The Consumer’s Corner

Operating a moderately successful website sometimes has it’s perks, my favorite of which is getting to sample new products before they hit the retail shelves. I’ll be bringing you a few product reviews/previews this week, all from the Jell-O brand line of ready to eat snacks.

Pudding cups were a favorite of mine, all the way through high school. They’re just a great way to top off a school lunch. I still grab a pack now and then; they look especially tasty when I break the golden rule of grocery shopping: ‘Thou shalt not shop while hungry.’ A new flavor of the Sugar-Free variety is going to be released in the next few weeks; Cinnamon Roll.

Jello-O, gelatin and pudding, has long been a trail blazer for great tasting, sugar free desserts. Cinnamon Roll is certainly no exception, offering a wonderfully flavored dessert treat with minimal caloric impact (60 per cup). The flavor isn’t ridiculously sweet like many ‘cinnamon bun’ flavored treats, but it catches the essence quite well, especially for a consumer-friendly priced product.

The pudding is very creamy, the same consistency as ever. No lumps! Wish I had that much luck with the homemade stuff. Available in 6-pack sleeves at a store near you (soon, anyway), for three Washington’s and some coins. I recommend you give these a shot. Pudding cups are not just for kids anymore!

Official Site (soon, anyway)

–Jeremy Hobbs

Yeah, vitamins themselves are kind of difficult to review; there are rarely any immediate signs of change in your body that you can document. They are just supplements that help you maintain good overall health; to be honest I’ve never been able to tell much of a difference from one brand to another.

These Nature Made Softgels are similar in that; I feel the same taking these as I do OneADay vitamins. So what’s the deal, and why am I writing about these? It’s the way Nature Made delivers the ‘goods.’

This time last year, I had a scary incident in which I aspirared a large amount of fluid into my lungs. I had the be put on a ventilator and everything; the whole nine yards. Since that time, I’ve had a great amount of difficult swallowing some larger pills. As most vitamin takers can attest to, most multivitamins are a bit on the big side. Nature Made Softgels are big as well, actually bigger than my usual brand, but the super slick coating and over all ‘softness’ of the pill makes them much easier to get down.

As an added bonus, even if it doesn’t go down the first time, the Nature Made Softgels will not start disolving in your mouth. I can tell you, very few things in this world taste worse than a vitamin disolving in your mouth.

These are an easy recommendation for vitamin takers, and you can try them risk free right here. I expect that I’ll keep these stocked in my mediciine cabinet for the forseeable future!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

Apart from doing dedicated reviews, I exclusively drink diet sodas. It was a habit I developed while participating in an incredibly successful diet (lost 1/3 of my body weight), but it is a habit that I have absolutely no intention to break. Dieting alone will get the weight off, but if you’re not willing to change your preexisting lifestyle, you’ll ‘find’ everything you lost, and probably a little more. I was unwilling to give up soft drinks, so I had to find some suitable replacements for my sugar packed sodas. Here we go!

• Number 5 on my list isn’t actually a ‘soda,’ it’s an energy drink.  ‘Monster Low Carb.’ It’s not entirely calorie free, but it’s close enough. The taste is pleasant, I love the energy boost when needed, and it will not ‘crash’ on you like many energy drinks; simply because it lacks sugar. Very enjoyable, I buy this fairly often.

• Number 4 would be the ‘original diet soda that tastes good.’ Diet Dr. Pepper (Original). They were doing diet the right way a long time before the cola guys, and it’s still an excellent drink. One very convenient thing about Diet Dr. Pepper is that it can be found in a lot of soda fountains; in fact it’s the only one on this this that you’ll be able to find with any regularity. If you’re a sugar sweetened Pepper drinker looking to make the switch, this should be a fairly smooth transition for you.

• Number 3 is doing the Dew! Just with low/no calories. Reformulated a while back to include a better blend of artificial sweeteners, Diet Mountain Dew has found a near permanent placement in my refrigerator. The taste is a bit ‘different’ than regular Dew, but after sucking down a few cases of the diet version, I was unable to go back to the corn syrup version. Light, crisp, and it still gives you a nice pick-me-up.

• Number 2 is the latest to be released, and is in the middle of a huge marketing push by Pepsi. Diet Pepsi Max was introduced last year, mainly as a worthy opponent to the number one on my list. The blend of aspartame and Ace-k sweeteners tastes great, and the extra caffeine and ginseng give it a great punch. I’ve had non-diet drinkers accidentally grab these out of my fridge, and never notice they were no calorie colas. That says a lot.

And the winner is……..

• Number 1 Coke Zero. Easily the best replication of it’s ‘parent soda,’ Coke Zero is an amazing product. The fact that anyone still drinks ‘Diet Coke’ amazes me, it simply cannot compare to Coke Zero at all. You’ve seen the goofy ads about ‘taste infringement,’ but word of mouth and taste testing is what will sell this product. If you’ve yet to try it, I suggest buying a 20 oz at your earliest convenience.

Use the comments, agree and disagree with me, and don’t forget to leave your own Top 5. Or 10. Whatever you like

–Jeremy Hobbs

Fairly new product from PepsiCo., this is G2, the very first extension of the Gatorade brand. That ‘first extension’ nonsense comes from the official press release, not me. So don’t comment me about the 14,763 different flavors and types of Gatorade released since the original. I’ve noticed them.

What makes G2 different? Lower calories and carbohydrates. They’re still preaching that it’s designed for athletes, this time it’s just for use ‘off the field.’ But I’ll let you in on a little secret; low calorie non-carbonated beverages are really hot right now, and Pepsi is using Gatorade’s brand recognition to snatch themselves a piece of that pie.

Grown folks can’t shouldn’t be walking around town, out in front of God and everyone drinking Kool-Aid. So, when we reach puberty a certain point in our lives, we switch to Gatorade or similar sports drinks. Athlete or not. Now, some of us have gotten wider more health conscious, so expect to see a lot more products like G2 in the future.

Is it any good? Only tried the Fruit Punch flavor thus far, but yeah, it’s really tasty. It’s not difficult
to imagine this being some fine person’s ‘every day’ beverage. Light, flavorful, thirst quenching, G2 is really all you can ask for in a non-bubbly beverage. At just 25 calories per 8 ounce serving, it doesn’t hit the waist line very hard either.

If you like Fruit Punches, G2 Fruit Punch will like you. Easy recommendation; this has fairly universal appeal. If you desire one, take $1.25-$1.45 with you to your nearest well stocked convenience store, and they should be able to get you hooked up.

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

gatorade, g2, sports drink, pepsico, fruit punch

A question that has been pondered by modern Wise Men for decades remains unanswered, so far as I know. That mighty riddle would be ‘How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?’ Deep, deep stuff here folks. Well, someone hidden well underground in the Dr. Pepper labs just got tired of asking, melted a Cherry Tootsie Roll Pop down, mixed it with Diet Dr. Pepper, and Cherry Chocolate Diet Dr. Pepper was born. No more licking, just sip.

This product is simple novelty, yet another ‘Limited Edition.’ A regular commenter noted in another post that these ‘Limited Editions’ are getting out of hand. My thinking is as the soft drink industry is losing ground to teas, coffees, energy drinks, and juice products, they’re getting desperate and throwing ideas against the wall, praying that something will stick. By slapping ‘Limited Edition’ on the label, if it fails miserably, they can yank it and say ‘Oh well.’ If one succeeds, I bet we’ll see that label fall off pretty quickly.

Will Cherry Chocolate Dr. Pepper succeed? Probably not. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, it’s not, just mediocre. It’s also far too ‘niche’ to justify keeping in production for a long time. What do I mean by ‘niche?’ First, it will only appeal to consumers of diet soda. Second, and this is bigger than you might think, diet soda consumers who drink something besides Diet Coke. Third, it takes a brave soul to even sample a beverage flavored with cherries and chocolate, and with it being so ‘unique’ in flavor, only a certain percentage of those people will ever purchase it again. Out of those that would purchase it again, how many will make it a part of their regular rotation? See where I’m going?

For the folks that think Cherry Chocolate Diet Dr. Pepper would be disgusting, it’s not, and I feel safe recommending it for a sampling. This is destined to be one of those ‘love it or hate it’ products. If you’re in the ‘Love it!’ category, I suggest you start stock piling. If you hate it, it shouldn’t be in your way for very long. $1.25ish (20oz) wherever Dr. Pepper products are sold. May your God or Gods be with you.

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

dr. pepper, diet dr. pepper, cherry chocolate diet dr. pepper, soda, diet, beverages

Almost every main stream soda released in America will be reviewed here on Consumer’s Corner, especially sodas that have diet versions. I’ll be honest though, I put this one off for awhile, quite sure I wouldn’t like it. Sierra Mist is good, Sierra Mist Free is an excellent diet lemon-lime beverage, but the idea of mixing either with cranberry didn’t have my mouth watering.

I was wrong, thankfully. Turns out they mix together rather well, and make an excellent berry flavored diet soft drink. Notice I didn’t say ‘berry & lemon-lime.’ Anything that resembled the original Sierra Mist Free is gone in ‘Cranberry Splash,’ but what your left with is a winner.

‘Cranberry Splash’ doesn’t authentically replicate the true flavor of cranberry juice in my opinion, so the taste is more artificial than natural, giving the soda a generic ‘berry’ flavor. Again, that sounds bad, but it really isn’t. Natural is over rated, and when it comes to diet beverages, anything that manages to cover up the typical ‘diet’ aftertaste is an awesome thing. If you cover it up, and make it taste good, you’ve accomplished something.

I recommend trying Sierra Mist Free Cranberry Splash, it’s a nice change of paste. No caffeine, no calories, no problems. Look for it wherever Pepsi products are sold, and expect to pay around $1.25, give or take a quarter. Go get your drink on!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

sierra mist, sierra mist free, cranberry splash, pepsi, soda, diet

I enjoy a good stick of gum. In fact I’ll take spells where I’ll chew it constantly, all the way to making my jaws sore. I’m a bit OCD when it comes to things like that. ’5 Flare’ by Wrigley caught my eye recently, so I grabbed a pack. Want a three word review? It’s cinnamon gum.

Longer version? 5 Flare is a really average stick of gum. With the special packaging, and the hideously over produced commercials, I was expecting something really intense; like Altoids Gum. Nope. 5 Flare is indistinguishable from Big Red, and that left me disappointed.

What did impress me was the longevity of the flavor. The unit of time to measure how long the flavor in 5 Flare lasts is hours, not minutes. This stuff will love you long time. Stays pretty soft as well. Thumbs up for that.

Packaging is interesting; very much reminding me of a package of cigarettes. When I first pulled out the package, my friend thought it was a small box of condoms. Before reading the box, I thought they were mints. Wrigley may want to work on that. Anyway, you get 15 sticks of individually wrapped sticks, at a charge of ten cents a piece. That is $1.50 for those of you who are not mathematically inclined. The Consumer’s Corner gives it a mild recommendation; it lasts awhile, but aside from that, there’s nothing special going on.

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

5, 5 gum, gum, candy, wrigleys

Go, buy it, right now. Um, never mind, read this article first, then go. Just make sure you go at some point.

Diet Pepsi Max is Pepsi’s latest and greatest diet cola. What is the difference between this and the 274 other varieties of Diet Pepsi, you ask? Caffeine. Lots of it. More so than a Mountain Dew. My math brought the totals (not listed on the can) to 69 mgs per 12 ounces. Those are ‘Vault,’ or ‘weak energy drink’ like numbers. There is even a touch of ginseng for that extra kick.

Another big difference; Diet Pepsi Max is to Diet Pepsi as Coke Zero is to Diet Coke, a much better tasting product in this humble blogger’s opinion. It’s all in the sweeteners folks. Aspartame alone just doesn’t cut it anymore; it’s bitter, artificial, and leaves a nasty aftertaste. Sure, if you drink it long enough you will become immune to this, or even start to crave it (Diet Coke people, I’m talking to you!), but why settle for an inferior flavor when there are better options? If you add in the magical ingredient known as Ace-K, it cuts most of that bitterness, and leaves a much (much!) more pleasant taste in your mouth. That’s the secret to Coke Zero, Diet Pepsi Max, Diet Coke Plus, and every sugar free energy drink I’ve grown to enjoy.

Diet Pepsi Max tastes like a non-diet product. It can easily stand toe to toe with the popular Coke Zero, and by adding the energy drink elements, might be able to lay down some smack. Coming from me in particular, that is saying quite a bit; I’m a Coke Zero disciple, chugging it from day one. At some point I may have even said Zero came ‘straight from Heaven.’ Well, Coke, you’re no longer the lone distributer of the Promised Land; they’ve installed a Pepsi dispenser up there.

Side note, and one I try not to talk about too often; the packaging looks awesome. A guy can walk down the street with a 20 ounce of Pepsi Max in his hand and not look like a total sissy. Guys are image conscious too, and sodas are our accessories. Pepsi has recognized this, and they’re marketing Pepsi Max to males quite heavily; just watch the football games this weekend.

Coke Zero wont be leaving my fridge, it’s still a great product. It’s just going to be sharing some space with Diet Pepsi Max for now on. Should the energy boost continue to be efficient, Max will be my new ‘number one’ in time. Diet Pepsi Max should be available in your area now, or soon, in most packaging options. Okay, now you can go.

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

pepsi, diet pepsi, diet pepsi max, caffeine, ginseng

This is the start of a series of reviews I promised I’d write, so here it goes.

Rip It ‘Power’ is the ‘core’ energy flavor in the ‘Rip It’ line. I believe it was their first flavor, and everything else kind of branched off from there. If you, the regular energy drink consumer, are anxious to give this line a try, I’d say start here. While not a rip off of any one brand or flavor, this would be grouped with the Red Bull’s and Monster’s of the world. It just tastes like ‘energy drink,’ like it’s supposed to. And ‘Power’ does the flavor justice; it’s not just a cheap imitation.

Being as I will always try to be calorie conscious on this site, I’m reviewing the sugar free, zero calorie versions first. ‘Power’ is sweetened with a blend of sucralose (the chemical name for Splenda) and ace-k. This beverage does not, nor do any of the other Rip It’s, contain any aspartame, or the bitterness generally associated with it. The lack of high fructose corn syrup always gives drinks a ‘lighter’ taste in my opinion, and I actually prefer the no-cal version to the full-cal.

Not having any sugar does take away a bit from your energy boost though, so keep that in mind if you’re really drained. Otherwise, your energy enhancers will come in the form of 60 mg of vitamin C, 2 mg of vitamin B6, 400 mg folic acid, 6 mg of vitamin B12, 1,000 mg of taurine, 90 mg caffeine, 100 mg of inositol, and last, but not least, 10 mg of guarana seed extract. Fairly standard fair, and those numbers are competitive within the market. All those digits are per serving, with two servings per can.

The can is 16 ounces, so you’re provided with two servings for a buck. Sometimes less if you buy multi-packs. Cannot beat that with a stick. When energy drink shopping just for myself, and not factoring in the ‘can I review that?’ question, this is the stuff I reach for. Full recommendation!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

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rip it, rip it energy fuel, rip it sugar free, energy drinks, diet energy drinks