I know, I know.

You’re probably sick of seeing these little yellow dudes everywhere. From the neighborhood crane machine, to to the little stickers on bananas, all the way to the life quote meme your grandma shared on Facebook in all caps, they’ve invaded every aspect of daily life with their soulless, goggled eyes and Twinkie-esque bodies.

But now that Minion fever is beginning to taper off, it’s time for a rational, clear-headed look at one of the more interesting Minions-branded products to hit shelves: General Mills’ “special edition” Minions cereal.

It’s the flavor choice that intrigues a dedicated cereal analyst like myself and causes my eyebrows to rise higher than Willy Wonka’s Great Glass Elevator. Banana Berry? Banana in itself is a rare cereal flavor; outside of Great Grains Banana Nut Crunch, some Cheerios, and the ’80s classic Banana Frosted Flakes, it’s almost never seen. This probably has a lot to do with how divisive the flavor is. The population of banana lovers and banana haters is split in half as evenly as, well, a banana split.

But Banana Berry?

*cue Southern belle voice* Well, I never!

(Okay, maybe once or twice)

My preliminary sniff of the box is…intoxicating, to say the least. Like sticking my nose into Carmen Miranda’s hat, I’m pleasantly assaulted by a variety pack of fruity aromas that actually smell of real fruit, not like the artificial (though still amazing) blast you get from Froot Loops.

Somehow, the taste is even better, and it’s decidedly more nuanced, too. The banana hits first, but it’s not the tropical, light banana flavor you’re expecting. No, this is the dark, browned richness of extremely ripe bananas. This is supported by the dusty powdered coating on the pieces that imparts notes of brown sugar and cinnamon (it’s very much in the same family as Cinnamon Toast Crunch and its Toasty relatives).

As others have noted, these together make the cereal base taste a bit like banana bread, with milk making it just as moist as those dense loaves you see at every church potluck.

However, the “berry” flavor adds yet another interesting taste note (this cereal has so many layers, Shrek would be proud). It tastes generically “red berry” at first, but after chewing, there is a discernible mixture of sweet and tart (emphasis on the former).

The ingredients list strawberry and raspberry juice solids (whatever that means), so my assessment seems astute. It’s like I’m a milk-slurping Sherlock Holmes (now there’s a movie for you, Robert Downey Jr.)

Altogether, the cereal experience here is like a crunchy smoothie served with a slice of your Nana’s Banana-rama Banana Bread™. The array of fruits pair well with the earthy wheat pieces (almost like jelly on toast).

Once again, my eternally nostalgic tongue is strongly reminded of the flavor of another obscure snack. That’s right, this cereal is a dead ringer for Trix Strawberry Banana Yogurt!

So if you’re in the mood for reliving that sweet, sweet taste, if you want a fruity Cinnamon Toast Crunch, or if you just want to work out some deep-seated Minions anger by eating a whole bunch of ’em (even though the character images on the pieces could rival Picasso in their abstractness), this is the cereal for you.

Now excuse me as I turn the box away from me. I just can’t handle those eyes.

The Bowl: Minions Banana Berry Flavor Cereal

The Breakdown: Imagine banana bread and Trix yogurt in a blender: the sweetness of dessert bread, the richness of ripe bananas, and the puckering kicker of red berries.

The Bottom Line: 9 grandma memes out of 10