A sweet but not too unhealthy treat! (Quaker Snack-A-Jacks Caramel)

Member Name: marymoose

Product:	Quaker Snack-A-Jacks Caramel
Date:	27/07/09 (171 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A nice caramel flavour, not too many calories!

Disadvantages: Not the cheapest snack, have to be in a certain kind of mood!

---Intro---
Having found the perfect snack in the shape of Quaker's Snack-A-Jacks Sour Cream & Chive flavoured rice and corn snacks, I was eager to try the other available flavours. Imagine my sheer delight when I found that our Tesco was selling the other flavours (they weren't before) and on offer - 2 packs of 6 bags for £3. So, I put a pack of Salt and Vinegar and pack of Caramel in our trolley. I have already reviewed the Salt and Vinegar flavour which I enjoyed, but now it's time for a sweet treat with the Caramel ones.


---The Packet---
The individual packet is an orange colour with pictures of the snack-a-jacks. On the back there is a little quote from some random member of the public about a 'Wicked Hair Do - there's different ones on each packet, which are quite random. Then there's the obligatory nutritional information, and the pack boasts that it's just 3% fat.


---What's in them---
Each 25g pack (the other flavours are 22g) contains 101 calories, which is more than the other flavours, but I think that's to be expected since it's a caramel flavour! But still, it's not exactly high calorie! Then there's 7.5g sugars (8% rda), obviously more than the other flavours, 0.8g fat, 0.2g saturates, and 0.1g salt (just 2% of rda). The lower salt than other flavours is again to be expected, not entirely sure why it needs any really, but still it's not that much.

Ingredients are Rice, Maize (with germ removed), sugarm caramel flavour (milk powder, salt, flavourings, butter and lactose from milk, colour (sulphite ammonia caramel), sunflower oil, soya lecithin.

These snacks are suitable for coeliacs, and vegetarians. There is no allergy info on the packet (or on the main packet either), but judging by the ingredients they won't be suitable for the lactose intolerant.


---Inside the packet---
On opening the packet I get a rich, sweet and sickly caramel smell. I really like the smell, but I don't think it'll be for everyone.

Each snack is about an inch and a half in diameter, and is like a mini rice cake except more golden yellow in colour, and shiny - looks like it has a glaze over it. They look quite different from the savoury ones. Just to look at you can tell they'll be nice and sweet. My packet contained 13 snacks.


---The Eating Experience---
First rice cake, and they have much more of a crunch than the other flavours.

The taste is not as strong as the smell would suggest. They leave a lovely sweet flavour in my mouth and I can't wait to get the next one. I think though that's partly because I'm so hungry having put off my snack by writing this review!

I like to hold the rice cake in my mouth for a few seconds and lick the sweet sugary glaze.

If I'm going to compare them to anything really it would be toffee flavoured popcorn, but then they're not really much like that. But then they're also quite different from savoury rice cakes due to the crunchy texture.

They leave a slight stickiness on my fingers and a few bits between my teeth, but far less messy than normal rice cakes.


---My thoughts---
I did enjoy my caramel snacks, and they seemed to hit the spot. On the whole I do prefer savoury snacks, and if I did happen to be in a really sweet mood then these might not quite do it.

However, I would certainly buy this flavour again as something for a bit of a change.


---Other---
My packet has 8 months before it expires, so these do have a good shelf life - not that they'd last long in our house!

The 6 pack of 25g packs which I bought currently retails at Tesco for £1.99, or two packs for £3.

Alternatively you can currently pay 48p for a 26g pack (slightly more than the 22g packs in the multipack), or 3 for £1.20. Obviously this works out more expensive, although our Tesco does stock a variety of flavours in this size packet.

For more info visit www.snackajacks.co.uk

Summary: Try these, but not if you don't like caramel flavour, or rice cakes!