Honey Bunches of Oats - Sugar Cookie

Name: Honey Bunches of Oats - Sugar Cookie
Variation: Honey Bunches of Oats
Manufacturer: Post

Review: After a short break, we're heading into the holiday rush now, starting with this exciting new flavor of Honey Bunches of Oats! Opening the box, it smells strongly of sugar cookies. But it's not as colorful as the box would suggest - these "festive" red and green sprinkles are barely noticeable. The flavor is good, though. The texture is a lot different from a soft, doughy cookie (that's one thing The Elf on the Shelf got right), but the taste is on point. I might even like it better than Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch! In any case, it's a delightful treat for the holidays.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Did somebody order a sugar cookie milkshake?

Honey Bunches of Oats - Maple & Pecans

Name: Honey Bunches of Oats - Maple & Pecans
Variation: Honey Bunches of Oats
Manufacturer: Post

Review: Of all the varieties of Honey Bunches of Oats I've seen so far, this is the one I was looking forward to trying the least. I mean, it doesn't even sound appetizing (although the box is a pretty color). Experience has borne out that I'm not super fond of maple-flavored cereals (unless they have marshmallows), and pecans - well, I could take or leave any kind of nut in my cereal. I couldn't even say if I like them better or worse than almonds. Although maple is usually associated with sugary syrup, this cereal - like the others - isn't very sweet. The flavors are subtle, and mostly it just tastes plain. I've gained an appreciation for certain flavors of Honey Bunches of Oats over the past weeks - albeit in small doses - but I can't say this is one of them.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Flaky, and maple-flavored.

Cinnamon Bunches

Name: Honey Bunches of Oats - Cinnamon Bunches
Variation: Honey Bunches of Oats
Manufacturer: Post

Review: I'm not sure "cinnamon" is going to be enough of a flavor to redeem this cereal's plainness (it wasn't enough for Cheerios Oat Crunch), but I'm going to give it a try. I can taste the cinnamon, but it's subtle. The cereal's still not sweet enough. I'd put this one on par with Honey Roasted. I can tolerate it in small doses. But I won't miss it when it's gone. So far, the only versions I'd give the time of day are Frosted Bunches, and the one with Real Strawberries. And I don't think the next flavor I'm going to try is going to change that...

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Flaky, and specked with cinnamon.

Honey Bunches of Oats - Vanilla

Name: Honey Bunches of Oats - Vanilla
Variation: Honey Bunches of Oats
Manufacturer: Post

Review: As a certified chocoholic, vanilla doesn't excite me (a fact that is borne out by my low average rating for vanilla cereals). It smells nice (and, according to the back of the box, spiders can't stand the smell, so I might just plant a bunch of vanilla in my garden, lol), but I could take or leave the taste. So it's no surprise that this version of Honey Bunches of Oats leaves me cold. The vanilla is subtle, and not unpleasant, but altogether the cereal is just plain. It doesn't have the sweetness of Frosted Bunches - which I liked. I'd rank this cereal close to the original Honey Roasted, but like the version with almonds, I'd be willing to give it away just as soon as finish it myself.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Flakey, and only subtly vanilla.

Honey Bunches of Oats - with Real Strawberries

Name: Honey Bunches of Oats - with Real Strawberries
Variation: Honey Bunches of Oats
Manufacturer: Post

Review: This cereal delivers on its promise of having real (freeze-dried) strawberry slices - and honestly, I'm a little impressed. I mean, I guess I could have just added fresh strawberries myself, but it's nice to have them already in the box. And the concentration's pretty favorable - sometimes you don't get enough of the good stuff, but that's not a problem here. The strawberries add a much needed burst of flavor to this otherwise boring oat 'n' granola cereal. It's much better than the utter disappointment that was Cheerios Oat Crunch Berry. It's still not going to become one of my favorites, but, unlike the version with almonds, it's good enough to eat.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Strawberry and flaked.

Honey Bunches of Oats - with Almonds

Name: Honey Bunches of Oats - with Almonds
Variation: Honey Bunches of Oats
Manufacturer: Post

Review: As a newcomer to this cereal, I'm assuming that Honey Roasted is the "regular" variety, and the rest are variations. So this is basically regular Honey Bunches of Oats, but with the addition of almonds - which recalls Cheerios Oat Crunch Almond. It has a very nutty flavor; in fact, I don't taste the honey at all in this. And once again, it's not sweet enough to hold my interest. I already miss Frosted Bunches. I learned my lesson and poured a smaller bowl this time, and I'm still finding it tedious drudgery to get to the bottom. I think I like this cereal even less than Honey Roasted, which I was able to tolerate as a small side, but not an entrée. This box... I'm tempted to just give it away.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Flaky, and nutty.

Frosted Bunches

Name: Honey Bunches of Oats - Frosted Bunches
Variation: Honey Bunches of Oats
Manufacturer: Post

Review: I spotted this cereal last year, but passed it over since I had no experience eating Honey Bunches of Oats. But now that I've started familiarizing myself with the lineup, I'm happy I was able to have another chance to give it a try. Given the presence of corn flakes in this cereal regularly, using frosted flakes instead is a great idea. From the first bite, the added sweetness is a welcome presence. It's still dense, and no competition for most of the cereals I like to eat, but it may just prove in the end to be one of the few versions of this cereal I can tolerate.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Sweet, and flecked with oats.

Honey Bunches of Oats - Honey Roasted

Name: Honey Bunches of Oats - Honey Roasted
Variation: Honey Bunches of Oats
Manufacturer: Post

Review: I've never had Honey Bunches of Oats before. Judging from the box, the closest comparison I can pull from my immediate experience is Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats 'N Honey. It looks like corn flakes, but with oat and granola clusters. It has a sweet and nutty flavor - but not super sweet. It's very crunchy. Seems like a bit of a bridge between the "healthy" cereals and the "candy" cereals, but it's not really sweet enough to hold my interest. I'm not crazy about it. I'd sooner eat this than plain Cheerios, but it's no Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch.

What I will be interested in is trying the different flavors, especially almond and strawberry. There are cereals where you pour a big bowl, and you get to the end thinking, "it's not enough!" And then there are cereals where you get halfway through the bowl and you think, "why'd I pour so much?" This is the latter. I don't know if I fully understand it - because the cereal itself doesn't taste terrible. But it's very dense and requires a lot of chewing. Even the thought of having to work through another bowl fills me with dread. I'd say it's definitely more manageable in smaller quantities.

Rating: 🥣
Leftover Milk: Flaky, and only mildly flavored with oats 'n' honey.