food reviews

REVIEW: GHOST Energy Drink (Sour Patch Kids RedBerry and Blue Raspberry, WarHeads Sour Watermelon and Sour Green Apple, Strawbango Margarita, Swedish Fish, Orange Cream, Citrus, Tropical Mango, Cherry Limeade, Sour Pink Lemonade, FaZe Pop, Sour Strips Rainbow)

/ seansskillet / 4 Comments

I don’t generally talk about caffeine here, but I love it just as much as ice cream, and consume way more of it. I drink black coffee every single day, and throw in a sugar free energy drink 3-5 times a week, too. I swore these types of drinks off for most of my adult life after becoming nearly addicted to Monster in the mid 2000s, but a couple of years ago they caught my eye again and I’ve found quite a few that I really love. I’ve never really been the type of dude to review beverages (except that one time I wrote about Diet Coke), but as someone that drinks a helluva lot of them I couldn’t help but write about this new collaboration from GHOST energy and two very notable candy brands. GHOST is a supplement company that makes a ton of solid health-related products including some killer protein powder (my favorite was Blueberry Toaster Pastry, RIP). For their first line of ready to drink (RTD) energy drinks they’ve come in swinging with four flavors, including a partnership with Sour Patch Kids and WarHeads.

First things first let’s cover the similarities. All four flavors are clear-ish (more of a light tinted brown), with nice tight bubbles that accentuate the flavors (and sourness) in a way that compliments and excites my palate without being overly bubbly. They all come in at 5 or 10 calories each with no sugar, one or two carbs, and a ton of vitamins. 100% of your daily Vitamin C, Thamin, B6 and B12, as well as 200 mg of natural caffeine from coffee beans to get you amped, and 1000 mg of taurine for enhanced focus. The primary sweetener used is sucralose, which is my favorite and has no disgustingly bitter aftertaste like Stevia or monk fruit.

Sour Patch RedBerry:

This is the flavor I was most excited about and it’s nearly perfect. Sour and sweet, this one carries that distinct RedBerry flavor that’s so accurate I can sense the squish digging into my molars. Not quite cherry, not quite strawberry, but all the way red berry. The carbonation is perfect and it’s nearly impossible to stop drinking. Every sip I take I think “is this real? Let me drink some more to check.” Yep, it’s real, and it rules. The only thing holding this one back from a perfect score is a bit of a vitamin smell that pops out from the can when you first drink it. Those first couple of sips can be interrupted by the vitamin presence and kinda takes you out of the candy-sipping experience, but doesn’t really effect the taste as much as it does the aroma. Luckily it’s only temporary, and the journey is largely rewarding. Amazing.

Update: the people at GHOST heard the noise and changed the formula and there is no longer ANY vitamin taste or smell. Original rating was a 9.5/10 and it has been upgraded to perfection.


Rating: 10/10

Sour Patch Blue Raspberry:

The first Ghost Energy follow up flavor came in swinging with another Sour Patch fan favorite, and much like its RedBerry forefather, absolutely crushed it. It has the same beautiful sweet and sour balance that gets accented by the drink’s tight effervescence that shines with true blue razz razzle dazzle. There isn’t a ton to say here, if you’ve had and like Sour Patch Kids you will love this drink, and thanks to the V2 formula there are no funky aromas or aftertastes at all. This is going to come down strictly to flavor preference and since the blue Sour Patch Kid was never top tier for me, I still prefer the Red Berry, although this is no doubt one of the best sour blue raspberry’s on the market.

Rating: 9.5/10

Orange Cream:

So far the best flavors from Ghost Energy have been far and away the brand tie-ins with notable candy companies. Orange Cream gets Ghost trending in the right direction with original flavors, embracing a classic pairing that gets some but not enough love. This one reminds me of orange soda meets Sunny D, with very strong citrusy orange notes that leave a bit of a tingle on my tongue. The profile is about 80% orange and 20% cream, I’d prefer those ratios to be closer to 65/35 for a true orange CREAM flavor, but this is without a doubt one of the best, if not THE best, orange energy drinks on the market.

Rating: 9.5/10

Citrus:

A flavor called “Citrus” could go so many ways but this one is easy to describe – Lemon Lime Gatorade. This stuff tastes so much like the classic yellow thirst quencher that if this had a little lightning bolt on it it could be another slam dunk brand tie-in. As far as I know Gatorade doesn’t have a bubbly energy drink on the market but if they ever wanted to give it a go, collaborating with GHOST would be the way to do it. I love yellow Gatorade so I really enjoyed this flavor, even though it doesn’t have the wow-factor of a Sour Patch experience.

Rating: 8.5/10

Tropical Mango:

This is the most underwhelming of all the launch flavors and the only one I probably won’t revisit. The flavor profile is true to its name with a somewhat mellow mango flavor accented by pineapple and a little orange. It’s a totally fine flavor but not nearly as exciting and juicy as Reign’s Mang-O-Matic and at the price point and limited accessibility of the GHOST drinks I don’t see myself craving it.

UPDATE: While it’s still one of my least favorite cans from GHOST, I find this one much more exciting and delicious in the V2 formula. I’m not sure if they changed the flavor balance or if the removal of some vitamins allowed for a juicier flavor profile. Either way, it’s a notably delicious mango that’s smooth as hell. Original rating was a 7/10 and it’s been bumped!


Rating: 8/10

WarHeads Sour Watermelon:

Did someone say sour? Yeah, they ain’t lyin! This drink knocks it out of the PARK! Perfectly sour and watermelon-sweet, just like the candy used to do to me when I wanted to torture my tongue in middle school. If you like watermelon candy this drink will make your head explode, so long as you’re okay with the back of your jaw tingling in activated tartness. This isn’t the type of drink I would have every day, but I’ve already had two and have three more in the fridge. It’s devious and perfectly executed to the degree that I am AMPED for what GHOST follows up with in this line next year.

Rating: 10/10

Cherry Limeade:

The flavor is nearly a 50/50 split of cherry and lime, with a touch more lime than I expected. That sharp citrusy lime keeps the drink from getting too sweet, and while I wouldn’t have opposed a bolder sugary cherry flavor, the balance also helps prevent it from tasting medicinal. It’s a super smooth sip that goes down with ease thanks to some nice tight and not too aggressive effervescence. As a big time supporter of Shirley Temples and Cherry 7-UP (and Dirty Shirleys when I’m feeling wild) this one ends up really hitting the spot. Even though the flavor isn’t quite as bold and punchy as the candy collabs it’s still my favorite Cherry Limeade on the market, and fits in very comfortably atop the other more “generic” flavors from the initial launch.

Rating: 9/10

Swedish Fish:

I’m not gonna dive too deep into the candy history here because that’s not what this review is about, but, for those unaware Swedish Fish are essentially a naked version of Sour Patch Kids RedBerry. Yes, there is some nuance there, but if you’ve ever had them side-by-side and thought about the texture and flavor you’ll know what I mean; there’s a reason they’re called “RedBerry” and not “cherry”. 

With that knowledge in my mind I was pretty underwhelmed when Swedish Fish was announced as a new flavor for Ghost Energy, because I thought it would be SPK RedBerry minus the sour, an element of the drink that I love. While it is kind of like SPK RB minus the sour, it’s also really really delicious. There’s zero sour, but there’s an added underlining creaminess that evolves to a mild vanilla note. Ghost absolutely NAILED the Swedish Fish flavor, and I think I prefer drinking its taste over eating the candy. Think a lingonberry cream soda with the perfect amount of carbonation. This one HITS.

Rating: 9.5/10

FaZe Pop:

Faze Pop is the first collaboration with an emphasis on the gaming side of Ghost’s wide array of focus and energy products. The name is a play on esports group FaZe Clan and Bomb Pop — the classic red, white, and blue popsicle that’s a staple in every ice cream truck’s arsenal. This drink largely delivers on the Bomb Pop combination of cherry, lime, and blue raspberry, it truly tastes like a melted popsicle. I get quite a bit of blue raspberry, without the sour from the SPK version, followed by cherry and accented with decently sharp lime citrus. It’s an enjoyable flavor but the carbonation is lighter and it finishes with a pretty heavy syrupy-ness that makes it one of the least crave-able in the line.

Rating: 7/10

Strawbango Margarita:

Dissecting the name, the drink should have three things: strawberry, mango, and margarita — and it decisively has them all. Coincidentally that’s also the order in which I taste them. Right when the it hits my tongue I get a delightful sweet candy strawberry taste, followed by juicy mango, and rounded out with a bright citrusy lime. When I think margarita I think salt, and somehow I even get a hit of saltiness in the finish despite there only being 35mg of sodium in the can. There’s also a touch of citrus candy, like lemon Pez, in the finish and on the nose, and it really makes the flavor addicting. The lingering flavor left in my mouth when I (very temporarily) put the can down is 100% strawberry lime margarita, and it’s a wonderful aftertaste. This one far exceeded my expectations. I LOVE it.

Rating: 10/10

Sour Strips Rainbow:

What does a GHOST rainbow taste like? It tastes like a lot of other rainbow-flavored Skittles-adjacent drinks with one huge difference — there’s no grape. Oftentimes in taste the rainbow type of concoctions, whether it be from Alani Nu’s Cosmic Stardust or C4’s Skittles, the grape comes in with authority and can be a touch overpowering — not here, at all. This rainbow is a beautiful blend of cherry first, then blue raspberry, and a lemon-forward citrus that’s really refreshing. I think I even get a hint of strawberry in there, which helps differentiate it from a more typical Bomb Pop type of profile. It’s plenty sweet with a nice sourness that stacks as you drink it, and I had three cans in one week with relative ease (and excitement!)

Rating: 9/10

Warheads Sour Green Apple:

The folks at GHOST have knocked it out of the park. Shattered the backboard. Hit the buzzer beater. This is sour apple perfection. The flavor is full on tart and juicy green apple, followed by a lip-puckering sourness that’s just enough to tickle your tongue without being off-putting. It makes me me brush my tongue up against the roof of my mouth to fully process its depth but stops short of going full-on actual Warheads dust sour. It’s not quite as sour as GHOST’s Watermelon but it’s right below it, with more sour intensity than Sour Patch Kids RedBerry and Blue Raspberry. 

The carbonation is a perfect middle ground of tight fizzy-ness that leaves the finish smooth and refreshing while letting the candied notes shine. Sour Green Apple is intensely sour-candy-tasting yet very drinkable all in the same swig. It’s magical and I might be actually addicted, or at the very least deep in my candy apple fall feelings.

Rating: 10/10

Sour Pink Lemonade:

The best most simplistic way I can describe this drink to my fellow candy enthusiasts is it tastes like a pink Starburst mixed with a classic Lemonhead. The flavor begins with a crisp bubbly lemon that quickly becomes a smooth and sweet “pink” strawberry-adjacent taste with just a touch of creaminess, like a Starburst. This is not a milky-ness, not actual dairy creamy, but that backend touch of smooth creamy that every chewy Starburst gets rounded out by. 

The flavor finishes on a more tart lemon flavor that leaves the lingering presence of a zesty Lemonhead almost to a T. It’s absolutely delicious. The mouth-puckering factor is present but much less intense than the Ghost WarHead flavors and much closer to the Sour Patch Kids RedBerry can. This drink is amazing — I love it. It delivers everything I want from a sweet and full flavored pink lemonade.

Rating: 10/10

Ghost also released a limited edition Bubblicious Strawberry Splash that I did a video review of on my Instagram!

All flavors were bought at GNC or Vitamin Shoppe for $2.99 per can and can be found online in cases of 12 through their website for $29.99 or Campus Protein for $31.99.

Current Ghost Energy Ranking:

Sour Pink Lemonade (10/10)

Warheads Sour Green Apple (10/10)

Warheads Watermelon (10/10)

Cherry Limeade (9/10)

Orange Cream (9.5/10)

Sour Patch Kids RedBerry (10/10)

Limited Edition Strawbango Margarita (10/10)

Sour Patch Kids Blue Raspberry (9.5/10)

Swedish Fish (9.5/10)

Citrus (8.5/10)

Tropical Mango (8/10)

Limited Edition Bubblicious Strawberry Splash (8/10)

FaZe Pop (7/10)

REVIEW: PopCorners Flex

/ seansskillet / 2 Comments

PopCorners are known for their 2008 popcorn-became-chip revolution. But that simple feat was not enough for this relative new-comer to the snack game. Flex are crunchy grain-free air popped crisps packed with 10 grams of protein and they don’t suck. Some dude’s may gripe about the protein being derived from soy, but I don’t regularly eat anything else soy-dominant so I’m no too concerned about spiking my estrogen. For 90-100 calories these are a macronutrient mega hack and by emulating three already established popular chip flavors they should fit right into your snacking routine. 

Texturally all three varieties are the same, and they remind me of a slightly thinner and more aggressively crunchy PopChip. This makes sense since they’re, well, popped, as opposed to being fried like normal potato-based chips. There’s a slight earthiness to the chip that isn’t distracting in terms of flavor but just a tad more toothy than a puffed potato PopChip or purely fluffy PopCorner. 

CHEDDAR & SOUR CREAM

Cheddar and sour cream are generally not my favorite kind of chip. I like them,  but they aren’t interesting enough for me to eat all the time or keep eating. Flex’s take on the flavor suffers a bit from an inability to get too creamy at the risk of inflated fat macros. Without any real sharp cheese flavor they come across kind of dry. Again, non-Doritos cheese chips just aren’t something I tend to buy, so these didn’t really do it for me. But for the calories and crunch they’re still worthy of finishing the bag. Despite my bias if you’re a SC&C kind of person, you’ll probably like it a lot.

Rating: 7/10

BUFFALO

Just like the name implies, these chips taste like buffalo wings. Salty and spicy these chips have a great zing and are awesome by themselves or with a creamy dip. They have the most aggressive seasoning of the three and after 5 or 6 in a row the heat builds to a pretty respectable tingle.

Rating: 8/10

BARBEQUE

Save the best for last, baby. These BBQ chips have a perfect sweet-yet-tangy and slightly smokey flavor that lands them right next to, again, PopChips, and Pringles. It’s a familiar flavor that doesn’t need much tweaking and Flex kept it safe in the best way possible. Amazing BBQ flavor with 10 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber, a slam dunk.

Rating: 9/10

As an entire line Flex Crisps are a total success. These were sent to me by PopCorners but that did not effect my review at all. In fact, I’ve already checked two stores to try and get more of the BBQ Crisps, but so far no luck. These are available nationwide with a suggested price of $3.89 and they’re definitely seeking out.

REVIEW: DiGiorno’s Pepperoni Croissant Crust Pizza

/ seansskillet / 7 Comments

No matter how much ’90s nostalgia I hold onto in my neon-colored heart there’s one thing that rings unfortunately true in my mind – “it’s not delivery, it’s DiGiorno” is total bullshit. I know, I know, the clever tag-line and “real rising crust” gimmick seems pretty cool, and I’ll admit that I was bamboozled by it at first too, but when it comes down to it it’s just not that good. Overly bready and carrying a bigger cost, both in terms of dollars and calories, DiGiorno is a brand that is quite frankly overrated. 

During quarantine I’ve had the opportunity to revisit frozen pizza in a way that I never thought possible. While I haven’t totally narrowed down my chilly power ranking, I can say that without a doubt I would put Tombstone, Tony’s, and Red Baron all above DiGiorno. Both their Original Rising and Stuffed Crust varieties left me feeling underwhelmed; but just when it felt like 2020 had run out of surprises I came across this…Croissant Crust Pizza.

Pulling the pizza out of the box it has a unique shape that meets in the middle of the two usual frozen pizza shapes – circle and square. It’s kind of boxy but also rounded – a funny little fella. Looking at the uncooked dough the layers of buttery pastry are evident and look very different than your average pizza. It’s pretty cool.

The baking time is a little longer than usual, which makes sense given its hefty thickness. Getting the pizza from the oven was a sight to behold – IT HAS RISEN! This pizza looks a lot bigger to me cooked than it did raw. I don’t know if it’s from its newfound height or the suddenly glistening impact of the pepperoni, but now that it has been baked it’s commanding my attention in a way no DiGiorno pizza has before. 

My main qualm with DG in the past has been it being too bread-forward with a sauce that didn’t quite do enough to stand up to it, lacking balance. That’s not the case with the Croissant Crust. It’s thick for sure, but it’s also buttery and flavorful in a way that compliments the zesty sauce and salty cheese. 

The immediate taste comparison I can draw from the croissant crust is Pillsbury’s Crescent Rolls. Soft and buttery on the inside with a gentle bouncy chew that gives way to slightly flaky and crispy crust. It’s good, it’s really good, and for the first time ever if I hadn’t bought and baked it myself, I might actually believe this was delivery. 

The balance is great and surprisingly complex. Usually frozen pizza almost always needs some ranch on the side by default, but here the buttery intrigue and textural play is enough to keep me engaged for my half of the pizza, and I’m really enjoying it.

Croissant Crust Pizza is the best pizza DiGiorno have ever made – simply put, it’s awesome. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s a brand new release or because croissant’s are always more expensive, but this was a pricey pizza. The only thing holding this back from being absolutely top tier is its price, but even with the $8.99 I paid for it I’ll do it again, and I’m looking forward to it.


Rating: 9/10

Found at: Target ($8.99)

REVIEW: Baskin Robbins Cotton Candy Crackle

/ seansskillet / Leave a comment

It’s been awhile. A long while. One year and three months, to be exact; since I last braced these pages. Sometimes life ebbs and flows in ways that doesn’t allow certain things to happen anymore, in this case, it was writing this blog. 

I’ve continued to do a little bit of writing with The Impulsive Buy but I’ve been spending a bulk of my time making music under the name SESPOOL. Certain emotional upheavals needed to be tended to that couldn’t be resolved within ice cream and snacks. But, as the world at large goes through a different kind of universal upheaval I’ve found myself with a little extra time and a need to dive into the the sweet and simple joys of life. A need to share in the collective joy of food. 

I’ve gotta be honest, at this point, few things sound more sweet, simple, and joyful than Baskin Robbins’ brand new Cotton Candy Crackle – a cotton candy ice cream with a cotton candy flavored ribbon and yellow poppin’ candy pieces. 

IMG_3445

Continue reading →

REVIEW: Carrot Cake Oreo

/ seansskillet / Leave a comment

As your resident sugar-loving spice-fiending food blogger boy there are few Oreo flavors I have been more excited for than Carrot Cake. With the onslaught of chocolate, mint, and bizarre fruit flavors we’re no doubt going to be bombarded with throughout the year, it’s a very welcome start to the Oreo New Year with something fresh and spicy. Essentially combining two of my favorite full time Oreo’s into one, Cinnamon Bun and Red Velvet, this feels like a surefire win from Nabisco’s cookie think tank. Carrot Cake Oreo combines a carrot cake flavored cookie with cream cheese frosting flavored crème.

img_0387

Continue reading →

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s Minter Wonderland

/ seansskillet / Leave a comment

Some relationships start off on the wrong foot. I’m no Christmas-hating Grinch, in fact I’ve many times thought about a Frosty the Snowman tattoo, and I’m no weirdo chocolate mint hater either. But Ben & Jerry’s latest seasonal release and I have had a beef since before we even spooned for the first time. Minter Wonderland replaced Glampfire Trail Mix. Essentially taking away one of the best B&J releases in years after only SEVEN months, while many other sub par flavors continue to live long lives. I was shook, distraught, and still sad that such a wonderful creation could be gone so soon. No matter how deep in my feelings I was, and am, about Glampfire being retired, I’m willing to embrace this newest Target-exclusive with an open mind and semi-open heart. Minter Wonderland combines a dark chocolate mint ice cream with marshmallow and chocolate cookie swirls.

IMG_1663

Off the jump the dark chocolate mint base is rich and perfectly balanced with both dominant deep cocoa notes and cooling peppermint. Each flavor has a chance to shine in the spotlight while complimenting the other very well. As usual with Ben & Jerry’s the texture is smooth and creamy with a little extra thickness from the more heavy handed use of cocoa powder.

IMG_1664

B&J’s marshmallow swirl is one of their best, and the only element that Miss Minter shares with my beloved Glampfire, as well as my personal all timer Phish Food. As always it’s prominent and sticky-sweet providing both terrific flavor and texture to the decadent Christmasy pint. The white color pops hard against the extra dark base and provides some much needed snowy contrast.

IMG_1665

IMG_1667

Another B&J’s staple, the chocolate cookie swirl, rounds out the experience. For those unfamiliar with the classic Milk & Cookies, these are basically Oreo crumbles swirling throughout the ice cream’s creaminess to bring an extra dose of chocolate and slight crunch to the otherwise squishy melty texture. It’s a great swirl, but unlike in Milk & Cookies where it gets a chance to really pop against the vanilla, they aren’t quite as effective, or prominent with the intensity of the dark chocolate mint. Still delicious, but a little lacking in thickness for my personal taste.

Rating: 8/10

Found at Target: $4.39

REVIEW: Baskin Robbins Trick Oreo Treat

/ seansskillet / Leave a comment

For a very long time (at least 7 or 8 years), the Flavor of the Month at Baskin Robbins in October was Trick Oreo Treat. Until, of course, 2016, when this blog started and the first review was of the slightly modified and awesome Trick Oreo Treat Dark, followed up by last years okay Candy Bar Mashup. The flavor never disappeared, it always came back as a seasonal offering, but this year, much in line with Baskin Robbins’ recent lazy tendencies, it’s back in the prime time dip case slot with advertisements and hype galore. Since it hadn’t been the featured flavor it never got properly pinned on the skillet, so even though I’ve loved it in the past and found it a bit underwhelming in 2017, I’m gonna give it another go for the sake of my people. Trick Oreo Treat is described this year as “the ultimate Halloween haul” combining vanilla ice cream with orange crème filled Oreo pieces, Baby Ruth pieces, and Butterfinger pieces.

IMG_1476

Continue reading →

REVIEW: Salt & Straw’s Mummy’s Pumpkin Spiced Potion (V)

/ seansskillet / Leave a comment

I’m a sucker for some spooky shit. And if anyone knows how to get real goddamn spooky in October it’s Salt & Straw. Ice cream with blood and bugs has become standard affair for them, along with their ode to trick-or-treating classic The Great Candycopia. But they usually save their pumpkin flexing for Thanksgiving, and this year they’ve gifted us a new squashy delight ahead of the holiday’s. Mummy’s Pumpkin Spiced Potion is a vegan coconut based frozen dessert with dried pumpkin Pyschocandy tea from August Tea and candied pumpkin bits.

IMG_1526

Continue reading →