We Tried The Frosted Lemon Cheerios

I’ll admit: I was literally eating dry fistfuls of these before I began my review. But that’s a good sign. Yes, most distracted writers such as myself sustain ourselves by shoving down handfuls of miscellaneous carbs. But we don’t keep reaching for snacks if they’re bad―especially if food’s our business. Of course, I’ll be reviewing this as a proper cereal, eaten with milk (poured after, because I haven’t entirely given up on sanity). But the “dry fistful” method is a thing anyone does―whether you’re a late-night snacker, a deadline-chasing writer, or just feeling so deliciously lazy that day, you’d rather not take the three to five paces to reach the fridge for milk (because then you’d have to get a spoon). 

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Point is: Cheerios made a strange, maybe risky choice choice with their Limited Edition Frosted Lemon flavor. But it passes the dry-snack test with flying colors. 

Frosted Lemon Cheerios

Pros: First off, as mentioned, yes I would eat joyless handfuls of it alone in a dark kitchen. Like any of Cheerios’ wide variety of special and seasonal flavors―Confetti Cheerios, Strawberry Protein Cheerios, Chocolate & Peanut Butter, I could go on―it’s an enticing choice, if a bit on the adult side. When it’s still dry, the “frosted lemon” flavor is more a more clean, light lemon flavor. It reminds me a lot of the lemon/citrusy flavors you’d find in Froot Loops. After I added some 2% milk, that soft, fluffy lemony flavor kind of slinks silkily into the milk―a strange, unexpected, lovely pro. 

In general, the Frosted Lemon flavor is restrained, just on this side of actually “tart” (the very thin coating of “frosting” keeps it tasting more like a Starbucks Lemon Loaf than a tangy lemon bar). 

Cons: Yeah, the flavor is maybe a bit too restrained. Cheerios, no doubt, has like, a thousand pages/years of market research indicating that kids generally don’t reach for lemony treats outside of lemonade stands. But had they gone a bit zanier or tangier, the cereal might have had a chance to stand out. Also, they go soggy at the regular Cheerios rate.

FINAL VERDICT:

A neat idea, maybe marketed to the wrong demo―can’t see a ton of kids asking for this over, say, classic Honey Nut Cheerios. But they’re made with whole grain oats and they make your milk taste just a bit like icing on a lemon drizzle cake (Great British Baking Show, anyone?). If you’re a grown-up looking for a last, light, lemony taste of summer before the season’s over, I’d absolutely say grab a box. Just don’t expect it to win the kids over.