Kellogg’s Raisin Bran
Delicious Raisins Perfectly Balanced with Crisp, Toasted Bran Flakes
vs
Post Raisin Bran
Whole Grain Wheat & Bran Cereal
Today, I’m doing a bowl-to-bowl comparison of the two Titans in the world of Raisin Bran, Post vs Kellogg’s!
One week in and we’re already getting gimmicky.
These two cereals are natural competitors. They share the same name. They both put lots of emphasis on the amount of raisins in their cereal. In fact, they brag about the number of scoops, which is a cute thought. As if each box is individually packaged just for you with the perfect number of scoops as opposed the reality which is just an assembly line of flowing raisins and an even faster moving stream of bran flakes.
Credit where credit is due, Jerry Seinfeld already did pinnacle of Raisin Bran humor with this bit
but honestly, I think he’s a little harsh on Raisin Bran. Raisin Bran is a cereal that everyone’s had for some reason. It’s definitely not a kid’s cereal but I never really minded eating it. It’s also not for people who have given up because you don’t just start a wildly successful cereal blog after you’ve given up, right? Right??
One thing about these cereals that needs to mentioned is the polarizing nature of the raisin. People who don’t like raisins are so vocal about it. I’ve heard people say that oatmeal raisin cookies are the reason that they have trust issues because they thought they were going to bite into a chocolate chip cookie. Now obviously, chocolate chip cookies are better and why waste your time making a healthy cookie but developing trust issues from a cookie? pull yourself together. Never have I looked at a raisin and thought “wow, what a strange and wrinkly chocolate chip” but I also have 20/20 vision and keen observational skills so maybe I’m in the minority.
Anyway, it goes without saying but if you’re part of the population that is strongly anti-raisin, then this discussion is not for you. But if Raisin Bran is part of your breakfast rotation, then get ready for some continued exhaustive and belabored cereal commentary.
Now, for the comparison.
Post Raisin Bran has more of a classic design to it. The typography of the logo is essentially one color with a subtle bevel. It sits on a straight line and the lettering is relatively no-nonsense. The box design features a bowl of cereal floating in a sea of raisins accompanied by a scoop(er?) and a box of Sun-Maid Raisins. The iconic red box is a noteworthy co-sign and hints that their raisins are better than the competition. This is the only mention, however subtle, to the quality of raisin. Right next to the box is a sign that reads “Hundreds of Raisins in Every Box.” But as Mr. Seinfeld stated, we get it. There are enough raisins.
The cereal itself isn’t anything to write home about, even though it’s apparently enough to write a blog about. It’s Bran Flakes plus raisins and you already know how I feel about Bran Flakes. It’s not an especially noteworthy flavor although the raisins do add a textural variety that is unique to the cereals I’ve reviewed so far. But obviously, that fact alone does not heighten Post’s version above Kellogg. The differences, however minor, can be noted in mouthfeel, sweetness and raisin quality.
(I was gonna do a write-up on each cereal individually and then compare but this ain’t homework so we’re just gonna go straight into the comparison. And my write up on Kellogg’s version would’ve been a paragraph of “what the deal with the Sun? commentary”)
Mouthfeel: edge goes to Kellogg’s
This is separate from taste. Mouthfeel is really difficult to explain but one example of bad mouth feel is greek yogurt. No idea what it is but that stuff just feels wrong. And that’s kinda how I picked a winner for this. It’s kinda more welcoming. I don’t know, man. It’s real subtle. Maybe in a year I’ll be able to articulate why it feels better but the Kellogg version is just more enjoyable in your mouth.
Sweetness: Kellogg, there’s a little bit of a glaze on the raisins and if you check the ingredient list you’ll find that Kellogg’s Bran has a brown sugar syrup which may or may not make a difference aaaaand I’m fully just making things up now.
So here is my honest review:
The difference is super negligible. The Kellogg’s version has a holding two scoops of Raisins which for some reason I do not like because it’s supposed to be like “oh I’m the sun, I dried these grapes myself” and that bothers me. However, the Post version is just boring and it has a dopey “Goodness Word Search” on the back with words like Bran, Fun and Fiber in them which is so lame that I can’t possibly recommend that in good conscience OR good conscious.
Jerry Seinfeld is right, if you’re eating this you’ve given up and here I am stuck with a blog thats a probably three days too late and two boxes of cereal that I don’t want to eat. Maybe I’ll make the muffin recipe on the back of the Post version so I guess Post wins because there’s a muffin recipe.
POST WINS!
Now go get yourself a bowl of something fun.
a cereal blog 