Product review: Gavina Since 1870 Gourmet Coffee Café Gaviña Espresso Roast, Ground coffee bricks

 

I never purchased a coffee brick before.  I was not sure exactly what will it look like when I opened it up.  Turns out it is just finely ground coffee, and it feels like a brick because it is vacuum packed.  Once I opened it, it was like any other ground coffee. I moved it to a coffee canaster as the packaging did not have enough material to reclose it tightly after opening it.

This espresso roast is strong but not bitter. It smells great. I like it.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.  

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Pumjil Yogurt Probiotic Soft Serve Mix Smoothie

 

 The flavor of the strawberry smoother from this powder is good.  I could not make the soft serve yogurt as it did not harden; I wound up with the smoothie in my yogurt maker. It hardened when I put the smoothie into my freezer.

The biggest problem with this product is that the measurements are inconsistent, confusing, and only for large quantities. The measurements mix grams, milligrams, and cups. I had to translate everything to ounces and wrote under the official instructions.  Obviously, the product is not originally targeted for the American market. I also found the portions that too large for our family and our yogurt maker. I had to divide the smallest recipe in half, then into quarters, then enough to make just one serving. When I prepare a smoothie at home, I don't want to make a gallon; the smoothie tastes best freshly made, otherwise, it separates. Even though I tried to make a soft-serve yogurt, it never hardened. Perhaps it was because I had to do many manipulations to get the right proportions in ounces and small portions. Once I used: 1/4 of the powder package, 16 oz of milk, and 13 oz of water (4 portions).  I also used 2 tablespoons of powder and 4 oz of water, and 4 oz of milk to make a single serving.

If the seller is reading, please change your packaging for the US market using ounce measurements and provide proportions for smaller portions (single serving, a pint, a quart, and so forth).
 

Ingredients:

Cane sugar,dextrose,guar gum,locust bean gum,carrageenan,mono-anddiglycerides of fatty acids,non-fat dry milk,strawberry powder,hydrated strawberry,dehydrated glucose syrup,guar gum,skim milk powder,natural and artificial flavors,mono-and diglycerodes of fatty acids,lactic acid eaters of mono and diglycerides,propane-1,2-diol eaters of fatty acids,

The package had no instructions on how to store unused powder.  I posted a question to the seller if the powder should be refrigerated and received a quick reply that refrigeration is unnecessary and room temperature is fine for storing the partially used powder mix.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Soft serve ice cream mix, Pumjil Probiotic Soft Serve Mix, Ideal for Frozen Yogurt and Smoothies, Coconut Flavor

 

This product's measurements are very confusing; they are specified in grams, milligrams, and cups.  I had to translate everything to ounces and wrote under the official instructions.  Obviously, the product is not originally targeted for the American market. I also found the portions that too large for our family and our yogurt maker. I had the divide the smallest recipe in half. Even though I tried to make a soft-serve yogurt, it never hardened, and all the manipulations I had to do with the proportions may be the cause for this problem.  I used 1/4 of the powder package, 16 oz of milk, and 13 oz of water.

If the seller is reading, please change your packaging for the US market and provide portions for smaller portions. I would have liked to see a quart option for soft yogurt (the smallest provided now is half a gallon).

I could not make the soft serve yogurt as it did not harden; I wound up with the smoothie in my yogurt maker.  I thought the coconut flavor was good, but I found it a little bit too sweet.  Next time I will add something else to town down the sweetness.

Ingredients:

Cane sugar,dextrose,guar gum,locust bean gum,carrageenan,mono-anddiglycerides of fatty acids,non-fat dry milk,coconut powder,hydrated vegetable fat(coconut),dehydrated glucose syrup,guar gum,skim milk powder,natural and artificial flavors,mono-and diglycerodes of fatty acids,lactic acid eaters of mono and diglycerides,propane-1,2-diol eaters of fatty acids,starch

You can find the coconut flavor on Amazon by following this link.  

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: GoGo squeeZ YogurtZ, Banana, 3 Ounce (4 Pouches), Low Fat Yogurt / grocery home delivery during COVID-19

Each box of GoGo yogurt has 4 pouches.  I purchased them in April of 2020, and the expiration date is 12/05/2020. Each pouch has 3 oz and  90 calories.  I like that they are shelf-stable and don't need refrigeration, easy to take them along when you need a snack on the run.  I like the strawberry flavor better than the banana flavor, I thought the banana flavor was a bit too sweet, but okay overall.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Whole Food Native Forest Organic Classic Coconut Milk Can / Whole foods grocery home delivery during COVID-19

This is my first purchase of Native Forest Coconut Milk as part of home delivery from Whole Foods.  It tasted good and the curry I made using it was excellent.

This can was part of my first on-line delivery from Whole Foods, and the ordering and delivery worked well.  6 of the 12 items were out due to COVID-19 and I got texts with substitutions, which I could accept or reject.  The delivery occurred within a promised two-hour period, with the substitution messages happening one hour before.  WholeFoods, of course, is not a bargain. The price of the items and the delivery tip did make it pretty expensive. However, in the current situation, it is a very helpful option to have.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product reiview: Progresso Traditional Soup, Split Pea with Ham

Split pea soup from Progresso has a nice flavor with small pieces of ham that add a noticeable flavor.  The thickness of the soup was satisfying. Overall, I thought it was one of the Progresso's better soups.  The can has two servings, and each serving is 130 calories.  I also like the easy to open top.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Cheerios, Cereal with Whole Grain Oats, Gluten Free, 20 oz

This Cheerios cereal box is really giant; this is not marking puffing. In my photo, I show it next to the large Joe's O's cereal box, and it dwarfs it.  The taste of this cereal is great, flavorful, and sugar-free. I purchased it for $4 on Amazon. We consume it by mixing this cereal into other cereals, which are too sweet for our taste.  As an extra benefit mixing it with sweeter and more expensive cereals make the over combo, taste better, last longer, and be more cost-efficient.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Simply Asia Classic Curry Singapore Street Noodles

I bought a couple of boxes of Simply Asia and Thai Kitchen noodles. Singapore noodles were not as good as I hope, but they were the best tasting of the disappointing noodles I have tried.  Unlike other products, the stock photo is reflective of what you get.  You get only noodles, sauce, and a small packet of dehydrated vegetables. It tastes better if you can add your own fresh vegetables and herbs.  The sauce is mildly spicy. This package contains one serving, 410 calories.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Mieszanka (Mieszkanka) Krakowska / Wawel Chocolate Covered Jelly Candy

These candies are soft jelly covered by milk chocolate. I like jellies but never tried these particular candies before.  They were pretty good. 

One pound of candy is 41 candies.  I paid $14.94 for a pound, so it works out to 36 cents per candy. I got 10 Raspberry candies, 12 of Orange candies, 8 Lemon candies, and 11 of Pineapple candies.  Each candy is individually wrapped in colorful wrappers with Polish writing.  The candies come packaged in a plain plastic bag, so the presentation is not suitable for gifting without re-packaging.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Progresso Soup Light, Beef Pot Roast Can

This listing is for several different soups, I am reviewing Progresso Light Beef Pot Roast. This soup had a reasonable amount of vegetables but only three small chunks of meat.  Overall, I was disappointed in its flavor.  There are some Progresso soups (for example, Beef Barley) that I like, but Beef Pot Roast is not their best (although not the worst).


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Newtons Soft & Fruit Chewy Fig Cookies

Fig newtons are a long time favorites in our house.  The box from Amazon had an expiration date a year in the future and was quite fresh.  The box had four packages of 12 packs. Eack of the packs has 2 cookies. 1 pack is 1 serving size and is 200 calories. These are very tasty cookies - a little bit sweet, a little big tangy!

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Progresso Traditional, New England Clam Chowder Soup Cans

The texture, thickness, and chunkiness of Progresso Clam chowder were fine, however, I was disappointed in the taste.  It just was not very good.  My local supermarket has Legal Seafood clam chowder available in the deli department, it is much better.  Unfortunately, it is not shelf-stable, requires refrigeration, and cannot be stored for as long.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Amy's Organic Lentil Soup, Vegan, 14.5 Ounce / Whole foods home delivery during COVID-19

This is my first order of Amy's Organic Lentil Soup.  This is a thick lentil soup with a pleasant flavor. Not too salty, not artificial tasting, not spicy. It has a label BPA free (I assume this refers to the liner).  I like that it has easy to open a pop up lid. It is also easy to prepare, we heat it up in the microwave.

Ingredients
Filtered Water, Organic Yellow Split Peas, Organic red lentils, Organic Carrots, Organic Tomato Purée, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, shallots, Organic Garlic, Organic Ginger, Sea Salt, Organic Spices, Organic Turmeric, Organic Black Pepper.

This soup was part of my first on-line delivery from Whole Foods, and the ordering and delivery worked well.  6 of the 12 items were out due to COVID-19 and I got texts with substitutions, which I could accept or reject.  The delivery occurred within a promised two-hour period, with the substitution messages happening one hour before.  WholeFoods, of course, is not a bargain. The price of the items and the delivery tip did make it pretty expensive. However, in the current situation, it is a very helpful option to have.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Annie's Macaroni & Cheese, Shells & Real Aged Cheddar

I like the flavor of Annie's Mac and Cheese better than the Kraft products.  Annie's Mac and Cheese does not have the artificial flavor.   Good packages to have on hand for emergencies.

The key to making it really good is adding a little bit of warm milk to turn cheese powder into cheese sauce.  I use 1/4 cup of walk milk to make a smooth cheese sauce to which I add cooked pasta. If I add cheese powder to the pasta directly I can never get smooth sauce and it does not taste as good.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Premium Japanese Mayonnaise 400g (1 Bottle) by Tetsujin

I like the taste of Tetsujin Japanese mayo.  It is slightly sweater then your typical American mayo. It has no artificial after taste, I did not think it tasted eggy. I most frequently use it on sandwiches. I like how the bottle dispences it in a narrow ribbon so I can control how much I use better.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★
 

Product review: Annie's Organic Classic Mild Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese / Amazon groceries

I like the flavor of Annie's Mac and Cheese better than the Kraft products.  Annie's Mac and Cheese does not have artificial flavor.  Good packages to have on hand for emergencies.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Cinnamon Quaker Oatmeal Squares Cereal - Home groceries delivery from Amazon DURING COVID-19

Oatmeal Cinnamon Squares Cereal is one of my favorite cereals.  It is just right: not too sweet, a nice amount of cinnamon (not too much, not too little).

This listing has four 14.5 oz boxes. These boxes are smaller than the one I typically get in the supermarket but the price is fairly reasonable (4 boxes for around $11).  The cereal tasted fresh and it was nice to be able to avoid a trip to a supermarket during COVID-19 pandemic and get it delivered at no extra cost.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

    

Product review: Amy's Butternut Squash Soup - Home groceries delivery from WholeFoods DURING COVID-19

I purchased Amy's butternut soup as part of my first home delivery from Whole Foods during COVID-19. It is fairly pricey for one (1) can of soup ($3.39) compared to Progresso or Cambell soup, but I do like its flavor.  It has a nice balance of flavors, not too much salt, and does not feel artificially flavored. It is not as thick as I expected but tasted pretty good. Make sure to stir it well before heating as it separated when I opened the can.



One can of soup contains one serving, 180 calories, 6g of sugars.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆
 

Product review: Libby's Vienna Sausage in Chicken Broth / Amazon groceries / Home deliviry during COVID-19

I purchased a pack of 24 Vienna Sausages at the start of COVID-19 when almost everything was out of stock.  Getting 24 packs for 10 dollars sounded like one of those things that are too good to be true and got a lot of ribbing from my spouse for ordering these sausages. 

Surprisingly, the flavor was not as bad as he expected and they did not send us straight to the bathroom as he predicted.  They are basically pork sausages, very soft, and with a very mild flavor.  Each can has seven mini sausages. The entire can is counted as one serving and has 190 calories, 16 grams of fat.  It has 820 mg of sodium, they do not taste overly salty.

None of the 24 cans were damaged, they have easy to open tops.

Will I be ordering them again? No because we did not love the flavor. But they were okay at a desperate time.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Quaker Popped Rice Crisp Snacks, Gluten Free, Apple Cinnamon / Amazon pantry / Groceries home delivery during COVID-19 pandemic

I like how Apple Cinnamon Crisps taste - not too sweet, not too much cinnamon.  They are subtle yet tasty.  Most of the crips to not look like the idealized photo on the bag. Majority of crisps are not circles, they are oddly shaped pieces, see my photo to see typical shapes.  They are not pretty but tasty, and that matters to me a lot more.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆