CinnaGraham Toast Crunch

Product circa: 2026

Obviously a combination between Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Golden Graham cereals, this seems to have great promise.

Maybe I haven't had these sorts of cereals in a while, but this tastes way too... healthy.  "Earthy" and even "woody" are the descriptors I'm getting here.  The cereal uses whole wheat and corn as its primary grain, but the mouth feels it more like whole wheat and oat bran.  I'm getting an overall very fibrous experience, like the product is ultra-high fiber (it's not) and like it could use some processed/bleached wheat to give it a bit more soft body.  It could be a lot sweeter too.  Even the cinnamon feels over-toasted and woody.  Maybe all this earthiness is from the adding of the graham cracker-like cereal, but I'm just getting earth, cinnamon, and not much else.  It's more hardy than hearty.  It's not unlike cinnamon mulch.  It's not horrible, but I think all of this is the result of cereal brands continuing to maximize nutritional value and fiber over sugar.  I'd rather have either of its constituent cereals, I think.

Tic Tac Coca-Cola & Sprite

Products circa: 2019 & 2023, and intermittently after

For ages the only flavors of Tic Tac were various minty ones, and orange.  But over the last decade, they have started marketing more flavors, most of them fruity.  A few of them cross over into odd cross-branded promotions, like these. 

Coca-Cola - Using the same flavoring utilized by cola-flavored candy, this flavor goes quite well with the Tic Tac candy base.  After some moments, the candies take on a strange perfumey taste, which I don't hate, but is likely very polarizing.  Also the adorable Coca-cola logo on each candy is overkill, but an impressive attention to detail.

Sprite - These tastes immediately of a flavor recognizable as "lemon-lime", but in this case it reminds me more of Gatorade than Sprite.  However, quite quickly these become intensely bitter, almost as if the candy is trying to simulate citrus pith.  If so, that would be impressive, but in the end, these are very unpleasant. 

Mountain Dew Trolli

Product circa: 2025

A cross-branded Dew offered only in a zero-sugar version, which is annoying for me but also not uncommon, these days.

But it must be said that this stuff is pretty impressive; the sucralose/Ace K sweeteners are doing a lot of good work here, and it's one of the better diet drinks I've had in many years.  Despite the cute cross-branding, the flavor is uninspired and quite close to Code Red.

Mountain Dew Flamin' Hot

Product circa: 2022

Erroneously called “Hot Cheetos Mountain Dew” by some, this obviously has no cheese flavoring in it.  In what seemed like a cross-branding blitz of “Flamin’ Hot” products in 2022, Dew wasn’t left out.

There’s extra lime flavor added in to this, but no additional tartness, as some Dews have done in recent years.  This ends up being a sweet limey mix, not unlike Baja Blast.  There is a spicy kick on the swallow, which Dew has also done before.  This is VERY tasty, I might buy this more often, if I had the opportunity.

Pepsi x Peeps

Product circa: spring 2023

With this insane crossover, Pepsi proves why it's the unmatched with its crazy flavored colas.

This tastes like the old Pepsi Vanilla, but with an added flavor that tastes exactly like the kind of marshmallows you'd find in a cereal.  It's not quite as tasty as the original Pepsi Vanilla, unfortunately. However, I have no idea how they have captured the flavor of cereal marshmallows and applied it to a beverage.  Thankfully, in the years since I first tried this product, I have also tasted that flavor elsewhere in other snacks.  I'm glad to see it's being used more. 

Pringles Wendy's Baconator

 

Product circa: 2020

You love to see cross-branding like this.  Unfortunately, these come across as a little one-dimensional.

Despite not having any meat products in these, the first and most prominent flavor is smoky pork.  After that… really nothing.  No beef or cheese… which, it seems, is literally all that is in a Wendy’s Baconator.  The ingredients list boasts things like spices, cheese powder, and tomato powder, but I don’t get any of it.  Just smoky pork rind-like powder, and that’s it.  It could be part of how old this can is, though it was air-sealed and is in great condition.

Dum Dums with Hawaiian Punch flavors

 

Product circa: 2023

A nice little cross-branding venture between two legendary brands.

While these are from 2023, there is evidence online of Hawaiian Punch joints going back as far as 2014.

Unfortunately, these things don’t hit quite like they used to when we were kids.  They are absent of any tang or interest; they are high on sugar, low on flavor.  The Polar Blast flavor is a simple blue raspberry that tastes lifeless.  The Fruit Juicy Red flavor is definitely on par with the drink flavor, but its vigor just doesn’t translate into hard candy.

Goldfish Old Bay

 

Product circa: 2022 and intermittently after

I wouldn’t have expected Old Bay to go so well with cheese crackers, but it does.  The seasoning is bold, with black pepper, onion, paprika, and celery seed singing loudly.  It would be a tragedy if they didn’t make these a permanent product.

Shoutout to my DC-area snack racketeers for getting me this.

Oreo Coca-Cola (cookies, not soda)

 

Product circa: 2024

It feels like I've been waiting forever for this exact product, but I'm dismayed to find that how Oreo has executed this is much more of an enigma than I expected.

The smell and initial taste is unmistakably cola, but as you keep chewing, you might be surprised to find cola's constituent flavors identifiable here.  Notably, I explicitly get cinnamon and lemon/lime, both of which are indeed in your average cola.

It's almost like I would have liked this more if I had gone in with a different mindset.  I expected a creme cookie that tasted like gummy cola candies, and instead I got a complex cola flavor, almost like those expensive boutique cola brands.  I'm disappointed in my own reaction.

Overall, an impressive product from Oreo, one that I never would have expected from them.

Oh yeah, it also has popping candies in the creme to emulate a cola's carbonation.  Those can fuck off. 

Pringles Grilled Beer Brat & Beer Can Chicken

Products circa: Summer 2025

A nice promotion done with Miller Lite beer.

Neither of these products contain meat products, so like is most often, they have to lean heavily on yeast and MSG instead.

Neither of them have a particularly meaty flavor, and instead rely on a mix of savory herbs and aromatics.  The flavor for both is fairly subtle and aren't memorable.  They're not bad, but not particularly good, either.  The Grilled Beer Brat has a particularly glutamatey/cheesy taste that approaches the taste of sausage.

It must be noted, however, that the Grilled Beer Brat variety has the distinct aroma of pork when you open the can.  No idea how they did that.

Chili Cheese Fritos Jack Link's Beef Jerky

 

Product circa: 2024

What an odd crossover!

Just as it seems to promise, this is beef jerky covered in what tastes like the exact same seasoning from Chili Cheese Fritos.  It's all well and good until even the cheese becomes apparent as you chew.  Unfortunately the cheese doesn't pair well at all, and it's even a bit putrid and disgusting.

Froot Loops Icee

 

Product circa: 2024

I'll usually bypass even the most esoteric of slushy products, but I had to try this one out at Target.

Unfortunately, it doesn't have the signature bergamot flavor of Froot Loops at all, and instead it tastes precisely like a melted assortment of Skittles candies.

Goldfish Frank's Red Hot

 

This is a Presumptive Ephemeral Nom. 

Product circa: 2024

Regular Goldfish crackers covered in hot sauce seasoning.  The seasoning manages to taste exactly like Frank's Red Hot Sauce (I put that shit on everything!).  I wish seasoning like this was sold in shakers bottles.  This was a really pleasant change of pace.

Doritos Baja Fiery Mango

Product circa: Spring 2024

This is part of the 20th Bajaversary, which is a joint celebration between Taco Bell and Mountain Dew.  I'm having trouble finding the significance of the year 2004 in this "anniversary".  Said to be part of this celebration is the permanent release of Mountain Dew Baja Blast products in stores, as well as Baja Laguna Lemonade & Baja Point Break Punch.

Anyway, these things are fascinating.  They start with a bright and tangy mango flavor that can't help me think of sugary breakfast cereal... maybe it's the sugar and corn crunch together that's giving that aura.  The heat then slowly shows itself, and this is some of the most impressive heat I've experienced on a Doritos product.  There's probably some savory elements in this snack as well, such as onion and garlic, but if so, they are very subdued.  Honestly, this tastes like spicy Doritos that have Kool-Aid Tropical Punch powder sprinkled over them.  Overall, a fun experiment, but not a snack that I would reach for unironically.

Pepsi Pineapple

 

Product circa: summer 2024

In a rare move, the pizza delivery company Little Caesar's has an exclusive soft drink variety (sold right in the cooler in their locations).

While this product does actually contain pineapple juice (which is commendable), it doesn't taste like it.  It tastes like Pepsi with the same artificial pineapple flavoring like something like a Life Saver candy might have.  In the end, the two don't pair very well.

Lay's IHOP Rooty Tooty Fresh N' Fruity

 

Product circa: 2024

The taste of strawberry candy first, and it's a little tangy.  Remarkably close to something like a pie filling.  Buttery maple comes in next, like a cheap pancake syrup.  Bacon fat is an ingredient here, which is commendable, but it's hard to detect; it takes a few bites before your tongue gets used to the buttery fruit in order to notice a light smokiness.  

The first few chips are very off-putting, but I'm embarrassed to say that after you eat a few, these become pretty tolerable.  Definitely up there as one of the most bizarre chips I've ever eaten, up there with Lay's Cappuccino and Lay's Chicken and Waffle.

Jelly Belly Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

 

Product circa: Intermittently since 2017

Neat cross-brand!  As is typical of Jelly Belly, these taste very loyal to the food that each is emulating.  They even managed to add the flavor of brown/fried dough - no idea how they did that.

Pop-Tarts Froot Loops

 

Product circa: 2021

A very fun cross-branding!  The filling of these pastries definitely has the signature bergamot flavor that would remind you of Froot Loops, but it tastes more of lemon than anything.  With that said, the citrus filling is absolutely delicious, and I don't think there's ever been lemon Pop-Tarts?  I'd love to see these on sale again someday.

Mountain Dew VooDEW 2023

 

Product circa: Halloween 2023

An overall cherry-heavy fruit punch Dew, very similar to even a previous year's VooDEW flavor.  Reading further, it seems that this ended up being a cross-branded flavor, using flavoring from cherry Airhead candies.  Spot on!

Mountain Dew Mango Heat

Product circa: Autumn 2016

More and more you'll find that food companies are adding spicy touches to products for which they're otherwise inappropriate.  I find this trend mostly boring, and I wasn't exactly excited when I cracked open this bottle.

This product was issued as yet another Mountain Dew Game Fuel, in recognition of the release of Titanfall 2.

Mango is much like its strawberry, watermelon, and banana counterparts: the flavor used in candy and beverages bears very little resemblance to how its natural version actually tastes.  With that said, I'm fine with how "fake mango" tastes.

Your sip will start with a very pleasing fruity flavor before you soon realize that, as this is a modern Mountain Dew variation, it uses 0-calorie sweetener along with sugar.  It takes a swallow to discern the spiciness that's added to the drink.  It's not unpleasant, but it's also not pleasant.  After a few sips I really start to enjoy the "fake mango" flavor(despite the sweeteners), which is the same as any other mango soft drink.  It's enjoyable stuff, and it would have been refreshing in the right circumstance, if it weren't spicy.

But so long as Pepsico keeps adding silly sweeteners to new products, they'll never garner more than 2 NOMS.


Mountain Dew Mango Heat:- Good
Original Mountain Dew(for comparison):- Great