The Double Life Of Post Raisin Bran
August 1st, 2010I’ve never cared much for the Post Raisin Bran that’s available on supermarket shelves. Sure, the raisins are nice, but the “bran” tastes and feels like texturized, shredded cardboard. So when Costco (where I do my cereal shopping) got rid of their only other edible, vegan cereal, Post Raisin Bran was not the obvious replacement.
(Side note: Costco stocks one or more Kashi cereals. They may or may not be vegan, but they seem entirely inedible to me. Kashi used to make one of my all-time favorite cereals, Chocolate Pillows, but they discontinued it back in 2004 or so.)
(Side note #2: Anyone want to invest in my new cereal, ‘GoRegular Cardboard Crunch’? It’s all natural, vegan, low in fat, sodium and sugars, and high in fiber. AND it’s made with 100% post-consumer recycled material!)
Anyway, out of desperation, I finally got around to looking at the “Premium” Post Raisin Bran. The box design is different from the supermarket version, and states that the product is “made exclusively for Kirkland Signature by Post”. The ingredients looked acceptable, so I took some home.
What a difference! It’s not heaven by any means, but it IS what I’d always imagined that raisin bran was supposed to taste like. Here’s a comparison of the ingredient lists:
POST RAISIN BRAN:
Whole grain wheat, raisins, wheat bran, sugar, corn syrup, salt, wheat flour, malted barley flour.
KIRKLAND SIGNATURE PREMIUM POST RAISIN BRAN:
Raisins (raisins, glycerin), wheat bran, whole wheat flour, cane sugar, malt extract, whole grain barley flour, molasses, grape juice concentrate, caramel color, salt, vanilla flavor, mixed tocopherols (natural vitamin E), and ascorbic acid (natural vitamin C) for freshness.
Maybe someday Post will decide to integrate its multiple Raisin Bran personalities into one, and non-Costco members will get the chance to taste the better version for themselves.