Getting Canned...Episode III

A little over a year ago Russell did a 2-part guest post taste testing canned coffees, specifically Japanese canned coffees.  After 4 cans, he was finished because all the sugar was making him sick.  If you are interested, you can read his original posts here and here.

I recently went down to Los Angeles with my parents to attend my cousin Ada's wedding & on our way home, we made our obligatory stop @ the Marukai market for some fresh sashimi & fish collar.  While my parents were picking their way through the fish, I was wandering around for snacks.  I came to the refrigerated beverages aisles, saw all kinds of canned coffees that I had not seen @ home before, & it dawned on me: it's time for another round of taste test!  My dad was completely unfazed when I loaded up the shopping cart with cans & cans of coffee...but I think that's because I promised to pay him back.

When I got home & was putting the cans away, I thought that rather than putting my coffee snob of a boyfriend through another tasting, I should do it myself.  You can keep reading for the details but the take home point is "don't waste your money, it's not worth it."

Specimen #5: Dydo Original Blend Coffee
Like all the other canned coffees we have tried, this one is way too sweet; however, it did have much more coffee flavor than the ones I have had before.  Even though it doesn't look like there is milk in the coffee, it tastes a little bit like it does.
Volume: 6.7 fl. oz.  Calories: 70  Sugar: 13g

Specimen #6: Mr. Brown Iced Coffee
This coffee was not very sweet.  It was milky but not overly so.  Unfortunately it did not have a lot of coffee flavor.
Volume: 8.12 fl. oz.  Calories: 103  Sugar: 18.5g

Specimen #7: UCC Black Coffee
This is the first canned black coffee I have had & without distractions from the milk & sugar, the lack of coffee flavor really stand out.  The good thing about this is that it comes in a really cool-looking bottle.
Volume: 9.7 fl. oz.  Calories: 5  Sugar: 0g

Specimen #8: Pokka Milk Coffee
This was honestly the worst of all the canned coffees I have ever had in my life.  It was very sweet & it was very milky.  Actually, it reminded me of the milk you would have left over after finishing a bowl of fruit loops.
Volume: 8.1 fl. oz.  Calories: 100  Sugar: 16g

Specimen #9: Pokka Aromax Black Coffee
The first sip made me feel like I was drinking real, albeit pretty weak, coffee.  Unfortunately, every sip afterwards was really bland.
Volume: 5.8 fl. oz.  Calories: 0  Sugar: 0g

Specimen #10: Lotte Let's Be (Mild)
This came in very, very close to being the worst.  It wasn't coffee'y, it wasn't milky, it was just sweet.
Volume: 5.92 fl. oz.  Calories: 70  Sugar: 15g

Specimen #11: Dydo Milk Coffee - Yamitsuki
Yamitsuki in Japanese means "addicted", at least according to Google Translate.  While this was one of the better contenders of this taste test, I don't think I will ever become addicted to it.
Volume: 16.9 fl. oz.  Calories: 200  Sugar: 40g

Specimen #12: Suntory Boss Black
I was looking forward to trying this one because on the can it says "made with espresso & drip method."  The coffee tasted bland but somehow was able to leave a fairly strong aftertaste on my palette.  Bonus points for the name.
Volume: 6.52 fl. oz.  Calories: 0  Sugar: 0g

It took me about 10 days to finish trying all these cans & bottles of coffee because (1) my system doesn't handle caffeine the way it used to & (2) these just did not taste good; nor were they satisfying (they're tiny).  Like I said before, these canned coffees are not worth the money & even the black coffees were disappointing.  Should I keep trying to find the best canned coffee there is, or should I just call it a day & accept the fact that a good canned coffee probably doesn't exist?

Tasty Time - Pillsbury Orange Sweet Rolls with Icing

As the holiday season fast approaches, there are plenty of commercials advertising Pillsbury products.  I think I've had some of the cookies before when I was younger but nothing since then.  After seeing that commercial where a little boy is in the kitchen with his mom & sister & he's saying "2 inches apart, Becky, 2 inches," I was seriously tempted to see what this whole ready-to-bake pastry is about.  And with a sale of $1.11, it's like the universe is telling me I should do it.

We went for the Orange Sweet Rolls since it is out of the ordinary.  The long cylindrical canister contains 7 sweet rolls & a small thing of orange flavored frosting.  The canister itself was kind of hard to open but that's probably because I had never done it before.  The baking process was easy enough & it took just 9 minutes for the sweet rolls to come out golden brown. There was virtually no clean up since I used a piece of parchment paper on top of the cookie sheet.

Now on to the taste.  The rolls themselves were pretty small - about 2 inches in diameter - but the texture was pretty good.  We opted to use the frosting only to regret it after the first bite.  To me, the frosting was super sweet & reminded me of a cheap, generic imitation of Tang.  To him, it tasted like orange Tums.  Aside from the artificial sweetness, we really couldn't taste anything else.

I can definitely see why something like this appeals to kids & the convenience really cannot be beat.  But for people like us who don't often eat cinnamon rolls, I would definitely recommend spending the time & the effort to just make them from scratch.  And hey, all that work will likely make me not want to have any more cinnamon rolls for a good while.

Tasty Time - Starbucks Raspberry Pomegranate Refresher

Wandering around Target, we came upon an aisle of clearance alcohol.  But more importantly, across from this, there was an aisle of clearance energy drinks!  But even more importantly, squished in between the Monsters and the Red Bulls, there were these 2 peculiar looking cans that we've never seen before.  I know Starbucks makes coffee flavored energy drinks but this was new.  But it says its contains green coffee beans.  Well, it was less than $1.00 so I guess we've got nothing to lose.

Unfortunately, I was advised by my doctor to temporarily pause my caffeine consumption so this tasting is based purely on 1 (OK, maybe 2) sips.  On first impression, I tasted way more raspberry than pomegranate.  It also tasted like artificial flavoring but I am sure it was just a personal thing since the can says all natural.  Starbucks wouldn't lie, would it?  What I liked most about it was that it was not super sweet like other juice flavored energy drinks can be.

Nutritionally, 1 12oz can has 60 calories and contains 20g of carbohydrates and 13g of sugar.

While I am not one against energy drinks, & this was certainly one of the more tastier ones, I think I am going to stick with my usuals - coffee & tea - for my caffeine kicks.

Tasty Time - Dannon All Natural Coffee Yogurt

When I first started dating my boyfriend, he told me that he used to eat a Dannon coffee yogurt everyday after school.  Being somewhat of a coffee addict, I want to try anything that has to do with the beverage, even if it is as odd-sounding as a yogurt.  After searching unsuccessfully for this item for almost 2 years, I finally spotted it on the top shelf @ the grocery store. Score!

When I first peeled back the lid, I saw this light brown yogurt with a thick layer of yellow'ish liquid on top.  Mind you, the yogurt was still cold.  After a little bit of stirring, I took my first bite which could only be described as sour coffee.  Fortunately, the sour taste quickly goes away & I was able to get used to the flavor.  That being said though, I am still not a fan.  Nutritionally, each container is 160 calories, has 2.5g fat, 26g carbohydrates, & 25g sugar.

The boyfriend said it tastes better when it's frozen.  While I don't doubt that, I don't think I will be testing that out anytime in the near future.

Gone Greek...Still

A few weeks back I wrote about my recent fascination with Greek yogurt.  Although I tried a decent number of brands & determined a favorite, my fascination is still going strong as I found myself standing in front of the yogurt fridge @ the grocery store the other day searching for more blueberry Greek yogurt.

Specimen #7: Open Nature 100% Natural
     6 ounces
     140 calories.  0g fat.  23g carbohydrates.  22g sugar.  14g protein.
     This is Safeway's organic brand & the yogurt is all natural & does not use milk containing rBST (an artificial growth hormone).  The yogurt was semi-mixed together with the blueberries & it was thick but creamy.  In terms of flavor, it was not tart & it was not blueberry'y @ all; it actually tasted kind of artificial. This was by far the sweetest of all the yogurts I've tried.  It shows again that even if something is "natural" or "organic", it can still not be very good for you.

In short conclusion, Fage reigns!

Gone Greek

In recent years, it seems that countless numbers of diets, cleanses, health food trends, etc. have been popularized, phased out, & popularized again.  But one health food trend that emerged 2-3 years ago - the Greek yogurt - seems to be sticking around; at least for the next little while anyway.  First popularized as a snack, the Greek yogurt's utility has expanded & it is now a widely promoted substitute for mayonnaise, sour cream, & creme fraiche.

Just exactly what is Greek yogurt?  From my research (a.k.a. Wikipedia), Greek yogurt is a type of yogurt called strained yogurt.  Strained yogurt is exactly what its name says; it is yogurt that has been strained through a cloth or filter in order to remove the whey & excess water.  By doing so, the end product is thicker & has a more substantial texture.  So Greek yogurt = dried regular yogurt, what's so special about that?  According to LiveStrong, Greek yogurt is superior to regular yogurt in 6 ways:

1. Greek yogurt can have 2x as much protein as regular yogurt.
2. Greek yogurt can have up to 50% less sodium than regular yogurt.
3. Greek yogurt has about 44% less carbohydrates than regular yogurt.
4. Greek yogurt contains less lactose which makes it easier to digest.
5. Greek yogurt has more utility in cooking than regular yogurt.
6. The rich texture of Greek yogurt leaves eaters feeling more satisfied.

Recently, I have hopped onto the Greek yogurt train because I really do enjoy its tangy flavor & rich full'bodied texture.  But I have realized that there are quite a number of brands of Greek yogurt out there.  In order to make sure that I pick the best one for the long run, I conducted a taste test using all blueberry flavors & here are my evaluations:

Specimen #1: Yoplait Greek
     4 ounces
     110 calories.  0g fat.  18g carbohydrates.  13g sugar.  8g protein.
     Purchased as a 4 pack, each container has plain Greek yogurt with a blueberry "sauce" on the bottom.  While the "sauce" is made of real blueberries, it was not blueberry'y @ all.  The yogurt had a fairly thick consistency & it was tart; however,the tangy'ness was short lived.

Specimen #2: Fage Total 0%
     5.3 ounces
     120 calories.  0g fat.  18g carbohydrates.  16g sugar.  13g protein.
     This was a blueberry & acai flavor & it was a container of plain yogurt with a separate container of "sauce."  I thought the design of the container was very clever since I could add as much or as little of the "sauce" as I wanted.  The yogurt was very thick & it was tart even after I added in the fruit.

Specimen #3: Trader Joe's Nonfat Greek Yogurt
     5.3 ounces
     120 calories.  0g fat.  16g carbohydrates.  14g sugar.  13g protein.
     This yogurt came already mixed together & it smelled really sweet.  The texture was thick but it was a bit gritty & it was not as tart as Fage.

Specimen #4: Chobani 0%
     6 ounces
     140 calories.  0g fat.  20g carbohydrates.  20g sugar.  14g protein.
     The yogurt was mostly mixed together but there was extra blueberry @ the bottom.  It was too sweet & not very tangy.  It was also very smooth like regular yogurt.

Specimen #5: Oikos Organic
     5.3 ounces
     120 calories.  0g fat.  16g carbohydrates.  15g sugar.  13g protein.
     This was another one that had the fruit "sauce" at the bottom.   While it was not very sweet, it didn't taste like blueberries.  The yogurt was think & it was very much like regular yogurt.

Specimen #6: Lucerne Greek Nonfat Yogurt
     6.0 ounces
     140 calories.  0g fat.  24g carbohydrates.  22g sugar.  11g protein.
     The yogurt itself was sweet, runny, & did not taste anything like blueberry.  In terms of nutrition, it has disproportionately more calories, more carbohydrates, more sugar, & less protein; this is everything you don't want in a Greek yogurt.

As you can probably see, the nutritional content across different brands is pretty similar; except for the sugar so that's definitely something to look out for.  In terms of flavor and texture, the Fage was definitely my favorite, albeit it was the most expensive one.  I will be continuing my search in order to increase my sample size, but in the mean time I am going to grab a Fage out of my fridge & have a little mid-afternoon snack.