You had one job, Lucky. One job!
Lucky Charms is a cultural treasure of a cereal. So much so that I’d wager over 2/3 of TV jokes about cereal somehow involve technicolor marshmallows. But while the one-note marbits are Lucky Charms’ Wonder Bread and butter, the oat bits that complement every ‘mallow are just as foundationally important to the overall integrity of this cereal we love so much. After all, what is a burst of dreamy sugar without a little grainy realism to bring your orbiting taste buds back down to earthiness?
Contrary to what major breakfast manufacturers seem to believe (for no doubt cost-saving reasons), a cereal’s base grain choice is critical. This can make or break an entire product, depending upon how any given mixture of corn, oat, wheat or rice flours are forged into a certain shape and are given a certain flavor. And while corn definitely has its place in the cereal aisle, it works best when the cereal itself is a celebration of corn. Corn Pops? It sure does. Corn Bran? Why corn’t it? Oh, and Frosted Flakes (of Corn)? I’d expect them to be of nothing less.
But when corn is merely a cereal’s airy and craggy stage, instead of a lead actor, any nuanced flavor basted upon it has to fight for tasteful dominance against its own brazen, maize’n terrain—like sunflower rows growing from concrete. That’s Honey Lucky Charms’ mortal sin: just like Chocolate Lucky Charms and the especially mediocre Fruity Lucky Charms, oat is swapped for corn and then given a flavor, flavors that need oat’s grounding hug more than ever.
But there’s a bit more to this cereal than my rambling intro would have you believe: I’m gonna temper my corn vendetta for a moment and jump right to the honey shot:
If Honey Lucky Charms (technically named Lucky Charms with Honey Clovers, an irrelevant change of piece shape that could have cost General Mills about as much as it would’ve taken to use oat flour instead. Or so I like to think.) have one saving grace, it’s the authenticity of its honey flavoring.
As the box accurately proclaims, Lucky Charms with Honey Clovers are made with real honey, and unlike in honey nut cereals, here you can really taste this undiluted, floral nectar of a sweetness in every bite. Specifically the last 20% or so of every bite, which is why Honey Lucky Charms’ silver lining isn’t quite amber and awesome enough to withstand a different kind of golden flavoring. Yep, any given spoonful of Honey Lucky Charms tastes like a tepid twist of toasted grain and simple marshmallow sweetness, followed by a marginally interesting honey denouement.
Milk doesn’t make this uneven distribution of goodness any better, but it at least lets some of the unique honey flavor ribbons disperse and diffuse, leaving behind a slightly above-par endmilk that feels like there should be some sort of land dedicated to it. Not sure what they’d call it, though.
Unfortunately, curiously pleasant milk mixology isn’t enough to make Honey Lucky Charms worth the purchase. The brand’s much-adored marshmallows aren’t an effective bandage for an already tiring base cereal experience, and its genuine honey promise is squandered at each bite’s eleventh hour. You’re much better off going with the good ol’ oats in Honey Nut Cheerios or a more satisfyingly crunchy take on real honey ingredients. If you want to contribute to the greater grainy good, vote with your money in oat-based cereals that actually elevate expectations of what a cereal can be—which is much more than a production cost-cutting exercise.
All I’m saying is that oat-based Monster Cereals would make for a howl of a comeback story.
The Bowl: Lucky Charms with Honey Clovers Cereal
The Breakdown: Cheap & corny, these honey clovers betray the legacy of what makes Lucky Charms great, and no amount of real honey and freeze-dried sugar can change that.
The Bottom Line: 4.5 buzzed-off bees out of 10
(Quick Nutrition Facts: 140 calories, 12 grams of sugar, 1 gram of fiber, & 2 grams of protein per 1 cup serving)
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Bought a box excited to try it out because I love honey… I don’t taste the honey at all. the corn overpowers the maybe subtle as hell amount of honey they put in this stuff, will not
be buying again.
I completely agree with your assessment, Dan. Right down the 20% honey at the end of the bite. I was unpleasantly surprised by the corn base. I am not a big Lucky Charms fan, but it’s limited charm for me lies in the balance between wholesome oat goodness paired with trashy marshmallow grab. This one’s all garbagey, though with a nicely rendered honey afterthought.
I just tried a bowl of this and had to stop midway through, launch Google, and see if there was anyone else in the web-verse who shares my ire at this sacrilegious attack on my childhood. This is the exact review I was hoping to find, and I couldn’t agree with you more.
When I saw HONEY in big bold letters on the box, I simply thought that GenMills had given the original oat-based clovers a kind of honey glaze (like Cheerios) and didn’t look any closer. I wish I had. Though I do like the overall flavor of the honey addition, (even the corn flavor isn’t strong enough to be very noticeable), it’s the texture I can’t stand. Corn-based products leave a tacky, plastic like residue on my teeth. And while this coating doesn’t last for long, it gives an unpleasant ending to every spoonful.
I much prefer the corn base of the new Honey Lucky Charms to the oat base of the original product. The original oat is too grainy, pasty and dare I say, too boring. Lucky Charms has been in dire need of this shake up. This is the first time a box of Lucky Charms has graced the kitchen pantry since I still lived at home with my parents. (And since my own kids have recently moved out on their own,well, it’s been awhile.) The corn bits are not overly sweet which is good because the marshmallows in every spoonful make it plenty sweet enough. And the corn part also reminds me VERY much of a long since discontinued cereal from my childhood called King Vitamin. It’s a win all around and I hope the good folks at General Mills keep this one on the store shelves for a good long while.
Im sorry to disagree this cereal is freaking amazing in flavor. did you even try this? i dont think what you ate is what i ate. i specifically hunt for this one the crunch and cereal size perfect. the flavor amazing honey and what kind of taste like real wholesome grain. the marshmallows become a nice touch highlighting the honey taste. if you read this please try this cereal and rate cause it would suck to see such a delicious cereal pulled from the shelf. im a cereal junkie i eat it breakfast and for snack all kinds of brands. theres a truckload of sucky cereal and this is one is my top 3 of all time. you savory sweet and honey crunch without the soggy mush 3 min later try this cereal you love honey try this cereal you will forget the rest.