| Volume 16, Number 2 | Late Autumn 2014 |
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Side Panel Monthly Ingredients Cereal Review Feature Articles What's New in Cereal? Perpetually Updated Cereal Ratings Cereal Ideas Letters to the Editor Meet the Staff Topher Ellis, Editor Back Issues Complete Index Links Favorite Cereal Links Subscribe Free Subscription Stuck in a Frame? Click to Break Free Privacy Policy And Ethics Code Disclaimers And Other Legal Stuff Back To The Top |
Warren Dotz Character Collectables Exhibit by Topher
Back To The Top General Mills Offers Mega Bloks Cars Free Inside Boxes of Cereals by Topher
Back To The Top "Cereal Time" Show Is Available on YouTube by Topher
Back To The Top General Mills Releases 2014 Monster Cereals Drawn By DC Comics Artists by Topher
Back To The Top Who Owns the Major Organic Cereal Brands? by Topher
Back To The Top Cereal Isn't Just For Breakfast by Topher
Back To The Top Kix Offers 3 Different "Pop Out, Build, and Play" Adventures Boxes For Kids by Topher
Back To The Top "The Great American Cereal Book" by Topher
Back To The Top Cereal Review by Barbara Ellis Post Pebbles - Summer Berry Flavor
Cereal Review by Sarah Dean General Mills Apple Cinnamon Cheerios
Cereal Review by Star Smith Quaker Oats - Cap'n Crunch's Sprinkled Donut Crunch
Cereal Review by Eric Smith General Mills Multi Grain Cheerios - Dark Chocolate Crunch
Cereal Review by Chris Ellis Kellogg's Rocky Mountain Chocolate Cereal
Cereal Reviews by Terri Ellis General Mills - Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme
Quaker Real Medleys - Cherry Almond Pecan Multigrain Cereal
Cereal Reviews by Topher, Editor Quaker Real Medleys - Peach Apple Walnut Multigrain Cereal
Kellogg's Jif Peanut Butter Cereal
General Mills Peanut Butter Toast Crunch
Post Great Grains - Blueberry Pomegranate
Kellogg's Special K - Chocolatey Strawberry
Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats - Touch of Fruit in the Middle - Raspberry
Kirkland Ancient Organic Grains Granola with Almonds
What's New In Cereal? by Topher Cinnamon Toast Crunch Celebrates 30th Anniversary
Christmas 2014 Cereals
Kellogg's Offering Collectable Spoons Free Inside Cereal Boxes
Send Us Your News
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Disclaimers and Other Legal Stuff
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collects figurines of popular advertizing characters. Over three hundred examples of advertising icons from his collection are on display at SFO Museum in the San Francisco Airport's International Terminal.
Cereal manufacturers have renewed their efforts to expand their market from the breakfast table through the rest of the day. This is not new. A November 23, 1997, article in Business Week entitled, "Mmm! Cereal for Dinner", noted Kellogg's and General Mills were meeting with success, noting that snacking on cereal in the workplace and home was becoming more common. "Why?... Eaten dry out of the box, prep time for a cereal meal is zero. Even getting the stuff in a bowl with milk is faster than making a sandwich".
Post has been turning out one Pebbles flavor after another, and I leave no Pebbles unturned. I have fun trying the different iterations they create. Plato wrote, "I do not know how I may seem to others, but to myself I am only a small child wandering upon the vast shores of knowledge, every now and then finding a small bright Pebble to be contented with." These Pebbles are a patriotic red, white and blue flakes made of sweetened rice with strawberry, raspberry and blueberry flavors respectively.
After Cheerioats (later rechristened as Cheerios) was released in 1941, it took General Mills over 35 years to release their first Cheerios brand extension (Honey-Nut Cheerios in 1978). Ten years later, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios was born. This cereal is self-described as a "naturally sweetened whole grain oat and corn cereal". It's a great mix of cinnamon and apple flavors evenly distributed in nice and crunchy Cheerio O's. It's unexpectedly very tasty, and I love seeing Kermit on the box. 8 boxtops. (Very Good. Recommend Purchase.)
Cap'n Crunch's Sprinkled Donut Crunch cereal is interesting because it tastes just like regular Cap'n Crunch but the pieces are round instead of the usual square. The cereal smells and tastes sweet without milk but adding milk makes it even sweeter. The multi-colored sprinkles are pretty and add to the sweetness. The milk turned different colors as the sprinkles floated in the milk --- kind of cool to see. I liked the round pieces because they don't cut the roof of my mouth like the original cereal. This cereal could only get better with more sprinkles. You can never have enough sprinkles! 8 Boxtops (Very Good! Recommend Purchase.) 
Multi Grain Cheerios Dark Chocolate Crunch is a nice choice for folks who like a chocolate flavored cereal but don't want one that is overly sweet. The flavor is subtle and tastes like a bowl of multigrain Cheerios eaten with chocolate milk. These Cheerios are in three colors (regular Cheerios brown, golden brown, and dark brown) and there are little nuggets of sugar that add to the crunch. This cereal is not as crunchy as advertised but does well in remaining somewhat firm when eaten with milk. The chocolate flavor has an ever so slight bitterness to it which is expected when eating dark chocolate. This is a nice touch for consumers who expect it; but the lack of sweetness could be a turnoff for those looking for a sugary kick. The milk picks up a fair amount of the chocolate flavor and makes for a nice treat after eating the cereal. 8 Boxtops (Very Good! Recommend Purchase.) 
There has been a flood of chocolate cereals appearing in the grocery aisle over the past two years. This box caught my eye. It's made up of chocolate frosted flakes, cornflakes, almond slivers, and thick chocolate chips. By comparison, Special K's chocolate chips are thinner and crunchier. These are chocolate "chunks" which are less bitter and remain firm throughout the bowl. I liked them and they were worth trying, but it's not a cereal I would buy again. The box is beautiful and really looks to convey a higher quality product. 6 Boxtops (Middle Of The Road. You Could Do Worse.) 
Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme smells like Nesquik (and I'm sure this reference doesn't make the folks in Hershey very happy). The cereal is made up of two different puffed balls which have tastes reminiscent of chocolate chip cookies, and a bad cocoa brownie. The balls are 80% smaller than they appear on the box. (In retrospect there is a really small bowl on the box that makes the balls appear extra large). The cereal floats really well on milk. It has a consistency similar to the middle of a malted milk ball. Biggest problem is they just don't taste like "cookies and cream". Cookie Crisp is better. 5 Boxtops (Middle Of The Road. You Could Do Worse.)
Quaker Oats has a new line of cereal, cereal bars, and oatmeal, which they released under the "Real Medleys" brand. There are two cereals in this line: Peach Apple Walnut Multigrain Cereal (see review below) and Cherry Almond Pecan Multigrain Cereal. This cereal is flavorful. The first couple of bites are a little sweet. The clusters are tasty. There are a fair amount of almonds, pecans and cherries which are all full of flavor. Although it stays crunchy in milk, it's a chewy cereal. The cherry bits can get temporarily stuck in your teeth --- like caramel. I wouldn't say the cherries are "tart" but they are tasty. I would buy this again. 8 Boxtops (Very Good! Recommend Purchase.) 
Quaker's Peach Apple Walnut Peach Apple Walnut Multigrain Cereal has crunchy, lightly sweetened granola clusters, tasty chopped walnuts, and very subtilty sweet fruit bits. The cereal stays crunchy to the end. Nutrition-wise, there are 7 grams of fat per serving (11%), no cholesterol, 45 grams of sodium (2%), 3 grams of dietary fiber (13%), 5 grams of protein, and a few vitamins and minerals. It's a winner. 7 Boxtops (Very Good! Recommend Purchase.) 
It's hard to miss Kellogg's Jif Peanut Butter Cereal in the grocery aisle. The fun box is designed to look like a jar of Jif peanut butter with its distinctive red, blue, and green stripes and textured red lid. The concept is great. It's a corn-based cereal made with real Jif peanut butter. There is a light peanut butter smell right out of the box and the cereal, which looks like small, fat, Cheez-it's with a big hole in the middle, floats on milk. The initial bite is very good. It's not too sweet and they don't rip up your mouth. On the downside, there's not much texture at all and they begin to mush within a couple of minutes but they never loose their crunch entirely. 7 Boxtops (Very Good! Recommend Purchase.) 
Why is it so hard for Wendell the Baker to get a heavy peanut butter flavor baked into a cereal? (And what ever happened to Bob and Quello?) Wendell started baking Cinnamon Toast Crunch in 1984 and added Peanut Butter Crunch in 2004. Upon opening the box, you are greeted with a nice and heavy peanut butter smell. Individually, however, these small, thin, wavy toast squares have a light peanut butter taste. Made of whole grain wheat, sugar, rice flour, and peanut butter, the toast is nice and crispy but the flavor is too faint. Overall it's pleasant but it could be better with a more robust peanut butter taste. Still, it's a worthy addition to the lineup. 7 Boxtops (Very Good! Recommend Purchase.) 
Post Selects Great Grains is a huge brand franchise for Post, and I appreciate that they keep trying new combinations for us to try. "Great Grains - Crunchy Pecan" and "Great Grains - Raisins, Dates, Almonds" are the classics --- with the later being their best seller. Both debuted in 1992. Great Grains - Blueberry Pomegranate is made of several whole grains, sugar, dried cranberries and dried blueberries. The crispy flakes are offset by the chewy dried cranberries which act like little caramels. The real blueberries impart no texture despite an overly intense flavor which tastes fake. I have no interest in a second bowl. 5 Boxtops (Middle Of The Road. You Could Do Worse.) 
Special K, which originated in 1955, has become Kellogg's most profitable brand. They continuously experiment with line extensions, most notably with the 1991 introduction of Special K - Red Berries. Special K - Chocolatey Strawberry is essentially Special K - Red Berries with miniature little Hershey chocolate bars that sink to the bottom of your bowl. You'll scoop one up every third or forth bite and they taste more cocoa-y than chocolatey. You're notice the chocolate flavor at first but will lose track of it soon after. I suppose if you need a morning chocolate fix this might be one way to get it without too much guilt. I rate it 1 boxtop lower than regular Special K - Red Berries. 6 Boxtops (Middle Of The Road. You Could Do Worse.) 
Frosted Mini Wheats are Kellogg's third best selling brand, behind Special K and Frosted Flakes, and there are lots of varieties from which to choose. You'll find everything from Big Bites to Little Bites, Unfrosted to Strawberry Frosted, and Chocolate to fruit filled. The first Kellogg's Mini Wheats appeared in 1970. Mini Wheats are of course little shredded wheat biscuits. The raspberry "fruit in the middle" is made up of raspberry, apple, and pear flakes. It imparts a strong fruit flavor which is heaviest as you work your way into the center. I found these way too sweet. Sickly-sweet. The more I ate them the more I didn't like them, and they were eventually abandoned. 1 Boxtop (Why Bother. Leave It On Your Grocer's Shelf.) 
Kirkland is Costco's house brand. Ancient Grains are manufactured for Costco by Nature's Path. Besides the rolled oats, unrefined cane sugar, soy oil, inulin (a natural soluble dietary fiber), sea salt and almonds, the cereal contains four ancient grains: spelt, Kamut Khorasan wheat, quinoa, and amaranth.
º General Mills has released an adorable cereal box "Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch".