A documentation and review of limited time, special edition, or otherwise hard-to-find noms.
Product circa: July 2026
Part of Doritos' semiquincentennial recognition. Because garlic and parmigiano cheese are so American?
Anyway, LMAO - these taste shockingly like Doritos Cool Ranch, with perhaps a bit more garlic, and maybe the sour cream is a bit more "aged" to be cheese-like. But the DNA is still Cool Ranch, through and through. How disappointing and hilarious.
Product circa: July 2026
While not specifically targeted as a semiquincentennial promotion, it is certainly a seasonal release for Independence Day 2026.
I respect the attempt here. Three different flavors of creme in a vanilla cookie, and each creme flavor corresponds to the three flavors of a "firecracker pop", more likely known as a rocket pop. Indeed, all three flavors of creme are completely discernible here, though I would say the lemon is least of all. The problem is that while not unpleasant, this cookie is just way too busy, in terms of taste. In addition, per my personal tastes, the 3 cremes make the balance more akin to a Double Stuf, which is not my preference.
Products circa: July 2026
Labeled "United" and "Liberty", these are semiquincentennial products, this time Philadelphia-coded as "Flavored 4 Philly". I have no idea how these flavors relate to the city, but Herr's is known as a fantastic regional brand located not far from it.
Jalapeno Cream Cheese: Essentially a sour cream & onion flavor, with a greenery amped up a bit by green chile, and perhaps the sour cream powder goes a bit deeper in flavor so as to be "cheese". The heat builds up just a bit after a couple bites. Not bad, but I won't remember these.
Hickory Barbecue: It starts as your typical barbeque flavor, but it's clear that the hickory here as a much more deep and woody flavor than your average chip. One of the best bbq chips I've had to date.
Product circa: July 2026
Another semiquincentennial, and this time a truly quintessential (there's a pun in there somewhere) American flavor.
I've had plenty of "hot sauce" chips before, but these are among the best. It's because they cranked up the boldness of the flavor, and also the vinegar seasoning, such that it actually evokes proper Buffalo wings. Bravo.
Product circa: summer 2026
While not expressly tied to the World Cup, these are a summer 2026 release that coincides with it.
These are very "pizza-chip"-coded, with tomato and oregano being the primary flavors, here. These go further and have a heavier dose of aromatic vegetables, and also yeast extract to simulate the meat flavor. In the end, I'd rather have Pringles Pizza flavored chips.
Product circa: summer 2026
Birthday, get it? Whether this product is meant to celebrate the USA's semiquincentennial or simply Independence Day in general, it is not called out anywhere on the box, except for the fireworks as part of the design.
I was excited, but I'm not sure why. I don't think cereal was ever going to taste like cake. Instead, you had a generalized vanilla frosting flavor added to the Cheerios, with perhaps the sprinkles also being notable. Not bad at all, to be sure, but it's about as good as any sweetened Cheerios varietal.
Product circa: July 2026
I bought this fully having no idea what it was. It turns out that it's a mystery flavor in celebration of the semiquincentennial.
As the internet would suggest, this stuff is a dead ringer for guava. It feels like it tastes less salty than your average Gatorade, as well. A really nice change of pace, but nothing too special.
Product circa: 2025
It is my contention that every product should have an orange vanilla version, period.
Anyway, this stuff is good. Orange, vanilla, and cola are flavors that have always gone well with each other in any combination. The flavor is strong enough to be noticed here as well, and I would say they struck a good balance. However, I might say that the older Orange Coca-Cola product would be my preference.
The zero sugar version is a pale comparison to the original; the flavor balance is off, somehow. I think that vanilla flavoring might specifically struggle with calorie-free sweetener.
Product circa: 2024 and 2026
On paper, this feels like an all-time varietal, but in practice, the coconut flavor is quite faint, and I would have preferred it stronger, almost like what you'd from Sonic Drive-In if you ordered a Dr. Pepper with a coconut add-in. With that said, this stuff is still damn good, and I easily drank a whole 12 pack with time to spare. And evidently, it was popular enough that it has returned in 2026.
Product circa: post-2020
I vaguely remember this tasting of melon, but it was mostly forgettable. Label is cool AF, though.
Just a post dumping old pics that I never posted. I don't have individualized reviews of these, but I remember especially that the Oreos below were very good overall.
This is from years ago. I remember these being very tasty, I would love to buy these occasionally.
Products circa: Summer 2026
Yet another promotion for the 2026 World Cup.
Blood Orange Kick - It took me years to understand the flavor of blood orange. The way I describe it today is a slightly more savory version of orange, a savoriness that borders on tomato. Anyway, this has nothing of that. It tastes mostly like any orange sports drink, but the flavor is slightly worse.
White Grape Wave - They somehow managed to alter the artificial grape flavor to simulate a commendably realistic white grape flavor. It's not bad, but it's an odd mix with the sports drink base.
Cold Berry Burst - A tart blue raspberry with other generic "berry" thrown in. Not teeming with flavor, but probably just the right amount of subtlety to make it easy to chug. However, this stuff has the "cooling" menthol-like ingredients (which the internet doesn't readily identify)
Product circa: 2026
Dragon fruit/pitaya is having a moment, I guess. In my cynical opinion, it's only popular because of its appearance. I tried the stuff fresh many many years ago, and it's sweet, but its flavor is so subtle to almost be non-existent. I think that any processed food product claiming to be flavored with it is being disingenuous. Further, the color of its flesh is also white/colorless, and so any colorful dragon fruit products are also just doing it for "vibes".
Dew: Anyway, while its safe to say that this Dew doesn't look or taste like a dragon fruit beverage might or should, it caught me off guard on how tasty it is. Overall, I'm just tasting "tropical", but it works so well, and it very much reminds me of Sprite Tropical Mix. Call this Dew Tropical Mix.
TicTac: Extremely average. Generic fruitiness, a touch of floral, but it does end with a nice sourness as it dissolves.
