The Good: Exceptionally nutritious, Tastes good, Affordable
The Bad: Weak on its key selling point.
The Basics: Kellogg’s Krave Double Chocolate cereal is flavorful and chocolatey, but is not as packed with chocolate as it promises on the box.
Sometimes, I encounter a product that I enjoy, but then learn that it is supposed to be more than it actually is. That is where I am with the Krave Double Chocolate cereal. I enjoyed the cereal quite a bit, but when I sat down to actually review it, I noticed on the box that the chocolatey cereal was supposed to be chocolate filled. I was pretty thrilled about that and started cracking open pieces of the cereal. Sadly, none of the pieces of cereal I cracked open contained the “smooth chocolate inside” . . . at least not in the quantities shown in the picture on the box. This is like getting a chicken cordon bleu where the chicken breast is so thick that there is only room for a tiny sliver of ham on the inside; yes, it is what it claims, but it is not living up to the potential of what one ordered.
I suppose I should not be overly surprised: Kellogg’s Krave Double Chocolate cereal was on the clearance rack locally and if it is being discontinued, it would not surprise me if it was because so many people who might have enjoyed the cereal were unimpressed by the lack of filling the cereal promises.
That said, on its own, it is actually a surprisingly good cereal.
Basics
Kellogg’s Krave Double Chocolate cereal is a fairly new whole grain oat cereal that seems designed to appeal to health-conscious people who actually want something that tastes delicious. In that regard, the cereal lives up.
The standard box of Krave Double Chocolate cereal is 15.6 oz. That represents approximately fourteen servings and I managed to get a full fourteen servings out of both boxes I bought on clearance. The actual Double Chocolate cereal resembles Cap’n Crunch cereal as a formed block approximately 7/8" long, 9/16” wide and 5/16” thick. The Double Chocolate flavor of Krave is like a little pouch of chocolate that holds a chocolate center. These brown, chocolatey blocks are surprisingly light (physically) and bold on the flavor front.
Ease Of Preparation
Krave Double Chocolate cereal is a breakfast cereal, so this is one of the low-impact breakfast options as far as preparation goes! Simply open the box of Krave Double Chocolate cereal, pour out 3/4 cup (I’ve taken to using a measuring cup) and add 1/2 cup of milk to it. I have discovered, as part of getting healthy, that one of the biggest challenges one might have with breakfast cereal is actually eating the serving size recommended by the manufacturer. Given that I have been monitoring my intake for several weeks now, I am now able to enjoy only 3/4 cup of Krave Double Chocolate cereal in a sitting!
For the purposes of my reviews, and my regular consumption, I only use skim milk (fat free) milk when reviewing Krave Double Chocolate cereal.
Taste
Opening the box, Krave Double Chocolate has almost no aroma. In fact, smelling it still in the box, one is surprised by how the dominant aroma is that of the cardboard.
On its own, the Double Chocolate has a predictably dry and grainy flavor. Even so, Double Chocolate is strongly cocoa flavored on the tongue. The chocolate flavor is drier, more reminiscent of a dark chocolate than a milk chocolate.
With milk, the chocolate flavor comes alive. There is almost no dryness to the flavor and texture, and the chocolate flavor is quite a bit sweeter. It is in milk that even the trace of the inner chocolate comes alive and Krave Double Chocolate starts to taste like one is eating chocolate syrup, it is so sweet, chocolatey, and fluidic on the tongue. It leaves no dry aftertaste.
Nutrition
Kellogg’s Krave Double Chocolate cereal is very nutritious on its own and with skim milk! Made primarily of Chocolate flavored filling, sugar, and whole grain oat flour, there is nothing unpronounceable in Krave Double Chocolate cereal. Given that there is a separate listing of vitamins and minerals, I suspect that Krave Double Chocolate cereal is one of those cereals where the nutrients are then sprayed onto the cereal, making it important to drink the milk with this cereal in order to get all of the nutritional benefits out of it.
A single serving of Kellogg’s Krave Double Chocolate cereal is 30 grams, 3/4 cup. In that serving, there are 120 calories, with a surprising thirty of those calories coming from fat. There is a gram of saturated fat in this cereal, but there is no cholesterol. With only 95 mg of sodium and 3 grams of dietary fiber, this is a good dietary choice for those striving to improve heart health without increasing their sodium consumption in any significant fashion. With two grams of protein and 80 mg potassium, Double Chocolate is a veritable vitamin. On its own, this cereal has 25% of the RDA eight vitamins and minerals.
Storage/Cleanup
Krave Double Chocolate is a cereal, so as long as it is kept sealed in its box, it ought to remain fresh for quite some time. The box of Krave Double Chocolate cereal we purchased on February 11, 2013 had an expiration date of June 27, 2012. Obviously, when you are done pouring the cereal from the box, fold down the plastic inner wrap to help maintain the cereal’s freshness.
Cleaning up after Krave Double Chocolate cereal is simple as well. Simply brush away crumbs left by it and you are done! It is that simple! This is a cereal that does discolor the milk added to it, though, so if the milk gets on your clothing consult a fabric guide to clean it out.
Overall
Krave Double Chocolate cereal might not be the double chocolate experience the box promises, but it is one of the healthiest sweet cereals I have yet found and well worth trying!
For other Kellogg’s cereals, please be sure to check out my reviews of:
Special K Fruit & Yogurt
Special K Multigrain Oats & Honey
Fiber Plus Antioxidants Cinnamon Oat Crunch
7.5/10
For other food reviews, please visit my Food Review Index Page for an organized listing of all the food reviews I have written!
© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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