2019 Giunta Sauvignon Blanc

So first and most importantly, I was actually able to contact this winemaker, and they confirmed there aren't any nuts in their wines! Glorious! That's a huge plus and makes me excited to try many of their other varietals. 

That said, this one didn't really do it for me on the basis of taste. The screwtop is lovely, the peace of mind is lovely, but the wine was acidic and not super sweet or fruity. On the first day I thought "this is fine", although it did make me a bit nauseous, but when cold it was way more tart/intense and for me not that enjoyable. So it goes, wine fans.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 (18$)
Taste: 5/10

Deep River Snacks - Sea Salt & Vinegar Chips

What's up with their slogan, "We give a chip"? It seems like a play on "We give a ****" but that's awfully vulgar for a chip slogan. And then the literal "We are giving you a chip to eat" meaning, which is fine but a little strange because I actually bought these chips. Hmm.

This flavor is solid, even though I wouldn't say salt and vinegar is one of my top chip flavors. For some reason, these chips and this bag felt smaller than the other flavors', maybe thinner chips? Is it in my head? The calories are lower (200), so maybe. But the taste is good, a strong flavor which is nice, and more vinegar than salt. A solid snack.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Cow Tales - Caramel Apple

Huh, I just realised (or re-realised) that this is a Tale and not a Tail. I'm gonna have to think hard about the lore of this candy! It's a good one -- basically the same as a regular cowtale/bullseye, a nice starchy firm caramel outside. The inside is RED and apple flavored creme, which is weird. It's accurate, tastes like apple, but I actually prefer the OG white creme in there. This inside is far inferior to the staramel outside. Still very tasty and nut free, and a good size candy too, so in all I love to see it.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Partake Vanilla Sugar Crunchy Cookies

Ah, an explicitly nut free cookie! That's always nice to partake in. And it's fun and exciting to try out a new safe brand. Unfortunately, it wasn't really that NEW, because these taste exactly like the Enjoy Life crunchy sugar cookies. I thought the funky gluten free taste in those was from konjac, but there's no konjac here, so it must be something else. Maybe that's just how oat flour tastes??? Anyway, it's a little "off" and it's too distracting to enjoy as a cookie. I want more of a buttery taste, but being dairy free I guess it's hard to do that. These do have little sprinkles, but they aren't as pretty as the box shows, they're kinda hidden inside. Fun texture and they have spirulina in, so more evidence that spirulina coloring doesn't kill me. Otherwise, not much to be excited about, unfortunately.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10

LaClare Zesty Ranch Goat Cheese

Ooh la la -- look at me, year 2 of coronatine and I'm eating goat cheeses. This was exciting to try, because I emailed the company and they said they don't use nuts in their cheese at all. So I had a cucumber with no ranch and I thought I'd pair it with this....ranch goat cheese. It wasn't terrible, even though the texture wasn't what I expected! This is super super crumbly, and the log of cheese itself was quite firm (maybe too cold). The whole thing is about ~500 cals, so it's not unreasonable to eat in one sitting. It does smell like a ranch cream cheese ball -- a little too blue cheese/feta/goat?-y for me to really love, but it worked for the situation. I would try the other flavors for sure, but I don't know if I'd buy this again unless I had something good to pair with it. Crackers maybe! 

Overall
Cost: 5/10 (4$)
Taste: 6/10

Pringles - Pizza Flavor

You know, for Pringles, these are pretty good. They have that pizza flavor, and I guess it's enough to cover up the weird "pringle" chip flavor. Or maybe they changed the recipe! Anyway, I wouldn't buy these for myself because the ingredient listing is insanely long, but when someone else buys 'em, I will surely eat 'em all up hehehe.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme Bar

Ah, this wrapper has undergone many changes over the years! Now it boasts "Since 1894", but that's the company and not This Product, which came out in 1994. I'm so old that I remember when it came out (because I lived in Hershey), but it always paled in comparison the king of candy bars, the Cookies 'n' Mint (RIP). I never really loved this candy, which is maybe a surprise because I did love the cookies in the mint bar, and I do like white choco. But, you know -- this isn't actually white choco. It's just sweet solid goo with cookie pieces in it. It does taste very similar to oreo cookies in a candy bar form, so it's not Bad, it's just nothing amazing for me. (I don't love Cookies and Cream ice creams either). Nut free though, and not too melty or weird or anything. Just kinda, generic sweet bar.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Jelly Belly Sours

Hello, Jelly Bean fans ! I have a bad headache today, but I'm pretty sure it isn't from binging Jelly Beans earlier this week. Although I can't rule it out. (I think it's from rain -> my windows don't close -> mold, allergies). 

Anyhow, this only has five flavors in it! I like them all, so it's definitely more consistently good than the 20 flavors mix, but somehow I miss the craziness of So Many Flavors. So I may like the big assortment better for the fun factor. Still, these are very solid. Here's my ranking:

Sour Apple
Sour Orange - tastes just like an orange Tic Tac
Sour Cherry - better than the OG cherry, but still tastes of candy and medicine
Sour Grape - tastes like summer pool day Flintstones push pop... but also, weird
Sour Lemon

Overall
Cost: 6/10 (2$)
Taste: 7/10

Jelly Belly - 20 Flavors

At Walgreens, I thought I should buy some food I can't get online...so I bought Jelly Beans. I know, it doesn't make sense, but I wanted my jelly bean box to be filled. This 20 flavor mix is apparently different from the "assorted flavor" mix. It's pretty good, and peanut free. Here is my flavor ranking from best to worst:

Strawberry Cheesecake - accurate!
Sunkist® Lemon - tastes like lemon chuckles!
Sunkist® Tangerine - tastes like orange soda!
Lemon Lime
Blueberry - tastes like pie filling!
Bubble Gum
Toasted Marshmallow
Sizzling Cinnamon
Orange Sherbet
Cotton Candy - Very sweet
Very Cherry
Juicy Pear
Watermelon
Piña Colada
Tutti Frutti - Tastes like Bubble Gum??
Coconut
Buttered Popcorn
Peach
Green Apple - weird.
Licorice - don't know, i'm allergic to licorice!

Overall
Cost: 6/10 (2$)
Taste: 7/10 (really only like 3 dud flavors!)

Fruit by the Foot Mini Feet - Berry Tie-Dye

Well, I may not be 6 feet tall, but I'm definitely 6 mini-feet tall. I wished this snack came in regular feet, which I guess means I liked it. A classic tasty fruit snack from my childhood, fun to eat and not too thick or sweet or weird. Good stuff.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Pure Organic Layered Fruit Bar - Pineapple & Passionfruit

Hey, not only is this organic, it's also gluten free and soy free! Wow! Thanks so much, Pure Organic. Dumb companies. I'm in a cranky mood because my Covid Shot #1 made me real sick and I have a lot to do for work+school (as per usj). ANYWAY. This is pretty good texture-wise, it's skinny and pliable. The taste is OK - a strong "tropical fruit" vibe. Just wish the nut allergy info weren't so gosh darn nebulous. NUT ALLERGY GIRLS ALSO LIKE FRUIT SNACKS THANK YOU

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

norr organic - Black Currant & Blood Orange Skyr

Skyr is in! I'm very happy to try a new flavor from this nut-free company. I was anxious because this has blood orange "essential oil" in it, and like, what is that? But it tasted like blood orange essence, which I guess makes sense. The texture of this was the same as the unflavored skyr, i.e. "glorp". No fruit chunks or fruit on the bottom. Kind of disappointing because I like interesting textures, but there's nothing wrong with a good glorp. This was a little sweet but not overly so, and basically tasted like milk orange/blueberry flavor in yogurt. Filling and satisfying, plus it's good for me to have dairy. Would get again, probably over plain flavors given the choice, but it's not a huge preference.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Ring Pop

Ring Pop, like Push Pop, is a strange novelty lollipop that makes it awkward to eat but is nut free and fun in moderation.Unfortunately I didn't love this particular flavor ("purpleberry punch") -- it tasted basically like a grape fruit strip, which is OK but not really candy-worthy. I think if it were a different flavor, I'd like it, though -- I like the sweetness/"texture"(if that makes sense) of the pop. And nut free candy is always good. It did stain my tongue and lip intensely porple!

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Kerrygold Savory Cheddar Shredded Cheese

Like the mild cheddar shreds before it, this savory cheddar is also a pleasant, nut-free cheese experience. Perhaps it is more "sharp" in flavor, but to be honest I didn't notice (or remember?) a big difference taste-wise. However, I do like cheese. Good with pasta, chips, snacks. 

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Thread Nitro Cold Brew Cans

I emailed them to ask about nut allergy stuff and they were very nice, but basically said "we don't know for sure what's going on in the canning place, but the only ingredo is coffee", so I trusted it because I like coffee. This is a cute idea, canned coffee, and it seemed good for when I was on the go and couldn't tote my homebrew pitcher with me, but I must say, drinking this from the can with no ice to dilute it or sugar/cream/milk added made for a very intense experience. Really strong cold brew flavor, in that weird sweet/coffeefruity way. Seems like it'd be much better if you can work a glass of ice in there too (and maybe a splash of milk or cream!). I would try it again though because I love coffee very much.

Overall
Cost: 6/10 (3$ - basically 1 dunkie)
Taste: 5/10

2019 Finca La Estacada ‘Ocho Y Medio’ Tinto Velasco

I want to lower the rating of this just because I have no idea what the winery is actually called, so it was impossible to contact them about allergy stuff (which I do if I can). I like the "8" branding, but is that like, a sublabel? Who freakin' knows, man. And I don't think it's a language barrier, it's just a wine pet peeve I have.

ANYWAY, this is a fine red. Cork was a little crumbly/hard to remove, but no allergy issues upon drinking, and it tastes a fine, berry-filled red. It really stained my teeth, but maybe they all do and I just noticed this one 'cause I was Zooming and staring at my little square. Not too strong/acidic/weird, which I like to see. Paired well with Hunger since I can't eat the recommended clam pairing. A little better warm than cold, but not a huge difference.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Rolo

Am I one of those people who pluralizes Weis's, Walmarts, Wegmans's? Cause I want to call these Rolos, but the package clearly says ROLO. That makes it feel more European to me, and therefore extremely classy. Anyway, Rolo(s) are really good: they're small chocolate candies with runny caramel inside. No nut warning most of the time. Tasty, snackable, fun. Plus these came in little christmas wrappers!

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Pillsbury Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies - Soft Baked

I do like cookies. Too bad there were hardly any cookies in this lil bag! I'd say there were, generously, 5 small cookies. But they're tasty soft cookies. I was a little nervous because it seems they also make peanut butter soft baked cookies, but this label read as safe and I generally trust Pillsbury. The taste is quite similar to the big box of little Entenmann's choco chip cookies, but these are slightly larger and slightly softer. In general they taste good and are pleasant cookies.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

A La Mode - Apple Pie Ice Cream

This base ice cream is actually vanilla, and not cinnamon like so many of the other winter flavors! That's a huge upgrade in my book. It actually tastes a little like sweet cream (like froyo!) or cream cheese, partially because the texture is a lot softer and creamier - especially on the very top (which might just be due to melting lol). It's really good. There's also swirls of vanilla cookies, which are fine, and also of apple pie fillign flavored swirls which are really good. This is what I want from apple pie ice cream! Nice job, ALM.

Overall
Cost: 3/10
Taste: 8/10

Kerrygold Mild Cheddar Shredded Cheese

Kerrygold has an FAQ on their website that says they don't use any nut products! Hurrah! This made the cheese taste infinitely better. However, it also tastes like classic cheddar cheese. Even though it says mild, it was a strong cheddar flavor to me. I never loved cheddar best, and that's a pasta cheese, not a nacho cheese, but I still melted it for nachos and honestly it was pretty good. Melted cheese is just overall good. If I actually had some bread or something, this would be even better. Maybe I should do an omelette!

Overall
Cost: 5/10 (I forgot)
Taste: 7/10

Brookside Dark Chocolate - Pomegranate Flavor

Although their website says "all products may contain peanuts", this package only mentions almonds, and I feel like it'd be weird to say "May contain almonds" if it actually may contain other stuff too. I guess I'm feelin' wild and risky today! Anyway, these were always off-limits so I was curious to try them. And they were good! Fancy! They're dark chocolate with some fruity (i.e. fruit juice, lol) flavors on the middle. A nice firm outside, like a skittle but made of dark chocolate a fruit juice. Had that fancy, truffle feel. I enjoyed it! 

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 8/10

Deep River Snacks - Salt & Cracked Pepper Chips

Yay for these glorious nut-free chips! Salt and pepper sadly isn't a very exciting flavor for me, but I think the execution here is good: the ripples are fun, and the pepper is actually tangible -- there's a real level of seasoning here which is good since the seasoning is the most boring it could be (well, it could be just salt). I like the peppery flavor, even though some pepper got stuck in my teeth before class. A good chip but perhaps not the best flavor of chip.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Pop Tarts Bites - Frosted Chocolatey Fudge

Pop Tart...BITES? This really is the 21st century! In all seriousness, I've stayed away from Pop Tart ever since they had that whole line of "peanut and nut" flavors, but it looks like they don't even make those anymore, and Kelloggs is a good labeller. So I was excited to try these, even though I don't usually like chocolate flavored things that much. And hey, these are good! Definitely tastier than I expected. They basically do taste like little bites of pop tart. The frosting has a nice crunch to it, the filling is actually present and distinct from the "tart", and it's overall a solid product. I might have to re-enter the world of pop tart, especially when it gets too warm to ship choco and ice cream to my house but I'm still sad and hungry. Ah, Corona Summer #2, I hope you aren't a thing.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Annie's Friends Bunny Grahams

These are a classic Annie's snack, with reassuring allergy labelling (no nuts) and cute bunny shapes. They're basically Teddy Grahams but instead, bunnies. This is a mix of three sweet flavors: honey, chocolate, and choco chip. All are decent, although surprisingly in this mix I preferred the choco and then the honey, then choco chip, which doesn't match my typical cookie preferences. I think it's because those were the most identifiable flavors, since the flavors don't come through super strongly here. I'd say they're less sweet than Teddy G's, which is maybe good for health but not amazing for flavor. It might be that mixing the 3 types together sort of dilutes them - maybe they'd be more enjoyable on their own. Still a cute, fun, safe little snack, but not amazing for me.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Pure Organic Layered Fruit Bar - Strawberry & Banana

Another company that's all "soy free, dairy free, kosher, vegan, organic~!" with no mention of nut allergies. Great. On their website, they do say it's peanut free, but not "nut free", and it looks like they USED to make a bunch of fruit and (not peanut) nut bars. So that is sketch. But as an allergy-aware company, I hope they would label properly, and since the label reads as safe, I'm diving in. 

I think it's pretty good for one of these fruit bars. The banana flavor comes through but only just, and I like the flavor. The strawberry is also pretty subtle. Impressively this doesn't have that gross too-sweet stickiness to it, even though it's a very dense, sticky fruit bar. The skinny size I think is a bonus. It tastes pretty good and feels filling for the small size. I do like it. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10