N Cereal AA Round of 64, Flight 2: Fruit/Nut
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1 Honey Bunches of Oats vs. 16 Harvest Crunch. I know I will not carry the day here, but you guys, Harvest Crunch is sooooooo good. Sweet chunks of granola. Slivers of crisp almond. The delightful surprise of a date. A DATE, in a BREAKFAST CEREAL. It’s brilliant! But most of you never have and never will taste it, because it lives in Canada, so I have to predict a HBoO victory here.
8 Blueberry Morning vs. 9 Banana Nut Cheerios. You see? If not for the pioneering work of the cranberry in Cranberry Almond Crunch, would mass-produced cereals feature dried blueberries? Probably not. And yet this matchup is possibly the hardest to call. I’m not wild about dried blueberries, personally, but I loathe artificial banana flavouring, so my call is easy. I don’t know which way y’all are going to go. I’m going to say Banana Nut Cheerios…I guess? But maybe you’ll zig where I expect you to zag!
5 Granola vs. 12 Oatmeal Crisp. I’ve already expressed my loyalty to Harvest Crunch, which I spent my entire childhood calling “granola” as though the two were the same. They’re not. In fact, the term “granola” can encompass an enormous and therefore unpredictable range of flavours and quality. Oatmeal Crisp is just oaty and crispy and good. And yet, I still think granola’s going to take this one. Damn hippies.
4 Apple Cinnamon Cheerios vs. 13 Rainforest Crunch. One of the earliest entries in the “Holy crap, they added WHAT to Cheerios?” family, Apple Cinnamon is a pleasingly healthful alternative to the more childish Apple Jack. Rainforest Crunch may appeal to the environmentalist — in theory — but for pure yumminess…well, sorry, Brazil.
6 Fruit ‘n’ Fibre vs. 11 Kashi. Speaking of damn hippies: ugh, Kashi. Even the name makes me gag. Fruit ‘n’ Fibre is such a jaunty little moniker and promises everything you could want in a breakfast item. Just because they don’t sell it at Whole Foods doesn’t mean it’s not superior. But I think you Kashi people are probably fiercely loyal to your brand and will carry it to victory.
3 Special K With Strawberries vs. 14 Kellogg’s Fruit Harvest. Both of these are relative upstarts in the dry-cereal arena, meaning that neither one of them will have a nostalgic advantage. But I’m going to say Fruit Harvest is too busy to be pleasing in the morning, and that Special K With Strawberries will carry the day.
7 Just Right vs. 10 Cranberry Almond Crunch. I love the businesslike efficiency of Just Right, both as a name, and as a surprisingly harmonious blend of…you know, all kinds of different components. But Cranberry Almond Crunch was the first widely available cereal to help bring the cranberry into the realm of breakfast-cereal-approved dried fruits, and still the best. Cranberry Almond Crunch deserves to win this round.
2 Raisin Bran vs. 15 Bear Naked Vanilla Almond Crunch. Here’s how good Raisin Bran is: I love it (I happen to have a box of it in the house right now and I may have a bowl for dinner), and I hate raisins. I don’t know why, but it works. Wait, I do know why: the raisins are coated in sugar. And frankly, I can’t support any food product with “Bear Naked” as part of its name, and I’m going to guess you can’t either.
by Tara Ariano
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Tags: food N Cereal AA shut up hippies shut up raisins
I have tried and tried to get the apostrophe in “Kellogg’s Fruit Harvest” to stick in that poll, but it just won’t. I did see it; I can’t fix it; soldier on. Heh.
No Basic 4? Oh, the humanity!!
Also, Kashi and I have a tentitive truce thanks to their granola bars and their red berry cereal, which is almost exactly like Special K with Strawberries, only more awesome. It also has dried raspberries and doesn’t get soggy as quickly. Love!
I am 100% behind Cranberry Almond Crunch or Blueberry Morning (which is Wild Blueberry Almond Crunch here in Canada) FTW. I love this stuff. We bought four boxes of this stuff for 20 bonus airmiles and I didn’t worry for half a second that we wouldn’t eat it before it got hella stale. LOVE.
It even beats my adoration of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, which is saying a lot.
Banana Nut Cheerios taste neither like bananas nor nuts. Only like ass.
Oh, but Bear Naked chocolate granola is SO good!
Feh, Kashi. Such a self-righteous prig of a cereal. Preaching is for the 700 Club, NOT MY @#$% CEREAL. Suck it, Kashi.
Special K with Strawberries–which is sold here under the name Special K Red Berries, as though the locals can’t read, which most can’t–is the cat’s pajamas. The cat’s sweet, crispy, delicious pajamas.
I can’t wait until we get to the Grape Nuts debate. There are bound to be extreme haters and lovers duking it out.
YES. Cranberry Almond Crunch. The finest breakfast cereal known to humans. A little cinnamon, a little tartness, just enough sweetness, and some nuttiness…oh, how I love it. Even the little box of it cost more than the big box of almost anything else, I cannot resist it.
Even if I haven’t tried most of these flavours, I’m voting based on the following parameters: 1) honey is icky & has a weird aftertaste, so…no, 2) banana flavour is vile & reminds me of something we cooked up in high school chem class, so HELL, no, and 3) blueberries are yummy, so, yay.
Raisin Bran is going all the way, baby! No cereal acheives such perfect blending of sweet, healthy, crunchy and nostalgic delight. Two Scoops FTW!
I have never had Harvest Crunch? But it beats the pants off Honey Bunches of Crazy, purely on the basis of the latter’s stupid, loud, irritating ads. HATE. Also, Bear Naked any granola is so good. I hear you on the name, but. SO good.
Kashi I am not a huge fan of, because… wow, it is mostly like eating ossified cardboard, but! The Cinnamon Harvest shredded wheat they make? Is totally awesome.
I thought they stopped making Kellogg’s Fruit Harvest! I loved it and I can’t find it anywhere. The apple one was the best! No fair, Canada gets everything! Socialized healthcare AND Fruit Harvest!
Kashi in and of itself is nasty. But when they add the clusters and berries and stuff and start trying to copy other cereals, they do a pretty good job.
I have to throw my hat in with Tara – hate raisins, love raisin bran. What is that about?
For everyone lucky enough to live in Austin, Central Market’s Organic Raisin Bran is the bomb.
I have never eaten any of these. We don’t like fruit or nuts in our cereal in this family.
I tried Honey Bunches of Oats once and was so disappointed by its sogginess and limp flavors, I will vote against it on principle. I’ve never had its opponent, but Tara’s description has made me put it on the grocery list this week.
What in the world is Just Right? Blueberry Morning? Never heard of them. Also I think Kashi tastes like wet cardboard. When we were little my brother and I used to pronounce it Fruit and Fee-bray. “Fibre” what’s that? Hee.
The sog factor on Raisin Bran is horrible. Two seconds in milk and the flakes are just plain nasty.
I’m no hippie, but granola over a cup or so of vanilla yogurt in the morning? Yum. And in lieu of that, Raisin Bran works too. I can deal with Kashi, but OD’d a little a few years ago and am not planning on going back.
I could eat Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds for every meal. Delightful.
No lie- I do a little dance in the middle of Publix whenever Cranberry Almond Crunch is on sale.
Drat, I’m going to have to pass this round. Honey Bunches of Oats and Granola are the only ones in the list that I’ve eaten by choice; I HATE fruit in my cereal. Gimmie those almonds, gimmie those oats, you can KEEP the raisins.
Hmmm. This whole flight is troublesome to me. I’m not a big fan of fruit in my cereal (besides raisins, which, like Tara, I don’t generally care for except in cereal). I prefer either simple grainy goodness or a bowl of crispy sugar.
So there are a lot of tough decisions ahead, is what I’m saying.
@Keckler–Oh yes, I can’t wait either. I’ve already expressed my love for it in the other thread. I’ve a feeling I’m in the minority.
I haven’t heard of half of these. What is Kashi? I’m also not a big fan of dried fruit in general, let alone in cereal, so I’d probably vote against any of those. I like nutty, grainy type cereal though (aka Grape Nuts, hee!).
Hell to the no on Fruit and Fibre in our house, ever since the Dreadful-Saturday-of-Too-Many-Granola-Bars, 2008, resulted in atmosphere-altering levels of explosive gas. When they say “Excessive consumption may have harmful effects”, they’re not kidding. They do, however, fail to define “excessive”, although I think “half the box” meets that requirement. If you have to cancel social engagements to stay home and rip farts into a throw pillow, don’t buy that stuff again, is what I mean.
I’m not a big fan of fruit in the cereal either, but nuts? Totally different story. In fact, I’m sad to not see my personal fave in the list: Special K Vanilla Almond. As a matter of fact, I think it’s time for a slightly belated bowl of breakfast goodness!
I always thought there was something horribly wrong with raisin bran. The bran flakes are crunchy until the milk enters the bowl at which time they turn into mush. And the raisins are coated in sugar. I like raisins alone, but can’t stand them coated in sugar. Raisin bran reminds me of the carrot-raisin salad made with miracle whip we used to get for school lunch. More disgusting than escargot.
My all-time favorite breakfast is a bowl Post Selects cereal — half Cranberry Almond Crunch and half Great Grains (the one with pecans, raisins, and dates). The perfect mix!
In fact, I voted for Harvest Crunch even though I’ve never had it, just because it has dates in it like Great Grains. And because Honey Bunches of Oats is disgusting.
@upstairsgirl – the Cinnamon Harvest Kashi Shredded Wheat is indeed awesome. How do they get it to taste so good and still have relatively little sugar?!
@Melissa – I also call it “Fruit and Fee-bray”! Hee.
Honey Bunches of Oats FTW. Unless Cracklin’ Oat Bran is in the bracket, because that stuff is genius. Expensive, highly caloric genius.
I voted for Kashi, I eat Kashi and if I buy the right box I enjoy the Kashi with yogurt and fruit. However, the most disturbing thing to me about the Kashi is that one of the boxes actually says “twigs”. Truth in advertising is important but seriously I have a hard time wanting to buy food that is actually labeled twigs.
I’m not a big fan of raisins either, but the joy of the raisins in Raisin Bran is how dehydrated and chewy they are, I think. I used to pick them out of the box when I was a kid. Raisins that are too big and smooshy are disgusting.
I’m usually not a dried fruit in cereal fan, either, so this was hard. And Raisin Bran gets horribly stuck in my teeth…
I voted for Bear Naked because of Brendan from Survivor.
Fruit and nut cereals aren’t really my jam, but Cranberry Almond Crunch is magic in a bowl.
@FloridaErin: I had Basic 4 in my mind when I saw Just Right. Then I realized the King of Trail Mix Cereals was not on his throne; these Stewards of Fruit Cereal must rule until he comes back.
Basic 4 has delicious, soft little pieces of mysterious provenance and delicious flakes to boot.
@upstairs girl: I can’t remember the Honey Bunches of Oats ad, but I do remember, “What have they doooone to my oatmeal?!”
What? No Raisin Bran Crunch? Awww… too bad… Love regular raisin bran, too, so that will have to suffice.
Kashi foods: buying food in packaging that tastes just like the packaging… blech…
The “Fruit and Fi-bree” made me laugh… I had a roomie in college that thought the perfume Sand & Sable was “sond de sah-bley”. From the “cursive” ampersand to the “it must be French” assumption, it still makes me giggle.
“Fruit and Fee-bray…must be Italian!” “I think it says ‘Fiber,’ honey.”
Quaker Harvest Crunch Apple and Cinnamon was my favourite growing up – the little chewy apple pieces – Awesome! But I haven’t seen it in years, even now that they’ve brought back more flavours – the green box is something different now. So I have to go with my second favourite – the Honey Bunches – as Carrie said, I could eat it at every meal.
Wow. I don’t think I like a single cereal in this bracket except Raisin Bran (although I’ll concede the mushiness factor). I guess I’ll just sit this one out.
I agree with Kris, if you like dates and raisins in your cereal you should try Great Grains Raisins, Dates and Pecans (it’s also by Post like Honey Bunches of Oats)
Ooh, I’ve never heard of this Great Grains Raisins, Dates and Pecans business but now I’m going to have to look for it.
I second (third? whatev) the slight disappointment at the lack of Basic 4. Might be my favorite dry cereal ever, but also a little too expensive for me to buy often.
The entire Honey Bunches of Oats family, minus the one w/ peaches, is not allowed in my house b/c I can’t control myself. Cinnamon clusters? Hells yeah.
Add me to the list of people who skeeve raisins but dig raisin bran. Safeway brand is the best!
Bear Naked Vanilla Almond Crunch is just as awesome as Cranberry Almond Crunch. In fact, my husband and I could not get enough of both for months. It’s Kellogg’s Vanilla Almond done right. I also cannot recommend their granola bars enough.
I also agree with Barb that Raisin Bran has a soggy factor that makes it totally unappealing despite the sugar glazed raisins (I like my cereal to still be crispy when drowned in milk and/or other-milk like substances for more than two seconds).
Raisin Bran is evil. It takes something that is already nasty, raisins, and covers them in this gross “sugar” coating. Then it adds bran flakes so thin and flimsy that the mere idea of any liquid coming near them makes them immediately dissolve into this gross bran dust that just floats in the bowl. SO DISGUSTING.
I like almost all of the other cereals in this bracket though.
I haven’t heard of half of these either. I’m sorry to see Harvest Crunch is losing. Generally speaking, the whole idea of dates in anything squicks me right out, but Tara’s totally right about the ones in HC – they were the bomb. But I’ve noticed that they’re practically non-existent in the cereal now; it’s 50/50 whether they were too expensive or too unhealthy (given that they were coated in sugar).
I think you should all know that date is Australian slang for ….arsehole (asshole for Americans). Please re-read all posts with that in mind.
Claire is fired.
Hee hee.
Well, which Kashi are we talking about here? They have a plethora of varieties… the Honey Puffs and Heart to Heart aren’t half bad, but once you get into the Go Lean and Good Friends, you’re eating actual tree bark. I guess never having had Fruit ‘n’ Fibre I’ll pick that; it can’t be worse than something with “twigs” as an ingredient :P
Okay, on the Blueberry Morning vs. Banana Nut Cheerios: I used to LOVE Blueberry Morning, but they changed their formula once or twice in recent years and it hasn’t been the same. I think they made the flakes sturdier, but as a result they have the slightest styrofoam texture now. I also think there was a muffin-y artificial flavor that they have tweaked or taken out, which makes me sad.
And I also hate artificial banana flavor (especially after yes, synthesizing it in an o-chem class one year, which ended my aspirations for pre-med), but I think the Banana Nut Cheerios state prominently on the box that they use natural flavor. My suspicion is that they know full well how loathed fake banana flavor is. I think they use artificial flavors too, but for the malty or nutty flavor, not the banana flavor. Anyway, I tried a box and thought it was pretty good. The real reason it falters is that the Os are made from a oat/corn mix, so they taste/feel more like Trix or Cap’n Crunch and less like true Cheerios.
So…no idea which one I’ll vote for. But I thought people should know!