Sunday, June 24, 2007

Going Ape Over This Coffee


I decided I'm sick and tired of drinking crappy coffee at home. Generally when my coffee is putrid (hello, most store brands), I'll just use some flavored coffee creamer to mask the putrid taste and then get a decent cup of joe on the way to work. But no more. First of all, who needs all the calories that are in the flavored coffee creamers and secondly, there must be somebody out there who can give me the proper beans to brew a wonderful cup of coffee. This past weekend I braved Whole Foods in Union Square because I was too lazy to go to the store on Houston. I decided to take a look at the coffee the store carries, sniffing a few bags along the way. I laid my eyes on the bright red and black packaging of Gorilla Coffee, choosing the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe (easy for you to say maybe). I had no idea what to expect but my nose really liked this coffee even if my wallet didn't. I carried my new find up to the not-too-unreasonable-for-a-Saturday Whole Foods line, all the while breathing in the delicious fragrance of what I hoped was maybe the best cup of coffee I might ever have. And it does not disappoint. After grinding my beans, I waited anxiously for my morning coffee and I was thrilled to find that I spent my money wisely this time. The coffee is smooth and absolutely fantastic. According to the packaging, Gorilla is an independent "micro-roastery" in Brooklyn, N.Y. Their coffee is made in small batches and each bag has a "roast date." The company sells to select stores and food shops so hopefully there's one by you. If not, Gorilla sells their products by mail via their site. Additional flavors include Sumatra Gayoland, Brazil, Espresso-A-Go-Go, and Blendamentosis, among others. Best joe I've ever had, and I'm not monkeying around.

www.gorillacoffee.com

Pepperidge Farm Remembers Cereal


While on a recent visit to Food Emporium, I noticed a presumably new granola cereal from Pepperidge Farm. Saddled with the not-very-creative name "All Natural Cereal," I decided to go with the Harvest Apple Cinnamon flavor over its siblings--Cinnamon Raisin, Triple Nut, and Maple Glazed Pecan. Not an easy choice given that I think all of the flavors sound terrific. I believe that this is Pepperidge Farm's first entry into cereal territory and they've come up with quite a winner. The granola blends a bunch of ingredients including raisins, walnuts, brown rice, ground hazelnuts, almonds, pecans and brazil nuts, as well as a healthy dose of Granny Smith apple pieces and a bit of cinnamon, which make the granola into a tasty treat. It's so good that I'm going to pick up a couple of more bags and eat it as a snack at work. I'm looking forward to trying the other flavors which will probably be more widely available soon if they aren't already. Strangely I could not find one mention of this product on the internet and it is not listed on Pepperidge Farm's site. There's also no "new" tag on the product so perhaps this is a product being tested. If it is, the company needn't worry as this is a cereal that I am happy to wake up for.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Latest Obsession

New product alert and must have: True Orange, the newest entry in Grand Brands' line of powdered flavors. I'm a big fan of the True Lemon already but have yet to try True Lime. These are a bit difficult to locate although I've had success at many Gristede's supermarkets in the City. Also on the lookout for True Orange Plus and True Lemon Plus which are more in the "on the go" category. According to the company's site, the Pluses are available at Target. Hmm, maybe my buddy Kristin can help me out with this.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

TUC This In Your Mouth


I came across a display in Associated housing something called TUC, small yellow packages of crackers. Being that I was unfamiliar with this brand I took a closer look and noticed the European styling of the packaging as well as the intriguing flavors: salt & pepper, paprika, sesame and original. I struggled with the decision to go with salt & pepper over paprika which is kind of like choosing between butterscotch and caramel. I wasn't all that excited over crackers to be honest but hey, salt and pepper is a great flavor for potato chips so it must be pretty good for crackers too. Pretty good is an understatement. TUC is the bomb! There is no need to put anything on these babies as they are outstanding just by themselves. The taste of the salt and pepper really pops and I dare you not to eat the entire package in one or two sittings. And they were reasonably priced at $1.09 for 3.53 ounces so guess who's going back for paprika and another salt and pepper? (note: I did try the paprika flavor and did not care for it. S&P is the way to go.) A few little tidbits about these crackers: TUC stands for "The Unique Cracker," and indeed it is. Also hold a cracker up to the light--you'll see the word "TUC" in pinpricks on the cracker. I assume that has something to do with the baking process but it also gives the cracker a "unique" touch. I'm not sure exactly where these crackers come from--the site says the company is in Ireland, the package lists France, but it doesn't matter. If you're lucky enough to find TUC in your market, give them a try. I guarantee a Truly Unbelievable enCounter!

http://www.jacobfruitfield.com/brands/tuc/

Monday, June 18, 2007

Glory, Glory Hallelujah


I prefer canned vegetables as my fresh stuff goes bad most of the time before I have a chance to use them. I lean toward the less-known brands rather than the Del Montes and Green Giants of the supermarket world. There's nothing wrong with them at all; it's just that my taste buds prefer veggies with some Southern-style kick to them. I believe I've found THE BEST in this category: Glory Foods' line of "Sensibly Seasoned" vegetables. I picked up a can of the turnip greens to check out, not really expecting much. Boy, was I wrong. The turnip greens were tasty and perfectly seasoned. I took a look at the company's site for more info and found they have an extensive line of this type of "healthier for you" canned veggies. Lower in sodium, fat and meatless, Glory Foods also includes such staples as tomatoes & okra; okra & corn; blackeye peas; mixed greens; and red, pinto and black beans. I am a huge fan of okra so I'm hoping I can find some of these other delicious concoctions on the shelves somewhere. If you're also curious, here's some other offerings listed on Glory's site: fried apples, savory sauerkraut, New Orleans style creole rice, among many, many others. These aren't "Sensibly Seasoned" but they make sense to me. Keep your eyes peeled for the orangy-brown label and give it a try. You'll soon be singing to the heavens too!

http://www.gloryfoods.com

Sunday, June 17, 2007

I'm Wild For This Strawberry

No sooner do I write that I'm done with "on the go" beverage mixes when I spot Crystal Light's Wild Strawberry-flavored On The Go Energy drink mix nearby the checkout aisle. I am a sucker for strawberry and the pink package is so cute so, oh alright I'll give it a try. I'm happy to say that not only is the beverage, when mixed, also a cute pink but it's also tres tasty. I do find it to be too sweet and I always add more H2O to water it down (of course I could always put less mix in the bottle but why make it easier?) but it's got a wonderful strawberry flavoring that does not taste artificial like so many of the berry-tinged beverages. I also want to point out that Crystal Light has another winner in its On The Go line in the White Tea with Blueberry flavor. It also has a surprisingly nice blueberry flavor and is an excellent antioxidant drink if you are looking for that type of beverage. The strawberry mix contains 60mg of caffeine per serving (hence the "energy" tag) while both have aspertame as the sweetener. So depending on your mood and/or taste, you can go for the Crystal Light aspertame, or the PUR Flavor Options' flavored water which contains sucralose. Mmmm, artificial...


http://www.crystallight.com

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Flavorful Water Is PUR Genius


I finally broke down and ordered the PUR Flavor Options from drugstore.com. I figured since it came with a free pack of the peach flavor cartridges that it was a good deal (which it was), plus I simply could not find it anywhere in New York City. I guess the store buyers weren't convinced that anyone would purchase this pitcher except me. I am not a big fan of drinking plain water. However I've also been trying to kick the soda habit and oh yeah, water is good for you. What I've been doing for years is buying the "on the go" packets of powder and adding it to my water which always seem to be too sweet. It didn't seem to make much sense that I was "on the go"-ing while I'm in my home watching the Mets and drinking water. There must be something better and it finally arrived. The PUR Flavor Options is a brilliant idea for those who are fans of flavored water. The product puts all of the flavor decision in your hands: you can have as little or as much of peach, raspberry or strawberry flavor, you desire, or none at all. And they've finally added a light on the pitcher which indicates when you should change the filter. In all my years of using first Brita and now PUR, I swear the indicator on the filter never moved. One you get the hang of using the pitcher, you'll love it. One issue is finding a store that actually carries the cartridges but I'm sure now that I've purchased the product I'll see it everywhere I go (doesn't it always work that way?). I'd like to see a lemon and a mango flavor sometime soon too. To borrow from the Guinness ads: "Brilliant!"

www.purflavoroptions.com

Thursday, June 7, 2007

Deer Me! Caribou's Coffee Bars


Many of us on the East Coast don't know much or haven't heard of Caribou Coffee. It's a Minneapolis-based chain that has stores in 18 states, none of them close to New York City. They have a cute logo and name and I've read about them from time to time in the advertising press. I am always intrigued by smaller companies that make good coffee (Green Mountain, New England) being that I am not a big fan of Starbuck's. Too crowded, too burnt coffee-ish and too expensive. I was trolling the local Key Food and lo and behold what is that I see on the shelves nearby the coffee? Yesssss, to borrow from Marv Albert--boxes of Caribou Coffee Chocolate Mocha and Vanilla Latte granola bars. Coffee is an ingredient that seems to be popping up in foods items alot recently, with mixed results. Wrigley's had a coffee gum they were testing (um, we use gum to get the coffee taste OUT of our mouths) and considering I try to give the benefit of the doubt to the thought behind almost every product, that gum was truly awful. The Caribou Coffee bars are quite the opposite: the coffee taste--while noticeable--is not overpowering and mixes well with the chocolate or vanilla flavors. The bars are a tad sweet but they are a perfect pick-me-up for the afternoon doldrums. The company has just made available two more flavors--Caramel Highrise and Mint Condition, both of which I'll be on the lookout for. You might have a tough time finding these but trust me, they're worth tracking down. Happy hunting.


http://www.cariboucoffee.com/coffeebars/index.asp

Sunday, June 3, 2007

Is There Joy In Soyville?


I've noticed these new nutrition bars in the aisle of Duane Reade for the past couple of weeks. I wasn't that interested as the word "Soy" is part of its title and heaven knows I get enough soy from all the edamame I eat. However my countless visits to Duane Reade and careful placement of the SoyJoy bars in the store forced me to take notice of the product. I grabbed a couple--Apple and Mango Coconut--and it was time to get my chew on. I was struck by the fact that the bar weighs close to nothing, almost as though there's just air in the package. Opening the wrapper I saw the most awful-looking bar I've ever seen--it's like a compressed long square .... thing. It reminds me of a squashed, old Italian cookie that was laying around Aunt Rosemarie's kitchen since 1976. You know the kind--maybe as a kid you visited your Great Aunt and Uncle and they gave you a cookie that was seriously old, probably with expired milk. (Well maybe you didn't but I did.) Back to the subject. Of course just because the bar looks terrible doesn't mean it tastes bad, I tell myself. SoyJoy has got to be the driest product I've ever eaten. There's no moisture whatsoever so it's a bit crumbly. On taste alone, it's not bad; the bars taste the way they're supposed to but it made me want a cup of iced coffee pronto. I didn't find it to be the least bit filling, even though the company is calling SoyJoy a "nutritious, portion-controlled snack." Maybe for Nicole Richie. Joy? Not for me. And at $1.59 per bar I'll spend my money on a bag of edamame.

www.soyjoy.com

Saturday, June 2, 2007

A Luna Tea Cake Landing



Being the typical New Yorker who's always on the run, I try to have a nutritional or "energy" bar on hand at all times. I tend to think of bars in the following ways: a PowerBar is somewhat masculine, while Balance bars are sort of unisex. Then there's ones in the middle: Clif, Odwalla, the list goes on and on. One of my favorites is Luna, a bar especially made for women. They're more dainty than most bars and come in several tasty flavors. They may not be as temptingly delicious as they sound--Chocolate Peppermint Stick, Peanut Butter Cookie--but they don't taste like a shoe either. In addition to the usual fare, the company has come up with a product called Luna Tea Cakes. When I first read about these, I wasn't sure what to make of them as they sound like something I should eat while visiting Queen Elizabeth. The Tea Cakes are also not shaped like the usual bars; instead they are a mere 1 inch by 2.5 inches and come in a set of two with a "perforated" cut in the middle for easy snacking on the run. They are thicker and more tasty (they're infused with The Republic of Tea teas) than the bars as well but if you're like me, you'll wind up eating two of them. The flavors and claims on the packaging are interesting as well: Orange Blossom is for "healthy skin," while Berry Pomegranate gives you "longevity," and Vanilla Macadamia promotes "mood balance." So I guess if I eat enough of these I'll live a long time, have terrific skin and fly through menopause with no problem. Sounds good to me. If you do give these a try--and you should, especially Orange Blossom--make sure you "Take a Luna Moment," which is printed inside each package. I'm sure no one who's eaten this product has even noticed that someone worked very hard to come up with such positive reinforcement.

www.lunabar.com