I warned y’all that as soon as July’s long nights began to fade Halloween would be right around the corner and I’m happy to announce that pumpkin season has officially begun. Aside from cookies and ice cream, cereal is probably one of the biggest pumpkin spice revelations of the last couple years and the cinnamon-heavy spiced profile is one that works really well in tandem with the oat-y and grainy boxes of breakfast crunch. One of the returning pumpkin remixes this year is Special K, and while it’s popping up in a brand new box on shelves now, I found a (non-expired) old school one at my local discount grocery and felt it was a fitting way to ease into the season.

Special K cereal has a distinct flavor to it. It’s a sweet mix of sugary wheat and grains that’s immediately recognizable to me as someone who’s put back a couple bowls of the Strawberry version from time to time. That already established profile is center stage with this cereal in the beginning but then finishes with a lovely spicy blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger that sweeps me off my feet and right into a spooky haystack of autumnal nostalgia.

This is a terrific pumpkin spice flavor and it’s immediately recognizable as such as opposed to just straight cinnamon. It leans towards sweet over spice but has just enough of a gingery tickle to satisfy my witchy tastebuds. The seasonal profile is taken up a notch by the creamy cinnamon clusters which remind me of little balls of slightly spiced yogurt that pop up in about a 1-8 ratio with the actual cereal pieces.

It’s a solid snack when eaten dry or on top of yogurt, but the very firm and thick crunch of the cereal holds up really well in milk. The big crunch is slightly softened but the risk of sogginess is relatively low if chomping along at an average pace. The cinnamon clusters really get a chance to shine in milk as well, taking on a creamier texture and more closely resembling the yogurt vibes they bring to the breakfast table.

Rating: 8.5/10

Found at: Grocery Outlet ($1.99)