Goldilocks Polvoron

Polvoron is a dairy-based Filipino dessert. It is basically made from sugar, milk powder and some extenders. Goldilocks, the same bakery that created those tasty macaroons, reinvented this classic Filipino delicacy and created flavored versions. Some of the flavors are simple like peanut and chocolate while some are more unique like coffee, cookies and cream and choco-peanut. What makes the flavors intense is that the bakery uses real ingredients in the product. The choco polvoron has chunks of chocolate chip, the coffee variety has coffee bits (although I'm not sure if they are actual coffee beans or not), and the cookies and cream has, well, cookie crumbs. These flavors give the classic polvoron a new look and taste. It's a great innovation that can revitalize the Filipino's interest in their traditional snack.

Liquid Cookies

It's funny to think that manufacturing companies sometimes turn solid snacks into liquid products to give them a new twist. Take this new flavored milk drink from Hershey's. This time, they experimented with the cookies 'n' creme flavor. I was excited to test out the drink because the variety was new and one-of-a-kind. And knowing Hershey's reputation for making excellent chocolate products, I had high expectations for its taste.

Sadly, I have to say that I was more disappointed on the product's over-all performance. The beverage had a stronger essence of cream than cookies. There was a very faint hint of chocolate and the aftertaste didn't last very long. The milk is so sweet that I felt like I was drinking liquid cake icing. But don't all my negative feedback turn you off. Maybe I'm not credible enough to be reviewing this product in the first place. I could simply be too old for this beverage. After all, the product is intended for the younger target market. Maybe if I'm ten years younger, I will go crazy and addicted over Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme.

Familiarity

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Now I know why the entire concept of Cream-O Deluxe looked so familiar. URC based it on the Dewberry Cookies. If you look closely, both snacks have the same "spiral" groove design on the biscuits. They also have a central topping. The only difference is that Cream-O Deluxe has dark chocolate biscuits and that it has a fudge topping. Dewberry, on the other hand, has a vanilla-cream cookie and a fruit-flavored jelly topping. Come to think of it, with the addition of the fudge and fruit jelly topping, the two snacks can be classified as tarts instead of sandwich cookies.

Dewberry's concept is a fusion of fruit and biscuits. And I must say that the developers of the brand did a good job in combining the two flavors. The cookies are addictive since it felt like I was eating cakes and pies instead of ordinary cookies. I remember buying an entire box of the strawberry variety and finishing two to three packs a day. I haven't bought another pack ever since, bi I guess I can control my addiction now. I haven't tasted the "Peaches and Cream" flavor yet. I should try it out sometime.

Cream-O Deluxe

Before, I really thought that Cream-O was just another local copycat of the imported Oreo brand. But URC proved me wrong when it began creating several varieties of the brand. One of these is Cream-O Deluxe. Normally, manufacturers would limit themselves to creating different cream and biscuit flavors of the product. URC, on the other hand, reinvented the look of the cookie. Instead of a solid circular pastry, the middle of the biscuit has a chocolate fudge topping. It may no look much, but the chocolate topping greatly improves the taste of the snack. There is a sudden burst of flavor when you bite the fudge center. It's a great alternative to Cream-O Premium if you want cookies with intense chocolate essences and, at the same time, have more value for your money. Remember, the Premium only has two biscuits per pack while the Deluxe has three. With such impressive reviews and the numerous choices its varieties can offer, I can say that Cream-O can easily topple down foreign competitors in the industry.

Jack n Jill Wafrets

I really find it amusing how URC has a quick answer to almost anything its competitors throw at it. Not only do they counteract the competition, they make their products better. I guess that's what is expected of a dominant industry player. Jack n Jill's new snack product is similar to Monde's Sumo Wafers in every way, except of one crucial thing. They are both individually packed in sets of four wafer sticks to preserve freshness. The wafers of both brands have the same length. The texture and taste are equally good. However, Jack n Jill Wafrets are infused with more chocolate cream. If you compare the two snacks, Wafrets is filled with cream up to the brim, while the interior of Sumo Wafers is lined with a thin layer of chocolate. Thus it has more flavor and it is more satisfying. It may be a slight difference, but it is significant enough to improve the product tenfold.

Sumo Wafer Sticks

It's nice to try out snacks other than biscuits from time to time. Now I'll be reviewing my childhood favorite, the wafer sticks. The market has been flooding with various brands yet only a few are able to keep the freshness and integrity of their products. The main problem with wafer sticks is that they are often packed in large jars in huge quantities. These "party-pack" sizes are usually intended for children and groups of people who share the food with each other. But what if you are only a single consumer? Oftentimes you are compelled to finish the entire jar in one sitting, or at least consume more than what you want or else the wafers will go stale fast. It's a good thing that Monde gave the product a new look. Sumo Wafer Sticks are individually packed with four sticks per plastic pouch. The new packaging is more sanitary, it keeps the wafers fresh, and it allows you to monitor and control how much you consume.

Aside from the packaging, Monde also revolutionized the usual hollow look of the wafer sticks. A new feature of the snack is that the wafers are infused with chocolate cream. While it generally has an impressive crunchy texture, the chocolate flavor is sugary-sweet as expected. However, the cream isn't as generous as I thought. The interior walls of the wafer is only coated with a modest layer of chocolate cream so the flavor isn't that intense.

From Circles to Rectangles

The Cream-O brand is normally associated with the cream-filled cookies. It is the favorite Filipino cookie of many local consumers. So I was really surprised when I saw a Cream-O wafer bar at Cafe Azul. It was the first and probably the only time I saw such a variety. I just had to purchase this rare product.

Among all the snacks I've reviewed, this has got to be the most mysterious. It's the most elusive item in the market. I've been browsing through different supermarkets around the city and this snack simply cannot be found. When I returned to Cafe Azul, their stock was not replenished. Apparently, I already bought the last wafer bar at that time. I'm not sure if this is a new product of URC, a limited promo or if the company intentionally produced a small quantity. Aside from its rarity, it is a "clone" or duplicate of URC's Hello Wafer product line. At first I thought it was like a cookie-wafer bar combination with a new rectangular shape. It turns out that it was no different from the Hello wafer bars in terms of its texture, appearance and content. Is URC planning to replace their Hello product line permanently? Why are there no Cream-O wafers in the supermarkets? Is this product simply experimental? The mystery continues...

Real Leaf... Really Healthy?

There is a trend of a healthier lifestyle that is currently sweeping the market. Consumers are becoming more conscious of what they eat and they want food that offers the most health benefits. Companies such as Nestle and Coca Cola have been exploiting this trend. They are launching green tea beverages which would hopefully grab market shares from once popular soda industry.

Green tea is believed to offer the most benefits since it is rich in antioxidants and other disease-preventing ingredients. But are all of the green tea products in the market really that healthy? Let's take Real Leaf for example. The advertisement claims the product to be rich in Theanine, a type of amino acid that is proven to boost the immune system and reduce stress. But when I checked the nutrition facts, it has 28 grams of carbohydrates per 240 mL serving. Although it is not explicitly stated, I assumed that the carbohydrate count is equivalent to its sugar content. That is around 0.12 grams of sugar per mL of Real Leaf. It may not sound much but if you look at other green tea products, their sugar content is significantly lower. For example, URC's C2 original green tea variety only has around 0.04 grams of sugar per mL (or 10 grams per 240 mL serving). As for the calorie count, Real Leaf has 0.46 calories per mL while C2 has 0.19 calories per mL. So if you're calorie conscious, diabetic or just simply want to reduce your sugar intake, then you may want to give this beverage a second thought.

I'm not saying that Real Leaf is inherently bad nor is it inferior to C2. It's just that some of us may be led to believe some things and miss out on the other half of the story. This just goes to show that some products are not always what they are cracked up to be. We must be wise consumers and we cannot be persuaded to believe everything we see on ads.

Remeber the Magic

It's the comparison that started this blog. Which chocolate coated sandwich is better? URC's Magic Creams or Rebisco's Extreme? To my surprise, they are similar in a lot of ways and are only unique in a characteristic that may be not easily noticed by consumers.

Both products are equal in terms of size and quantity. They both have the same biscuit size and each have two layers of crackers. Magic is not topped with chocolate sprinkles, unlike Rebisco Extreme. But I believe the sprinkles only add aesthetic value and has negligible effect on the overall taste. The difference between the two biscuits is the type of chocolate flavor that they have. It may not be obvious to most but Magic Creams has a sugary sweet chocolate taste while Rebisco Extreme has a deeper bitter-sweet cocoa essence. If your taste buds crave for a sweeter delight, then Magic Creams is the better choice. But if you are searching for a snack with a more authentic chocolate flavor, like me, then Rebisco wins this round hands down.

Monde's Voice in the Competition

When a product becomes a hit in the market, its competitors are never far behind. They make their own version and brand of the product and try to outdo other players in the market. I remember Monde having an aggressive marketing campaign during its initial launch, yet I cannot say for certain which company was the first in creating this innovative snack. So far Rebisco is the only company that has an answer for Monde's wafer sandwich and with Combi's previous review, it's time to judge Voice Combo.

In terms of taste, Voice is pretty good. Each bite bursts with the sweet flavor of strawberry. Unlike Rebisco Combi which has one flavor only, Monde has released other varieties of the wafer sandwich. If I'm not mistaken, Voice is also available in butter cream and chocolate. At Php 36 for a 10-pack set, it is cheaper than Combi but it is considerably smaller in size. Despite these positive points, Voice still has its drawbacks.

The biscuit's texture is absolutely brittle. The cracker easily crumbles when a small amount of pressure is applied. It's best to eat Voice by the sink or over a plate since each bite scatters crumbs everywhere. In a word, it is a messy eating experience. The most frustrating part of the experience is opening the sandwich pack. The packaging is lined with a thin film of tough clear plastic which takes me forever to tear open. This is an annoying combination of packaging and product because when I tear open the pack with the necessary violent force, I destroy the brittle crackers in the process. Does anyone else have this kind of experience?

For an overall evaluation, I would say that Voice Combo Sandwich is a product decent enough for snacks and sharing with friends. But I recommend this product more to those with the patience and strength to tear open that blasted plastic seal. Probably it's best not to try this food when you are already weak from hunger.

Rebisco Combi

A recent development in the biscuit industry is the cracker wafer sandwiches. Instead of having a flavored cream filling, it has a layer of sweet wafer in between the crackers. Rebisco is just one of the few companies who launched their own brand of such a snack.

At first glance, a single pack of Combi looks larger than your average-sized biscuit. That's because it is. It turns out that one pack contains two square pieces of cracker wafer sandwiches instead of one solid serving. It can guarantee hunger satisfaction and it can also be shared. Rebisco is already a veteran corporation trusted for the quality taste of its products so I want to focus on the texture of Combi. Compared to the other biscuits I have tried, this snack has the most stable structure. It is firm enough to preserve its form yet its crunchiness is not compromised. That's good news for consumers who hate losing biscuit and wafer crumbs to the ants. The product is priced at Php 41.50 for a 10-pack set. It is a bit more expensive compared to the average price of biscuits which is Php 36 per set. But given its bigger size and better texture, Rebisco Combi is really worth trying if you're not on a strict budget.

Nestle Premium (and a Glimps of My Fridge)

Welcome to... my fridge. As you can see I tend to try out a lot of beverages in the market from coffees to vodkas (see background). But for now, I'll be reviewing Nestle's Chocolate Pleasure. For starters, it is a commercial-grade chocolate drink, meaning it is readily available in supermarkets. This type of ready-to-drink beverage is trickier to keep around the house compared to its dehydrated, powder counterparts. It needs constant refrigeration and has a shorter shelf life so watch out for those expiration dates.

As for the taste, it has a very creamy texture. The drink is composed of more milk than chocolate. But I guess that is no mystery. After all, the product's name is Nestle Premium Dairy. It has a moderately sweet chocolate aroma. The kind of scent reminiscent of Magnolia's Chocolait. The aftertaste of the drink is similar to that of milk, instead of the usual bitter-sweet essence. However, after consuming an entire serving, it leaves my lips and throat quite dry. I have no idea what causes that effect and I'm not sure if it only happens to me. It could be the rich dairy ingredient but I cannot be certain.

The Perfect Macaroons

The butter macaroon is a product of Goldilocks, a famous Filipino pastry shop. Its bright yellow color gives emphasis on the butter ingredient. As for the taste, each macaroon explodes with flavor. The sweet butter complements the crunchy coconut coating. The bakery was also able to add a twist to the usual shape of the food. The macaroons are ball-shaped instead of the traditional cup-cake form, making them easier and more fun to eat. It is an excellent treat to bring home to the family. But I warn you, these butter macaroons are very addictive. You can't have just one.

Now That's Extreme!

I'm really not a fan of any cream-filled biscuits. Probably because the manufacturers didn't put enough flavor in those fillings turning them into plain bland crackers. But all that changed when Rebisco released it's new product, the Extreme Choco Sandwich. Just how extreme is it? Let's see... it's made of chocolate crackers, filled with layers of chocolate cream, generously covered with chocolate coating and topped off with chocolate sprinkles! It's a good fix for your average chocolate addict.

What makes this snack great is that the chocolate doesn't taste cheap, unlike those over-sweetened and artificially flavored imitation choco creams. You can really taste the deep, dark and bittersweet essence of REAL chocolate with every bite of this biscuit. I'm not really sure if I remember the retail price correctly but I think it's around Php 42 for a pack of 10. That's how most 10-pack biscuits cost in the market. And at that price, the Rebisco Extreme could probably be the snack that gives you the most value for your money. Now if only they have Extreme in vanilla, butter and strawberry...