New Product Review:

Island Vanilla

Reviewed by Mr Breakfast on 2/5/2009

When you open the box, you get a subtle vanilla aroma. When you take your first bite with milk, the vanilla still seems very subtle. You realize that you're eating a pleasantly sweet cereal. Then you take you're second bite and something wonderful happens... the vanilla flavor seems to increase. By the middle of the bowl, if you're like me, you are really digging Island Vanilla cereal.

The cereal pieces look larger on the box than they are in actuality. They're similar in size and shape to Frosted Mini-Wheats Bite Size cereal. The lack of any frosting might keep some cereal lovers away from this one... but it shouldn't. This cereal is just as sweet and flavorful as most varieties of Frosted Mini-Wheats.

In fact, vanilla flavor is so prominent... when you're done eating you're left with a pleasant vanilla aftertaste. Generally speaking, most anything called an aftertaste is undesirable. But when it's like a creamy vanilla candy, you could do much worse.

All things said, I'd recommend trying this cereal. Most cereals that have vanilla in their name are surprising short on vanilla. Not this one. With Island Vanilla cereal you actually feel like you're on an island made of vanilla, floating down a vanilla stream, and... okay, okay... I didn't love it that much... but it's pretty good.

Nutritional considerations: A 27 biscuit (1.9 ounce) serving of Island Vanilla has 180 calories, 1 gram total fat (0 saturated; 0 trans), 6 grams dietary fiber, 44 grams total carbs, 9 grams sugars and 6 grams protein. Iron (at 8%) is the only significant listing under vitamins and minerals.

The price we paid: $4.49