Triscuit Thin Crisps Wasabi & Soy Sauce Flavor

This is my first venture into Triscuit's Thin Crisps line. At first I was hesitant because my perception is that they're trying for a lower calorie option with these. That hesitation was bolstered by the fact that these are also the brown rice variety of Thin Crisps. However I try to be an equal opportunity snacker so I plunked down $2.50 and decided to give these a shot.

BEST DECISION EVER!

First the texture. The rice / wheat combination produces a cracker that's crisp like a rice cracker but hearty like a Triscuit. However it is a bit lighter than a regular Triscuit which means less of a workout for your jaws. This makes them very easy to keep eating.

Then there's the flavor. For whatever reason Americans have never really embraced a lot of Asian flavors in our snacks. Sure, that's starting to change as wasabi seems to be popping up a lot more (especially in things like mustard) but it's still a bit of a niche flavor. These are excellent. The soy is up front and hits immediately but it's almost not until you swallow that you get the pleasant, somewhat floral wasabi wafting up through your nose. If I have one complaint, I wish the wasabi was a little stronger, but considering the risk of this flavor with Americans I can understand starting slow.

All I can say is that I really enjoyed these. Hopefully this is a gateway for Americans to experience flavors in their snacks other that cheese and salt.

Cadbury White Mini Eggs

I love white chocolate. On any given day I'd much rather have white chocolate than any other candy out there. Easter is a great time of year for me because of the increased availability of white chocolate. This year my favorite (non white chocolate) Easter candy, Cadbury Mini Eggs, released a white chocolate variety. Imagine my excitement! 

I'm pleased to report that these lived up to everything I wanted them to be. They have the same sugar shell as the regular Cadbury Mini Eggs but with a white chocolate center. The white chocolate used appears to be high quality too, at least it tastes that way. This makes for a very rich flavor that does get a little overwhelming after a few pieces but that is their only drawback.

Obviously this is a seasonal novelty, but it's made even rarer by the fact that it's only available at Target. Hopefully next year we get a wider release as I can't see sales from one department store chain justifying Cadbury keeping this one around. In the meantime, white chocolate fans need to get to Target and check this one out! 

Tostitos Fajita Scoops

Tortilla chips are a staple for us. We find them to be a delicious snack that morphs easily into a meal with a little chili and cheese. Naturally we were intrigued by this new flavor on store shelves, but with a pretty saturated tortilla chip market would these stand out or drown in a sea of mediocrity and cheese powder?

I'm happy to report these are a total success!  For starters, these are lightly seasoned. They taste like regular chips with just a little something extra and don't bludgeon your taste buds with spice or fake cheese powder.  Secondly, it's not just a spice powder at work here but also a blend of bell peppers in the corn itself that give these a deeper flavor. They've really hit on something here, they're tasty enough to snack on unadorned but subtile enough to not get in the way of a plate of nachos. 

Highly recommended, we immediately went out and bought a second bag. 

Chips Ahoy Root Beer Float Flavor

A few weeks ago Nabisco launched this new line of flavors called "Ice Cream Creations". None of the flavors sounded particularly interesting to us, but I do love a good root beet float so I figured I'd give this one a try.

 

I'm pleased to report that these are not anywhere near as bad as I expected. There's a pretty distinct root beer flavor but it stays sweet and doesn't cross that line into offensive. The flavor appears to be in both the cookie and the chips, and the vanilla chips keep the root beer in check. I'm also glad these are chewy cookies because I'm not sure the flavor would translate well to crispy ones.

 

I suppose the verdict is that these are decent. Certainly nowhere near as disgusting as I expected them to be, but not really good enough to get into my regular cookie rotation. I would like to try them with some vanilla ice cream though.

Skittles Desserts Flavor

Skittles have always been a welcome change of pace for me in the largely choco-centric American candy selection. Over the years several flavor variants have appeared on shelves, most notably the wildberry and sour versions. Today I sampled their newest offering, Skittles Desserts. The palette is comprised of Key Lime Pie, Orange Creme, Raspberry Sorbet, Strawberry Milkshake, and Blueberry Tart. Whether any of these actually live up to their namesakes is debatable, certainly no more or less than the regular fruit flavors do. Each flavor is unique and pleasant but the blueberry and orange stand out the most for me. While this new flavor combo is good, ultimately it stands no threat to the good old red bag (and the aforementioned wildberry and sour combos in this humble blogger's opinion) but is still worth a taste if you're looking for something a little different.

Marshmallow 3 Musketeers

I'm not a huge fan of 3 Musketeers. They're a bit uninteresting with no substance and just one note, chocolate. Yet I was intrigued by this Easter themed variant because I love marshmallow. These however were a bit disappointing. For starters they used marshmallow flavored nougat instead of actual marshmallow. Secondly, these are way too sweet with no substantive or textural counterpoint (graham cracker bits, I can't be the only one who's thought of that)

In the end I'd say skip this one. As much as I wanted to like it, it feels like a missed opportunity.

Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups

I think we can all agree that there's pretty much only one name associated with peanut butter cups, Reese's. Sure there are some off brands and gourmet varieties, but I think the general population only has one name on their tongue when it comes to this confection. So why would Nestle want to throw their hat in the ring against such strong competition?

For starters, these are different.  Too often competitors try to make their peanut butter cups "just like Reese's only better". Nestle went in the other direction and tried to make something different while maintaining a link to their popular Butterfinger candy bar . 

These contain a smooth peanut butter that contains fine bits of that crispy Butterfinger interior. This results in a fairly unique texture unlike other peanut butter cups and the regular candy bar. 

In the end these will never replace Reese's, but do deserve a spot on the shelf right next to them.  

Cookies & Cream Chex Mix

I've always loved Chex Mix, perhaps because it's so modular. It's one of the few snacks that people make at home and everybody's got a different twist. Which brings us to this, Cookies and Cream Chex Mix! 

We first found this as a holiday flavor a couple years back, then it disappeared. It seems to pop up once in a while but a lot of major retailers don't seem to carry it (our only source was a local gas station for a while) and I don't know if they even make it on a consistent basis.

I think this stuff is outstanding. They really hit the right balance between cookies and cream. Just when you start to feel it's a little too sweet you hit the Chex in the middle and it's balanced out. This might be the best cookies and cream flavored thing that isn't called Oreos.

Girl Scout's Savannah Smiles

Everyone loves Girl Scout Cookie season, and everyone has their traditional favorites. This year we decided to try the new lemon wedge cookies, the Savannah Smiles.

Move over Samoas, there's a new favorite in this house.

Now, if you don't like lemon, don't read any further. These cookies are VERY lemon-y. The first bite hits you in the taste buds, and can be a bit of shock at first. The flavor is tangy and distinct without ever crossing the line into sour, which makes them easy to just keep eating. The description on the box states that they are "Crisp, zesty lemon wedge cookies dusted with powered sugar." I feel this is misleading. It isn't simply a powdered sugar coating. There seems to be lemon flavor in the sugar, as well.

So, bottom line:

If you like lemon, or if you're looking for an interesting new cookie, give the Savannah Smiles a try.

Two cents from Hub:

This doesn't do justice to how much she liked them. She had me get back in touch with my girl scout and get more. Still not sure I got her enough. While I agree with her assessment that these are magnificent, Samoas are still my personal favorite.

Cap'n Crunch's Sprinkled Donut Crunch

        I am generally not the biggest fan of cereal. My husband, on the other hand, refers to standard size boxes of cereal as "Single Serve". Perhaps this is due to the fact that, as a kid, my parents had no problem buying us the fun cereals (like Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cookie Crisp, Oreo-Os, Waffle Crisp etc). So for me, cereal is never a go-to snack option, and only rarely a choice for breakfast.

       The new 'crazy' flavors that come out are usually and interesting novelty, but I'll only eat a handful and then never touch again. 

       Here, I present to you, is The Exception. Right away, I was interested. Sprinkled donut flavored cereal? Put that in the cart! Not long after getting home, Adam decided to try it. He ate some, then handed the box to me… and I never gave it back.

First impressions:
        Other than the shape, there isn't much that makes it 'donut', but that's fine by me. A better name might be something like "Sugar-Glazed Vanilla Rings with Sprinkles". They aren't too sweet, and they are delightfully crunchy. The sprinkles add a different sort of crunch, and some pieces have more than others, which keeps things interesting. They are a Cap'n Crunch product, so they will shred the inside of your mouth. They didn't stop me from eating the entire box in less than 2 days (eating ~18 oz of a Cap'n Crunch cereal in less than 2 days did stop me from eating much else until I healed.)

This cereal is so good, I am actually willing to go back to Wal-Mart for the second time in a week. If that doesn't convince you, I don't know what will. Go try this cereal.

Please pay no attention to the demon cat at the top. 

Two cents from Hub:

To paraphrase Vera from Harlem Nights, you got my mouth all ready for sprinkled donuts and you ain't got sprinkled donuts.  My only real issue here is the name.  If they had called it Frosted Cap'n Crunch with Sprinkles I would have been fine, but if you call something "donut" and then don't deliver donuts it's a bit disappointing.  To be fair, I've only had a handful of this because I don't have the heart to take it away from the wife what with her stroking the box and referring to it as her "precious". 

Chocolate Toast Crunch

I'm not sure whether I like this or not. It's the same texture as their other cereals so it immediately turns soggy the moment you take the milk out of the fridge. The flavor is a bit confused. Not super chocolatey and they kept the cinnamon in the background. So ultimately it doesn't do either one very well. I guess the verdict is that while I'm glad I bought a box and tried it, I won't be buying it again.

Blue Diamond Blueberry Almonds

Admittedly I'm a sucker for fruit flavored things, however I generally avoid sweet nuts. These taste like the belong in some kind of fancy pants Kashi cereal with a bunch of twigs or I could also see mixing these into some sort of trail mix. Since I'm not pretentious enough for Kashi and I have no businesses anywhere near a trail, I'm not the biggest fan of these. Truthfully they taste pretty good and you can tell that the coating is real blueberry, but they're just a little weird for out of hand eating.

Update from the Wife:

I really kind of hated these. But, if all fairness, I don't much care for almonds anyway. The blueberry coating falls kind of flat, I think. And it doesn't seem to work as a compliment to the flavor (or texture) of the almonds. I think Adam has it right. These seem like they are meant to be mixed with something, like a trail mix or some fancy 'all natural' cereal. Neither of those things exist within this house, and so our opened, half-eaten bag of blueberry almonds sits gathering dust in the pantry. 

Poppin' Pebbles

You know what Fruity Pebbles have always been missing?  Pop Rocks!  I seriously wonder what the looks on the board members faces must have been like when this idea was pitched. In an era where most cereals are reducing sugar content and trying to become healthier, this product brings us back to a time when cereal was fun and ups the ante on those circus peanut marshmallow bits. Poppin' Pebbles have a berry flavor going on that's a bit different than their fruity forefather. The real story is those poppin' pieces though. Carbonated crystals suspended in little balls of powdered sugar and nonfat yogurt powder (that's healthy, right?). This amps up the normal poppiness of a rice based cereal and the crystals being suspended in the dense little boulders keeps the from popping in the milk. Kind of brilliantly engineered actually. I wouldn't necessarily rush out and buy another box, but it's a fun novelty.