Two gluten-free kinds of cereal. Both are priced just 20 cents apart. You would think that they would be pretty similar. Except my taste buds were telling me that there was one clear winner.
Taste
Trader Joe's Cocoa Crunch Cereal wasn't it. As excited as I was about eating Trader Joe's Neapolitan Puffs, I felt the same way. I was just hoping that this particular box would be the all cocoa answer.
But it wasn't.
Yes, they are both gluten free and released about the same time, but they taste different.
The texture here seemed off. Now, I'm not gluten-free. But I like to see products that don't make me feel like that portion of the population is missing out on anything.
With the Neapolitan Puffs, they totally passed. If I hadn't read through the box, then I would say that was hard to tell.
This on the other hand, I felt like the difference was glaring.
There was the textural issue, but there was also an underlying taste difference here that I just wasn't loving. Perhaps it was the sorghum.
Overall
In either case, I was deeply hoping that this would just be an entire bowl of the cocoa variety found in the puffs cereal. On some level, they look like they should, but sadly, they just didn't measure up.
I brought some as snacks to work, but that bag became the snack of last resort. The one where you actually asked yourself, "Am I really hungry?"
My husband demolished the box of Neapolitan Puffs with me, but this box has been sitting on my counters for a bit.
Bummer too.
For $3.49 this is a one-time buy in my household. I'd rather spend the extra 20 cents and get something I like.
Would I buy this again? These were a no from me.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Product photos
The box of Trader Joe's Cocoa Crunch Cereal:
The nutritional information:
The ingredients:
How to prepare this cereal differently:
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.
Trader Joe's Cocoa Crunch Cereal
Product Name: Trader Joe's Cocoa Crunch Cereal
Product Description: Trader Joe's Cocoa Crunch Cereal is a new gluten free cereal
Price: $3.49
Currency: USD
Availability: InStoreOnly
Summary
Trader Joe's Cocoa Crunch Cereal is gluten free chocolate cereal
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- Another gluten free option
- Chocolate only
Cons
- Not nearly as tasty as the Neapolitan cereal
- There was a flavor that just didn't jive with me on this one.
Alek says
What is unique is that this is made in Australia. I think they should do a mango crunch cereal next.
becomebetty says
Hey Alek! It always amazes me how far some of these products come to be on the shelves of the US. I'd love to see a Mango Crunch too. I miss their mango waffles too. Maybe with summer coming, we will see more mango products this year. Thanks as always for stopping by!
Ttrockwood says
Ugh, sounds like a big disappointment. I’m wary of GF things made with rice flour since that makes it extra crispy crunchy- and sometimes that’s too weird. The recipe suggestion is so bizarre! I guess they think it will make a chocolate milk...? Hmm. I’m thinking you should return it, they need to know it’s a clunker!
PS
Whatever you do never buy the lightlife brand vegetarian hot dogs that TJs sells! So seriously very terrible. Field Roast makes excellent ones, but i wanted to warn you because it could turn an omni off veg dogs forever!