Sometimes Foodie

Beautiful Boba Beans

2025-06-25T07:30:00.012-04:00

Full disclosure, I bought these because they're pretty. They were a lot of fun to photograph, and I love the colors, but will I love how they taste?

There are 5 flavors in this mix, and they're all Milk Tea based. We have: Strawberry Milk Tea, Mango Milk Tea, Taro Milk Tea, Matcha Milk Tea, and Thai Milk Tea.

Mango Milk Tea (yellow) - My favorite in the mix. It's creamy, sweet, tropical and fruity. The mango flavoring isn't as recognizable as the peelable gummies I reviewed recently, it's actually kind of floral, but you can tell what it's going for. A decent representation of a mango milk tea, 4/5
Taro Milk Tea (purple) - A warm starchy flavor with a floral lean. Taro isn't a flavor I normally gravitate towards, but I don't dislike it. If you eat several of these in a row it starts to taste a bit like cereal milk. I surprisingly like it! 3/5
Matcha Milk Tea (green) - Oof. Not. For. Me. This has hints of honey and some earthy matcha notes. I am not a matcha fan, so I don't care for it at all. 1/5 BUT if you do like matcha items, like matcha Kit-Kats and sweets, you'll probably like this a lot.

Strawberry Milk Tea (pink) - I'm surprised by how floral all of these flavors are. This is sweet, a little fruity, and definitely creamy, but it also gives me cosmetic vibes. Like a lotion or soap. Normally strawberry is my favorite of any mix it's in, but this is too perfume-y for me. 2/5
Thai Milk Tea (tan) - Of all the flavors, I am the most familiar with Thai tea. I went through a phase where I was making it at home all the time, buying huge bags online, but it got to the point where I made myself sick of it. I took a break from it and dialed it back, so now I feel like I can enjoy it again. It's a sweet, nutty, and creamy beverage. So I was really looking forward to it in jellybean form, but this was a big let down. This flavor is the worst representation of it's namesake. It's sugary sweet, but there are bitter notes, like over steeped tea, and again I have a soap-like cosmetic aftertaste. 0/5
Overall, this is not for me. The only flavor I would ever seek out again would be the mango, everything else in this mix I never want to eat again.
I do not like floral leaning flavors, or matcha, so keep that in mind. If YOU do, you'd probably like these a lot. My rate for this mix is a 1/5, but tastes vary.

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Swedish Fish Mafia - Various Swedish Fish Products

2025-06-23T07:30:00.000-04:00

Today's post has limited edition flavors, sea creatures, and even a black light gimmick. I love OG Red Swedish Fish, but will I love all their new varieties?
Also, (unrelated) I'm cancelling my Netflix subscription in July since I use it the least out of any of my subscriptions. Please give me any suggestions of worthwhile shows to watch before I get rid of it. I've already been through the big ones, like BoJack Horseman, Apothecary Diaries, Frieren (both also on Hulu) all of the Mike Flanagan limited series, and Arcane. Currently I'm watching through Dead Boy Detectives, which is giving me Doom Patrol-meets-Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (it's cute, but so far I'm not in love.) Any recommendations? Please let me know in the comments.
First up, Blue Raspberry Lemonade.

These full-sized fish have a lovely blue color that reminds me of aquarium gravel. There is a sweet lemonade flavoring, with just the right amount of "blue." If you combined a Lemonhead with a blue raspberry Jolly Rancher, you'd get this fish.
I like the novelty of the blue color, and the flavor is decent, but I find myself craving variety. I ended up using these in a candy salad mix and in that capacity, these really shine!

These are a 4/5 for me, I would totally buy these again and use it in another candy mix.

Speaking of variety, these are three different flavors in this Snapple mix.
We've got Fruit Punch, Kiwi Strawberry, and Mango Madness. I'm actually shocked Snapple Apple didn't make the cut. As a teen we were obsessed with that flavor. How could it taste more like an apple than actual apple juice? Witchcraft.
Opening the bag, I know it got kicked around my candy drawer for a bit before I got to it, but I've never had the fish shatter into pieces like this! They don't even feel stiff or stale. They're still soft and gummy, just in pieces.

Fruit Punch (red) - It takes a few chews for this one to get started, and it feels kind of dry and crumbly in texture, but not stale. Maybe the formula for the flavoring makes them dry and that is why they crumbled like this. It took me two of these fish to really form an opinion, and it's giving Hawaiian Punch, so even though I haven't had this particular Snapple flavor, pretty safe to say it's accurate.
Kiwi Strawberry (pink) - A little waxy, but after a few chews the kiwi strawberry flavor begins to shine. Kiwi Strawberry was the only drink flavor in this mix I've actually had before, so I can say that does taste quite accurate. Impressive.
Mango Madness (orange) - Very sweet and tropical and enjoyable. I know it's meant to be mango, but it's got a decent amount of pineapple coming through giving it an overall tropical vibe. Very refreshing and very different for Swedish Fish. I'm into it!
Overall, I like the Snapple mix, but I don't love it. I'll enjoy this bag, but once these flavors are gone I don't think I'll be wanting more. 3.5/5

Moving on to something more familiar, I've got Swedish Fish and Friends. OG red fish with watermelon sea turtles and strawberry dolphins. I'll skip the OG and get right into the "friends."

Watermelon (green) - Tangy and artificial. If you had a sour watermelon slice without the sour sanding sugar coating, it would be this turtle. I really love artificial watermelon, so I really like this one a lot. If you like Trolli watermelons, you'll like these.
Strawberry (pink) - This was very sweet and non descript, almost cotton candy-like. It doesn't taste like real strawberries, or most strawberry candies, but it's kind of giving red Strawberry Skittle. It's okay but compared to the OG fish and the watermelon, it's definitely the dud of the bag.
I'm a big fan of the turtles, they get a 5/5 from me, but the dolphins get a 2/5.

I saved the best for last! Strawberry Watermelon Glow Ups. These mini fish have embedded confetti that glow under a black light. My pal CandyHunting explained the science behind this in their post here.

With strawberry and watermelon being two of my favorites, I knew I was going to like these. And I was right. They're sweet, and tangy, and artificial in a good way. Like a sour-less Sour Patch watermelon mixed with strawberry Starbursts. If you don't like artificial watermelon, you probably won't dig this one, but it's 100% my style.

Time to bust out my black light that came from Spencer's Gifts in the late 90's-early 00's! Check out that box! I plugged it in, turned off all the lights, and switched it on to see the fishies glow! The little yellow flecks imbedded in the fish did glow under black light, but it wasn't as impressive as I thought it was going to be. In hindsight, probably a good thing that something I am going to consume isn't glowing like a neon sign. Thankfully they taste good.

Gimmick gets a 2/5, flavor gets a 4.5/5.

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On What Planet is this Pizza?

2025-06-20T07:30:00.001-04:00

Another day, another pizza flavored snack. This time I have Lesser Evil Space Balls - Outer Planet Pizza flavor. What a mouthful. This particular bag is Toy Story branded, but from what I can tell this is a normal year-round flavor.
With this being a healthier snack option, I am going in with a hefty dose of skepticism and very low expectations.

Opened, my first impression is that they seem stale, but this is a brand new bag, freshly opened. This is a problem for a lot of the "ball" themed snacks out there, whether they're in a big plastic tub, or a sealed plastic bag, I've noticed that they all have have that stale packing peanut texture. Probably why I prefer crunchy Cheetos, they bypass that puffed stale texture entirely.
Popping a few into my mouth, my second thought was, is this flavored at all? I can see with my own eyes that they are orange and have some kind of seasoning on them, but they taste like plain puffed corn. Imagine a cheese-less cheese curl. That's exactly what these taste like.

I have to close my eyes and focus to detect anything of note. When I do that, I can taste a hint of cheese and tomato, but it's so weak that it's almost impressive. There are a few extra dusty pieces with a bolder flavor, and those are serviceable. They have a brighter tomato flavor and stronger tang, and when I find those, I actually do enjoy them, but they are quite rare. There is less than a handful of the bolder balls (ha!) in the bag. The majority are duds.
What a shame. If they doubled down on the seasoning, these would actually be pretty decent, but they would also be less healthy. These get a 1.5/5 from me, and unless I am dieting, I wouldn't buy these again.

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Strawberry PB&J Reese's Big Cups

2025-06-18T07:30:00.002-04:00

This was released alongside a grape version, but I've had a hard time tracking that one down. Although if I'm being honest, I'm not trying that hard. Grape flavored cold medicine for children ruined grape flavored candy for me forever. (Bubble gum flavored things too.) Actually grape things, yes. Grape flavored things, mostly no.
Strawberry being my go-to for PB&J sandwiches, and one of my favorite flavors of anything ever, I'm happy that I could only find this one.
With summer right around the corner, and the super high humidity, the tops got a bit messy, but they didn't fully melt.

Taking a bite, I really like the chocolate to peanut butter ratio, but the jam is surprisingly mild. I can see it, there is a red layer at the bottom with a thick gel-like consistency, and I can taste a general fruitiness, but not so much "strawberry." Trying the "jelly" on it's own, it kind of tastes like a flavored ChapStick, or the knock-off strawberry fruit snacks my mom used to buy us from Save-A-Lot when I was a kid. That explains the lack of strawberry-ness.
As-is, this is another Big Cup dud. Bummer. While inconvenient for snacking on the go, I definitely think going the DIY route would be best. Take a classic Reese's cup, and top it with a spoonful of jam. BOOM. Much better PB&J Reese's.
Another 1.5/5 for me. Are snacks getting more disappointing? Or am I getting snobbier?

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Takis Waves - Dragon Sweet Chili

2025-06-16T07:30:00.000-04:00

This seemed like the perfect product for me. I love Sweet Chili sauce. I love Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos. I love potato chips, and OG Takis. So when I spotted these chips on the shelf, I had to have them. Into the cart they went.
Opened, if I really get in there I can smell something similar to sweet chili sauce, but it's more savory and paprika-forward.

The chips are covered in a bright orange colored seasoning, although it looks to be a bit spotty and inconsistent. Some chips are borderline naked, while others are bright cheese-puff orange.
Popping a few chips into my mouth, they are definitely spicy. It's a dry peppery heat that hits the sides of my tongue, it's probably near the top of my spicy snack threshold, on par with Frank's Red Hot and other classic hot sauces. So extreme heat seekers might think these are too weak, while those who like it mild will be running for the milk.
These definitely bring the heat, but flavor? Not so much. These taste okay. I get a lot of paprika, vegetal peppers, sweetness, and a healthy amount of salt. Which all sounds great, but somehow it just doesn't hit the way I wanted it to. I probably went in with too high of an expectation. These are actually okay, especially if you like spicy snacks, but I find it to be really unsatisfying and I can't quite put my finger on why.
I think these have potential. I use Sweet Chili as a topping for dumplings and pot stickers, maybe if I used these as some kind of base for a pot sticker themed plate of nachos topped with shredded cabbage and pork, these could be interesting. But that's a lot of effort to make something that doesn't quite hit, work.
Another 2/5 from me. I'm really starting to worry about my tastebuds. Is everything really dropping in satisfaction and quality? Or should I get tested for COVID again?

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Summer Soda Sippin' - Pepsi Wild Cherry and Cream

2025-06-13T07:30:00.006-04:00

Summer Soda Sippin' - Pepsi Wild Cherry and Cream

After writing a few massive posts I wanted to take it easy with a quickie soda review.
Wild Cherry and Cream Pepsi sounds perfect for summer. I originally thought this was going to be a limited edition flavor, similar to Dr. Pepper's Coconut Creme💖, but it turns out this is a permanent addition to their line-up. (Although Coke said the same thing about Spiced and then it bit the dust after less than a year, so only time will tell.)

Opened, it has the normal carbonated cola aroma, but with a heavy dose of vanilla. Very creamy, but not very fruity. I don't detect any cherry.
Taking a sip, it's delivering exactly what it promised. This tastes like Pepsi, vanilla creme, and a splash of maraschino cherry juice. I like it, it's reminiscent of soda fountains and ice cream shops, and great for a sweet summer treat, but this is a little too dessert-like for my normal sipping.
I really do like this, but more like a summer dessert. Instead of a popsicle, having an ice cold one of these on a humid day sounds pretty damn good. 4.5/5 (wish it was a little more cherry forward, but it's damn good.)

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Ropes are all the Rage

2025-06-11T07:30:00.002-04:00

Every fruity candy is releasing a ropes version.
This trend started with Nerds Ropes, which is executed differently than the candies we're looking at today, but there's no doubt that it's the catalyst. Due to Nerds Rope's incredible popularity, it spun off into the even more popular Nerds Gummy Clusters. The star of every Candy Salad Trauma Dump video I've ever seen. From there, filled Sweet-Tart ropes emerged and filled-Swedish candies took over our feeds. Ropes are everywhere! Today I have a bunch of filled candy tubes ranging from sweet, to sour, to marshmallow!

First up, Warheads Ooze Chewz Ropes.
This bag contains three flavors, Watermelon, Blue Raspberry, and Green Apple. Seemingly the brands big three. (Not enough love for Black Cherry, which was my go-to Warheads flavor as a kid.)
Watermelon (pink) - A bright pink color with a sanding sugar exterior and a white filling. It tastes like a watermelon Jolly Rancher in terms of it's pleasant artificiality, and the filling seems to be the main source of sour which is surprisingly mild. No pucker power here. The not-sour "ooze" also isn't very ooze-y. It's more like a fondant or Oreo creme filling in terms of texture. I squished some out to try it on it's own, and it's tangy, sweet, just a little sour, but not really flavored like anything. Of the three flavors, I liked this one the most.
Green Apple (green) - One of my least favorite candy flavors of all time. I expected to hate this one...but it doesn't taste like apple at all? It is sweet, slightly sour, a little tangy, but ....kind of flavorless? Like there is a slightly apple after-taste, but if I were blind folded and had to guess what this was, never in a million years would I think this was green apple. Since I normally dread this flavor, I found this switch up really refreshing, but if you are a green apple lover you're going to be very disappointed.
Blue Raspberry (blue) - Okay this one is really mild as well. It's sweet and tangy and chewy, but the blue raspberry flavoring is giving me watered down blue slushie. Like it was left out too long and now it's more like water-than-flavor. It's pleasant enough, and the more you chew the "bluer" it tastes, but it takes a bit to really get going.

I was prepared for these to be extra sour, but they're weak. Which seems to be the case for any WarHeads product outside of the original hard candies. Their drinks and various gummies are on the same level as a Sour Patch Kid, if that. It definitely makes for a more enjoyable and edible experience, (I rather NOT have my tongue melt off, thank you.), but the brand was formerly so "Extreme!" What happened? Their logo and marketing still reflect that, but the product itself is very tolerable. I think a simple way to rectify this issue without a massive rebrand would be adding a sour-meter to the lower corner of the packaging. Something that will set your expectations to a more realistic sour level before you dive in so you aren't disappointed.
As someone who doesn't want my tongue to bleed, I appreciate this candy's intensity as-is, but the flavor payoff isn't there. 3/5 (Mostly because I really like the watermelon.)

Next up, LemonHeads Ropes.
These must be made by the same manufacturer as the Warheads, because these were the same square-ish "tube" shape and length which was shorter than the other candies. This time we've only got one flavor, lemon.
Opened, these have that clean citrus oil lemon-aroma that reminds me of Lemon Pledge. (I feel like that point of reference might be lost on younger readers, but in the 90's it was iconic.)
The outside licorice- layer is translucent, so you can easily see the filling throughout. The outside doesn't start off super flavorful, but the more you chew, the brighter and zestier the lemon flavoring becomes. I made my own candied lemon peels a while back, and this flavoring reminds me of that. Tangy, zesty, and authentic. The filling is a little tart and tangy, with the consistency of dried toothpaste. It's lightness reminds me of the foaming powder filling inside Zots, without the fizzy reaction.

This is exactly what I wanted that Lemonade Wallaby licorice to taste like. If you like zesty lemony flavors, you'll really enjoy this. 4.5/5

I ended up cutting these up into smaller pieces with a knife and mixing them into another candy salad. Which is what I started doing with the candies I review. Dump 'em all together (within reason) for varied snacking. Nice pops of zesty lemon, 10/10 recommend for candy salads.

This brings us to another 1-flavor bag, Peeps Filled Ropes.
This product makes the least sense of the bunch, given that marshmallow ropes are a real thing and have been around for ages. Instead of actual marshmallow, this is a gummy tube flavored like marshmallow filled with something that's also marshmallow flavored.
We have three different colors: blue, yellow and pink, but they're all the same flavor. Which is a very sweet sugar-bomb-y vanilla marshmallow.

The sanding sugar is pure sugar and while I'm impressed by how much these taste like marshmallow, given that they aren't marshmallow, I can't say I like them. It's just too intensely sweet. If it were in a mix with other things, it would probably shine, but I kind of dread having to finish the rest of this bag at some point. 2/5

Lastly, (which is good because I'm about to OD on sugar) I have SweetTarts Ropes Watermelon Berry Collison.
Another one-flavor bag, but that flavor is a combination of watermelon, strawberry, blackberry, and cherry. It's bright, and fruity, and the filling is kind of light and powdery. It's kind of like a finely ground version of Pixie Stix. I would hesitate to call the filling "tart," but it definitely adds a delightful tang to the sweet fruity exterior. Unlike the Peeps version, this has enough complexity to keep me coming back for more. Just the right balance of sweet, fruity, tangy, and fizzy. 4/5

I am seriously sugared out, but the winners of this post would definitely be the SweetTarts and the Lemonheads. I would buy either one of those again in a heartbeat, the rest? Not so much. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go drink a TON of water before I bounce off the walls.

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A Pac-Man walks into a Krispy Kreme...

2025-05-14T07:00:00.004-04:00

Pac-Man and Krispy Kreme have a new collaboration, and even though they're more flash than substance, I still had to check them out. (Sorry for any rough typing, I cut my hand making dinner and I am struggling to type well as it heals.)

There isn't a grand story behind it, or any kind of core memory, I just really like Pac-Man. I have a plug n' play joystick game that I still use (it also has Dig-Dug), a vintage T-shirt from the 80's that is hanging on by a thread, a vintage paper tablecloth, and a promotional Baby Pac-Man cup from the 7-Eleven 1983 series that I grew up using to give our dog, Coco, a bath. It's a simple game where you eat dots, and sometimes fruit or ghosts, and it makes me happy.

Let's see what these doughnuts have to offer...

We have three different flavors, a specialty collectable box, and cups of "dots." I opted for just the three themed doughnuts this time around (although the box was VERY tempting.)

We have a strawberry themed filled doughnut, a game board doughnut with fondant accents filled with chocolate creme, and a classic with yellow icing and marshmallow fondant Pac-Man.

First up, the strawberry creme-filled doughnut. Visually, it's mimicking one game's collectable fruits. (Strawberry is level 2, level 1 is cherries). The cherries are probably more iconic, but I am guessing they went with the strawberry because the shape is easier to replicate in doughnut-form, and it's probably a flavor they already had on hand.

This is a classic doughnut base, covered with red and green icing and round white sprinkles, filled with a pale pink strawberry-creme. It's cute, but a little messy looking.

Taste-wise, the dough is light and airy, melting in your mouth, but the filling is very disappointing. It's whipped, and sweet, but it doesn't bring much strawberry flavoring to the table. It tastes like a tablespoon of strawberry pie filling was used to flavor a huge batch of standard creme icing. I'm not a fan of creme fillings, I prefer fruit or jam, so this might be more of a personal preference thing. For me, this gets a 2/5. Too sweet and sugary, not enough strawberry.

Next up, chocolate.

This design mimics the gameboard, with yellow dots, blue maze-lines and a black-ish background topped with a marshmallow fondant line-up of Blinky, Inky, Pinky and Clyde. It is adorable, and I love it. Taking a bite, the icing had a thicker consistency, which I prefer. More like the stuff you'd find on a black and white cookie than a typical doughnut. It's sweet, shockingly didn't turn my mouth black or dark blue, and has a chocolate creme filling.

Sadly, the filling on this one was another dud. It's mildly chocolatey, kind of more milk chocolate than a classic cocoa, but it's more sweet than anything else. It gets another 2/5 in terms of taste, but I'll bump it up to a 3/5 for being so damn cute. Visually it's my favorite of the trio.

Lastly, we have a classic with some bells and whistles.

An original glazed topped with yellow icing, sprinkles, and a marshmallow fondant Pac-Man. The doughnut it great, because it's a classic glazed, and you can never go wrong with a classic glazed, but the sugary icing doesn't bring anything to the table. This is cloyingly sweet. Almost throat burningly so. I found myself scraping the yellow stuff off and letting my dogs lick it off my fingers as a little treat, but I do love the doughnut base, and the marshmallow fondant is actually quite nice, so this gets another 3/5.

I love the visuals and thoughts behind this collab, but I wish they had leaned more into fruit fillings than creme based ones. If this had strawberry fruit filling and literally any other fruity filling, they would have been more to my liking. But if you love tons of icing and creme, you'll adore these. I'm still glad I got them and -maybe- I'll have to grab a box before they disappear just for completionism sake.

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Peelerz - Five Fruity Flavors

2025-05-05T07:30:00.001-04:00

I already spoiled this in my other post, but these do not peel. At all. The exterior gummy is thick, which should make for an easy peel, but center portions are too soft and sticky. They just won't separate. The closest to being "peelable" was the banana, and it's still no where near are clean as White Peach I reviewed a few weeks ago.
Therefore the peelable novelty of this candy gets a 0/5.
Taste-wise, things fair a bit better.

Pineapple - Not sure why the pineapple bag is resealable, but lemon is not. The pineapple-shaped candies have a sweet aroma, similar to really ripe or sweetened-canned pineapple. It's a really lovely and accurate. Attempting to peel this, the soft center is getting all up in my fingernails. Gross. I gave up and ate them as-is, you can kind if peel-them in your mouth, but it's not the same. Flipping one inside-out by hand. the soft inner portion is seemingly the same color as the outside layer, and opaque. Both layers seems to have the same sweetened pineapple flavoring, but the center portion seems to be more potent. The flavoring is kind if like pineapple that's been included in fruit cocktail. It's sweet, almost syrupy, but distinctly pineapple. I like these, they're much more accurate than Haribo bears, but I think you'd get the same delicious flavoring with Kasugai with less mess. So they're quite good, but not great. 4/5
Lemon - The outside has a cute, cartoonish lemon appearance complete with little texture-dots. Again, peeling this was a failure. I ripped it open and the inside was soft, sticky, and a semi-opaque white color. It smells sweet and zesty, like a combination of lemon flavored Italian Ice and Lemon Pledge. It tastes just like it smells, a mixture of Lemonheads and cleaning products. A pretty big disappointment. 2.5/5.

Mango - This one really surprised me. Again, it's completely unpeelable, and the aroma was a little plastic-y, but it tastes delicious. The exterior is thick and doesn't seem as flavorful as the center portion which is extra sweet and juicy. It reminds me of the Mango Mango gummies I really loved from Trader Joe's. They're chewy, sticky, sweet and syrupy. I'd buy these again just to eat them as-is. 5/5
Peach - This is the only translucent in the mix, everyone else had an opaque outer layer. In fact, it looks a lot like the white peach candy I just reviewed. I don't have any of those left to do a side-by-side comparison, but the fact that I can't peel this at all, and that what I can see of the center is pink, I'm guessing these are different. Taste-wise, these are okay. It's a little bit like fuzzy peach rings, mixed with the previous peach gummy. It's okay, I definitely prefer the other one. 3/5

Banana - A lover of all things banana, and tiny novelties, I really looked forward to peeling itty bitty banana-shaped candies. These were the closest to being peelable, but the white center portion is incredibly soft and sticky. It was never going to peel cleanly. It both smells and tastes a lot like Banana Runts, but a little bit tangier and underripe. If you like Banana Laffy Taffy, you'll like this. While I didn't love these as much as I thought I would, they were still really flavorful. 4/5
If you're only going to buy one of these flavors, go with the Mango. It's easily the best of the bunch. But if you're looking for truly peelable candy, look elsewhere.

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Quickie Pez Post

2025-04-25T07:00:00.001-04:00

My massive peelable gummy post got a little out of hand, so it will be finished up and posted on Monday.
In the meantime, here is a quickie post I never got around to finishing.
I've always liked Pez candy, but their appeal comes from it's novelty dispenser, not it's actual taste. Dispensers are highly collectable and have cemented their place in pop culture history (the proto-Funko Pop) but the candy has always been mid. I enjoy it for what it is, and will buy it once every few years, but I've never thought it's flavors were so iconic that it should be used in other products, and especially not ice cream, but here we are.
Will these actually taste like Pez? Or is this a case of branding being used to sell a generic fruity-bar? I kind of hope it's the latter.

Sadly I don't have any photos of the bars themselves, I think my SD card got corrupted, but they were a pale pink or pale yellow, depending on their flavor, and the bars were shaped like large Pez tablets. Visually, I really liked the novelty of giant Pez candy, but the quality of the ice cream was terrible.
These feel super light weight and airy, like Halo Top or those "ice cream" products that can't legally call themselves "ice cream."
Taking a bite, they're impressively mild and chalky for something meant to be ice cream adjacent. In the grand scheme of things, the dry chalky texture is very much like the real candy, so authenticity gets a 4/5.
As far as taste, these have an even milder flavor than normal. It's okay for Pez but far from an enjoyable ice cream. This is a 2/5 at best. Maybe even a 1.5/5.
Their foamy texture is a major turnoff, but I don't like light ice creams or Cool-Whip. This was too artificial for my liking. Also these are one of those novelties that don't melt. My fridge needed to be repaired (Apparently the compressors in LG fridges are known to go bad. Maybe don't get an LG fridge.) I lost a lot of food and had to do a big freezer clean-out. The leftover bars never melted. They looked perfect and didn't lose their shape until they were touched. I find that to be a bit unnerving. Like how McDonald's French fries never rot.
These look cute but taste mid. I wouldn't buy them again, but apparently I am in the minority. From what I see online a lot of people really loved them and their "creamy" texture. So keep that in mind. Overall, 2/5 for me.

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Peelable Peach Appeal - Tommy & Tim White Peach Gummies

2025-04-23T07:00:00.003-04:00

The hype has already died down, but I have a bunch of peelable fruit gummies to try this week!
The majority of the candies I have are Peelerz, which are made by Amos Sweets. It's a brand sold in many American stores like DollarTree, Costco, and Five Below, but it's actually based in China. For some variety, I purchased these peach candies at Hung Vuong, but they're also made in China. It appears China has the American peelable gummy market on lock.

Spoiler alert for Friday's post, but unlike the other flavors I tried, this is actually easy to peel. The outer layer is firmer and distinctly different from the soft center. The "peel" is not as firm as Haribo gummies, but it's solid enough to stay in one piece while the center is soft and sticky, similar to a gumdrop.
The "peel" has a lovely peach flavor. It so sweet that it borders on cotton candy, but the fruity peach notes are unmistakable. Not as artificial as peach rings, and not syrupy sweet like Goya nectar. It's somewhere in-between. Call me crazy, but I am also getting honey-notes. It's bright, and fruity, and perfect for spring. I really like the firm texture too! It feels like it makes the flavor last longer as you chew.

Inside, the soft gooey center can be bitten through cleanly, it seems to have the same honey peach flavoring as the exterior, but it's leaning more towards cotton candy than it is fruity. I don't know if they are flavored entirely the same and if the change in texture is throwing me off, or if they in fact have different levels of flavoring.
Eaten together as a gummy without the peeling gimmick, the firmer outer layer gives way to the softer center so you still get to experience both textures without the mess. This is my preferred way to eat them.
As fun as it is to peel a fruit-shaped gummy, I find it very inconvenient and unsanitary. (Not to be a kill joy about it.) Peeling the candy makes my fingers sticky and bits get stuck under my nails. Imagine if a client ever walked in and saw me picking at candy with my fingers at my desk. Not a great look. I'd only ever eat these at home where I have easy access to a sink to ensure my hands were clean. So in the end, the flavor gets a 4.5 out of 5, and the peelable novelty gets a 2.5 out of 5.
I will probably be eating the rest of this bag whole, completely side tracking the peelable factor, but the flavor payoff is great and I would still buy these again if given the chance for their flavor alone.

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Quickie: Polar Bear Puccho

2025-04-21T07:00:00.001-04:00

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. Here's a quickie post from my backlog!

In case this is your first exposure, Puccho is a bouncy chewy candy similar to Hi-Chew, but it typically has flavored gummi embeds. I've reviewed many flavors in the past, but I hadn't seen this one before. The bag translates to "polar bear," and the visuals make this seem like a shaved ice dessert topped with red bean and fruit. I did a casual search on Google and while the results were rather sparse, it does seem that this concept has been around for at least 50 years. A "polar bear" is shaved ice topped with sweetened condensed milk and various fruits or jellies.

I'm intrigued. How will this translate into a chewy candy?

Opened, the base of the candy is an off-white chew, and there are potentially fruit flavored gummy inserts poking out of the sides. The base on it's own is chewy, sweet, a little creamy, and kind of tangy. It is fairly similar to yogurt flavored chews I've had in the past, but there is a slight cooling sensation similar to the Blueberry Ice cream Oreos I had several years ago. It's not mint-based, more like Sweet n' Low. Normally I hate the artificiality of those ingredients, and the cooling feeling they create, but it's tolerable here.

The base is yogurt-y, but the mix-ins lean tropical. I can taste pineapple and a bit of orange. The more you chew, the more fruity things become, but I don't taste anything strawberry-y or red-bean like. It's more pineapple/piña colada. Which I really like.
In terms of it's icy gimmick, I would say this is a 2/5. It has a slight cooling sensation but doesn't taste as complex as it's promised to be. I had three pieces and didn't detect any red bean at all. But in terms of enjoyability, it gets a 4/5, because I really enjoy pineapple flavored sweets.
If you like piña coladas, and eating bouncy Asian chews, this will definitely be worthwhile.

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Vita Life - Aldi

2025-04-18T07:00:00.001-04:00

A few years ago I had a gut-friendly soda that I actually liked, but completely forgot what flavor or brand it was. I've been casually searching for it ever since. Buying random cans here and there, but not putting that much energy into it.

My half-hearted search ends today! I finally found it!

Roughly 95% of my grocery shopping is done at Aldi or Lidl, so I knew it must've come from one of those stores, but that didn't exactly narrow down my search. Both shops carry in-house items, specialty items that may or may not ever return, and name brand items. I remembered the drink being canned, fruity and marketed as gut friendly, but nothing else, so I've been trying a little bit of everything in the hopes of finding it again. I've tried Olipop, poppi, and Aldi's popz. No dice. On a whim, I grabbed this from the refrigerated section at Aldi when I was buying more cheese that I definitely didn't need...and I'm so glad I did.
This is it. Well, sort of "it." It might not have been this exact flavor, but I feel confident that Aldi's VitaLife is the "soda" I've been searching for.
Opened, it smells sweet, fruity, and just a little bit funky. Similar to how kombucha smells a bit gnarly until you get used to it. It's 'off', but in the right way. Not the botulism way.

Pouring it into a glass, it created a bubbly head but the carbonation level was quite light. This is less bubbly than Aldi-branded canned seltzer, but more bubbly than either of the olipop flavors.

The taste is fruity, creamy and tangy. Very kombucha-like but with the lightness of seltzer. It wouldn't get me to pick strawberry out of a line-up, but I could definitely detect the vanilla. It has a creamy tanginess, kind of like vanilla flavored yogurt. Thanks to ingredients like cane sugar and fruit puree, this is easily the best "healthy soda" I've had. I finished this whole can! The best part? No negative side effects! No headaches, stomach pain, or nausea!

It's not 100% perfect, there is stevia in it and I'm a stevia-hater. (I think I must have the artificial sweetener gene, it's like the cilantro-tastes-like-soap-gene, but artificial sweeteners all taste like chemicals.) Thankfully it's one of the last ingredients. I tolerate it easily, but I'd be even happier if it were removed and we just stuck to cane sugar and fruit purees. It's also pretty expensive.

Given it's stevia status and price tag, this will be a sometimes treat, but I finally found the fancy alternative soda for me! 4/5

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Cookie Week Continues: Costco Cookie Conclave

2025-04-16T07:00:00.001-04:00

This whole theming thing for my posts has been completely unintentional. I start out writing one thing and before I know it my brain has made connections to other things I already have. My last post busted through my Oreo backlog (I think I am all caught up on those now), and this post covers items I recently bought to celebrate a coworker's birthday. (Except the black and whites, those were all for me.)
Having themes has helped me bust through my stash faster, which is awesome, but it's not something I am going to be rigidly sticking to from here on out. So be prepared for me to go back into super random nonsense pretty soon. In the meantime, here's my thought on 3 different cookies purchased at Costco.

Chocolate Chip - A classic, in mini form. These cookies are very soft and chewy, with a lot of semi-sweet chocolate flavor. I normally prefer crispy cookies, and tend to like my own baking better than store bought, but these were really addicting. I ate 7 before I even knew it. My coworker remarked that they were a lot like the soft cookies from Entenmann's. These were pretty darn good, and they're a decent value. You get 60 mini cookies for $9.99. Wegman's also has a 60 count Family Pack of mini chocolate chip cookies. I haven't had theirs, but when I saw them in-store, the Wegman's cookies looked less soft, and visually has less chocolate chips, but they're only $8.99. A dollar less, and you don't need a membership. These Costco cookies are getting a 4/5. (And I'm not even a soft and chewy cookie person.)

Butter Sugar Cookie with Sprinkles - I bought these because they looked more Birthday/Celebration-y. As soon as I saw the tub of these in person I knew I wasn't going to like the taste of them. Many of you are probably aware of Lofthouse cookies, they're quite popular. They're big soft cookies, usually topped with icing, that are sold in most grocery stores. I have never been a fan of those cookies. I feel like they lack flavor and have a tangy baking soda/powder after taste. That is exactly what these look like. Big, soft, baking powder-tasting cookie-pucks. I took a bite, and they're soft, pleasant texture, and a lovely vanilla aroma...with that chemically baking powder after taste. If you like Lofthouse, the pricing is pretty good ($9.99 for 24 cookies) and you'd probably be into them, but they're definitely not for me. 2/5

Joey's Black & White Cookies - I love Black & White cookies, almost exclusively for the white icing. The signs of the "good" vanilla icing is that it's thick, almost fudgy in texture, with a tiny hint of lemon. When I saw these, they were one of the only Black & Whites I had seen where the chocolate icing actually looked just as appealing. I had to take these home. As soon as I took a bite, I was in love. This is my new favorite Black & White cookie. The "cookie" portion is soft with a lovely cake flavor and texture, but the icings are the stars of the show. The white has the sweetness and the texture I love, but instead of lemon, these taste a little like anise. That licorice adjacent flavoring was something I hated as a kid, but grew to love as an adult. It combines well with the cookie, but the chocolate icing blew me away. Normally the chocolate topping of these cookies is smooth and dark, very similar to the vanilla but with cocoa. This is soft and creamy, more like the chocolate frosting you'd find on a yellow cake. It's sweet, and fudgy, and soft. They have the cookies in layers with parchment in between to prevent the sticky chocolate icing from making a mess, which I really appreciate. I was so impressed with these that I had to look up Joey's Fine Foods. Apparently they're made right here in Jersey, and they're available in a lot of locations. Everywhere from Shop Rite to Walmart. So this isn't a Costco exclusive item, BUT Costco did seem to have the best deal. This was $6.99 and I think there were 20 cookies in this container. (I already dug into them well before I counted.) A serving size is 3/4th a cookie, and it says there is roughly 23 servings in the container....but I can't imagine there were actually 30 cookies in this tub. If so, I ate these WAY too fast. 4.75/5
The sprinkle cookies were all over my feed (meaning Youtube/Instagram, I'm a Millenial after all). Costco cultists were really hyping these things up, but they were easily the worst of the lot. The mini chocolate chip are perfect for any school or family events, but the Black & Whites were the stars of the show and completely won me over. I highly recommend grabbing them if you can.

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Limited Edition Graveyard - Oreo Edition

2025-04-14T07:00:00.051-04:00

Oreo is in their "Simpsons did it," era. In today's post I have 4 limited edition flavors, but each one is similar to a previous offering. Sure, there are a few new twists and turns, like new designs or popping candy, but nothing here is new-new.
Let's see if these flavors improve upon the past, or if they fade into tastebud oblivion.

Dirt Cake Oreos - The 2-toned filling is creamy and chocolatey, but it isn't unique. Previous chocolate cremes, like Brownie Batter or Ultimate Chocolate, are quite similar. It's good, especially with milk, but it is not giving me "pudding." The cookies have colorful flecks meant to mimic gummy worms but they don't bring anything to the table. This is your classic chocolate cookie base with a chocolate filling. I like these, and used them in brownie batter, but they're too similar to previous versions to be memorable. 3/5

Space Dunk Oreos - We have a chocolate cookie, "cosmic" creme and popping candy. "Cosmic" means marshmallow, and I love marshmallow, so I was very excited for this one. It does have that sweet vanilla flavoring, kind of similar to cereal marshmallows, and the texture of the filling is softer than usual. There's more filling than usual, but not enough creme to achieve Double Stuffed status. They pair well with milk, and I appreciate the unique space designs on the packaging and cookies, but this is another Oreo that tastes like flavors they've already released. And the popping candy novelty is fun, but if I use them in baked goods you would never notice it. Another 3/5

Sour Patch Kid Oreos - I grabbed this because my little cousins love all things sour and found the concept intriguing. Meanwhile, I was prepared for this to be disgusting. Sour candy is great. Oreos are great. Combined? Doesn't sound great. Opened, I was pleasantly surprised. The aroma is bright, tangy, and it reminds me of citrus fruit. When I took a bite, they actually tasted a lot like the Fruity Cereal Oreos from a few years back. Just more tangy and tart. I ended up liking these a lot more than I thought I would. There is a sour candy aftertaste, but for the most part, this tastes similar to the Discontinued Fruity Cereal Oreos. 3.5/5

Post Mal-OReos - Post Malone themed Oreos. An unexpected collaboration, but the flavors sound good. It features 9 different designs, one Golden cookie, one classic chocolate cookie, and the filling is split between cookie butter and salted caramel. Again, these are both flavors that Oreo has done in the past, we had a Cookie Butter Oreo, and a salted caramel Brownie Oreo. In fact, this new cookie seems like a mash-up of those specific flavors. Cookie Butter used the golden cookie, Salted Caramel Brownie used chocolate.

Giving this a try, there is some crunchy texturing, presumably from the salt, and sweet and nutty caramel notes and a slightly Biscoff-like flavoring. It's pretty darn good! I have salty, sweet, spiced, and a crispy chocolatey cookie. The Golden Oreo is the only "meh" inclusion, but I think if both cookies were chocolate it would overshadow the flavors of the creme. It pairs wonderfully with milk and it will make awesome inclusions in brownies for Easter. I already bought a second pack! 4.5/5 (Best of the post...malone!)

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Matcha x Fig and Hawthorn Candy Flavored Oreo Thins

2025-04-11T07:00:00.005-04:00

Oreo really messed up when they discontinued my beloved Pistachio thins.

2025 is the year for pistachio flavored everything and more specifically, Dubai chocolate bars. I've seen a lot of variations, but for the most part a Dubai chocolate bar is a dark chocolate bar, filled with pistachio paste/butter and toasted shredded filo dough. As a long time lover of all things pistachio, I am PUMPED for this trend to take off. I really hoped that it would light a fire under Mondelez getting them to re-released my favorite Oreo of all time, but so far...nothing.

While I wait with bated breath for them to realize their folly, it's about time I finally posted these two Oreo Thin flavors I picked up at S.Mart a while back.

I have two flavors of Thins today: Matcha x Fig, and Hawthorn Candy.

Matcha Fig Oreo Thins - The cookies are thin and crispy with a dark cocoa flavoring. It's been a minute since I've had American Oreo Thins (not since pistachio was unfairly taken from us) but I feel like these might be even thinner than the USA version. I might not be sure of the cookies being different thicknesses, but I am 100% sure there is less filling in these than the American version. The matcha and fig filling here is a pale green color with some red-purple bits and it's slightly larger than a quarter in diameter, but there's so much space between the end of the filling and the edges of the cookie. Even for a Thin, it seems sparse. On it's own, the creme is dry and mildly flavored. If you had told me that this was fig-only, I would have believed you. The matcha flavoring is very mild, almost a whisper. I don't particularly enjoy matcha (I bought this because I love figs) so I don't mind the matcha being in the background. With the crunchy fig seed inclusions, it's more like an Oreo thin with a hint of Fig Newton. Which is perfect for me, but it you went into this wanting a bold earthy flavor, you'll be disappointed. I like it and I would buy it again in a heartbeat. 4/5

Hawthorn Candy Oreo Thins - Same thin chocolate cookie, but this time the filling is a pale pink color with red flecks and it smells really fruity. I've had hawthorn candy before and really liked it. It's a bright, tart berry flavoring. I'd say it tastes like a cross between lingonberry and cranberries, and the candy with this flavor is usually on the dry-side texture-wise. On it's own, the creme is bright and sweet, but the tiny crystalized inclusions are nice and tart. Combined with the cookie, the filling gets much more mellow and less fruit-forward. Unlike most Oreos, I think this one does best when eaten as-is, not twisted apart. It also pairs nicely with milk. 5/5

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Pizza Snack: 2025 (Cheesy Pizza Chex Mix)

2025-04-09T07:00:00.006-04:00

All of my favorite pizza-flavored snacks have been discontinued. First it was my beloved Doritos...

It was a bag of half pizza and half ranch chips from their Collisions line. It was discontinued sometime around 2010. I mentioned how much I missed them in a post, and a reader recommended pizza-filled Snyder's Pretzels, which were amazing. They were even better than the Doritos, but they also got the axe. I've been on the hunt for a new pizza-y replacement ever since, and this is my current fixation.
The packaging photos look kind of ugly, because the bag is nearly empty. I couldn't stop myself from cracking into it and this isn't the first time. This is my fourth bag. Safe to say, I like these. A lot.

Inside this mix we have 4 components: Garlic Bread and Pizza Sauce Chex cereal bits, Cheese puffs, and Pizza Crust Bagel chips.

Pizza Crust Bagel Chip - The weakest component of the four. A standard bagel chip that is lightly dusted with an orange-colored pizza seasoning. The seasoning is sparse, and inconsistent. If you find a more heavily seasoned area, it has a sweet tomato flavoring with hints of herbs like oregano. What this lacks in flavor, it makes up it texture. The crispy crunch of these dry bagel chips acts as a nice compliment when eaten by the handful with other pieces, but if you were to eat it on it's own, you'd be very disappointed. There weren't too many of these in the bag.
Cheese Puffs - Light, airy, just like itty bitty Cheeto's cheese curls with a slightly staler texture. (Probably from being near all the Garlic Bread pieces which have an almost creamy coating.) I've always preferred crunchy Cheetos, so this is just okay for me. It's mainly cheesy, in that artificial orange cheese curl kind of way, and a little sweet. Not very pizza-y. But, like the bagel chip, I like the variation of texture it provides.

Pizza Sauce Chex - Here is where things pick up. (IMO the cereal bits are the best part of any "mix.") The Pizza Sauce Chex are dry and light with a tomato-based seasoning that reminds me of canned pizza sauce. Sweeter than you'd expect, tangy, cheesy, and a little oregano-y. It's giving "cafeteria pizza" or Chef Boyardee in the best way.
Garlic Bread Chex - The real star of the show. This is like a savory, garlicy, version of Puppy Chow. Upon first taste, it was sweeter than I expected, but it quickly grew on me and I found these to be the components I sought out the most. They have this heavily coated texture to them that really feels like white chocolate or some kind of confectionary coating on the tongue, but it tastes like garlic butter. Think lower end take-out garlic knots, or the garlic butter dipping sauce that comes with Papa John's. It's sweet, and artificial, but I really like it. It's addicting and keeps me coming back for more.
Normally I'm a hunter. I pick out the pieces I like and eat them one at a time, but this mix shines when it's eaten by the handful. The mixture of textures and the combination of flavors gives me the junky pizza vibes I've been craving.
If given the chance, I would trade the existence of this Chex Mix for those Snyder's Pretzels in a heartbeat. Until then, this is my new number one. 4/5

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Let them eat Cotton Candy - Cotton Candy Jelly Belly Beans

2025-04-07T07:00:00.001-04:00

Another installment in my "things-that-promise-to-taste-like-other-things" reviews: Cotton Candy flavored Jelly Belly beans.
I picked these up at Five Below while I was hunting down the latest Rainbow Brite mini figurines. (I still need Buddy Blue, Canary Yellow💗 and Patty O'Green.) I'm a sucker for all things cotton candy and with Jelly Belly's reputation I'm sure these will not disappoint.

If not for the clearly labeled packaging, their light pink semi-translucent coloring could be mistaken for bubble gum or any other "pink" flavor.

Opened, they smell mildly sweet, but the hard candy shell prevents most jellybean products from having much of a smell. I think that's why jellybean mixes work so well, the shell prevents the other flavors from comingling and affecting one another.
Popping a few into my mouth, there's a hint of strawberry with a toasted vanilla sugar finish. It's delicious, but it's not quite cotton candy. It's a bit too bold and fruity for that. Even if it isn't a perfect 1-to-1 recreation of it's namesake, these are addicting. I could easily demolish this bag in one sitting.
Worth noting, while I have favorite flavors in every candy mix, I've found that I prefer variety over one solo flavor. An example would be Starbursts. I love Pink Starbursts, so I thought the all pink pack was going to be the best Starburst pack ever, and yet, I found myself missing other flavors and the variety of the normal mix. Yet, with this bag of only cotton candy flavored jelly beans, I was not bored.
Call me crazy, but I felt like some beans were more strawberry forward than others and it kept me coming back to test this hypothesis over and over again. The bag is nearly gone now, and I still don't know if the flavor variation was real, or just in my head, but they were so delicious that I don't mind. I'd happily buy these again and I think they'd made a great accompaniment to salty movie theater popcorn. This gets a 5/5 for me~!

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Cereal Milk Krispy Kreme Glazed (Until April 6th)

2025-04-04T10:11:00.002-04:00

A shockingly recent item! Krispy Kreme has a new glazed doughnut flavor available until April 6th. It's "Cereal Milk"-flavored which is another vague concept, but it's in collaboration with Fruity Pebbles, so it's really Fruity Pebbles flavored.
I like Pebbles cereal, my only gripe is that it gets soggy way too quickly when eaten with milk as intended. Otherwise it's a fantastic yogurt or ice cream topping and a super flavorful base for a marshmallow treats.
I'm calorie counting right now, but there is a Krispy Kreme on my way home and this is only available for a limited time AND it goes with this weeks' theme of "stuff that tastes like other stuff." So I bought two. (And a raspberry filled for later.) My expectations are high that this will it be worth the calories!

Up close, it smells bright and very citrus forward, just like Fruity Pebbles cereal. The glaze has a pale pink-ish hue, but if you look very closely there are itty bitty specs of color evoking cereal flakes.

Taking a bite, it's the best thing I reviewed this week by a longshot. It tastes exactly as it promised and it's delicious.
This has the melt in your mouth texture of Krispy Kreme's iconic glazed, but the flavor of citrusy Fruity Pebbles with creamy vanilla milk. If you like Fruity Pebbles, you'll like this. It's sweet and simple and tastes like a mixture between breakfast and dessert. I could easily have eaten 6, but I limited myself to two.

It's only available 4 days even though Fruity Pebbles are very popular and marketable. My best guess is that it's limited time due to operation capacity and demand. They probably need all the machines cleaned and ready to keep up with classic glazed production. Which is a shame, because all my favorite limited edition Krispy Kreme flavors have been variations of their glazed doughnuts (lime, strawberry, etc.)

Since this is a really limited flavor, if you like Fruity Pebbles, I highly recommend grabbing one before they're gone! Safe to say, these were definitely worth the calories (220 each if you're curious). Easy 5/5

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Chocolate Frosted Donut Kit-Kat Bar

2025-04-02T07:30:00.001-04:00

Today in, "things that promise to taste like other things", we have a Chocolate Frosted Donut Kit-Kat bar. Unlike the cocoa Pop-Tarts, which were bought out of mild curiosity and a love of all things marshmallow, this was purchased out of anger. Kit-Kat still gets my money regardless of my intentions, so I guess the score is still:
marketing departments: 1
random food reviewer: 0
But I am confident that this confectionary covered wafer bar will NOT taste like fried dough covered in chocolate icing. How could this possibly taste like a chocolate frosted donut?

Opened, this candy bar is looking worse for wear. It's been kicking around my pantry for a while but I'm going to judge it as-is. I highly doubt there would be drastic changes in the flavoring if it were fresh off the assembly line.
We have a beige, presumably donut-flavored, bottom and a chocolatey top. It smells sweet, like vanilla and chocolate, and maybe a slight hint of coffee. But does it smell like a donut? No. It does not.
Taking a bite, the chocolate portion tastes like chocolate. Shocker. And the filling between the wafers also tastes like chocolate. I'm guessing all the "donut" flavor is in the tan-beige colored confection on the bottom. I took a bite of that on it's own, and it's a waxy, but warm, vanilla flavoring. It's not bad, but it's certainly not donut.

If I had to give this some kind of superfluous name for marketability, I would have called this "Chocolate Vanilla Pudding Cup." The flavoring here is giving me prepackaged grocery store pudding. Again, not a terrible flavor, but if you're promising someone that this will taste like a "Chocolate Frosted Donut," and you get this? Instant disappointment. It's such a bogus concept and flavor that I could have sworn that this was limited edition, but the packaging states that this is "new,"...is this a permanent flavor? I'd be really shocked if it was.
I'm out $2-$3 bucks, or what whatever this bar of lies cost me, but I feel validated. So I'd say it was worth it. This gets a 1/5 from me.

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Marshmallow Hot Cocoa Pop-Tarts

2025-03-31T07:30:00.001-04:00

S'more was my go-to Pop-Tart in my teens, and I am a HUGE fan of all things marshmallow, so I picked these up on a whim.
Once I got it home, reality and buyers remorse set in. "Cocoa", like, "birthday cake," or, "churro," are grandiose names given to basic-flavored products for added marketability. Nine times out of ten, these items are just chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon flavored. Fancy names sell, and they're right. They got me! I'm going to try these toasted and untoasted to see if I'm being overly cynical.

This is one of those seasonal flavors that have images printed right onto the frosting. I don't hate the concept, but the printed on images aren't a selling point for me. If I gave it some thought, I would probably have preferred more icing or sprinkles, since the toppings and fillings are the highlight of any Pop-Tart, but they do ice these guys pretty thick to get the pictures to show up, so I won't be too nit-pick-y.

Opened, we have a "chocolate" Pop-Tart crust, white icing with a printed winter-themed illustration, and (presumably) marshmallow filling.
Untoasted, this tastes like a sadder version of S'more flavored Pop-Tarts. The crust looks brown like it's meant to be chocolate flavored, but it is dry and lack-luster. (The crusts are easily the worst part of any Pop-Tart.) I can tell it's not the same plain crust as other Pop-Tarts, but it's still not good. No amount of icing can save this.
Inside, we have a thin layer of marshmallow filling. It's sweet and vanilla-y, but since it's spread so thin, you can't tell this difference between this or a classic vanilla. Combined, it doesn't make me think of cocoa at all, it is more like a lack-luster or off-brand s'more Pop-Tart.

Toasted, the change in temperature does make it evoke cocoa more than before, but a lot of that is coming from the power of suggestion. I know this is meant to be cocoa flavored, and it's warm, therefore it's more cocoa-y this way...but it's still not great. One of the most "meh" Pop-Tart flavors I've had in recent memory.
Definitely not going to mourn this one when it's gone. I would pick S'more Pop-Tarts over this any day and argues that S'more tastes more like cocoa than it does an actual S'more.
Sticking with the number rating thing for now, I'd give this a 2/5. Not something I would buy again, but I'll have no problem finishing off the box.

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Limited Lemonade Licorice (Say that 3-times fast)

2025-03-28T07:00:00.001-04:00

I really like licorice, especially fruit flavored ones. I've had strawberry, mango, green apple...but never lemon or lemonade. The combination sounded perfect to me, espeically for spring, so I immediately tossed it into my cart.
The brand is Wiley Wallaby, which I'm not familiar with. I tend to go with Darrell Lea for my fruity licorice cravings, but this seems to be another well known and widely available brand. And how different can a fruity licorice really be?

Opened, the pieces are quite robust. You have thick 1.5" long lemon-flavored licorice ropes that are about the thickness of my pinky finger. (I have pretty big hands though, so keep that in mind.) While they look yellowy and translucent, like lemon meringue pie filling, they don't really smell like much at all.
Right now I'm 24-days into calorie counting and working out, so I'm more aware of portions. With this, one serving is 3 pieces for 80 calories. That's the calorie equivalent to a cup of grapes, or 22 oyster crackers, 4 mini Cadbury eggs (the ones with the hard sugary shell) or 1.25 cups of Smartfood popcorn. Not the most fulfilling snack for the calories, but not the worst either.
Taking a bite it's...bland. Much more bland than I had hoped for. I really wanted tangy, sweet, zesty lemon. In the same vein as the pie filling I mentioned earlier, but this is more like a lemon flavored chapstick. I'm pretty disappointed. I guess that's what I get for straying from Darrell Lea.
Since I've been rating with number in my previous posts, I'll keep that trend going. This one gets a 2/5 for me. It's edible, and not terrible, this is more texture than it is flavor.

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So. Many. Chips.

2025-03-26T07:00:00.002-04:00

So. Many. Chips.
Trash night again, time to do a lightning round to clear off the top of my fridge (where all my chips reside.) Remember, this is a no judgement zone.

Herr's Korean BBQ Wings - Sweet, smoky, a little garlicy and a touch of Korean flavoring. Like a whisper of Gochujang. My biggest takeaway was the sweetness. After a few chips there was a slight build-up up heat, never making it past a mild-status. These just weren't for me. I prefer more savory\tangy than I do sweet when it comes to my BBQ. 2.5\5

Herr's Roast Pork Sandwich - Salty, savory, and meaty. This is more to my liking and I'm not even a big Roast Pork Sandwich-person. I found the meaty flavoring here to be really satisfying, and the seasoning to lean a little spicy. It isn't spicy in the same way a hot sauce would be spicy, but the salt and savory spices hit the sides of my tongue just right to keep me coming back for more. I was honestly surprised by how much I like this one, and it's a mild enough flavor to pair well with burgers or hot dogs. I really thought I was going to prefer the Korean BBQ flavor when I bought these, but this Roasted Pork Sandwich knocked it out of the park for me. 5\5

I love the concept of this Herr's contest, so I looked up the winner. It was the one flavor from the trio I opted to skip, Tomato Pie. Sorry gang, but, (as you'll see), tomato and ketchup chips are not my jam. They recently did this contest again for 2024: Special Hot Stromboli, Cheese Ravioli & Marinara, and Potato Pierogi. The 2024 winner was Stromboli, but none of those flavors really caught my attention TBH.

Lay's Wavy Funyuns - there was a time in my life when I loved Funyuns, so thought this was going to be a slam-dunk flavor in chip-form. Opened, they smell just like normal funyuns, sweet and onion-y, but they taste so mild. Since it's been years since I've had normal Funyuns. I grabbed a bag of the real deal from DollarTree to compare...and I didn't love them as much as I had remembered. The actual Funyuns, though fresh and brand new right out of the bag, had an odd staleness to them, and were sweeter than I remembered. I liked them, but I didn't love them anymore. That said, I feel like these chips are actually quite accurate to actual Funyuns. But in terms of my enjoyment, they get a 2.5\5. I guess I'm not a Funyun fan anymore, but they keep bringing this Lay's version back over and over again, so people must really like these.

Lay's Cool Ranch - Cool Ranch is my favorite Doritos flavor, closely followed by Sweet Chili. I assumed that any snack with the same seasoning on it would be just as addictive, so I got a HUGE Wholesale club-sized bag of them. That was a bad move. These are a ghost of their tortilla-chip-selves. I miss the crunch, the tortilla flavoring...and I also feel like these are half-as seasoned as the normal version. These were great in theory, but the execution makes me miss the real thing. 2.5\5

Speaking of Doritos....

Doritos Taco - Love the throwback art on the bag, and again, a great concept. Taco was a flavor of Doritos that I wasn't familiar with, so I was excited to give them a try. These were mildly spiced, and surprisingly beefy. If the meme "White People Taco Night," was a chip, it would be this. Meaning they taste like the "tacos" I ate as a kid, all beef and cheese with nary a vegetable in sight. Not bad, but it doesn't suit my personal preference. 3\5

Doritos Tangy Ketchup - I knew I was goin to hate these but I got them for completion-sake. I just do not like ketchup flavored chips. I like actual ketchup, on burgers and alongside fries, but I never got the appeal of ketchup flavored chips. (Which is even more popular in Canada than the USA.) These are sweet, and they definitely taste like ketchup, but more like fast food ketchup than the bottled stuff. More specifically packets of McDonald's "Fancy" ketchup. There's a little bit of tang, a LOT of sweetness. These aren't for me, BUT they get points for accuracy. 2.5\5

Doritos Hot Mustard - Saved the best for last. When it comes to condiments, I am more of a mustard girlie. I have 4 different types in my fridge as I type this. And with a name like "hot mustard" I was hoping these would taste like the spicy mustard packets that come with my local Chinese take-out. While they aren't quite as spicy or as dry as the horseradish-y mustard I adore, these are my favorite of the Doritos flavors in this post. They're bright, vinegary, and mostly taste like yellow mustard, but there is a bit of dry heat in there as well. These would add great flavor and crunch to sandwiches or burgers. I'd love to see these come back again in 2025. 4\5 (needs more heat.)

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Glowberry Prime - Aldi

2025-03-24T07:00:00.000-04:00

Picked this up at Aldi, because it was Halloween-y and the packaging glows in the dark, but i'm not 100% sure what it is.
Gathered purely through pop-culture-osmosis, I believe PRIME is the drink made by Logan Paul, but from what I understood, I thought these were all energy drinks that they contained a boatload of caffeine. This one says "hydration drink," and looks Gatorade-like, so that must not be the case. Reading the package, it contains 10% coconut water (which I don't normally vibe with), and it's caffeine free. So I guess they also make sports drinks now? With Mr. Beast making his version of Lunchables, kids today can have a full Youtuber-branded lunch experience. That's nuts.
I'm a BIG YouTube consumer. I have the paid subscription for the ad-free version, use YouTube Music and frequently watch (and rewatch) massive video essays on topics ranging from the misconception of Yoko Ono's role in the Beatles to iCarly breakdowns. I'm on YouTube every single day, BUT I do not enjoy the Paul brothers, or their content.
That said, I decided to try this because it was discounted and Halloween themed. Not because of who made it. So, is this actually any good?
Opened, it smells sweet and fruity but in a non-descript way. can't pin-point any one particular fruit, but it leans tropical, similar to a white gummy bear. (Trolli version.) The liquid inside is a cloudy white color, similar to clear\white sports drinks.

Taking a sip, I'm actually shocked by how intensely sweet and flavored it is. Sports drinks like Gatorade re usually mild. The flavors are enough to stand out and be unique from one another, but they aren't very sweet. This stuff is SWEET, but it still has that salty coconut-water and sports drink finish. It's actually not that bad. Color me surprised. The flavor is a bit too sweet for me, leaning too heavily on artificial sweeteners like sucralose (my known enemy) so I can't and won't finish the bottle, but I am surprised that this is as sweet and enjoyable as it is.
Kids definitely would pick this over Gatorade for the sweetness and bold flavoring, hell if I were a kid (and could process artificial sweeteners) I would have picked this over Gatorade too! It's like comparing Life Cereal to Lucky Charms. They're both good, but one of them is slightly more good for you.
I get why Prime appeals to kids now and why there were so many issues with kids selling it on the playgrounds. I personally won't buy this for myself, but I know see why my little cousins like it so much, in spite of their dislike of the Paul brothers.

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Disgusting Sleepover Rejects

2025-03-21T07:00:00.002-04:00

No one, ever, expected these to taste good. That's why they're a novelty. I bought these for a fun sleepover with my little cousins, because trying gross things together is 7fun. I don't know how to explain it, but it just is.

As you can see, not too long after opening, the candy inside compressed into a puck. The compressed form makes it look like we consumed a lot, but I was actually the only one brave enough to give these a try. (After we gave them a smell.)

So it's not a question of "if" these are bad, the question is "how bad are they?"

First up, Ranch.

As I said, after sniffing, my cousins did not want to try these at all. They're teen\pre-teen girls and normally love trying things like pickle-flavored jelly beans or Beanboozled. I think that's a pretty clear sign of just how bad these are, with this ranch flavor getting the worst reaction of the two.

Opened, it smells intensely savory and garlic-forward. Unlike a lot of novelty "gross" products that also happen to be candy, you can't detect any sugar at all. For me, the scent as a bit too garlic and onion focused to make me think of Ranch dressing, but no one would ever EVER mistake this for a normal cotton candy.

Taste-wise, it is sweet and sugary (even if it didn't smell like it), and the Ranch flavoring is actually quite authentic. It's like you made cotton candy and spliced it with the dry ranch seasoning packets you can buy in the dressing aisle. That said, this is disgusting. Impressively accurate, but I never want to taste this again. 10\10 for delivering what it promised, 0\10 for tasting good.

Pickle was a safer flavor, given how well the Claussen's pickle-flavored jelly beans went over with them, I thought this, though a novelty, might have potential.

It did not.

Opened, this one is very dill-forward, which isn't something we prefer in our pickles. (We like classic Deli or Claussen's.) Given our preference for a savory, garlic-y, pickle, this was not for us.

The aroma is sweet and sugary, unlike the ranch version which smelled much more savory, mixed with a buttload of dill. Thanks, but no thanks. Taking a bite, this tasted less offensive than the ranch version, but it definitely isn't enjoyable either.

The pickle version smelled a lot bolder than it tasted. You taste a lot of sweetness and sugar, some dill, a bit of the brine-y pickle flavoring, and an aftertaste that was a bit off, but the strongest note was sugary sweetness. I would say this gets a 5\10 for delivering what it promised, and a 0\10 for tasting good.

I went in knowing these would be flops, but I had assumed they'd be fun flops. Kind of like a good-bad movie. But I would say these are more along the lines of Cats (2019). It's not fun-bad, it's just bad-bad. The fact that the girls didn't dare to try either one is a testament to how bad-bad these actually are.

Can't say that I would recommend getting either one, even for shits and giggles, but I'm personally glad I gave them shot. That said, I will definitely never repurchase.

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