Snyder's of Hanover - Twisted Pretzel Sticks (Nacho Cheese)

These are quite tasty! I thought they would be a good snack for me to very slowly graze on, but alas, they are too delicious for that purpose. Hardly even a pretzel! They're thinner than I expected and easier to bite. The powder isn't skimpy, and it's got a nice sour/spicy tang to it. Does it taste like nacho cheese? My first instinct is "no", it tastes like a powder for a cracker/chip/etc, but I guess the aftertaste is somewhat cheese-dip-y. These could just as well be 'tangy ranch' flavored, though (even though they aren't gross, as ranch might imply). The twist shape is also fun. Good stuff. Plus, the 'peanut free facility' label is lovely as ever!

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 8/10

Dunkin' Espresso-Style Extra Dark Roast k-cups

As I'm sure I've said many times before, Dunkin' makes an awful lot of similar tasting types of "plain" and "dark" k-cups. The dark ones are all more ~premium~ tasting and less "k-cup" tasting, so I do like them and ultimately I've come to prefer them. This is good, especially with milk. It does give a little "burnt grounds" flavor, which is the authenticity I crave from a k-cup. Good job dunks.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Mountain Dew

Soda is always like "ehhh" for me and this is an extra special one because it has 77!!! grams of sugar. 77!!! In a single serve bottle!!! However, when you are bone tired, the caffeine and sugar boost in this can really perk you (me) up. It's a classic road trip and long work day drink. However, it also gives me a stomach ache. So it's not worth it in the end. The flavor is OK -- I like that there's orange juice in it, and it does taste citrusy. It's good for a soda, especially with a ton of ice, but it is also very sugary and not great flat. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

2019 Bleasdale 'Mulberry Tree' Cabernet Sauvignon

This is a solid cab! Although I was surprised to see it isn't ~pure~, it's actually got merlot, verdot, and malbec mixed in. Does that make it smoother? Maybe! It's pretty smooth and not too strong/fruity/heavy. So I'm a fan. I didn't make the suggested lamb pizza pairing because it seemed like a lot of work for very little payoff, but I bet this would go well with pizza nevertheless. Pretty good both warm and cold, although I may give the edge (or the less hangovery me) to the warm version.

Overall
Cost: 4/10 [22$]
Taste: 7/10

Reddi-wip

Woah. I'm having a Mandala effect over here over the lack of "h" in reddi-wip. It's whipped cream for heaven's sake!!! OK, breathe in, breathe out. This stuff is tasty and fun. Creamy and sweet. A great topping for any treat. So why don't I get it more often? Because they check your ID when you buy it, which is a whole hassle. I should buy a bunch at once to avoid the stress, except then that's super sus. Stupid society. Anyway, it tastes good though.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Haribo Starmix

Hey there Haribo! This was cheap and new to me so I got it. Typically, I don't like Haribo candy because of the insanely tough texture. But they are nut-free and cute. Anyway I must have gotten a lucky fresh batch on this go-around, because it wasn't as insanely firm as usual, just quite firm! What's in here? There's the happy cola bottles, which are fun, and that's probably the thing there's the most of in here. (7/10). Then there's the twin snakes, I guess one is sweet and one is sour, although that varies a lot depending on flavor. But I like the sour ones! (7/10). The rings are a mystery, I like the pineapple ones but the shape is weird. The red ones I can't ID the flavor and they aren't as good (6/10). The plain bears are fine, but boring (6/10) and the cherries are super cute, and have a decent light sour cherry flavor. Nice (7/10). 

2025 update: USA Starmix has evolved to drop the cherries and twin snakes (sniff) and add in some SOFT raspberry hearts and fried eggs. They both have that dolphin-coded white spongy bottom, which is fun, and they are softer, which is good, but I really liked the sour snakes, so I don't know if the overall change is a net positive. Maybe slightly. The egg is very fun, and it's also lemony (8/10), and the heart is also fun, but less than the egg (7/10).

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Raisin Bran Crunch

This is tasty! I never had it as a kid, possibly because the oat crunch balls evoke "nutty cereal" to me. But there are no nuts here, just raisin bran and sweet oat clumps. I don't really like the firmness of Kellogg's Raisin Bran normally, but as firmness is the point here, it's much more enjoyable.Very sweet and filling-feeling. I get a "healthy cereal" vibe from this even though it's obviously a sugar bomb and not that healthy. But it tastes good and is fun to eat, so hooray.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10