A Cereal Tier List Ranking, Reviews, & History, Including New & Limited Editions

The stevia bitterness is noticeable and at times was almost overbearing. This may be especially too much if you aren’t used to it. It’s hardly sweet and not really mapley. Remains crunchy in milk and the sweetness dies down even further in it.

Catalina Crunch started in 2017 with various flavors, not sure when this specific one was released.

I feel like many years ago, this cereal was A tier, but recently after trying it again, I wonder, “What happened?” It’s plain, and the few chocolate bits immediately sink to the bottom of the cereal. These bits aren’t even good! They’re very dark chocolate and remain stiff and crunchy. The texture of the cereal is OK, remaining somewhat crunchy in milk.

The original Special K was released in 1955, not sure about this one.

Plain, boring… where is the pumpkin? At best, if you try really hard, you might notice the smallest amount of pumpkin flavor, but really, it’s just plain-grain cereal. The texture is equally boring, remaining a little crunchy in milk — there’s nothing to write home about in any of this.

First released around September 2016, these have come back every fall season since.

Who would have thought that combining three (well, more like two) good cereals would result in such a lackluster combo. The flavor and combination consists of 75% Lucky Charms and equal parts Reese’s Puffs and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

This is my problem — I’m not a fan of how plain Lucky Charms is. As a result, this cereal is bland, with the Lucky Charms overwhelming the other cereals. The combination just doesn’t work, reminding me of something that I would think up as a kid and after trying it, realize “What did I do? It tastes so weird together!”

Essentially, this cereal is trying to do too much.

Released mid September 2024 for a limited time.

First, nothing at all like Cinnamon Toast Crunch, this is a completely different cereal. It’s decent dry, sporting a reasonably sweet, maple-syrupy-like taste with a hint of cinnamon and having a semi-crunchy texture.

In milk though, things get weird. It retains its flavor but tastes more “off,” as if the milk brings out its artificial flavor. Over time, it gets a little spongey, similar to Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Interestingly, the cereal milk is not good; it soaked in a lot of the artificial flavors and just doesn’t taste right.

Released April 2024.

A worse version of Cap’n Crunch All Berries. The flavor is like something was taken away. If All Berries mixes berry and fruit flavor, this definitely just is simply berry. It’s a generic, not very sweet berry flavor. The composition of the cereal is identical, crunchy, and in milk, remains mostly crunchy. Cereal milk is mostly plain as well.

Released alongside a Cinnamon flavor December 2023.

When dry, it’s fairly crunch with slightly different textures due to the pecans, flax seeds, and flakes. Not smelling like much, the taste is semi-sweet and grainy, almost like a bran-type cereal, no taste really sticks out. In milk however, the texture softens just slightly overall and everything, both taste and the different textures, seem to mould together more. With the milk, it’s also feels more chunky and the hint of maple starts to come out.

The company has been around since 1985. I’m not sure when this was released but reviews date back several years.

Where is the “Cools your mouth” sensation? I didn’t get any of that! I also hardly got any flavor, at least, when eating it dry. It has a corn flavor with a hint of berry-fruit-like flavor. However, in milk, more of the flavor comes out, albeit, it still isn’t all that sweet nor flavorful. Compared to Froot Loops, these have less sweetness and instead fall more into a berry-fruit-like taste. They are initially crunchy and do soften just a little in milk. Cereal milk is bland.

Released around May 2024.

What happened? The smell is off, and the taste is… sort of cookie butter but not really. It’s a mix of cookie butter, graham cracker, and an interesting background taste that almost puts me off. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad. It’s also decently sweet but it really needs a bump up in that department in addition to a flavor that’s more reminiscent of cookie butter. Texture-wise, it reminds me of Cinnamon Toast Crunch albeit, it does get softer quicker in milk. The cereal milk is very plain.

Released early September 2024 for a limited time.

Nothing like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. The smell and taste is artificial and feels like a cheap, off-brand copycat. Overall, it isn’t nearly as sweet or cinnamony, and the inside filling isn’t noticable. Like the originals though, it softens up equally in milk. Lastly, the famous sweet cinnamony milk is non-existent.

Released January 2024 alongside loaded versions of Trix and Cocoa Puffs.

Oddly, these have no smell to them. They have a soft and smooth surface with a crunchy interior. The taste is a sweetish off-chocolate flavor that doesn’t really resemble Swiss Rolls. In milk, the texture becomes really interesting, keeping that smooth outside and some of the crunch, but also becoming “squishy” but not soggy, kind of like a Swiss Roll (yes, I know Swiss Rolls aren’t crunchy!). The flavor also comes out more, but frankly, something about it tastes odd. It does seem like it’s trying to combine a creamy, chocolate, and glaze flavor together but it just doesn’t work for whatever reason.

Released April 2023.

I think I saw one, maybe two little white clusters when I poured a giant bowl, how disappointing. That aside, it does have a bitterish coffee taste, it just isn’t my thing in cereal. The flavor is that of a bold vanilla latte where only a small pump or two of vanilla was used in milky black coffee and where it looks like they forgot most of the sugar. It’s definitely not bad, I just expected more because I enjoy lattes. Lastly, the cereal milk afterwards doesn’t soak up any of the flavor and the texture is typical of Special K: crunchy but pleasant to eat.

Released January 2024 for a limited time. Found at Walmart.

These aren’t a bad cereal by any means. In fact, if you absolutely love weird cereals, you may enjoy this. I really like sweet kettle corn flavored popcorn and this cereal comes very close, unfortunately, it’s just odd having it as a cereal. The texture is almost puffy and reminds me of Pops Cereal, and without milk, they taste almost like a fairly sweet, off-brand caramel’ish kettle corn snack. In milk, it starts to soften, eventually reaching a more soggy state, all the while the flavor remains about the same.

Walmart released this limited edition cereal around September 2023 along with two other flavors including Caramel Apple and Chocolate Mint.

Fruity, lemon-like smell and taste. Despite this lemonish taste, it’s not overly strong as it isn’t very sweet or punchy, it’s almost underwhelming. It’s crunchy and in milk, it doesn’t soften at all and the taste doesn’t really change. Cereal milk is bland.

Released May / June 2023.

Reminds me of Trix but slightly different fruit taste and a hint sweeter. Remains crunchy in milk.

Released December 2022, although Post made an official announcement in January 2023. This was released alongside a confetti cake flavored version and a collectors one.

Perhaps I’m eating this wrong but this is no more than oatmeal where you use milk. This specific one, despite having a few mini blueberries scattered throughout, the flavor was very bland and had almost zero sweetness. To fully enjoy this, I would have added fruits and other sweets.

Seven Sundays started in 2011, not sure when this cereal was released.

Opening these up, they have a strong corn and light peanut butter smell. The taste matches it, and overall, they’re a little sweet with a fairly strong corn flavor and light peanut butter. The texture is crunchy and a bit rough but in milk, it almost seems like the insides soften up a bit while the outside remains crunch, interesting! In milk, the flavor remains mostly the same and the cereal milk is plain.

Puffins has a long history dating back to the 1970s and early 1990s, check out here and here. Not sure when this was released although reviews date back several years.

Similar looking to Krave’s version, they’re nothing alike. Not at all that sweet and quite bland. Even the chocolate in the middle is hardly noticeable. The texture is very crunchy and gritty, staying very crunchy in milk.

I am unsure of the release date. Cereal is a Whole Foods brand.

Crunchy and a little rough, almost a puffy inner texture but there is some thickness. There doesn’t seem to be a honey taste and instead, it’s a semi-sweet, odd, almost stevia tasting sweetness. In milk, it softens just slightly and doesn’t lose its flavor. Cereal milk is bland.

The Three Wishes company came about in 2019. Likely first released some time in 2022.

Whether it’s the wheat, rice, or corn variant, it’s pretty standard. No crazy flavors, not that sweet, it’s just an OK cereal.

Released in 1950.

While the Special K varieties may be good, the original is quite dull and boring. They’re wannabe Honey Bunches of Oats. Texture is a lot more crunchier and it’s not as sweet as its competitor.

Released 1955.

The overall flavor is a dark, almost spicy cinnamon. It’s also not very sweet. If anything, they need to increase the sweetness and use a different type of cinnamon. The texture is crunchy and gets soft quickly in milk. The milk itself doesn’t absorb any flavor of the cereal.

Puffins has a long history dating back to the 1970s and early 1990s, check out here and here. Not sure when this one was released.

Very crunchy indeed, even in milk. Same taste as Fruity Pebbles but not as sweet as its more airy with the puffs-like structure. Milk doesn’t really get fruity either.

Released in early January 2023 alongside Cocoa Pebbles Crunch’D.

Somewhat sweet and fruity, not nearly as much as Fruity Pebbles but slightly more than Froot Loops. These stays pretty crunchy in milk. And whose idea was it that they all taste the same?!

This variant also didn’t turn my milk pink – more like the palish white-pink you’ve ever seen.

Released in 1954, these have had a long and changing history.

Almost reminds me of Lucky Charms with a mix of Trix in terms of texture and flavor except this is more berry flavored with a hint of chocolate. Not very sweet and pretty crunchy. Marshmallows are a nice addition and adds some sweetness although there aren’t many of them. In milk, it stays fairly crunchy. Cereal milk is mostly plain. Great art and interesting history on the panels.

As part of the 50th anniversary for General Mills Monster Cereals, these were released 2021 as limited edition around Halloween.

The texture doesn’t feel thick, kind of hollow. It has a powdery, fake-weird-peanut-taste to it. In milk, it remains crunchy.

Wonderworks made its debut some time in early-mid 2021 with Peanut Butter and other flavored cereals.

Sweet vanilla marshmallow smelling, although doesn’t taste nearly as sweet when eaten. Texture is crunchy, almost like Apple Jacks, gets a little softer in milk. Marshmallows are identical in texture and taste to Lucky Charms but there isn’t that many or as large, wish it had more as they aren’t noticeable.

First released in early 2019 for the Eastern season, they’ve returned every year around the same time.

Very strong, pleasant vanilla smell, however, the taste doesn’t match. It’s missing a lot of the sweetness but is slightly sweeter than a few other vanilla based cereals. I couldn’t tell if the “cooling effect” was from my cold milk or a slight mentos-like effect. Stays relatively crunchy in milk.

Released October 2022 exclusively for Walmart, limited edition. Other Elf on the Shelf cereals were released in previous years and are rereleased alongside this 2022 one.

Fairly strong vanilla smell, however, the taste doesn’t match. It’s missing a lot of the sweetness but is slightly sweeter than a few other vanilla based cereals. Compared to the Snow Creme version, this doesn’t have that small “cooling effect.” Stays relatively crunchy in milk.

Released November 2019 exclusively for Walmart, limited edition. Other Elf on the Shelf cereals were released in later years alongside this.

If you had waffle batter and added several cups of water, this would be it. It has only a hint of this cinnamon-syrup waffle-like flavor. The texture is very crunchy and doesn’t get any softer in milk.

First released in 1996, it was later discontinued in 2018. It was later rereleased in June-July 2022.

These have a fairly light fruity flavor and stays crunchy. Unfortunately, these taste like wannabe Cap’n Crunch Berries on a good day, misses a lot of sweetness and texture as it remains very crunchy in milk.

Release late 2020.

Bland cereal but has an interesting texture, especially compared to other cereals.

Released 1950.

Sweeter than Boo Berry and Franken Berry, these had a similar fruity taste like Froot Loops or Fruity Pebbles (less bold and sweet than Fruity Pebbles though). I wasn’t sure if it was Cherry, more so just a fruit-like taste. Texture was OK, getting soft in milk eventually.

Released back in 1974 with the other Monster Cereals, this history has an extensive history. This cereal and the other Monster Cereals release around Halloween for a limited time.

Click here for history.

Note: Images are of the 2022 version where General Mills partnered with artist Kaws.

Like regular Froot Loops but with a few large ones mixed in. Size wise, a regular Loop can almost fit inside the middle of a large!

Released March 2023.

These feel like a fruity version of Cheerios. The flavor is still pretty lackluster and hints on the lemon-fruity side, and the texture is crunchy but gets a little softer in milk. Less fruity and sweet than Fruity Pebbles and Trix.

Released in 1963.

Doesn’t really smell like anything and the taste is just that. The taste has the lightest cinnamon and is hardly even semi-sweet, it’s fairly plain and crunchy, although the texture isn’t super rough or unpleasant. Nothing like a cinnamon roll. In milk, it loses the little flavor it has to the milk and gets a little softer. Despite losing flavor to the milk, the cereal milk, aside from being a little brown, is mostly bland.

Annie’s has been around since 1989, although I’m not sure when this specific cereal was released.

Has a graham cracker taste alongside this odd, bitter flavor in the background. Is it supposed to be the honey? I’m not sure but it makes the cereal taste weird and unpleasant. The texture is thin and crunchy, but not rough, and in milk, it does soften a little bit without getting soggy. Flavor stays the same in milk and the cereal milk itself is plain.

This Retro Recipe which featured honey was released some time around September 2020 and seemed to have left the Golden Grahams line in 2012. Also to note, the Golden Grahams has an extensive history dating back to 1976.

Strong corn-cardboard taste. Stays crunchy in milk. Nothing like cookies either. At best, a faint chocolate-like flavoring.

Cookie Crisp has a long history dating back to 1977, bought by General Mills in 1997. Mascots often changed throughout the earlier years until 2005 where they decided on Chip the Wolf.

Opening the bag up, these give off an odd smell of your typical corn cereal combined with an artificial, almost expired-smelling caramel syrup and a faint semi-sweet chocolate. The taste is similar; however, at least it’s somewhat edible. They’re crunchy, and from the looks and feel, they look more airy and cheaper than Cookie Crisp. Noticeably, the supposed “chocolate chips” are simply specs and don’t seem to contribute anything.

In milk, the taste gets better, but it’s still not great. I got a lot of “cheap corn cereal” flavor and a dusting of synthetic semi-sweet chocolate. At the very least, the texture improves as it gets a little softer while still remaining crunchy. Overall, this cereal feels like a cheap imitation of Cookie Crisp and, in reality, does a poor job of replicating any chocolate chip cookie, let alone a Crumbl Cookie.

Released around late June, 2024.

More like Berry Loops. Instead of “Froot”, there is berry. It’s not as sweet Berry Pebbles, Cap’n Crunch Berries, or some other sweet berry cereals, this is more like a semi-sweet artificial tasting berry one. Also, my milk wasn’t anywhere close to that color, instead, it was a very light pink and hardly had any flavor! However, in milk, the taste comes out slightly more.

Released June 2023 in anticipation for the upcoming 2023 Willy Wonka movie. There were other berry flavored Froot Loops released over the years previously.

Identical to Lucky Charms in everything.

Made by the still fairly new (as of early 2023) and small PLB Sports & Entertainment company. This cereal depicts Marcus Smart. I can’t find a release date but I found it in February 2023 at a grocery store.

The only redeeming part are the mediocre, tough marshmallows. The other part of the cereal is a pretty bland vanilla. Texture is OK, getting a little soft in milk, it’s just missing flavor and sweetness though.

Released 1964.

Having a very light apple-like cinnamon taste, it still tastes fairly bland as it isn’t very sweet or strong.

Released 1965.

Nearly identical to regular Apple Jacks albeit, with a few marshmallows. These marshmallows don’t seem to add much in terms of flavor or texture simply because there really aren’t that many included. I could see this cereal being so much better if they didn’t skimp out on them! However, the marshmallows in these do resemble the pictures which is a nice touch.

These may have come out as a Halloween special around 2020 and have returned every year since. You may occasionally find other versions of this cereal during other seasons or holidays.

While Special K can be a good cereal, this variant isn’t great. The odd, freeze dried strawberries add such a weird flavor and texture.

The original Special K was released in 1955, not sure about this one.