Jettas Mix

Name: Justin Jefferson's Jettas Mix
Variation: Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cheerios
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: Like with the Kelce Mix from last year, I have no idea who Justin Jefferson is - but it's a pretty box, with holographic lettering. Unlike that other mix, this cereal combines limited edition varieties (new Cinnamon Toast Crunch Strawberry, and Frosted Lemon Cheerios) instead of a bunch of staples. But it's an intriguing combination of flavors - like a strawberry lemonade, but with a hint of buttery cinnamon. It tastes very refreshing. I think the lemon is more prominent than the strawberry, and the cinnamon adds an interesting flourish. The box says Justin Jefferson has a "sweet tooth" - but while this cereal is sweet, it runs fruity rather than chocolatey. As such, it's not what I would choose for my signature cereal, but I do like it. Makes a great dry snack, too.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Like a horchata mixed with strawberry lemonade!

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.

[Experiment] Froot Loops Lemonade

Description: I wanted to try this experiment last summer, but I never got around to fitting it into my schedule. But after trying Frosted Lemon Cheerios this spring (and then discovering another lemon cereal in Hot Wheels), I felt it was time.

I remember being pretty shocked when I learned that the flavor of Froot Loops is lemon - less from the realization that the differently-colored loops are not different flavors, and mainly because when it comes to fruit-flavored candy and snacks, I tend to favor the red fruits (strawberry, cherry, watermelon) over the citrus-y ones (lemon, lime, orange). Yet, somehow, Froot Loops is my favorite (mainstream) fruity cereal.

Anyway, knowing that Froot Loops is lemon-flavored, I'm surprised Kellogg's has never (at least to my knowledge) capitalized on that fact and marketed a "lemonade" oriented version of Froot Loops. It could be a summer staple! I was thinking that you could pare down the loops to just yellow and red/pink, and call it Froot Loops Pink Lemonade.

Pink & Blue Lemonade

Of course, once I thought of that, my imagination started running, and I realized you could do a number of other variations - like Lemon Lime, Blue Raspberry, and Cherry Limeade!

Lymon Loops

Blue Raspberry

Cherry Limeade

As you can see, I went a step further and started tossing in differently-colored Crunch Berries - which could be used to simulate Strawberry and Blueberry Lemonade!

Strawberry & Blueberry Lemonade

(Yes, it's really red).

Honestly, it got to a point where the myriad possibilities started to become overbearing, and I just had to draw a line and stop experimenting. Maybe that's why Kellogg's has never released a Froot Loops Lemonade. Still, I think it's a good idea.

Rating: 🥣🥣

Froot Loops Mega Mix-Ups

Name: Froot Loops Mega Mix-Ups
Variation: Froot Loops
Manufacturer: Kellogg's

Review: Aptly described on the box as "classic Froot Loops with jumbo Froot Loops mixed in", this variation follows Froot Loops' recent Color Mix-Ups. I would have been interested to try a box of just jumbo Froot Loops - it would have made for a good contrast to General Mills' Minis lineup this year (although a box of mini Froot Loops would be fun, too). The flavor doesn't provide any surprises - this is just Froot Loops, but with the occasional textural variation of the jumbo loops. Like Reese's Big Puffs, they're a bit cumbersome in your mouth. I had more fun with this novelty than Color Mix-Ups (which was a hot mess), but I still wouldn't say it's an improvement over regular Froot Loops, which are already very good (and even better with marshmallows!).

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: A little sweet & fruity.

Hot Wheels Cereal

Name: Hot Wheels Cereal
Variation: n/a
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I'm not a Hot Wheels fanatic, but I'll give this new cereal a spin. The base consists of fruity yellow loops that are wider and thinner than Froot Loops (I'm guessing they're tires?). On top of that you have marshmallows in three shapes. The pink wheels with blue stars stand out the most. The flames look cool, but are smaller, and the lightning bolts completely disappear in all the yellow. I do believe the flavor I'm tasting is lemon (once again) - I wish cereals would indicate "lemon" or "strawberry" or "blueberry" or even "mixed berry" instead of calling them all "fruity" (or the dreadfully generic "berry"). You can't even tell by looking at the ingredients list, because there's not actually any fruit in it - the flavor comes from a secret mixture of added chemicals. As always, the marshmallows improve the product, and actually have a bit of a nostalgic flavor I can't quite put my finger on (are they fruity, too?). I don't think I'll be racing to the store to get more, but by promo standards, this is actually a pretty decent cereal.

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: Dull orange and only mildly fruity.

Frosted Lemon Cheerios

Name: Frosted Lemon Cheerios
Variation: Cheerios
Manufacturer: General Mills

Review: I resisted buying this cereal for a while, solely because I was outraged by the $6.49 price tag. But my partner was intrigued by it, and we eventually broke down (as we both - along with the CEO of General Mills - knew we would). By now, it must be common knowledge that Froot Loops are lemon-flavored (I was surprised to learn this, only because I wouldn't have thought I'd like a lemon-flavored cereal as much as I like Froot Loops), so I was curious to see how Cheerios' lemon loops compare.

I always go to Kroger when I want to overpay for cereal.

It doesn't make the strongest visual impression - the cereal looks like pale, wrinkled Cheerios (although they pick up a little color when wet). But they have a pleasant lemon flavor. They're definitely not as sweet as Froot Loops. On the other hand, these loops are strangely cool and refreshing. I bet this would be a good cereal to cut up strawberries (or even blueberries!) into.

I was ready to write this cereal off as a poor substitute of Froot Loops, or in favor of better fruity varieties of Cheerios (like Strawberry Banana), but I think I actually like it. I'm just not sure I like it enough to pay $6.49 for another box, when I can get a Family Size box of Froot Loops for $2 less...

Rating: 🥣🥣
Leftover Milk: It's like if lemonade were a milkshake!