Crunch: 9.2

Flavor: 9.0

Appearance: 8.8

Best eaten with: Whole milk

 

Cinnamon Toast Crunch dazzles all senses with deliberateness, floridity, and specificity. For starters, its crunch profile, so help me, is the most veritably well-rounded I’ve ever experienced: from its parietal first crunch, expertly fine-tuned with a sensibility toward airiness, to its latent malty mouth feel, which sits a bit more heavily on the tongue, its bowl-life is considerable, giving its eater the time to fully relish his bowl. The generous cinnamon coating is never overwhelming and when eaten with whole milk provides a soupy, Horchata-like placenta (see “placenta” in our “Quick-Crunch” Guide) that absolutely titillates. The imperfection of the squares, although a detraction for some cereal critics, provides a home-baked aesthetic that hints at a dedication to flavor over frippery.

CTC is one of those rare cereals that demands all else stops in the wake of its crunch. It demands full attention. Its complexity in crunch profile is varied and playful. A solid showing of appearance and flavor fill out its curriculum vitae. Its placement at the top rung of not only General Mills cereals, but all cereals, is rightfully earned and will undoubtedly last.