Applesauce is always good: it works in a variety of situations, from when you’re sick and need something light, to when you just want something to go along with your ham sandwich. It also has a nice texture, capable of being guzzled down when you don’t have utensils, or eaten with a spoon—hell, if you’re in enough of a bind, it’s generally thick enough that you can even use a fork if you find yourself in a situation where you have nothing else (I know this one from experience).

Cinnamon applesauce, on the other hand, takes things to a whole ‘nother level. Of course, it adds another layer of sweetness—unnecessary by some people’s accounts no doubt—but also ups the ante in terms of pure flavor. Everyone knows that baked apples (the ones with cinnamon sugar on top) are perfect, so that’s the whole idea here, carried over into applesauce form. The end result is hard to mess up.

So hard, in fact, that not even Kroger can fuck it up: this is some good cinnamon applesauce, just as virtually every version is good. As I mentioned, there’s quite a bit of sweetness here, but thankfully it’s still the apples that shine through front and center—the cinnamon skirts through a second or so later, noticeably hitting the tastebuds, although not as strongly as some, and not as much as you might think. It almost comes off as a secondary flavor in the peripheral tastebuds; almost subtle in a way, if cinnamon could be all that subtle in anything at all.

I have to say that I’m pretty impressed here: it’s a very flavorful applesauce that doesn’t break any new ground, but does what it’s supposed to do and does it well. Value is actually pretty solid, with a $1.39 asking price for six 4 oz. cups, making it an even better deal than Walmart’s (by a mere $.04) when both are not on sale.

It’s not very often that I like anything from Kroger, but this is probably one of the better buys from within their four shitty walls.

Overall: 8/10. A great example of cinnamon applesauce, and one that’s more affordable than other store brands? Wow, Kroger actually manages to do something right for once here. The cinnamon and apple are perfectly balanced to create a deliciously sweet flavor combination where the apples are still the star of the show. There’s really nothing fanciful or unique here, but it’s still executed pretty well, while the individual cups make this a great idea for taking on the go, or packing in school lunches. While I definitely wouldn’t go out of my way to get these at Kroger, this is one of the few things I wouldn’t hesitate to get here, should my worst nightmare come true of finding myself inside one of their stores.