CH-CH-CH-CH-CHANGES
Have you seen blood-orange Diet Coke? Perhaps you've stood transfixed by what appears to be an entire supermarket aisle dedicated to a staggering selection of Oreo cookie choices. In today's "more is more" world, the basics no longer seem to cut it. From outrageous options such as Watermelon Perrier to Green Apple Fig Quaker Instant Oatmeal, here are 41 brands that have been experimenting with their flavor portfolio, for better or for worse.
DIET COKE
When Diet Coke was released as an alternative to Coca-Cola in 1982, it was considered new and unique. Well, the latest flavors of the soft drink designed for those watching their weight may not be packing sugar and calories, but they've full of flavors you'd least expect from the Cola giant, like Ginger Lime, Twisted Mango, Zesty Blood Orange, and Fiesty Cherry.
OREO COOKIES
We first got the classic Oreo: sweet, white cream sandwiched between two chocolate biscuits. Then when Golden and Double Stuf came into the picture, those flavors seemed to be daring. But now, the options have gone wild, from Hot & Spicy Cinnamon to Cinnamon Bun, Birthday Cake Peanut Butter, Spring (pastel yellow) to limited-edition Peeps (lilac). And don't forget to Spring (pastel yellow) to Limited-edition Peeps in purple. Don't forget the Thins in Red Velvet, Chocolate, Coconut, Salted Caramel, Mint, and Lemon.
DORITOS
Lay's Potato Chips will come out with some funky flavors every so often, but Doritos celebrates its quirkiness beyond its traditional Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch. The brand has stepped up its chip game with the fiery Flamas, ranch-dipped hot wings flavor called "Jacked," and the chile-limon Dinamita variations. Most notably, eating its new option Blaze, is "like licking a volcano," according to its packaging.
EGGO WAFFLES
When did waffles get so complicated? Homestyle waffles are now joined by Oats & Berries Blueberry, Cinnamon Toast, Chocolatey Chip, "Finding Dory" Blueberry Bubbles, and the eye-catching, limited-edition Spiderman Mixed Berry Marvel Waffles that comes in the shape of a spiderweb.
SPECIAL K CEREAL
Again, Special K was once all you needed to put on the shopping list. Now you have to be more specific as choices include Cinnamon Brown Sugar Crunch, Vanilla Almond, Red Berries, Blueberry with Lemon Clusters, Cinnamon Pecan, Chocolate Almond, Apple Cinnamon Crunch, Honey Oat, and in the Nourish lineup, Coconut Cranberry Almond.
HOSTESS CUPCAKES
The classic Hostess CupCake started off as chocolate cake with creamy white filling and that signature white squiggle on top. Then came the Golden and Orange flavors, which, although seemed exotic at one point, are no longer novel now that Sea Salt Caramel, Strawberry, and Mint Chocolate are now in the mix.
PEPPERIDGE FARM GOLDFISH
Who doesn't love this original baked snack cracker, the staple of many a childhood? But today's kids can also snack on Cheddar, Pretzel, Parmesan, Pizza, Grahams Vanilla Cupcake, or even Flavor Blasted options such as Wild White Cheddar or Xplosive Pizza. That's a lot of fish swimming in that bowl.
PEPPERIDGE FARM CHUNK COOKIES
Speaking of Pepperidge Farm, if you get past the Milano cookie offerings, you'll likely be swept up in the cross-country trek provided by its Chunk Cookies. These soft-baked delights take you from Captiva (Dark Chocolate Brownie) to Chesapeake (Dark Chocolate Pecan), plus side trips to Nantucket, Sausalito, Lexington, Maui, Montauk, Tahoe, Santa Cruz, and more.
NONNI'S BISCOTTI
Who knew Nonni was such a creative cook? The Italian favorite comes in Originali and Cioccolati, but hang on tight because you can also dip Dark Chocolate Almond, Turtle Pecan, Toffee Almond, Salted Caramel, Triple Chocolate, Ginger Spice, and Limone biscotti into your coffee.
CHEEZ-IT CRACKERS
You'll have to look more closely at Cheez-It's classic red box before you head over to the cash register. You might not want to accidentally pick up Pepper Jack, Hot & Spicy, or Italian Four Cheese flavors while you're searching for the original. The madness doesn't stop there though. There's the new Cheese Pizza with whole grain, and reduced-fat and special-edition variations (like "Star Wars"). Let's not forget Cheez-It's Duoz, which includes combinations like Caramel Popcorn and Cheddar, and Jalapeno and Cheddar Jack. That's a lot of cheez.
TRISCUIT CRACKERS
Remember when Triscuits were just a wheat cracker with an unusual texture? Well, it's come a long way since with today's unexpected choices like Cilantro & Lime, Balsamic Vinegar & Basil, Rye with Caraway Seeds, Smoked Gouda, Mediterranean-Style Olive, Fire-Roasted Tomato & Olive Oil, Four Cheese & Herb, Ginger & Lemongrass, Fig & Honey, and Dill Sea Salt & Olive Oil.
BLUE DIAMOND ALMONDS
So, you have your regular Blue Diamond tins full of Whole Natural, Lightly Salted, and Roasted Salted almonds. But hold on there, that's not it. There's also Wasabi & Soy Sauce, Sriracha, Toasted Coconut, Sweet Thai Chili, Smokehouse, Honey Roasted Cinnamon, Salt 'n Vinegar, Habanero BBQ, Salted Caramel, and more.
POP SECRET POPCORN
This brand of premium microwave popcorn gives you some spins on the same theme. It's almost like an old "Saturday Night Live" skit -- you can have Butter, Extra Butter, Double Butter, 94-percent Fat Free Butter, Jumbo Pop Butter, and yes, Movie Theater Butter. Who was in on these taste tests?
FRESH GOURMET CROUTONS
Back in the day, we used to have boring, one-note croutons, and Fresh Gourmet has seem to take note of that. These crunchy salad toppings now come in a variety of options like Classic Caesar, Cheese & Garlic, Butter & Garlic, Italian Seasoning, Garden Herb, Texas Toast, Focaccia Roasted Garlic, Sweet Butter Cornbread, and more.
TRIDENT SUGARLESS GUM
This gum comes in -- to name just a few -- Original, Mint Bliss, Cinnamon, Black Raspberry Twist, Perfect Peppermint, Tropical Twist, Watermelon Twist. And then there are its Layers collection, with Watermelon & Tropical Fruit; Strawberry & Citrus; and Swedish Fish, a mix of cherry and lemon. Chew on that.
V8 VEGETABLE JUICE
Like Hawaiian Punch, V8 was a drink in itself. Now the vegetable-packed beverage brand has variations on the classic that include Purple Power, Pineapple Passion, Fusion Pomegranate Blueberry, Fusion Light Strawberry Banana, Carrot Mango, Spicy Hot, and Splash variants such as Cherry Pomegranate, Citrus Punch, and Pineapple Coconut.
OCEAN SPRAY CRANBERRY JUICE
Ocean Spray may be known for its cranberry juice, but this company has really cornered the fruit juice market with a bevy of flavors like Cran-Mango, Lemonade, Tangerine, Cherry, Strawberry, Grape, Raspberry, Pomegranate, Apple, Pineapple, and White Cranberry.
PERRIER
Ah, the elegant sound of "I'll have a Perrier, please." L'Orange, Pink Grapefruit, Lemon, and Lime have joined the sophisticated original sparkling water. OK, we were still with it until we realized Perrier also offers Green Apple, Strawberry, and Watermelon.
HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH SALAD DRESSING
This brand is well known for its ranch dressing, in original and light versions. But now, they've joined the flavor craze with ranch variations including Cilantro Lime, Buttermilk, Avocado, Cucumber, Sriracha, Roasted Garlic, Buffalo, and Spicy (with real habaneros).
PROGRESSO CHICKEN SOUP
Craving some hearty Progresso chicken soup on a chilly afternoon? Well, did you want Chicken Barley or Chicken & Orzo with Lemon? Hearty Chicken Pot Pie Style or Roasted Chicken Primavera? Chicken & Wild Rice or Chicken & Sausage Gumbo? Chickarina with meatballs or Hearty Chicken & Rotini? And that's just a sampling of Progresso's over-the-top offerings.
LAWRY'S MARINADES
You couldn't have enough barbecues to use all the flavors of Lawry's marinades, which include Signature Italian, Herb & Garlic, Signature Steakhouse, Teriyaki, Sweet Asian BBQ, Caribbean Jerk, Baja Chipotle, Zesty Seafood, Sesame Ginger, Mesquite, Steak & Chop, Santa Fe Chili, Cajun, Mediterranean Herb & White Wine, Hawaiian, to name a few.
UNCLE BEN'S READY RICE
Yes, there are Original White and Whole Grain Brown rice options with Uncle Ben's. But you'll also find Jasmine, Brown Basmati, Cheddar Broccoli, Teriyaki Style, Long Grain & Wild, Garden Vegetable, Creamy Four Cheese with Vermicelli, Roasted Chicken, Pinto Beans & Rice Mexican Style, and Jambalaya.
CELESTIAL SEASONINGS TEA
Sure, we all know about Celestial Seasonings' Sleepytime tea, but did you know that you can also find this relaxer in flavors like honey and peach? Its Zinger collection now features not only options like Red, Tangerine Orange, and Raspberry, but also Sangria. Other unexpected picks include those with fanciful names such as Mint Magic and Jammin' Lemon Ginger.
BETTY CROCKER CAKE MIXES
For those times when you just don't want to go to the bakery or make your cake from scratch, there's Betty Crocker. You can whip up your own cakes from its bevy of mixes, like Angel Food, Fudge Marble, French Vanilla, Lemon Supreme, Spice Cake, Red Velvet, Butter Pecan, German Chocolate, Cherry Chip, and Strawberry -- all with a few simple ingredients.
QUAKER INSTANT OATMEAL
We used to have to dress up oatmeal on our own, but those days are long gone now that Quaker has gone wild with its options, from Maple & Brown Sugar to Cinnamon & Spice, and Strawberries & Cream to Raisin, Date & Walnut. But we were taken aback by combinations such as Banana & Maple and Green Apple Fig.
POP-TARTS TOASTER PASTRIES
Remember a strawberry frosted Pop-Tart? It seemed so decadent when you were a kid. Now, kids of all ages can turn to this brand for Cinnamon Roll, Cookies & Creme, S'mores, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Dunkin' Donuts Chocolate Mocha, Vanilla Latte, and perhaps the most unappealing, Jolly Rancher, which comes in Cherry, Watermelon, and Green Apple.
TOSTITOS SALSAS
Chips and salsa have always gone hand in hand, but now they're getting some extra special treatment with Tostitos's plethora of choices: Chunky Salsa in Mild or Medium, Salsa Con Queso, Queso Blanco Dip, Creamy Spinach Dip, Zesty Bean & Cheese Dip, Chunky Habanero Salsa, Splash of Lime Salsa, Chipotle Salsa, and Roasted Garlic Salsa.
INTERNATIONAL DELIGHTS CREAMERS
International Delight Creamers created a coffeehouse experience at home with its countless options that include White Chocolate Macadamia, Southern Butter Pecan, Salted Caramel Mocha, French Vanilla, Amaretto, Caramel Macchiato, Cold Stone Creamery Sweet Cream, Irish Crème, Hershey's Chocolate Caramel, Almond Joy, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.
YOPLAIT YOGURT
Does anyone eat plain yogurt anymore? Yoplait's options -- from its original, to Whips and Light incarnations include flavors such as Orange Crème, Key Lime Pie, Strawberry Mist, Mountain Blueberry, Harvest Peach, Lemon Burst, Cherry Orchard, Girl Scout Cookie Peanut Butter Chocolate, Thin Mints, and Boston Cream Pie.
BUSH'S BAKED BEANS
The company offers a staggering selection of all kinds of baked beans. It's no surprise since Bush's Best has been around since 1908. But if you take a look at the "traditional" baked beans, you'll end up finding everything including Original, Brown Sugar Hickory, Country Style, Homestyle, Maple Cured Bacon, Vegetarian, and Barbecue.
PREGO ITALIAN SAUCES
What to put on your spaghetti? If you look to Prego, then you can choose from a buffet of flavors such as Traditional Italian Sauce Flavored with Meat, Tomato Basil Garlic, Fresh Mushroom, Marinara, Three Cheese, Italian Sausage with Garlic, Roasted Garlic & Herb, Mini Meatball, and Roasted Garlic Parmesan.
GHIRARDELLI INTENSE DARK CHOCOLATE BARS
Let's end this one on a sweet note. Ghiradelli's dark chocolate bars come in variations including 60% Cocoa (Evening Dream), 72% (Twilight Delight), 86% (Midnight Reverie), and 92% (Moonlight Mystique). But the line also includes flavors such as Toffee Interlude, Sea Salt Soiree, Raspberry Radiance, Cherry Tango, Hazelnut Heaven, Cabernet Matinee, and Cashew Crescendo.
