Food for Fun & Food for Beauty

Tea Tuesday: Vahdam Premium Green Tea Chai

April 20, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I am thrilled to say that I have finally found a Chai green tea that is the proper balance of tastes. I have spent years trying to find a tea that has the wonderful spice of Chai, and the health properties of green tea.

The closest I came before was a White Chai Tea, but I could never find a green that I liked until I tried Vadham Premium Green Tea Chai. I like fresh loose leaf green tea, and any chai varieties I tried always ended up a weird blend of a vegetal taste with a vague cinnamon top note. Not a great combination.

Vadham’s Green Chai gets it right, though. The green tea is sweet, not vegetal at all. The Chai spices (cinnamon, cardamom, clove, Black Pepper) blend beautifully to create a delicately spicy brew. I really enjoy that it can be re-brewed a couple of times before it loses potency, so my brewing travel tumbler can just be refilled with hot water through the morning before I have to change out leaves,

What is also wonderful about this tea is that it is truly a full-leaf green tea. Standard green tea bags only contain “dust” of green tea, not the true leaf. By brewing the full leaf, you will get so many more of the health benefits of green tea: anti-oxidants, EGCG, etc. This particular tea has even more anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties since it is a chai tea, and the spices in chai teas are anti-inflammatory in nature. So in addition to tasting amazing, it is really good for you as well!

While green tea is much lower in caffeine than coffee or black tea, it still does contain some caffeine if you are sensitive. But that is true of all green tea (there are some decaf versions out there, but those are more processed than the original leaf, so it is a balance.)

The packaging is also wonderful. To maintain freshness, each batch is packaged quickly. There is an expiration date to assure that you are using fresh tea, and the package seals tightly. There are step by step instructions on how to brew the tea, so if you are new to green tea, you will find it easy to brew!

As a side note on the instructions, it is recommended to brew the tea at a temperature of 194-212 degrees. Usually green tea gets brewed at lower than the boiling point. I tried both boiling and at about 192 degrees, and found the lower temperature produced a better taste.

I am truly thrilled to have found an excellent Green Chai after all these years!

Find this lovely tea at Amazon.com.

Vahdam Premium Green Tea Chai

 

Vahdam Premium Green Tea Chai

 

I received this item in exchange for my unbiased review. If you have any questions about my experience with it, leave it in the comments section below and I’ll do my best to answer it!

Tea Tuesday: Star Wars Yoda Self Stirring Mug

April 19, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Get up in the morning, you must. With a Jedi Vortex, a Yoda self-stirring mug keeps your tea or coffee stirred. Do or do not, there is no Chai.

Spring is my favorite time of year. The flowers are coming out, no need for a heavy coat, and my allergies make my Yoda impression perfect. Yeah, you already knew I was a nerd girl, but now you are reminded of that fact.

While self-stirring mugs are a bit of a novelty that wears off (especially considering they have to be hand washed), this particular mug actually serves a purpose beyond featuring everyone’s favorite green member of the Jedi Order (though Yaddle has some serious girl boss power.) I enjoy a bit of rock sugar in my tea, and the powerful stirring vortex of the mug keeps the sweetness evenly distributed, not just in an overly sweet sip at the bottom of the mug. If I’m using a strainer and loose tea, pressing the stirring button while brewing leads to a far more robust brew.

I’m sure I’m going to get some ardent matcha drinkers up in arms with the following statement, but it has enough power in the self-stirring motion to create a smooth and frothy matcha tea without a wisk. That is pretty impressive!

This 15oz mug takes 2 AAA batteries to power the stirring motion. I’ve tried other self-stirring mugs that just kind of jostle the liquid, but this mug produces and actual vortex that stirs the entire cup. The mug top secures tightly so it makes for a perfect travel mug: no leaking and the beverage stays hot.

Find it at Amazon.com.

Star Wars Self Stirring Mug

I received this product in exchange for my unbiased review and I was compensated for my time and effort, however, my experience with the product and the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine.

Food Fun: EurKitchen Artisanal Whipped Cream Dispenser

April 18, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Ever see those refrigerated dessert cases in diners and restaurants that have that fluffy sculpted whip cream toppings on jello, pudding, pastries and cakes and the whipped cream topping stays so neat and pretty? I had seen artisanal whipped cream ice cream sundaes or other desserts at bakeries and restaurants and never knew how they got such a stiff cream topping that would not immediately start to melt back into a liquid cream within a few minutes of presentation. They use something like this dispenser.

ABOUT USING THIS DISPENSER

With this Artisan whipped cream and mousses, these make a simple home-made dessert or a simple store bought dessert look bakery-fancy quickly and easily. This can be used on pies, cakes, waffles and even hot/cold beverages like making your own coffeehouse style beverages with fancy whipped cream toppings seen at Starbucks. The dispenser comes with a recipe book that includes a basic recipe for whipped cream and for chocolate mousse, and some extended extras to make chocolate mousse more special. I am excited to use this for my next party or get-together to make fresh chocolate mousse in pre-made tartlet cups and fresh fruit.

There are three different styling nozzles for the whipped cream, even though one is a diamond 4 cut shaped nozzle exactly like on a can of whipped cream, it is harder plastic than a whipped cream nozzle, the tulip shaped one created whipped cream that seems the most like whipped cream from a can. The other two nozzles make a smaller tighter stream of mousse or cream. All three have sort of a ruffle pattern.

TIP: Hold the bottle upside-down and straight up and down, not diagonally. I didnít realize I have been holding store-bought whipped cream the wrong way all these years. Apparently that works best for the fluffiest whip cream ratio and keeps your whip cream from just spurting out the aerosol gas.

NOTE: This dispenser requires Whip Cream Chargers, which comes separately, they have them here at Amazon they are called iSi 10-Pack N2O Cream Whipper Chargers and come in various size packages ranging up to 360 per pack. They are cheaper in quantity. I got mine for under $9 for a pack of ten. Each charger is one use, you use one each time you fill the dispenser, and you will keep the dispenser in the refrigerator when not in use, similar to how you store a can of whipped cream. Fill instructions are all spelled out in the instructions.

WHO COULD USE/LIKE THIS PRODUCT

In addition to those who like to entertain and bake, this is a great idea for anyone with dietary issues that require them to limit or eliminate adding sugar to their whip cream, This is also useful for anyone who wishes to make whipped cream from organic cream or even coconut milk/cream, which is a nice perk for the lactose intolerant. You can also add flavorings to your whipped cream.

TIP:
Note that the three tips screw onto the nozzle, they do not pop on and off, so make sure not to yank them off by accident.

CONCLUSION:
While there is an upfront investment to the cartridges, this really makes a very special looking item for entertaining, whether it is making the whipped cream available for use by guests when serving hot cocoa or coffee, making mousse for dessert or working around dietary restrictions or making custom flavors and colors of whipped cream, this is a nice gadget.

Find it at Amazon.com.

 

I received this item in exchange for my unbiased review. If you have any questions about the item, leave me a comment below!

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