A few weeks ago, I was invited to try out the SmartCoffee App. The app was created by the found of Thanksgiving Coffee Company, Paul Katzeff. With it, you can pick out the flavors, acidity, & taste that you like and it will suggest the perfect coffee for you. The app also has a coffee glossary, a blend archive of all the blends recommended for you, a blending tool that shows you how to create a custom blend from the bulk coffee at the supermarket, and much more. Now, I’m gonna let you in on a secret: I don’t drink coffee. This is why I review so much tea here on the site. About the only coffee I will drink, on limited occasions, is either Waffle House coffee or the Maxwell House International Latte power stuff (and even that is drowned in so much frothed milk that there is very little coffee left to taste). The idea behind the app intrigued me and being a non-coffee drinker, I wanted to see if it would pick out something that I would actually like. I used the app on their ...
food/drink
Product Review – French Press from Kitchen Supreme
A few weeks ago, I was asked to try out & review a French Press from Kitchen Supreme. The French Press is glass & chrome, and is good for tea and coffee. It comes with a coffee scoop, 4 extra filter screens, a Unique Spoon (bent to sit on the cup rim), and instructions. I actually picked up a box of Lipton Loose Leaf Tea from the grocery store to try out with this. To start, placed a scoop & a half of tea in the French Press. I then heated up water in my tea kettle. I took it off the heat just before it started whistling so that it wasn’t boiling. I didn’t want to risk breaking the glass, so I let it sit for a minute or so before pouring it into the French Press. After pouring, I let it sit for a minute or so, then gently stirred everything. I then put the lid on with the press all the way up & let if sit for another few minutes before I slowly used the press. It made about two large cups of tea, and the lid kept the heat in very well. It stayed warm for about 2 ...
Product Review – Dandelion Root Tea
A few weeks ago, I was asked to try out & review KissMe Organic’s Organic Dandelion Root Tea. The tea contains dandelion root, cinnamon, and hibiscus. Dandelion root has Vitamins A, C, D and B-complex plus Iron, Potassium and Zinc, which will help treat mood disorders, liver disorders and boost a weakened immune system. Hibiscus has been shown to help with blood pressure and cinnamon helps reduce cholesterol and reduce blood sugar. I’ve never tried anything with dandelion in it before, so I wasn’t sure how good it’s going to be…especially since the pack I received had five boxes with 20 tea bags a piece in it. Now, after trying it, I will tell you that it is bitter if you drink it straight without anything in it to sweeten it. When I say bitter, I mean very bitter! I have to put a good scoop of sugar in it to be able to drink it. That probably reduces the some of the healthiness some, but I’m slowly trying to lessen how much I put it. I have been drinking at least once cup a ...
Product Review – DK BBQ Grill Mats
A few weeks back, I was asked to try out a set of two DK BBQ Grill Mats by Diamond Kitchen. The grill mats are 15.75" x 19.7", non-stick, and can be used over and over again without being replaced. You can cook all of your typical grill food, plus other stuff like eggs, bacon, and veggies. The mats arrived in a skinny box with no instructions on temperature limits or any other info about them. Just two very large mats rolled up. We have a charcoal smoker grill, so we were very leery about even attempting to use them on it. I assumed that flames coming directly in contact with the mats would melt them. The past few days have been the first days without any rain, so I finally decided to try them out by cooking some hamburger patties for lunch. I had difficulty getting and keeping the charcoal lit for a while because it was pretty breezy. Once I was able to get it going, I got the grates in place and got the mat out. The good thing about our grill is that you can easily slide the ...
Product Review – Smoked Spanish Paprika
A few weeks back, I was sent two types of Smoked Spanish Paprika from Kiva: Hot and Sweet. Kiva carries a wide range of food from around the world. All of their items are sourced directly from local farmers that are eco-friendly. Both of these paprika flavors are made in small batches, and can be used in a wide range of dishes. I have a few recipes that call for smoked paprika and never really thought that there was a difference in taste between it and regular. I was really surprised by the amount of flavor found in both when I first tried them. Both have a hint of smoke flavor that you can immediately taste and smell. The Hot Paprika is fairly warm, so depending on your tolerance for spicy stuff you might want to watch how much you use. The Sweet Paprika hits a good balance between the sweetness and the smoke. It’s sweet, but not overly so. I ended up using both in the Freddy’s Sticky Saucy Barbecued Ribs recipe. It made a huge difference in the taste, bringing out a lot more ...
Product Review – Organic Ceremonial Grade Green Tea Matcha
A few weeks back, I was asked to try out and review Organic Ceremonial Grade Green Tea Matcha from Kiss Me Organics. The ceremonial grade tea has a vibrant green color, slightly sweet flavor and smooth finish. It has 137 times the antioxidants of brewed green tea, and is a mood enhancer. It also helps mental focus. I normally have review like this done a lot quicker, but it got lost in the Christmas shuffle. I also wanted to use the milk frother (review coming shortly) with it as well before I posted my review. I had some shipping issues with the frother, so it knocked it further back. For this tea, you only use a little bit because it is very strong. I used barely a teaspoon the first time, and it was almost too strong for me. I’ve since figured out how much I like. You also want to probably use a small whisk in order to make sure it all mixes into the water. I had the best luck with the frother. I noticed a large taste difference between this and other matcha tea. Since it’s ...