Wow! The unthinkable has happened: spring has arrived in Washington, D.C. Woohoo! No more (hopefully) snowy days and layering up to venture outdoors. Now, days can be filled wandering streets, dining on patios and even picnicking. Coinciding with this gorgeous spring weather is the annual debut of the cherry blossoms. Although the blooms still have a few days before the flowers really burst with pink, it is relaxing to take an early morning stroll around the circumference of the Tidal Basin at the National Mall to appreciate the blooming trees.
In D.C., it feels like the cherry blossoms have invaded and moved from just flowers on trees. Many shops and restaurants boast cherry blossom-themed food and beverages. However, it can be difficult to decipher if prepared food contains soy allergens. Here are three soy-free products to relish along with the cotton candy-like blooms.
1. Harney & Sons Cherry Blossom Tea
Warm up on a crisp spring night by sipping a warm cup of cherry blossom tea. This tea from British tea empire +Harney and Sons Fine Teas, has a slightly sweet and floral fragrance that will leave you content. The plump cherry blossoms are added to green tea, and are available only in sachets. If drinking tea at night is not your cup of tea, why not brew the cherry blossom green tea in the morning and enjoy while appreciating the sakura on an early morning stroll?
2. Prunotto Cherry Blossom Honey
Honey paired with a cherry backdrop is a heavenly combination! This Italian honey magically combines the honey and sakura flavors so well you will wonder where it has been your whole life. Add the cherry blossom honey to your cherry blossom tea, drizzle on yogurt, or top a warm biscuit with the sticky stuff.
2. Capitol Kombucha, Cherry Blossom Flavor
For those wishing to detox from an indulgent lifestyle or would just like to stay healthy, kombucha is a beverage with superpower benefits. Kombucha, a fermented tea drink infused with enzymes, amino acids and probiotics, helps the body detoxify toxins. Capitol Kombucha is made with organic tea, and the cherry blossom flavor also has ingredients of cherries, rose water and honey.
A curated collection of critiqued products made without soy.
Showing posts with label beverage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beverage. Show all posts
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Whole Foods Greens With Envy Juice
Welcome to spring! According to the Spring Vernal Equinox, the season arrived on March 20, 2014 at 12:57 p.m. EDT. Even though my calendar says it is spring, and I should be basking in warm sunshine while frolicking through daffodil meadows, the reality differs. In Washington, D.C., it is still overcast, cold, and even a chance of snow in the near future! SNOW! Join me now as I grimace, "ew."
Trying to get in the spring mindset, I cleaned my apartment (i.e. light dusting while watching Parenthood) and I have been detoxing. Since green juices are all the rage now, I joined the party by picking up a cold-pressed raw Greens With Envy juice from my local Whole Foods Market. Boasting six juice blends, Whole Foods prepares in-house raw juices to maintain vitamins that are lost during the pasteurization process.
How does the Greens With Envy juice blend perform in the Sans Soy test?
Quality: Just thinking about the consumption of this bright emerald green juice makes you feel healthy. Drinking it makes you feel robust and complacent with your life choices, like you should be featured on Gwyneth Paltrow's website, Goop. The juice is not thick, and has been expertly strained to remove any little pieces of pulp that may squeeze through in the filtering process. As with all fresh and raw juices, consumption closest to the juicing date ensures the freshest liquid.
Taste: It may be hard to believe, but the Greens With Envy juice blend has a fresh, sweet taste with slightly bitter undertones. But, this is bitter in a "wow-I'm-so-healthy-for-drinking-a-raw-juice" way and not at all in a "this-tastes-really-gross-but-I'm-trying-to-be-healthy-and-trendy" way. Comprising kale, parsley, spinach, broccoli, cucumber, pear, pineapple and lemon, this juice tastes clean and is best drunk cold for a richer palatableness.
Price: One 16-ounce bottle costs $6.99 at Whole Foods Market.
Overall grade: A. This raw, cold-pressed juice receives Stephanie's gold star of approval. A plethora of vitamins are in one bottle that is reasonably priced considering the amount of fresh produce in each vessel. In addition to the health benefits of raw juices, any product that would be a stellar edition on Goop is worth trying in my book.
Trying to get in the spring mindset, I cleaned my apartment (i.e. light dusting while watching Parenthood) and I have been detoxing. Since green juices are all the rage now, I joined the party by picking up a cold-pressed raw Greens With Envy juice from my local Whole Foods Market. Boasting six juice blends, Whole Foods prepares in-house raw juices to maintain vitamins that are lost during the pasteurization process.
How does the Greens With Envy juice blend perform in the Sans Soy test?
Quality: Just thinking about the consumption of this bright emerald green juice makes you feel healthy. Drinking it makes you feel robust and complacent with your life choices, like you should be featured on Gwyneth Paltrow's website, Goop. The juice is not thick, and has been expertly strained to remove any little pieces of pulp that may squeeze through in the filtering process. As with all fresh and raw juices, consumption closest to the juicing date ensures the freshest liquid.
Taste: It may be hard to believe, but the Greens With Envy juice blend has a fresh, sweet taste with slightly bitter undertones. But, this is bitter in a "wow-I'm-so-healthy-for-drinking-a-raw-juice" way and not at all in a "this-tastes-really-gross-but-I'm-trying-to-be-healthy-and-trendy" way. Comprising kale, parsley, spinach, broccoli, cucumber, pear, pineapple and lemon, this juice tastes clean and is best drunk cold for a richer palatableness.
Price: One 16-ounce bottle costs $6.99 at Whole Foods Market.
Overall grade: A. This raw, cold-pressed juice receives Stephanie's gold star of approval. A plethora of vitamins are in one bottle that is reasonably priced considering the amount of fresh produce in each vessel. In addition to the health benefits of raw juices, any product that would be a stellar edition on Goop is worth trying in my book.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Palais des Thés: Thé du Hammam
J'aime bien la France. Immediately following my college graduation, I moved to France to teach English in a lycée. The weather turned cold and dreary, and I spent a lot of time defrosting in salon des thés, or tea houses. Choosing une tasse from the large selection of herbal loose leaf teas soon became one of my favorite activities to do when escaping the frigid temperatures.
A few days ago I was feeling nostalgic for my time in France, and decided to attempt to relive it by drinking a warm cup of flower-infused liquid. Reading the tea ingredients was when my walk down memory lane turned sour. Rosehips. Magnifique! Hibiscus. Génial! Orange peel. Merveilleux! Soy lecithin. What the oh la la?! Oui, soy lecithin is commonly used as a binding agent in herbal teas. Quelle horreur!
Luckily, I bought a tin of flavored tea from the French tea house, +Palais des Thés , on a recent trip abroad. The tea is soy free, but how does the Palais des Thés green tea, Thé du Hammam, perform in the Sans Soy test?
Product: Palais des Thés green tea: Thé du Hammam
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Quality: The tea is a simple blend of green tea, rose, green date, berry and orange flower water. A blossomy aroma first hits the nose with notes of rose and orange. Individual dried rose petals are prevalent throughout the blend. Once combined with hot water, the tea turns the liquid a light brown color with warm green undertones.
Taste: Slightly sweet and floral, the flavor is delicate much like a diluted aromatherapy candle. A sip warms the belly while tasting like an edible flower. A steep time of three to four minutes is all that is needed to make the floral notes sing, and any longer creates a bitter taste.
Price: Purchase loose leaf or sachets of the tea from the Palais des Thés Web site. Prices range between $13 and $19. This may sound pricey, but one tin of loose leaf tea lasts months, and the quality is top-notch.
Overall grade: A. I have many good memories with not just the Thé du Hammam flavor, but with many other Palais des Thés teas. The teas are some of the most flavorful filled with quality ingredients to make pleasurable tea-drinking experience. My only criticism is that I wish Palais des Thés was sold in the United States. Does anyone know of any place where I can find this brand in the U.S.? Maybe I will have to move back to France.
**Update: Palais des Thés has informed me that there are two shops selling the tea in New York.
A few days ago I was feeling nostalgic for my time in France, and decided to attempt to relive it by drinking a warm cup of flower-infused liquid. Reading the tea ingredients was when my walk down memory lane turned sour. Rosehips. Magnifique! Hibiscus. Génial! Orange peel. Merveilleux! Soy lecithin. What the oh la la?! Oui, soy lecithin is commonly used as a binding agent in herbal teas. Quelle horreur!
Luckily, I bought a tin of flavored tea from the French tea house, +Palais des Thés , on a recent trip abroad. The tea is soy free, but how does the Palais des Thés green tea, Thé du Hammam, perform in the Sans Soy test?
Product: Palais des Thés green tea: Thé du Hammam
Quality: The tea is a simple blend of green tea, rose, green date, berry and orange flower water. A blossomy aroma first hits the nose with notes of rose and orange. Individual dried rose petals are prevalent throughout the blend. Once combined with hot water, the tea turns the liquid a light brown color with warm green undertones.
Taste: Slightly sweet and floral, the flavor is delicate much like a diluted aromatherapy candle. A sip warms the belly while tasting like an edible flower. A steep time of three to four minutes is all that is needed to make the floral notes sing, and any longer creates a bitter taste.
Price: Purchase loose leaf or sachets of the tea from the Palais des Thés Web site. Prices range between $13 and $19. This may sound pricey, but one tin of loose leaf tea lasts months, and the quality is top-notch.
Overall grade: A. I have many good memories with not just the Thé du Hammam flavor, but with many other Palais des Thés teas. The teas are some of the most flavorful filled with quality ingredients to make pleasurable tea-drinking experience. My only criticism is that I wish Palais des Thés was sold in the United States. Does anyone know of any place where I can find this brand in the U.S.? Maybe I will have to move back to France.
**Update: Palais des Thés has informed me that there are two shops selling the tea in New York.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Whole Foods 365 Hot Cocoa
The holiday season is quickly approaching in conjunction with cold Arctic air in the Washington, D.C., area. Crisp and frigid weather is indicative of the arrival of heavy, wool coats, fluffy blankets and warm drinks to stay toasty and snug. What better way to relax on a grey weekend afternoon than with a cup of piping hot cocoa? Other major brands of hot chocolate contain synthetic, ‘natural’ flavors, hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, and oftentimes, soy. However, the store brand from Whole Foods, 365, contains organic ingredients easily pronounced by those who have yet to obtain a Ph.D. degree in agrochemistry. Will this affect its performance in the Sans Soy test?
Product: Whole Foods 365 Hot Cocoa
.jpg "Whole Foods Organic Hot Cocoa")
Taste: In one word, I describe this hot cocoa mix to be comforting. It is thick and luscious and sweet enough to satisfy a sweet tooth without causing a toothache. Although rich on its own from nonfat dried milk in the mix, I like to be extra naughty by combining the hot chocolate mix with warmed milk. The result tastes like liquid chocolate velvet.
Price: Currently, a box of 10 organic hot chocolate packets is on sale for $3.99 at my local Whole Foods market.
Overall grade: A. The superb quality and deep chocolate flavor are quite impressive for a dry ingredient hot cocoa mix. Real sugar cubes, plus all organic ingredients allow a cold weather beverage to be enjoyed without the worries of food chemicals. Brownie points for a reasonable price and all organic ingredients.
P.S. Check out Whole Foods' awesome hot chocolate smackdown comparison.
P.S. Check out Whole Foods' awesome hot chocolate smackdown comparison.
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