow ratio as well, but sadly that cereal does not seem to be a regular fixture on store shelves.

Rating: 🥣🥣🥣

Description: Since we're fooling around with S'mores combinations, I had to give this one a try. For a little background, I visited the Grand Canyon for my honeymoon a number of years ago. We flew into Las Vegas and stayed just long enough to get a feel for the city. While checking out the slots (and dodging thirsty Chippendales), I stumbled across a dessert booth specializing in gourmet S'mores platters. I got one that used a giant Reese's peanut butter cup as the base. Ever since, I've enjoyed having regular S'mores around the campfire with a Reese's peanut butter cup instead of a Hershey's chocolate bar. (These days, my favorite thing to use is those dark chocolate Reese's thins). It's like regular S'mores, but with a delicious undercurrent of peanut butter flavor!

Rating: 🥣🥣🥣

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Secret Saja Boys Flavor

Name: KPop Demon Hunters Cinnamon Toast Crunch Secret Saja Boys Flavor
Variation: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Not to be outdone by rival KPop group Huntrix (who moonlight as demon hunters) and their peach mango takeover of Lucky Charms, the Saja Boys have hijacked Cinnamon Toast Crunch. And, like the Saja Boys themselves, this cereal is hiding a secret - it has a mystery flavor! Now, notwithstanding all of the unique flavors I've encountered in my years of eating novelty cereals, I'm not as confident at guessing mystery flavors as you might think. I may have been in the ballpark on Mystery Crunch (the word on the street is that the flavor is cherry vanilla; I guessed cream soda), but at least they gave us clues. Even if some of them were red herrings.

If this cereal is modeled after a Korean delicacy, I'll be up the creek without even a boat. Here are my impressions. The cinnamon flavor seems subdued, allowing the buttery taste to stand out. And there's definitely something else there, but I can't figure out what it is. Licorice? Peppermint? I asked my wife to try it and she offered this guess: lemon meringue. Could be, I guess. I'd counter with Key lime, but I've never actually had Key lime pie, so I don't know what it tastes like. I'm at a loss. The cereal is not at all unpleasant to eat, but I find myself comparing it unfavorably to regular Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Which is to say, the fun of the mystery aside, I probably wouldn't buy it again.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: As mysterious as the cereal itself.

Lucky Charms Huntrix (Peach Mango)

Name: KPop Demon Hunters Lucky Charms Huntrix Peach Mango
Variation: Lucky Charms
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: KPop Demon Hunters are everywhere these days - even in your breakfast cereal! The Saja Boys have taken over Cinnamon Toast Crunch (stay tuned for that), and Huntrix has transformed Lucky Charms into an intriguing peach mango treat. It's got to be one of the more creative flavors of Lucky Charms I've tried.

I feel like the marshmallows are either faded, or they picked out the contrasting colors, because it contributes to a somewhat paler, almost pastel visual presentation, that matches the pinkish purple box. There's an unmistakable hint of peach mango flavor, but after a bite or two, it tends to get lost in the oats - which is the same problem I had with Cotton Candy Lucky Charms. The flavor is there, it's just not vivid enough.

I like these new flavors Lucky Charms has been coming up with (and the KPop Demon Hunters branding is a lot of fun) - they're a lot more creative than just adding a new marshmallow we'll never see again. But I've yet to find one that I absolutely love.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Marshmallow, with only a suggestion of peach mango.