[1] What’s in the black box? You’ll find out when your Coca-Cola Insiders Club box arrives (all photos © Coca-Cola).

[2] Last year, you would have been the first to taste Peace Tea’s new Razzleberry flavor.

[3] Or, you could have taken a virtual trip to the beach with Fanta’s Piña Colada.

If you love bubbly soft drinks—or need a gift for someone who does—get ready for December 8th…

…and allow us to introduce you to the Coca-Cola Insiders Club.

The Club gives soft drink enthusiasts the opportunity to try new products created by Coke…and get fun swag along with the drinks.
 
 
WHAT DO YOU GET?

For three months starting in January, a black box will arrive. Open it and feast your eyes upon:

Refreshing Tastes

Be the first to try the new brands or product extensions* of soft drinks, before they’re in stores nationwide.

They could be new offshoots of Coca-Cola brands. Beyond Coke, the brands include Barq’s, Dasani, Fanta, Minute Maid, SmartWater, Sprite and quite a few others.

their first box arriving in January 2021, for a three-month run.

Get Fun Swag†

Small gifts plus an exclusive virtual experience with a celebrity arrive in every box.

What will it be? Who will it be? We have no idea.

But our fond with is for Coca-Cola socks and Morgan Freeman!
 
 
DON’T TARRY!

Memberships are extremely limited, and quickly sold out last year.

Plus, the first Insiders to sign up will receive a special welcome gift.

So mark your calendars for Tuesday, December 8th when enrollment begins, and head to the Coca-Cola Insiders Club website.

To send an Insiders Club membership as a gift, simply include the recipient’s shipping information instead of your own at check-out. The recipient will then receive a three-month subscription.

There’s not currently an option to include a gift card, but you can always give the recipient a can of Coke with a note that a special black box will arrive in January.

Wishing you lots of effervescence in the new year.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF COCA-COLA

*A product line extension introduces a new item in the same product category: new flavors (e.g. Cherry Coke, Coke Zero), formats, colors, added ingredients, package sizes (e.g. mini cans), etc.

†Swag originally was pirate-speak for loot, booty or plunder. In current times, it has evolved to mean freebies: giveaways for customers and goody bags for party-goers and event attendees, etc. It can take the form of branded tee-shirts, mugs, key chains, and anything related to the brand (beauty products, sports accessories, e.g.). At exclusive events, the goods are equally exclusive. The 2020 Academy Awards swag bag was valued at $225,000, up nearly $80,000 from the prior year’s haul. In contrast, the 24-karat-gold-plated Oscar statuette costs just $400 to make [source].

We never had the original Gingerbread Oreos that debuted in 2012, nor had we tried them in any year since—until last week.

The 2020 Limited Edition Gingerbread Oreos are a new formulation and packaging.

We have only one word for them: Terrific!

The originals were vanilla-flavored cookies with a creme filling flavored with gingerbread spices.

O.K., but the brand managers new an updated was needed.
 
 
THE NEW GINGERBREAD OREOS

The new version is like a real gingerbread cookie, crunchy and toothsome.

 
The cookies themselves are an assortment of “5 Festive Designs,” molded onto the side of each cookie (photo #3).

They include: Christmas Tree, Oreo Joy, Gingerbread Man (photo #1), Oreos For Santa and Gingerbread House.

Let us say once more: They are delicious!
 
 
GET ‘EM WHILE YOU CAN

A limited edition this good is likely to sell out, so don’t wait…or buy just one bag.

If you don’t want to hoard them for yourself, friends and family will be happy recipients.

We’ve bought enough to keep us happy through the cold winter. They’re terrific with hot chocolate, coffee, tea and the classic glass of milk.

We’ve found them at retail and online.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF OREOS
 
 
> COOKIE GLOSSARY: THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COOKIES

[1] This gingerbread man is one of five designs on this year’s Gingerbread Oreos. See all five in photo #3, below (all photos © Mondelez International).

[2] Don’t buy just one bag. If you don’t want to hoard them, friends and family will be happy recipients.

[3] This year’s designs: Christmas Tree, Oreo Joy, Gingerbread Man, Oreos For Santa, Gingerbread House.

[1] The electric blue color will surprise guests, but after a taste, they’ll be delighted (all photos © Amour Geneve).

[2] The wine is at home at the beach or a special event.

[3] Need a gift for a wine drinker? Here it is!

[4] Prepare for July 4th celebrations with a flight of red, white, and blue: rosé, white and Amour Geneve wines.

A blue wine?

Amour Genève, the world’s first naturally blue wine was created under the direction of company CEO Coviello Salinès (an American).

It is an homage to his late father, who loved the color blue.

If you’re looking for a novel gift for a wine lover—or want to surprise your family and guests—this might be it!
 
 
ABOUT AMOUR GENÈVE BLUE WINE

The wine is 70% Verdejo, a white wine grape, and 30% Nebbiolo, a red wine grape.

Natural pigment was extracted from the Nebbiolo grape. Then the pH was balanced to allow the natural blue extract to stabilize.

The pigment extract was introduced to the fermenting Verdejo; hence, a white wine colored blue.

The wine matures throughout a natural fermentation and aging cycle, and fully satisfies all requirements of the FDA, TTB* and EU.

There are patents on the process and formula.
 
 
HOW DOES IT TASTE?

Truth to tell, we haven’t tasted it. We saw it while dining alone at a restaurant where it was only sold by the bottle, and the restaurant couldn’t sell us a bottle to take home.

But we did some easy research. Here are tasting notes from the producer:

 
And customers who left feedback on the website wanted more! For example:

 
 
FOOD PAIRINGS

 
 
GET YOUR BLUE WINE

Head to AmourBluForever.com.

 
 
________________

*We had no idea what “TTB” stood for, so we looked it up. It’s America’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

It’s time to treat yourself to Starbucks® delicious holiday season coffees.

Personally, we’re thrilled that two of our favorites are on the shelves.

Here’s what to look for:
 
 
STARBUCKS HOLIDAY COFFEE

 
Both flavors are available in Roast & Ground and K-Cup® pods during the holiday season, while supplies last.

 
Need something that is ready to sip? Here are two in bottles:

 
 
TIP FOR SWEETER COFFEE OR TEA

If you like sweetness in your coffee or tea but not a sweetener, buy Lactaid or other lactose-free milk.

Lactose-free milk contains an enzyme called lactase that helps break down the naturally-occurring milk sugar, lactose, into two simple sugars: glucose and galactose.

The lactose-free milk seems sweeter than regular milk because they can taste of the break-down of the lactose bonds.

Lactose-free milk is one of our favorite “diet” tips for people who want something a tad sweeter.
 
 
> COFFEE GLOSSARY: THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COFFEE

> THE HISTORY OF COFFEE

[1] Starbucks Peppermint Mocha coffee turns into a sweet snack or a drinkable dessert (all photos © Starbucks).

[2] Starbucks Holiday Blend, with maple and herbal notes.

[3] Peppermint Mocha is a chocolatey, minty treat.

[1] Vosges Haut Chocolat’s brilliant box for Holiday 2020: Chocolate Alchemy Truffles (all photos © Vosges Chocolate).

[2] A close-up of the insides shows how beautifully artistic each detail is. To give you an idea of the size, the spheres and triangles are the size of regular bonbons. For the large orbs: Bring a knife!

[3] How can you decide where to start?

[4] Jupiter: apricot, ylang ylang flower, fennel pollen, almond and Amaretto liqueur in a 36% cocoa butter white chocolate tinted shell.

[5] The Moon: Grenadian nutmeg and Blackwell Jamaican Rum in a 36% cocoa butter white chocolate shell with pearlescent dust.

[6] Neptune: early-harvest first pressed Mediterranean olive oil in a 36% cocoa butter white chocolate shell.

November 29th is National Chocolates Day.

What’s the difference between chocolate (which has its own holiday) and chocolates?
 
 
CHOCOLATE VS. CHOCOLATES

Chocolate

Chocolate refers to the food product made from the roasted seeds of the fruit of the cacao tree. The seeds are more commonly known as cacao beans.

The hulled meat of the bean, the nib, is ground and processed into various forms of chocolate for eating and drinking. After the nibs are ground, however, the chocolate-making process has many more steps to go. Check them out.

 
TRIVIA: For thousands of years, chocolate was only a beverage. While the same cacao could be used to flavor puddings and baked goods, the first chocolate in solid form (i.e., a chocolate bar) was finally devised in 1847. And that was coarse, “rustic” chocolate, not the smooth, melt-in-your mouth product we know today.

Chocolates

A distinction is made between chocolate, the general food product made from cacao beans, and chocolates, which are confections made from chocolate: bonbons, pralines, truffles, etc.

While “chocolates” is also the plural form of “chocolate,” simple grammar rules should make this distinction clear.

Chocolate bars are referred to as chocolate. Items of more complex fabrication are chocolates.
 
 
THE VOSGES HEALER COLLECTION: CHOCOLATE ALCHEMY TRUFFLES

This new, limited edition, 2020 Holiday Collection is a real knockout.

It’s what you get when you blend astrology, alchemy, the classical elements*, great design and innovative flavors into a memorable collection of artisan chocolate truffles.

Each piece represents the solar system, the five elements of nature or the seasonals.

You don’t have to be into astrology, healing or magic to go crazy over this collection of 17 bonbons, large and small.

Rather, these are French truffle bonbons: centers of ganache, infused with “healing” flavors, in shells of dark, milk and white chocolate.

The flavors are not your typical creams, fruit purées and other soft centers.

Rather, along the lines of the healer and alchemy themes, each ganache has been infused with one or more healing elements: exotic fruits, liquors, oils, seeds and spices.

A full description of the pieces is on the ordering page, but here’s a taste:

 
The sizes range from bite-size to enormous (equal to three or four standard bonbons).

The fun and flavor: equally enormous.
 
 
GET YOURS HERE

Any sophisticated chocolate lover will adore this gift. Get it at VosgesChocolate.com.

The exquisite box, 14 inches in diameter (photos #1, #2, #3), is a definite “keeper”—a reminder of your wonderful gift long after the chocolate is gone.
 
 
> CHOCOLATE GLOSSARY: TERMINOLOGY & TYPES
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE
________________

*“Classical elements” typically refer to earth, water, air, fire, and later, ether, which were proposed to explain the nature and complexity of all matter in terms of simpler substances. The ancient cultures of Greece, Ancient Egypt, Persia, Babylonia, Japan, Tibet and India had all similar lists.