THE NIBBLE Gourmet News & Views
Trends, Products & Items Of Note In The World Of Specialty Foods
Read all of our content on TheNibble.com, the online magazine about specialty food.
Archive for Beverages
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July 2, 2008 at 1:21 pm
· Filed under Beverages, NutriNibbles, Coffee & Tea
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| It’s no news to most of us that coffee—that growth-stunting, tooth-staining, for-grown-ups-only beverage—has undergone a substantial image makeover of late. In recent years, studies have begun to emerge indicating a positive correlation between coffee consumption and good health. Some studies show that coffee is, on the whole, far more salutary than it is harmful; one USDA study shows that coffee has more antioxidants than blueberries! All of this comes as quite a relief to those who consume it by the gallon each day.Since 2006, Spava Coffee has been allowing coffee guzzlers to increase multifold the health and wellness benefits of their daily dose of Joe. Beyond being Certified Organic and Fair Trade (read: good for the buyers, the producers and the planet), the line is nutrient-fortified. Using a patent-pending technology, Spava infuses Fair Trade, 100% Arabica coffee beans with vitamins and herbal nutraceuticals that target specific health concerns. These enhancers are completely flavorless, allowing the drinker to enjoy the coffee’s nutty, woody aroma and characteristic bitterness without interference. |
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Spava fortified coffees offer infusions of
chondroitin sulfate for speedy healing, ginkgo
biloba for memory-strengthening, or rosehips, vitamin C and echinacea for immunity. |
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The question is: How much coffee do you have to drink to get the benefits? The answer: a lot. That’s why we said it’s “good for guzzlers.” Here are some examples:
-A cup of Spava Clarity provides 20mg of ginkgo biloba and 25mg of white tea extract. One of the country’s most prominent neurologists, who specializes in memory, prescribes 120 mg of ginkgo twice a day for normal maintenance of clarity.
-Spava Flexibility contains 30mg of chondroitin sulfate, and 20mg of MSM. Anyone who is concerned with prophylaxis—much less healing and pain—is taking a minimum of 500mg of chondroitin sulfate daily, and similar amounts of glucosamine sulfate. So, this is a drop in the bucket.
-Spava Immunity has 25mg of rosehips per cup, which contain vitamin C, plus 35mg of echinacea; but anyone who takes vitamin C pills for immunity aims for 500mg a day.
However, little bits can add up, and for people who don’t like to swallow pills, 20mg or 30mg is better than nothing at all. While the coffee won’t pass muster with the coffee connoisseur klatsch, it tastes as good as what most people enjoy. And the attractive package is a nice idea. So, if all this makes it worth it to you to pay double the amount for a bag…tear one open and start brewing!
Read the full review of Spava Fortified Coffee and find more about organic, natural & wellness foods in the Nutrinibbles section of THE NIBBLE online magazine.
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June 27, 2008 at 9:29 am
· Filed under Beverages, Cocktails & Spirits, Entertaining, Recipes
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The ever-popular Margarita seems to be a classic with every generation. |
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Modern mixology, like today’s fine cuisine, has become a throw-down to see who can create the most complex, fascinating drinks with new flavors and nifty ingredients. In the process of entertaining cocktail customers with new wow factors, many of the classic drinks have fallen by the wayside. While some, like the Martini, are enjoying a renaissance (including hundreds of variations on the theme that make the drink unrecognizable, as in the Plum Sakétini), when was the last time anyone ordered a Tom Collins—even though a bar glass is named after it?
This summer, treat guests to a retro cocktail hour. Here are cocktail recipes for some oldies but goodies that haven’t been seen for a while, along with some classics that seem to be high on the list of the cocktail menu top hits:
-Bellini Recipe
-Grand Margarita Recipe
-Mojito Recipe
-Scotch & Ginger Recipe
-Tom Collins Recipe |
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April 20, 2008 at 7:59 am
· Filed under Beverages
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| If you live in a major city, you’ve probably seen the ads for Starbucks new Pike Place Roast coffee…and perhaps you got a taste of the free coffee given out on April 10, the launch day. The name honors the location of the first Starbucks coffee emporium (way back in 1971) in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. The goal was to provide Starbucks customers with a signature, “every day” coffee. Starbucks offered different daily choices of its 25+ different blends and single origin coffees. But research showed that many patrons wanted the same taste every day.
Now, Pike Place Roast will be brewed from freshly-ground beans, every half hour. It’s an excellent blend: robust enough for serious coffee drinkers and moderate enough for moderates. After a week of enjoying a daily cup, we conclude that the company has done a great job of appeasing both camps. |
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A blend to appeal to everyone…and to pair perfectly with coffee cake, cookies and chocolate-based foods. |
| Everyone will note that there’s a smoother finish and softer acidity in this arabica blend. Coffee geeks or super palates (take your position on the podium of your choice) will note nuances of cocoa and toasted nuts. While it’s a universal cup, the flavor notes pair well with foods that have chocolate, cinnamon or nuts (coffee cake, chocolate chip and other cookies, almond toffee, chocolates and chocolate desserts).
Equally as important as the flavor, IOHO, is that Pike Place Roast is the first of Starbucks’ coffees to bear a new mark symbolizing the company’s ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability, through an expanded relationship with Conservation International, an organization that works in 40 countries to protect plant and animal diversity. Coffee bearing the new mark is purchased from C.A.F.E. Practices-verified suppliers. In 2003, Conservation International and Starbucks joined forces again to design Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices, a set of environmentally-, socially- and economically-responsible coffee buying guidelines to support conservation and make a positive difference in the lives of farmers and their communities—similar to the goal of Fair Trade Certified practices (Fair Trade Certified is a trademark of Fairtrade Labeling Organizations (FLO), an international monitoring organization whose U.S. auditor is TransFair USA).
Free tastes are still being given out over the next two weeks across the country. Find an event near you at Starbucks.com. See more of our favorite javas in the Coffee Section of THE NIBBLE online magazine. |
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April 19, 2008 at 8:10 am
· Filed under Beverages
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 Your purchase of Tumai Water helps people worldwide who have no safe drinking water. |
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Tumai Water is bottled at a spring in Alton, West Virginia. But proceeds from its sales help the neediest people all over the world. Tumai means “to hope for” in Swahili. Millions of Swahili speakers in Africa are among the estimated 1.1 to 1.3 billion people on the planet who lack basic clean, safe water. They are forced to drink parasite- and bacteria-polluted water that causes widespread disease and the death of an estimated 4,500 children per day. It’s easy to ignore these statistics in a country that spends $15 billion a year on bottled water, where virtually every citizen has access to a safe municipal water supply. Tumai Water is a new brand that wants to leverage America’s appetite for bottled water to return a portion of sales to projects that bring safe water to those people who so desperately need it. The mission is similar to that of Ethos Water, a spring water brand that is sold at Starbucks cafés throughout the country (it tastes similar to Ethos Water, too). Tumai Water currently lacks such a powerful distribution partner—but they will ship the water to your home or office by the case. If you are planning to buy water to give away at an event, or want to stock the shelves of your store with something that will inspire people who buy bottled water, the message on the bottle is powerful, and will earn you goodwill among those who receive one. |
| On the one hand, we want people to reduce their carbon footprint by learning to accept their local tap water (which can taste much better with the simple installation of a water filter). On the other hand, we know millions of Americans enjoy bottled water or insist upon the convenience. Let those bottled water purchases do good on this planet. Visit TumaiWater.com. |
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April 11, 2008 at 2:18 pm
· Filed under Beverages, Events
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Part of the Tea Of The Month Club offering from TavalonTea.com, an exhibitor at the show. |
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If you have a passion for coffee or tea, hopefully you’ll be in New York City this weekend. Then, you can attend the 3rd Annual Coffee & Tea Festival NYC. You can even save $5.00 (half the ticket price) when you buy tickets online (enter code FESTIVAL or NIBBLE). Some of the area’s finest NYC coffee, tea and confectionery companies will be showcasing and sampling their wares to enthusiasts who like the finer things (and yes, you can buy what you like). The 30,000-square-foot exhibit space will be loaded with:
- Coffee and tea sampling
- Lectures / Classes
- Shopping
- Contests
- Demonstrations
- Art
- Java/Tea Lounge with music &
entertainment |
If some in your crew don’t like coffee and tea, the area is a shopping mecca, on both the Sixth Avenue (large chains) and Seventh Avenue (boutique) sides. Come join us: THE NIBBLE staff will be there!
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 12
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 13 |
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April 11, 2008 at 2:17 pm
· Filed under Beverages, Tip Of The Day
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| Take a tip from stylish restaurants and add slices of lemon, lime or cucumber (or a plump strawberry) to the rim of water glasses. After you’ve cut the slices, make an additional cut from the center to the edge, and use that notch to affix the fruit to the rim. Guests can remove and float the pieces in their water for added flavor. If you keep a water pitcher at the table, citrus or cucumber slices and strawberries provide flavor and look elegant inside, too. Read about more glamorous garnishes for every food on your table in THE NIBBLE online magazine. |
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 Cocktail? No! It’s a healthy, calorie-free glass of water, dressed up with glamorous garnishes. |
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February 25, 2008 at 1:20 pm
· Filed under Beverages, Sugar-Free, Tip Of The Day
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| If you can’t find the flavored water you want in a store—or if you want to save the amount of plastic you consume—you can make it yourself and save both money and the environment. Refill a 16-ounce water bottle with water and start by adding 5 drops of flavor extract (from the spice department) with a clean medicine dropper. We love making mint water this way! If you want to sweeten your water, add a few drops of low-glycemic agave syrup (you’ll find it in the supplements department of natural food stores), or use a liquid non-caloric sweetener. Read about the water that inspired us to make our own, Hint Water, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week. Find more of our favorite waters in the Bottled Water Section of THE NIBBLE online magazine. |
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We made mint water with mint extract, and added a spring of fresh rosemary and a lemon wheel to layer the flavor. Great taste, zero calories. |
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February 21, 2008 at 7:41 pm
· Filed under Beverages, Gourmet News
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What comes out of your tap is terrific. Contribute $1 to help those who aren’t so lucky. Photo courtesy of BudgetStockPhoto.com. |
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You’ve no doubt read about the bottled water controversy. Not only are Americans spending more than $15 million a year on bottled water—most of it filtered municipal water like Aquafina and Dasani. Fossil fuels are expended to make the bottles and ship the water from Point A to Point B; the empties are a huge recycling and litter cost. Environmentalists are up in arms, but humanitarians are equally upset. Because while anyone in America can get perfectly good, healthy water from his or her nearest faucet, in 90 countries on this planet, a billion people don’t have potable water.
- One in five of these people are children.
- Eighty percent of all illness and infant mortality is due to waterborne disease.
- Lack of clean water is the second largest killer of children under five. March 16-22 is World Water Week 2008, and the Tap Project will launch a campaign in 14 U.S. cities to help UNICEF provide clean water to children around the world. Patrons at participating restaurants will be asked to donate $1 (or more if they wish), for the tap water they normally get for free. |
| In each of the marketplaces, a major advertising agency has created a special ad campaign pro bono. So expect to see the Tap Project on everything from t-shirts and taxi tops to billboards and major landmarks.What can you do? If you buy bottled water, consider putting aside $1.00 for every bottle you drink between now and World Water Week, to donate to this worthy cause. And no matter what, give $1.00 when you’re asked—and be grateful that your loved ones have all the fresh, clean water they need. Every dollar you give to UNICEF can provide 40 liters of safe drinking water—enough to give one child safe drinking water for 40 days (or 40 children safe drinking water for one day). For more information visit TapProject.org. |
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February 11, 2008 at 6:12 pm
· Filed under Chocolate, Beverages, Contest
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| Given the cold spell that has settled over much of the country, it’s appropriate that this week’s Gourmet Giveaway is hot cocoa. Four one-pound cans of Mrs. Field’s Hot Cocoa could be yours, just by answering a few trivia questions about cocoa (you don’t have to answer correctly to win). Each reusable can makes twelve 6-ounce cups or 6 large mugs of steaming cocoa. if you’re the winner, you can invite friends over for cocoa klatsch. When they ask what they can bring, tell them: cookies! Then, you can test them on the same trivia questions you answered, and award the winner one of your four cans. Enter here. If you’re a trivia lover, all of the quizzes from our prior Gourmet Giveaways are available for your recreational pleasure. There’s no longer a prize attached…but the fun factoids you’ll pick up taking the quizzes are a nice reward. |
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You could win four of these captivating (and reusable) cans of cocoa. |
If you hunger for hot chocolate, you may enjoy these articles in the Cocoa & Hot Chocolate Section of THE NIBBLE online magazine, which features reviews of more than 70 hot chocolate brands:
- Cocoa, Natural or Dutched: Does It Make A Difference?
- 25 Great Hot Chocolate Tricks
- Spiced European Hot Chocolate Recipe from chocolatier Michael Recchiuti |
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February 6, 2008 at 12:08 pm
· Filed under Beverages, Kosher Nibbles, NutriNibbles
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| The pomegranate is an ancient fruit, originating in Persia. It has been cultivated in the Mediterranean region for several thousand years. Remains dating back to 1000 B.C.E. have been found in Armenia. Yet, five years ago, the pom was an oddity in the U.S. It was an exotic fruit enjoyed largely by immigrants and Americans who learned to enjoy them abroad—until the debut of POM Wonderful juice, and the subsequent announcement of high antioxidant values and potential anti-carcinogenic properties. Suddenly, everyone wanted pomegranate, and the flavor has appeared in everything from ice cream to salad dressing. In juice, brand after brand has proliferated to meet America’s desire for healthy, high-antioxidant food. Our intrepid taster drank all she could get her hands on—more than 50 juices, although only the top 19 have been recommended to NIBBLE readers. They include 100% pure pom juices plus blends with other juices (blueberry, cranberry, etc.), as well as brands that are certified kosher or organic. Read the full review and get juiced in the Juices & Ades Section of THE NIBBLE online magazine. |
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Pretty in purple: 100% pure pomegranate juice. While pom juices are wonderful blended with the right quality companions, watch out for juices “flavored” with pomegranate that are largely composed of less expensive apple or grape juice. |
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