Diet Coke is a thing of the past.
Every September, when I head back to school -- and back to a diet of $1.75 a pop pick-me-ups from vending machines between my classes -- I find that those goodies stacked between the coils become less and less familiar. Gone are the days of Pepsi versus Coke, or Diet versus Regular. Today's choices are exotic, often edgy, and arriving in droves. Pepsi Blue? Tropical Sprite Remix? How about Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey Milkshake?
Supermarkets and convenience stores are making available more products than ever, and if you're like me, you're game to try them out.
I thought it would be fun to start a thread where forumites can write reviews of commercial foods and products that are new on the market, or at least different enough that they might be new to quite a few people. Gustatory paradise or abomination? Let us know!
When writing a review, I suggest that you include any information that you deem to be relevant: whether it be your expectations, the smell, the aftertaste, the fizz staying power, or even the burp factor. Feel free to put together a rating system of your own.
If you're able, snap a photograph of the food or drink you're reviewing so that forumites are able to spot (or avoid!) the product the next time they're cruising the grocery store aisles.
I'll kick things off with Orzo Bimbo, a coffee substitute that I've been told is fairly popular in Italy. My mom and I were introduced to it at the local Italian grocery on the recommendation of one of the cashiers.
Cafe d'orzo is a grain coffee, or coffee substitute, which is a wishful way of saying that it shares some of coffee's qualities: it has a strong, bold flavor and aroma. I like to have the soluble kind with hot milk and wildflower honey. This way, it reminds me of Horlicks, another barley drink (while Horlicks is made with malted barley, Orzo is ground roasted barley). It can also be made into a strong espresso-style drink with the right machinery.
My mom bought our Orzo Bimbo at an Italian grocery store on the recommendation of one of the cashiers. Both of us are trying to steer clear of coffee (bless it) -- she's at risk of osteoporosis, and I get on edge and can't fall asleep if I hit the caffeine too late in the day.
Orzo tastes absolutely nothing like good coffee. If anything, I'd compare it to the half-milk, half-Taster's Choice blend my dad drinks in the morning. Still, it's a fairly tasty drink in its own right, and it sure beats the hell out of drinking decaf.
Every September, when I head back to school -- and back to a diet of $1.75 a pop pick-me-ups from vending machines between my classes -- I find that those goodies stacked between the coils become less and less familiar. Gone are the days of Pepsi versus Coke, or Diet versus Regular. Today's choices are exotic, often edgy, and arriving in droves. Pepsi Blue? Tropical Sprite Remix? How about Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey Milkshake?
Supermarkets and convenience stores are making available more products than ever, and if you're like me, you're game to try them out.
I thought it would be fun to start a thread where forumites can write reviews of commercial foods and products that are new on the market, or at least different enough that they might be new to quite a few people. Gustatory paradise or abomination? Let us know!
When writing a review, I suggest that you include any information that you deem to be relevant: whether it be your expectations, the smell, the aftertaste, the fizz staying power, or even the burp factor. Feel free to put together a rating system of your own.
If you're able, snap a photograph of the food or drink you're reviewing so that forumites are able to spot (or avoid!) the product the next time they're cruising the grocery store aisles.
I'll kick things off with Orzo Bimbo, a coffee substitute that I've been told is fairly popular in Italy. My mom and I were introduced to it at the local Italian grocery on the recommendation of one of the cashiers.
Cafe d'orzo is a grain coffee, or coffee substitute, which is a wishful way of saying that it shares some of coffee's qualities: it has a strong, bold flavor and aroma. I like to have the soluble kind with hot milk and wildflower honey. This way, it reminds me of Horlicks, another barley drink (while Horlicks is made with malted barley, Orzo is ground roasted barley). It can also be made into a strong espresso-style drink with the right machinery.
My mom bought our Orzo Bimbo at an Italian grocery store on the recommendation of one of the cashiers. Both of us are trying to steer clear of coffee (bless it) -- she's at risk of osteoporosis, and I get on edge and can't fall asleep if I hit the caffeine too late in the day.
Orzo tastes absolutely nothing like good coffee. If anything, I'd compare it to the half-milk, half-Taster's Choice blend my dad drinks in the morning. Still, it's a fairly tasty drink in its own right, and it sure beats the hell out of drinking decaf.
