Jelly Belly Draft

Note: This is a Presumptive Ephemeral Nom.

You might be able to find these adorable beer-flavored jelly beans in a specially-made aluminum can that contains single-serving mini bags of beans under its replaceable lid.  There might be other packaging options, as well.

Upon opening the little bag and smelling, you'll be hit immediately with yeast, and it's not pleasant - it's dank and pungent.

Taste is a different story.  The yeast leads the parade of flavors, but this time it's pleasant, with a sharp floral note that is just plain nice combined with the sugar.  As you really start chewing, you get an unmistakable lager beer flavor, with what I have to describe as golden malted barley.  Funnily enough, it ends with a "soapy" feel, which is something you'll occasionally hear as a beer descriptor.

Though I wouldn't call these delicious, between the packaging, the taste, and how authentic it tastes compared to its source material, this is easily a 2-NOM endeavor.  Well done Jelly Belly!

Jelly Belly Draft:- Good

Jelly Belly Lemon Lime(for comparison):- Good

Lay's Game Day Chili

As an unsurprising event for Super Bowl 2021, Lays have released their limited time Game Day Chili flavor.

First and foremost, I'm always disappointed when a brand gets an opportunity to add actual meat flavor into a product, but then passes it up.  Anyway, this product is completely predictable but delicious at the same time.  It contains the same numerous flavors that one would find in chili: spices like chile powder first and foremost, then black pepper, cumin, and coriander; onion and garlic powders; sugar and tomato powder combine to lend a mouth feel reminiscent of barbeque chips; and finally, a bit of cheese powder to simulate the cheese and/or sour cream that one might use to dress their chili.

This barely crosses into the 3-NOM territory, but if Lays had added just a bit more salt to punch up the complex flavors, and to add more saltiness for its own sake, this would rate as 4 NOMs.

I hope you all are celebrating the Super Bowl responsibly!

Lay's Game Day Chili:- Great

Original Lay's(for comparison):- Good

Mountain Dew Game Fuel Tropical Smash

It was summer of 2017 that Pepsico released yet another Game Fuel variation called Tropical Smash. This product was part of a promotion with the release of the video game Forza Motorsport 7.

Once again, Dew has added zero-calorie sweetener to a drink that already has almost 200 calories. I'm not sure how many dozens of calories are saved by adding Ace-K and sucralose, but I must be the only one who thinks that the taste of the product suffers because of it?

Anyway, the onset of Tropical Smash has a similar feel to the iconic smooth sweetness that normal Dew has, with little in the way of acidic bite to balance it. As the name suggests, bright tropical punch flavors dominate the palate; although official documentation says mango and pineapple, I get mango and banana. Regardless, it's quite tasty. Unfortunately it's punctuated with the sharp pinch of zero-calorie sweetener.  And minutes after drinking, the aftertaste is probably the worst I've ever experienced.

The 0-cal sweetener always takes these products' ratings down by 1 NOM, but this is the best one I've ever had, so welcome your first 3-NOM product with 0-cal sweetener!

Mountain Dew Game Fuel Tropical Smash:- Great

Original Mountain Dew(for comparison):- Great

Doritos Ultimate Cheddar

 

This limited time item is easy to miss, as its flavor doesn't necessarily seem very unusual.

First taste is intensely savory, the ingredients list revealing both tomato, onion, and garlic powder.  The cheese then takes over, but it's not intense.  Once again, the ingredients list tells that cheddar, monterey jack, and swiss cheese powders are involved here, though I don't think you're going to pick any of them out.  Honestly, the cheese flavor here is way too subtle, and left me wishing I had some original Nacho Cheese instead, with its sharp cheese wallop.  This was almost in 2-NOM territory, but I had to go low.

Doritos Ultimate Cheddar:- Passable

Original Doritos Nacho Cheese(for comparison):- Good

Lay's Kettle Cooked New York Style Pizza

 

I always like pizza-flavored things.  I was really curious if these were going to offer anything special.

In the end, they really don't.  This product is well crafted, though, as is expected.  You have cheese powder, tomato powder, basil and oregano.  It's quite tasty, reminiscent of more staid products like Pizza Pringles.

The only difference here is the kettle chip... perhaps they were trying to simulate the crispy crust of New York pizza?  Either way, the crunch takes away from the experience, as is usually my opinion.  They're good, but not special in any way.

Lay's Kettle Cooked New York Style Pizza:- Good

Original Lay's(for comparison):- Good

Twix Cookies & Cream

 

Note: This is a Presumptive Ephemeral Nom.

I'll hand it to Twix for putting out a new flavor that strays a fair bit from the original.

The cookie is chocolate and instead of caramel, we have creme not unlike Oreo creme.  In fact, this stuff is basically a differently shaped Fudge-Covered Oreo.

It's not particularly flavorful.  And it's punishingly sweet, unlike the original, which often leaves you wanting more when you've finished a pack.


Twix Cookies & Cream:- Passable
Original Twix(for comparison):- Great

Organics by Red Bull Simply Cola

Product circa: 2019

Note: This is a Presumptive Ephemeral Nom.

This stuff just sorta came out of nowhere, and I noticed it one day in my supermarket's bargain bin.

But upon research, I found that Red Bull has released a line of these organic soft drinks, and it seems they're aiming these to be mixers for alcoholic beverages.  The marketing is heavy with their use of whole and natural ingredients in these products, and frankly, it shows in the taste.

This stuff tastes like an average cola but with less sugar, bolder flavors, and a squirt of lime juice.  Everything is just so flavorful.  Immediately noticeable is the lime and lemon, and they've really let the tartness shine in this mix that makes it infinitely more refreshing than an average cola.

You'll soon start tasting the earthier elements like galangal/ginger, cinnamon, and kola.  You might even find the clove.  All the flavors are bolder than most colas you've ever tasted, save a few that come to my mind.

When it sits on ice a bit, I start wishing it were a bit sweeter, but I know that if I were sipping this outdoors on a hot day, I'd be celebrating how Red Bull made this drink.


Organics by Red Bull Simply Cola:- Great
Original Red Bull(for comparison):- Passable