Hello Cereal Buzz readers! It’s been a while since I last posted here. Where have I been? Well, I’ve been distracted by a couple of other projects, namely Chachi and the MCDST and MCSA exams. The Cereal Buzz blog was left behind, and I figured the big Trix story was a good way to end it.

I’m pleased to note that during my absence, readership has remained steady. In fact, Jim Rayball from Cranford, NJ wrote in with his own cereal review:

Recently a box of Life Chocolate Oat Crunch appeared in our cereal cabinet, courtesy of my wife. It was meant for one of the kids probably, but I gave it a try (of course).

As background, it is widely known among cereal aficionados that the “classic” old-school chocolate-flavored cereals such as Count Chocula and Cocoa Krispies are well-loved and respected. They have a unique “cereal-sweet” chocolate taste that yields delicious chocolate milk in your bowl. Some don’t like them, but they deservedly have their fans. They have a consistent chocolatey taste that holds a niche in the marketplace.

Over the past 5-7 years, however, various cereals have arrived on the scene with chunks of real chocolate added. For the most part, these have been a disaster (e.g.: Special K Chocolatey Delight), with waxy chocolate that doesn’t sync with the cereal.

Life’s venture into this arena, however, is a hit. The classic Life gain/oat square is present, with the unique large sugar crystals embedded in the cereal square. Smartly, the chocolate is mixed with crunchy, oaty chunks that taste good and blend well with the chocolate flavor. The result is almost Granola-bar like, meaning that the flavors blend well together.

There appear to be dark and light chocolate bits mixed in with the oat clusters, but overall the chocolate and oat crunches complement and taste good with the standard Life cereal squares.

My preference for this cereal is dry, with no milk, but that holds for all Life varieties.

Give this one a try … you may be pleasantly surprised.

Jim Rayball
Cranford, NJ
Cereal Fan

Thanks for the review, Jim! Now, I’d like to hear from the rest of you as well. I know there are a lot of great writers out there, so send in your reviews, essays, whatever. Help keep Cereal Buzz alive!