The Consumer’s Corner

Been a huge Combos fan since I was a little kid, they bring back a lot of good memories for me. Fun for a child to play with, almost like a savory Oreo; try to get the outer part off and get to the good stuff inside. Yum! The Pizzeria Style Pizza was always my favorite (not the pretzel version, but they’d do in a pinch).

Found these today, and they jive well with my new fascination with Mexican food; these are ‘Zesty Salsa’ flavored. The outer shell is supposed to taste like a tortilla chip, but that didn’t come across to me too well. If I hadn’t read the label, I’d have just figured it was the same cracker crust as the Pizzeria version I cherish so dearly.

Inside, the paste is delicious! Has a very authentic (mild) salsa flavor, with none of the stuff I don’t care for in real salsa (chunks of veggies). They have just the slightest bit of a kick to them; with a touch of vinegar ‘twang.’ Superb!

Not very diet friendly; 140 calories per ounce serving. It’s not difficult to eat the entire 6 ounce bag, so you do the math. That’s half of some people’s calorie allowances. 7 grams of fat, 3 of them being saturated, but no trans fat. Empty calories; no ‘good’ nutritional value to speak of.

If ‘Zesty Salsa’ Combos sound interesting to you, I highly recommend them. Mine cost me $2.19 in a fairly expensive convenience store, but I don’t regret the purchase what so ever. Eat up!

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–Jeremy Hobbs

Jolt Energy Mints started it, then Icebreakers kept my obsession rolling with ‘Restore,’ and ‘Energy.’ Now, I can go nowhere without a package of mints, or go into a store without looking for a new variety. Found these at the neighborhood convenience store.

Tasty, but nothing special. No vitamins, no caffeine, no particular strong and/or orginal flavor. These fall very much in line with TicTacs, just a wee bit bigger.

The ‘creme’ flavor is the only thing that distinguishes them from a number of other products, but you have to suck on them to even notice it. If you’re like me, you’re chomping down on your hard candies, mints included, within 5 seconds of inserting them in the pie hole.

Mild recommendation; they taste good and offer some breath freshening benefits, but at the end of the day, they’re not anything all that special. Price point is decent, $0.79 for 9 servings. Not enough calories to mention. Comment back with your opinions!

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–Jeremy Hobbs

I used to go ‘ooooh’ and ‘aaaawwweee’ whenever I found a new ‘limited edition’ product sitting on the shelves of my favorite grocer. Now? It’s almost odd not to find something being introduced. Everyone is trying to innovate I suppose!

‘Wildly Cherry’ (why not just ‘Wild Cherry?’) M&M’s were what popped out at me this time. Almost passed them over, the packaging is very similar to the ‘Razzberry M&M’s‘ I reviewed a while back.

The similarities didn’t stop there; just like the Razzberry variety, the cherry flavor was very mild, and didn’t over power the familiar milk chocolate profile that the little M’s are known for. The size of the candies were also the same; around twice as big as the originals. You get two colors per bag, a deep red, and dark brown.

They were nice to sample, but I guess I’m getting a bit old fashioned; I wont be buying these over the originals. Wildly Cherry M&Ms were good though, and I can give them an endorsement if you see them and get curious, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Prices will vary wildly by store, 210 calories per 1.5 ounce serving, 10 grams of fat.

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Nice review from Candy Addict

–Jeremy Hobbs

I’m not a huge salsa fan; always been a ‘nacho’ guy. I just don’t like a lot of the ingredients that go into salsa. But I found one that is really good, and has earned a place in my fridge as a regular snack.

Pace brand Tequila Lime Salsa is made from a base of yellow tomatoes, jalapeños, and onions. Add a few squirts of lime juice on top of that, and you’re left with a great tasting dip. Nothing is over powering, and the onions take a back seat, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to eat it. The yellow tomatoes offer a very unique flavor, and everything tastes better with lime!

It’s not an unhealthy snack either, just 15 calories per serving. That’s only two tablespoons though, so go ahead and triple that number, because this stuff is hard to put down. I enjoy it with Tostito’s Scoops, but any tortilla chip would work just as well, I’m sure.

Availability may be a bit spotty, but try Publix grocery stores if you have them in your area. I really recommend it, this will be a real crowd pleaser at your next get together!

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–Jeremy Hobbs

My name is Jeremy, and I am an energy-mint-aholic. I remember my first hit; Jolt Energy Mints. I was hooked from the first serving, and ever since that point in time, a can of energy mints has never been more than a few feet away from my grasp. I first realized I had a problem when my first can of mints ran out, and I had no back up. It was terrible.

I couldn’t find another tin of them anywhere; it was like God Himself was hiding them from me. But, thank goodness for a teenage girl named Amanda, who shown a light on another fix, and told me where to get them. I will forever be in her debt.

Ice Breakers Energy are a slight step down from Jolt Energy Mints in caffeine potency, but the make up for it due to simple availability. To get the caffeine dosage of Jolt Energy Mints, you have to consume two serving of the Ice Breakers Energy’s, but again, it’s worth it. They taste great, a bit stronger in mint flavor than the Jolts (that could be good or bad, depends on your preference).

Sugar free, only 5 calories per serving (3 mints). Totally guilt free. I can find no negatives to this product; freshens your breath, tasty treat, energy boost, cool packaging, decent price ($1.50). Well, maybe one negative; they may have you in a substance abuse program at some point; they’re highly addictive   Recommended and then some!

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–Jeremy Hobbs

ice breakers, mints

More vitamins in what used to be nothing but junk food. Frankfood! Ice Breakers has always made tasty, strangely addicting mints, and these are no exception. One serving just isn’t enough, and I’m not even that big of a pomegranate and lemon fan.

The vitamin content is a bit on the ‘light’ side, just 10% of A, C, E, and zinc per serving. That certainly will not take the place of your daily multivitamin, but they do not hurt the flavor, and certainly will not be doing you any harm. Some vitamins are better than none, right? Add the fact that they’re sugar free, and only 5 calories per serving, you’re in ‘guilt free’ territory.

Easily recommended, $1.50 seems like a fair price. I’ll be buying them again.

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–Jeremy Hobbs

ice breakers, mints, restore, frankenfood

Have some Frankenfood for ya, come and get it! I was impressed to the utmost degree with Jolt Energy Mints; that is a fine product that I’ve since become addicted to. So, without saying, I had high hopes for ‘Energy Gum.’ I’ve always been more of a gum guy anyway, so I thought this would be a home run, and get me one step closer to having to check in to a caffeine detox center.

They’re ‘okay.’ Both flavors, ‘Spearmint’ and ‘Icymint’ are a bit on the bitter side; the caffeine is noticeable. Both tasted a bit to medicinal for my tastes, the Icymint especially so.

Two pieces = one serving = about one cup of coffee. Everybody got that? It being a gum is a positive, it will get into your system fairly quickly. The boost is significant, but nothing that’ll give you the shakes. Sugar is at a minimum, 10 calories worth per serving.

After chewing on the incredibly long lasting Flare 5 gum, the flavor in Jolt Energy Gum seems to give up pretty quickly. Boo. I can’t recommend this product with a clear conscience. There are better options in this category, including Jolt’s own mints, so I think your money would be better spent else where. Availability may be spotty if you are interested; online retailers may be your best bet.

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–Jeremy Hobbs

gum, energy gum, jolt, caffeine

America, I humbly announce to you the arrival of ‘new crack.’ I’ve eaten energy enhancing Frankenfoods before, but none were as tasty, or as potent as Jolt’s Mint Flurry Energy Mints. Wow, good stuff here!

As a candy, Jolt Energy Mints are very tasty. Every time I review a food product containing caffeine, I’m expecting some bitterness. If not bitterness, the other flavors are usually so over powering that it’s a turn off. Neither is the case here. The mints are strong enough to do what mints are generally made to do; freshen your breath and cleanse your palette. But they’re not painfully harsh like an Altoid. I would consume these regardless; energy or no energy.

The energy boost is no joke. Five Jolt Energy Mints (also known as ‘one serving’) equals the caffeine you’d find in an average cup of coffee. I’d go as far as to say a really strong cup of coffee, I could really feel the affect of these amazing little pieces of energy enhancing Heaven. The let down was gradual, nothing resembling a crash.

Jolt Energy Mints receive my full recommendation; unless you’re caffeine sensitive I cannot see how you wouldn’t enjoy them. Online retailers may be your best bet; I haven’t seen these in many stores. Shop around for a good price! Yum!

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–Jeremy Hobbs

jolt, jolt energy mints, candy

Good? Yeah. ‘Extreme?’ Not on your life. The new(?) Pringles Extreme flavors just started showing up in my grocery stores, so I had to give them a try. Given the change in can design, with the added ‘Extreme’ moniker, these are almost a brand extension, so I was expecting something ‘different.’ Sorry, it’s all marketing.

Dill pickle chips, while not the world’s most common flavor, can be found in any store with a decent selection of snack foods. I’ve always considered them to be milder versions of ’salt & vinegar,’ maybe with a few extra seasonings thrown in. Pringles, in my opinion, did a spectacular job in recreating the dill pickle flavor. That’s a plus. The negative? There’s nothing ‘extreme’ about it. I was expecting some super concentrated flavor, but instead it was mild and fairly subtle.

Ten calories per chip; eat as many as your diet will allow. I recommend them if you’re a Pringles fan, just go in with the expectations of them being a garden variety flavor. There was no need for the special label, or the name ’screamin’ dill pickle.’ Dill pickle would’ve worked just fine.

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–Jeremy Hobbs

chips, snacks, pringles

I buy about one PayDay bar a year, and this year I found one that had chocolate on it! What a novel idea. Sure took ‘em long enough. This is a product that has been years in the making.

Nothing super exciting going on, just a regular PayDay dipped in milk chocolate. No caffeine, no taurine, just plain candy. Take note candy manufacturers, sometimes the best ideas are the simplest ones. No need to get all freaky with a proven product.

I really enjoyed the PayDay Avalanche. The sweetness of the chocolate kind of covers up the saltiness of the peanuts. That’s one thing I never particularly cared for in a PayDay bar was the salt; but I understand that is there ‘thing,’ contrasting the sweet and the salty in one bite. The salt is still there, but much less predominate, and that’s a big plus for me.

260 very empty calories per 51 gram bar, 130 of those calories coming directly from fat. This isn’t a diet food. It’s delicious candy though. I give PayDay Avalanche a good recommendation; I’ll buy another one next year if they’re sill on the market. Enjoy!

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–Jeremy Hobbs

payday, payday avalanche, candy bar, candy, snacks