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MRE Menu #24 Southwest Beef and Black Beans Insp. Date 2019

Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 8:59 am
by Austrokraftwerk
Hi, this is a review of my second US MRE.
Sorry for my english, I am from Austria so my grammar is not always the best ;)

What was in there?
Acessory Pack with Spoon and Gum
Beverage Base Lemonade
Cheese Spread
Tortillas, Chipotle
Mocha Cappuccino Instant Powder
Spiced Apples
Beef Snack Strip
Southwest Beef and Black Beans
Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake

The Lemonade was a lot better than the "Fruit Punch" from my last MRE. But still to sweet.
The Cheese Spread was not bad. But I generally do not like processed cheese. So I am not a fan of it.
The Tortillas were a litte bit spicy and i ate them with the Cheese Spread because I think you are supposed to eat it this way. (there was no bread or crackers in there, only the Tortillas)
The Mocha Cappuccino was way better than the coffee in #9. But it had a weird aftertaste.
I liked the Spiced Apples. There were apple slices with apple sauce and cinnamon. It just tastes like the filling of the McDonalds Apple Pie. :)
The worst thing in this MRE was the Beef Snack Strip. Maybe I had false expectations. It smelled like dog food and the taste was really strange. I did not like it at all, I did not eat the whole strip.
The main meal was Southwest Beef and Black Beans. I bought it because it sounds interesting. But all that it is, just canned Chili Con Carne. It was better than #9 but there is still room for improvements.
I could not taste test the Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake, because the sealing was not good anymore. So it had mold on it and was not safe to eat.
I hoped for the amazing cinnamon gum like in the last MRE. But it was just regular spearmint gum. Still good and chewy.

A comment on the accessories: the spoon is pretty durable and good quality. The heating pack was also working very well and it was steaming a lot. Just like the last MRE i tested.

So over all, what do I think of this MRE? It was slightly better than #9, but still not the best. I my opinion there is a lot room for improvement.
I give 5 out of 10 points for this MRE.

Re: MRE Menu #24 Southwest Beef and Black Beans Insp. Date 2019

Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 4:31 pm
by Richard w.
That's bad luck on the pound cake. Very unusual (in my experience) for such a recently packed item to suffer spoilage.

Poundcakes are one of those items that have always been in my top 3 favorite components, in the old MCIs, brown bag MREs, and tan bags.

Re: MRE Menu #24 Southwest Beef and Black Beans Insp. Date 2019

Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 4:43 pm
by Salmon19
Spoiled pound cake is a real shame. :(

Re: MRE Menu #24 Southwest Beef and Black Beans Insp. Date 2019

Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2019 6:07 pm
by ViperGTS
That cake is awesome, sorry it was not edible :?

Re: MRE Menu #24 Southwest Beef and Black Beans Insp. Date 2019

Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2019 8:43 am
by RockyRaab
If you were disappointed by that menu, you're going to be really bummed by the other 23. Because many people think the SW Beef is THE best one. It may only be that you have an "Austrian palate" and aren't attuned to US taste preferences.

No need to apologize for your English, it's far better than my German.

Re: MRE Menu #24 Southwest Beef and Black Beans Insp. Date 2019

Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2019 11:57 am
by norge
are you shure that it was mold on the pound cake?
many of the cakes do have a sugar shine on them that looks like mold,mold for me is green :mrgreen:

cheers ken

Re: MRE Menu #24 Southwest Beef and Black Beans Insp. Date 2019

Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2019 6:30 am
by Austrokraftwerk
Yes, I am sure it was mold. The sealing was not good on the packaging and the mold was green :cry:

@RockyRaab: Thanks, good to know.

Re: MRE Menu #24 Southwest Beef and Black Beans Insp. Date 2019

Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2019 6:59 am
by norge
to bad.. hope you find a good one next time :D

cheers ken

Re: MRE Menu #24 Southwest Beef and Black Beans Insp. Date 2019

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2019 8:37 pm
by parafireboy
Good review, thanks for sharing! The pound cakes are great, so it’s a bummer that it was bad. The spiced apples are one of my favorite MRE sides. :D I’m with you on the beverage being too sweet. The US beverages tend to be a bit overpowering, so I like to add about half the beverage powder first, then add more until it suits me.