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!

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

Name: Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: This year, the classic stop-motion Christmas movie about everybody's favorite reindeer gets a cereal tribute! As another hot cocoa-flavored cereal with marshmallows, I was very excited to try this cereal - even more so than The Elf on the Shelf's North Pole Snow Creme (notwithstanding its curious cooling effect). I won't be the first one to note that the "Flying Reindeer" look like Reese's Puffs Bunnies, but they're flatter and crisper (a bit like the cookies in Cookie Crisp). And there is, of course, no peanut butter.

How does it compare to other hot cocoa cereals? The bold and colorful marshmallows (representing Rudolph's red nose, green Christmas trees, and Hermey's blue hat) are where it excels - indeed, the splash of primary colors recalls the glow of Christmas lights. But it doesn't have the satisfying mouthfeel of Elf on the Shelf's Hot Cocoa cereal, and I don't think I would rate it as high as Hot Cocoa Puffs (why is this cereal so hard to find?). But that's not to say that I don't like it. I'd love to see General Mills expand on this property, like Kellogg's has done with the Elf on the Shelf cereals. Imagine Hermey's Sugar Cookies Cereal, or The Bumble's Snowball Blast!

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: It may not be hot cocoa, but it is cold chocolate milk!

Hot Cocoa Puffs

Name: Hot Cocoa Puffs
Variation: Cocoa Puffs
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Four years ago, I found this cereal and decided it was the best thing ever. Adding marshmallows to Cocoa Puffs? It's so obvious! And calling it Hot Cocoa Puffs? Brilliant! (Although I don't recommend eating it hot). I was so enamored with it, that it became my Holy Grail. I've searched for it every winter since, but always in vain - until this year. It's back, and now sponsored by Swiss Miss - a name that screams hot cocoa!

January 2018

All that said, when you build something up in your mind, it's hard for the real thing to measure up. Not that I don't still love Hot Cocoa Puffs, but I think buying twelve bags of it was maybe a little excessive. Anyway, the cocoa pieces have a satisfying crunch to them, and you can't go wrong with chocolate and marshmallows, although the milk could be a little more chocolatey in the end. I'd definitely eat this cereal every winter; I just wish it was released more consistently.

Rating: 🥣🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Slightly chocolatey.

The Elf on the Shelf (Hot Cocoa & Sugar Cookie)

Name: The Elf on the Shelf - Hot Cocoa & Sugar Cookie
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: Another two-for-one! Hot cocoa and sugar cookie are two of my favorite winter flavors (moreso than peppermint and gingerbread), so I was very excited to find these - the official cereal of the North Pole. Both cereals are pretty similar, just with different flavors. The marshmallows are tiny and very sparse - I feel like Hot Cocoa could have had more of them, but I was surprised that Sugar Cookie had any at all. The flavors could be a little stronger (Hot Cocoa more chocolatey, and Sugar Cookie sweeter), but this is made up for by mouthfeel. I was particularly impressed with the way Sugar Cookie simulates the feeling of biting into a sugar cookie. I think I would enjoy making these cereals part of my annual Christmas tradition. The milk is left with a mild flavor when you're done.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Mild cocoa/cookie flavor.