Granosoya Granola Cereal REVIEW *Christmas Edition*

Merry Christmas, happy new year, and happy holidays to all. After a bit of hiatus here on Granola Breakfast, I´m back in action with the very first granola cereal that I have ever consumed here in Ecuador; and it´s a good one too.

From as far as I can tell Cereales Gigy´s Granosoya is a small local product local to Ecuador´s capital Quito. On their Facebook page (which will be provided below) they even say that they will deliver their product to any home within Quito, free of charge. You will only pay the advertised price of the item and no delivery fee. I obtained my Granosoya as a gift, so this is an option I will be sure to try in the future to see just how true to their word they will be. Speaking of prices and delivery; for those who live in Quito and can take advantage of the free delivery, or for anyone living in or traveling Ecuador, at the time of writing this blog post their Facebook page is advertising a deal of four granolas for the price of $8.99. Although, the last update seems to be a year old so I´m not sure if this deal is still active. Either way it would be a great holiday gift for any granola lover like myself. I´m not sure you can purchase this product overseas, but if you are in Ecuador on vacation, why not bring some home with you.

As I have already suggested picking this product up as a holiday treat, it must be evident that I am already a fan of this breakfast food. The Facebook page says that this cereal is `Libre azucar´ which is not true. Perhaps they are refering to procesed sugars but the ingredients on the back of the label list panela. Panela, although a natural unrefined whole cane sugar, is sugar. Overall It is indeed an ´alimento sano y natural´ (clean and healthy), but I don´t appreciate the strange mixed advertising between their Facebook and their listed ingredients on the physical label. I can only hope they fix this in the future. The ingredients on the label include: oats, panela, vegetable oil, soy, wheat bran, linseed, zambo seed, almonds, raisins, walnuts, coconut, and vanilla. Many staples of a typical yet tasty granola cereal. However on the site they only list: coconut, raisins, almonds, walnuts, zambo seed, and wheat bran. As well the stated that their product is sugar free.

The odd discrepancy aside, I do like their additon of panela into this cereal. It isn´t too sweet, it is only enough to add a bit of flavour to your bite. Panela does have a slightly different flavour than other sugars, and either do to it´s natural properties or to the amount added in every bag, it does not over-flavour the cereal. It just adds an oomph. I really enjoy the flavour of this product. For me it is the right amount of natural ingredients with the tiny boost of sweetness to keep you craving more. It is a good healthy option for long-time granola lovers or casual eaters. For me it could have had a bit more cauntity of raisins, but that is more of a minor complaint. The sweetness of the raisin is not necessary with this cereal, but I do love my raisins.

With this close up above, you can see that there isn´t much in the way of clumps, but that is typical of less sugary granolas. For me a great balance of natural flavour and clump is the ultimate measure of an enjoyable cereal; but it is not always necesary and do to the sum of the cereals parts, the overall eating experience is what matters most. My overall experince with Granosoya has been a pleasent one.

I would highly recommend eating this cereal in a bowl or large mug full of cold milk with a side of mixed fruits (I chose mango, banana, and maracuya), and a large cup of coffee. It will give you an easy early morning experience where no one in the world can bother you. You can spend as long as it takes you to eat it cozied up with a book in the early morning sun. Whether you are in Canada, Spain, Ecuador, or Bali, if you can get your hands on this product you too can enjoy a healthy tropical granola.

Happy holidays, everyone.