Sunday, I figured, was a good time for me to give all of you the rundown on some of the 2008 items that are begining to show up. Since I posted some of the MRE components a day or two ago I figured a taste test would be good start to the new year. That and Kman posed the question about one entree, so here it is:
Granola, Dehydrated with Milk and Blueberries: Okay, at first it didn't look like much. Kind of like muselix with some bluberries thrown in ( pic 1 ). The package said to add 2-4 oz (59.14 ml -118.29 ml) of cold water and let sit, then stir and consume within one hour. Well, I figured if it's dehydrated, then I might want to add hot water to re-constitute it a little quicker. So I put in 4 oz, and let it sit for 10-12 mintues. The result was a bit different (pic 2). The taste was really another matter,
. I didn't taste any milk, per se, and the bluberries were kind of soft and spongy with no taste to them. The granola was a bit soft as well but very little taste. For those of you who have had instant oatmeal, then I liken this to it. Though the kids instant stuff had more flavour. End result, not bad for a new breakfast item. I would definitely eat it again, but maybe put a pinch of nutmeg, sugar or cinnamon in it to perk up the taste.
. I did have the idea that these are like some chocolate candy our German friends might have but I can't figure out the name. We have the candy here in the US and I've seen it, but I don't know the name. (pic 3)
These are really, really good. (pic 4) These are like the peanut M & M's only except they have coffee bean in the middle. Once you bit into these you taste the chocolate caffeine and then feel the rush. I had a whole bag of these and some French Vanilla Cappuacino to wash it all down. About 2 hours later I was still buzzing 
and then crashed. Oh well.
). This is something truly nice to have along with the picante sauce. It has a very mild chile flavour that will perk up the taste buds and get them warm but not hot. I figure for those of you who like things really hot then this is a close substitute or something to get by. The consistency is very thick, has a good green color, and the hint of chiles is there. It kind of adds to the taste of a entree rather than masking it. For the forum folks in the South or Southwest then you may want to try this and see what your impression is. My guess is that you may want to add some Tabasco sauce or your own spices. Defintely a keeper if my opinion. 
Overall, all the breakfast items are very good to have but may need some add extras to improve the tastes. It is nice to see Natick Labs finally doing something on the menu rather than giving us the same ol' one entree meal.
