You know the end of the movie, when the big bad has been defeated and the main, side, tertiary, and no-name characters (who will definitely get fan fiction lore) are all celebrating a fight/romance/exorcism well done?
That’s where we are—in the third act of Honeycomb’s story.
Here’s the IMDB-worthy synopsis for those who eat their breakfasts under the comfort of a shady rock:
Honeycomb cereal, good for years.
Lots of people, eat Honeycomb for years.
Post Foods, makes Honeycomb all natural.
Post Foods, thinks they know what people want.
Post Foods, is wrong.
Hundreds of people, mad about Honeycomb.
Hundreds of people, blame me, divine meddling, spam the word GARBAGE.
Post Foods, brings back Honeycomb
Cool, hip blogger, reviews Honeycomb again
Long story short, BIG REAL HONEY FLAVOR is back, baby, and Andre the Giant is fist-pumping in his grave. Now let’s see if all that buzz holds up.
I’m gonna be honest. Even though there’ll inevitably be a cliffhanger after-the-credits sequence to this story, in which Honeycomb’s legion of ex-fans claims this isn’t the original flavor (as they already have in Canada), I am totally unable to tell any difference between this and the Honeycomb of my youth.
Granted, I am not a Honeycomb nut (I believe they call themselves Bee Keepers. Or perhaps “The Hive Mind”?), but this stuff ditches the admittedly styrofoamy, sticky-glazed texture of last year’s reboot in favor of that iconic Honeycomb wafered crunch, which is pillowy, airy, and rich with a threaded flavor of corn and oat flour.
Basically, it tastes like a dog would imagine a real beehive would taste like, shortly before making a terrible mistake. Maybe he can bark them back up?
But while texture is a massive improvement (reprovement?), I’m left a bit torn about the honey flavor. As a fairly impartial party on the topic, I thought the all-natural ‘combs were pretty tastefully and potently glazed. And though both versions use real honey, 2017’s queen bee-sized flop used corn syrup (according to box ingredient lists I can find online) in addition to that sweet, sweet nectar, making my royal jelly-addled brain royally jealous for what’s now missing.
You guys can keep the high fructose, just give me the goo.
That, as always, is where milk comes in to save the day. Signal boosting the honey’s subtly thick sweetness with its own, milk also unlocks a more delectable depth for the core floured, flavor, too, which eventually starts reminding me of a Keebler Vanilla Sugar Wafer, of all things. Add natural honey goodness on top of that, and you’ve got a product idea Ernie the Elf better write me a five-figure check for.
All in all, Honeycomb is like sweet honey-drizzled popcorn, and when added to milk, it’s upgraded from “mindless munchie” to “(debatably) extraterrestrially addictive substance.”
Now that’s what I call a comeback.
The Bowl: Honeycomb Cereal (2018)
The Breakdown: Aside from the tempting ghosts of lost corn syrup, Honeycomb’s reborn future looks bright and golden sweet.
The Bottom Line: 9 comments sections I’ll be watching with popcorn in hand out of 10
jUst had the first bowl I’ve had in years. This stuff is awful-nothing like it used to be. Tastes like a slightly sweetened plastic-coated rice cake. I detect no flavor of honey whatsoever. Corn syrup maybe, but I call BS that anyone put any real honey in the box I bought. The plastic rice cake is just so wrong- wrong consistency, wrong texture, wrong smell, wrong lack of flavor. The cereal is now an insult to bees and kids and kids at heart everywhere.
I remember that the Cereal Honeycomb had a golden Honey coated look on the texter of the cereal, and the taste was much more of a Honey roasted flavor, and I guess the company lost the original flavor of Honeycomb because the company changed the recipes in 2017 I think
Not sweet at all and very crunchy.
This product is NOT the original Honeycomb. The flavor is similar (although definitely not identical). But the texture is way off base. The original Honeycomb was soft and munchy. This stuff is hard and crunchy. I am deeply disappointed in this miserable reboot. Yet another major marketing blunder (reminds me of the New Coke fiasco). Post needs to rename this ghastly mess “Sorta Looks Like Honeycomb”, and then do a little housekeeping in the product development department. Next time guys, if it ain’t broke, please don’t try to fix it.
Honeycomb has always been great brain-food for coders like me when working late in startups we hope someday will go “public” (a couple of mine have). There’s nothing like that bug crunch when you’re too focussed and too tired to cook/eat real food.
Last year I bought a box and WTFH!!! I was so pissed, I wanted to scream. I didn’t go online to vent or anything, but DAMN!!!
This week my wife saw the “original flavor back” labeling on a box of Honeycomb and brought it home for me. The box lasted three (3) days. It’s back, I’m sure of it. I’m happy.
Now, stop frakking with my cereal! These cereal company market analysts need to GROW UP, get a REAL MBA from a REAL school, learn how to do REAL market research, and start doing their jobs! That switch was an amateur mistake. I expect HBR to write a case-study on it for first year undergraduates in marketing to study soon enough.
The classic flavor most definitely is NOT back. It is a clever forgery. Miles better than the garbage they tried to sneak by us last year, but alas NOT the original. I am DONE.
I was upset that you changed to flavor with the big new taste and it was shiny and Granny and I feel like you guys are really cheap then you change the back and I was happy but now I noticed that you use partially no not partially produced with genetic engineering so that’s probably fully produced with genetic engineering and I can no longer buy the cereal until you change that
Original it’s back formula still taste awful! It’s not the same!!! Trust me people it’s not! I’m done buying this garbage! Grrrrrr! This company is trying to fool us!
Original it’s back formula still taste awful! It’s not the same!!! Trust me people it’s not! I’m done buying this garbage!
Honey comb used to be good now it’s awful.
The last time I bought Honeycomb cereal in 2018, it was definitely not what I remembered. It tasted awful. I did not realize it had been reformulated, but knew it wasn’t the same. I vowed to never buy it again. I saw the box in the store and it said it was back to the original flavor I decided I’d give it a shot. It’s delicious. Even my daughter likes it and she’s super picky. I’m glad they brought the original back. I like to eat it dry for a snack.
What was that abomination they called Honeycomb last year?! 😡 I am SO glad it was changed back! One would think after the New Coke debacle companies with iconic foods or drinks would learn!
Did not like the new honey comb, glad the original is back. Why is it that when something is really good someone always has a bright idea to change it?
Doesn’t taste like the original since it was my favorite cereal.
I am 54 and have been eating honeycombs all my life up until I tasted that garbage they came out with last year. the original taste is back and I will bet my house on it. when will the social engineers learn to leave us alone.
Honeycomb oh wont u be my baby,!!!! Honeycomb has me singing in the morning again…. Honeycomb a be my gurl…the real thang is baaack!!!! Oh yea baby!!!
I took a chance shopping today in hopes that it wasn’t just an advertising gimmick. But. Yayayayayayayayay. It is back. Please don’t mess with what we all love. Hopefully you fixed the others too. Thank you
Thanks for going back to the original flavor!!! I wish they would do the same thing with other cereals!
I love the original and HATED the plastic cardboard of the replacement. I refused to buy it and complained to lots of people. The new “It’s Back” Honeycomb is very good but it still does not taste like the original Honeycomb. It does not have as much sweetness to it. It’s a little on the bland side.
Hi! I’m Ricky Bobby, and if you don’t eat Honeycomb then f**k you!! Lol, the new original honeycomb is great.
When I got my box of cereal I open the box but the bag was already open so how is that
Just had my first bowl of the New Original (?)….
Bad news: not a total return the original formula.
Good news: texture is much closer to the original.
Better news: this might actually be the most delicious version of Honeycomb yet. What it does to milk now is OUT OF THIS WORLD!!
I agree. The milk at the end is the best part about cereal to me.
I was so glad to see the original was back , when I got the new and hated it I knew they messed up!
I’ve ate Honey Combs for 45+ years & was HIGHLY UPSET when they changed it.
I took ONE bite of the New Honey Flavor BS & threw it in the Garbage.
I just seen the ORIGINAL was BACK & came home with 3 boxes.
I’m PUMPED if it has the old taste & texture.
Brown in GA
I’m glad to see the old flavor back! It was the one cereal I consistently bought before they ruined it.
If anyone liked the horrible abomination that was the new flavor, they have been popping up in dollar stores. I won’t judge you for being a monster, really.
I am so happy the original flavor is back please don’t ever take it away again.
It’s back but doesn’t taste the same as it did. They had something great . Why change it now it will never be the same again . It was my favorite cereal . And omg the other cereal with more honey how disgusting I stopped buying it after that. I was pissed I bought 3 boxes a week now 0 please if you have a great thing leave it alone . Upset
I want my honeycoombs and I want it now.. Apparently the old new honey coomb made it not taste like cereal popcorn. >:( I do not buy honeycoombs to taste like edgey rocks. Im going to buy it and see for myself… But first off. I categorized honeycoombs close to plain cereal like kix and pops. And that glaze made me tip my head sideways. And I blame it for the stiffness and leaning to french toast crunch… Which I did not remember it having double syrup. :l and it was little bit harder. I do not like honey whatever on my milk. 🙁 but memory might be wrong.
As deCereal (dessert cereal) enthusiast i’m really glad to see the old honeycomb cereal back on the shelves and I’m also glad, that they didn’t try to pull a stunt and most likely brought back the original stuff with no changes.
No i still have the change to get me a box of the good honeycomb cereal 😉
Though post is getting strong these days with great, unique, new and really good tasting sweet cereal, i just hope the cereal amufactures learned a lesson:
Though the revenue seems to drop every year it’s not because cereal is cereal and “unhealthy” sweet stuff. This is just a part of the reason.
We still love our sweet childhood cereal and will buy it (more often than we should ;)). So don’t try to change these cereals. We also need healthier and more filling stuff to get through the day, so give us those options, but DON’T take the sweet stuff from us! 😀
CHEERS!
I am just so HAPPY that Post brought back the original Post Honeycombs, that I have grown up LOVING!!!
I got a box that is apparently from Canada..and yes it’s not the original. You can tell even in my photo vs your photo…clear difference.
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