The BIGS: Buffalo Wing and Bacon Salt Seeds!

What do I like about the BIGS seeds?  A) They're sunflower seeds, which I love.  B) The variety of flavors that they offer and C) I'm having trouble writing this review because I keep reaching in to have a few more seeds.

They went with a simple idea, to infuse jumbo sunflower seeds with different flavors from different companies.  Place said seeds in resealable, bright red bags and you have a formula for success.  I've always enjoyed plain Sunflower seeds but the idea of having spicy, or smoky bacon flavored ones just hit home.  We contacted the Bigs after finding out about them on Twitter and they sent us a few bags, today we're covering the Franks RedHot flavored seeds(Known as Buffalo Wing) and the Bacon Salt infused ones.

So off the bat, love the packaging: Bold fonts, logos for the different flavor infusions(The Franks one has a hot sauce bottle, the bacon one has the Bacon Salt logo).  A warm color scheme makes these pop out, and the extra large logo definitely lets you know these seeds are large and in charge.

Flavor wise:  The Red Hot ones offer a spicy bite to the seeds that I loved.  The kick builds up as you eat more and more and it rocks.  The hot sauce flavor isn't too strong, instead being more of a mild spicy tang that complements the seeds really well.  The Bacon Salt ones have a really pleasant saltier, smoky flavor reminiscent of a slice of bacon.  I'm glad they didn't go overboard with the seasoning!  The amount of seasoning on each of these seeds is perfect and doesn't overwhelm the seed flavor..It complements it.

We commend the BIGS for offering this unique twist on Sunflower seeds.  Stay tuned for our upcoming reviews about other flavors, including Zesty Ranch and Dill Pickle!  Recommended for any seed lover out there.  These are fantastic!

-Sirio

Buy this snack :)

News: Twix Java Announced!

After  very successful run in 2008, MarsFood just announced that they're bringing back Twix Java!  I had a chance to try these during that run a few years back, and its a treat I'll call: Twix for adults.  The flavor of coffee adds a really grown up vibe to this offering.  This product will be premiering as a full time treat in April 2010!

Another thing to note is the pause sign on the 'I' of Twix, which from what I can tell will coincide with their 'need a moment?' advertising campaign that has been running a few months now.  I'm personally not the biggest fan of that ad campaign, but the new packaging makes up for it.  The redesign of the Twix text really makes it pop out!  This should be an eye catcher on store shelves come 2010.

Here's a sample ad..What do you guys think of this campaign?



-Sirio

Buy this snack :)

News: New M&M's Flavors Announced!

At the National Trade Show(NACS) held in Las Vegas today, the company behind Mars, Twix and other great chocolate bars announced two new flavors for their M&M line: Wild Cherry and Coconut M&M's!

The coconut flavored M&M's make their triumphant return after a limited run last summer.  The Cherry flavor will be more of a festive offering for the holiday season, premiering in December.  I'm personally a little more excited about the Coconut flavored ones, as theres been a painful lack of coconut themed treats in the market IMO.

The new packaging is awesome too, featuring some nutritional info(the snacks are around 190-210calories a pack).

The only ones available right now are the Coconut Ones, so pick em up if you want something to spice up your Halloween selection. :)  We'll review them once we get our hands on a few bags.

-Sirio

Buy this snack! :)

Oh Boy Oberto Original and Hickory Jerky!

The folks over at the Kent based Oh Boy! Oberto Jerky company were nice enough to send us a ton of Jerky products to review, and we are happy to announce we'll be covering plenty of Jerky in the next few weeks.  We're going to work our way up the ladder from their basic Jerky producs to some of their newer offerings in the next few weeks. :)

To start with we're going to cover Original and Hickory, two staples of any Jerky line.  Made out of lean beef, smoked, and seasoned this is a snack I immediately get whenever we're going to be on the road for a while.  These treats come in really eye catching packaging, with a nice warm color scheme of reds and oranges and a see through section in the center so you can look at the tasty strips of jerky.  The resealable nature of these bags is awesome too, I could immagine eating these throughout the day on a hike.  The smoky, semi sweet aroma that greets you when you open a bag is seriously mouth watering on these.

The Original variety of Oh Boy Oberto! Jerky is simple in flavor with a mildly salty and smoky theme.  They have a bold meaty flavor with mild sweet accents in between bites and aren't too chewy.  The strips are decently sized and the texture of these is pleasant.  Its their flagship and its solid.  I let my sister try these(being uninitiated to the jerky world) and to my surprise she kept poking into the office to get another strip. :)  That was a good sign, if any.

The Hickory variety offers a subtle variation on the Original, using a different smoke using Hickory wood.  The difference is quite noticeable, with the strips having a meaty start with a sweet (and delicious) aftertaste after each bite.  I loved the little salty to sweet adventure that I had every time I took a bite of the hickory strips.  The difference is subtle but delicious nonetheless.

We think these initial two flavors were delicious, and recommend you give these a try if you're gaming, on the road, or need a portable snack for any occasion.  Full body flavor with portable resealable packaging, and packed full of protein.  What more could you ask for?  :)

Buy this snack! :)

Halloween Twilight Candies?

We just noticed these popping up in local grocery stores as of late and color us puzzled by this odd Twilight merchandising cash in.  Going under the Sweethearts: Forbidden Fruits line these candies are supposed to appeal to the 'Twi-hards' with weirder inscriptions on the hearts.  Among some of these Twilight revised messages are:

Bite Me
Bad Guy
Always
My Love
U R My Life
True Love
I Trust You
Lamb
Live 4 Ever Secret

This is probably the laziest attempt at cashing in on this Twilight madness that we've seen yet(the amount of junk with Twilight on it popping up as Halloween approaches has been mind numbing).  Guys, give it a few minutes and try to do something with y'know, some originality rather than slapping some actor faces on a box of Valentine treats and calling them Halloween candy.  And the slogan?  "The Forbidden Fruit Tastes the Sweetest."  Innuendo much?  Sheesh.

-Sirio

News: Blood Energy Potion !

This new beverage by Harcos, based in Santa Monica California is intended to treat people with 'bloodlust' and probably will please plenty of Twilight and True Blood fans. :)

This beverage is from the same guys that brought you Mana Energy Potion and Health Energy (The videogame based beverages).  This shot of bloodlust quelling red fluid is fruit punch flavored and comes packaged in a really fun pouch that looks like a transfusion bag.  This beverage will be available soon from various retailers, including Hot Topic, Fry's, Think Geek and a few other websites.

I think the packaging is awesome and will definitely be an eye catcher on store shelves, we'll see about the flavor.  You can order them now from their tongue in cheek website to get your fix right before Halloween! :)  No prescription required.

-Sirio

 Living With Bloodlust