Kotas Reviews Cinnamon Roll Pop Tarts

I've waxed nostalgic about cinnamon rolls in the past, and I still stand by those words. The Cinnamon Roll is my go to baked good of choice. It straddles the realms of doughnuts and cakes, and yet is a unique spin on both. Ah, how I love thee, Cinnamon Roll. If only there was a good way to encapsulate your wonders in a toastable food product. Oh wait, I guess we have Pop Tarts. Let's get on with this.

I suppose it is at least trying

I like Pop Tarts. They are basically a comfort food, and there were a couple of weeks in grad school where I ate almost nothing but Pop Tarts for dinner, because they had a yuuuuuuuge sale. They also have a stupid amount of flavors from the humble Frosted Cherry to, uh, more unique offerings. Me, I'm a traditionalist. I like me some Cherry, Strawberry, and that's usually about it. Most other flavors are meh, and some are just...why are we calling them breakfast when they are more like dessert? Anyway, this one looks alright. It's Frosted, but not in a ridiculous sort of way, and the filling looks like yummy nummy cinnamon roll filling! Let's see how it goes!

It done broke weird.

The smell off of these things is almost but not quite unlike a cinnamon...something. Not a cinnamon roll, you understand, but definitely something with cinnamon. They look alright, as Pop Tarts should, but with the unique characteristics of the filling. Sadly, the flavor just isn't there. It's sorta cinnamon-ish, maybe, but it is not very strong and is really more brown sugar flavored more than anything. The "frosting" seems to clash with that flavor rather than compliment or enhance it. It's almost as if they focused more on the look than the taste. It sets expectations that it simply cannot meet. I wouldn't call it an abject failure, but it certainly does not live up to its claims of being "cinnamon roll" flavored. 

On the FACE Rating System, this gets a single Frowny Face. There are worse flavors of Pop Tarts, but this one sets up enough expectations that when it fails to achieve them it leaves a (pardon the pun) bad taste in the mouth. Someone with lower standards might give this a pass, but I do not. I really wouldn't bother with these, though if someone puts on in your hand its not gonna kill ya to take a bite. Unless you are allergic to disappointment, I guess.