Perhaps its the nostalgia for the comforting crunch of childhood, or perhaps it’s just because it’s an easy snack food that carries the illusion of being healthful, but there’s something about breakfast cereal that is a perennial draw. As an adult, it’s rare I actually eat cereal for breakfast, but it’s a snack food that may act as a dessert or a snack.

My latest addition is Clif Cereal. Yes, that Clif, of the bar fame. After reading this largely positive review, I was intrigued, but gave up after many months of fruitlessly searching store shelves and online listings. Eventually my luck changed when it showed up online at Walmart. I ordered a box each of the Chocolate Peanut Butter and Honey Peanut Butter. Despite not generally being a fan of peanut butter in cereal, I had high hopes. So far, I have only tried the former, but I came away with mixed feelings. It’s not terrible, but it’s hardly inspiring me to tear open its partner chocolate-free version. There’s a bit of a crunch and a granola-like mixture of textures (including actual peanuts), but the medley doesn’t feel all that cohesive. The base tastes like bran flakes, instead of the sweet oat blend that I associate with the bars. I can’t say I’m a huge Clif Bar aficionado, but I can appreciate why some people like it. I don’t see any connection with the cereal. It feels like a mixture of a few different cereals with some nuts thrown in for good measure, and the combination just doesn’t work for me. Hopefully the other flavor will be more appealing.

Update 13-Jul-2022: I ended up trying the Honey Peanut Butter variety and found it quite a bit better than the Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor. There is still a strong wheaty taste to the flakes reminiscent of Total, but the overall balance of flavor is more cohesive than the chocolate variety.