Certain things in life need to be enjoyed to their fullest. Close your eyes, sip by gentle sip taking the world’s cares and pushing them to the side for one mug at a time. Do this enough and your problems might melt away.
I was recently sent a wonderful care package by NeedCaffeine.com a fine purveyor of Coffee Beans, Loose Leaf Tea, and Espresso Machines. They wanted to show off their new design, and the designer in me lept at the chance to eyeball and give my opinion, while the coffee nut was happy to have some Intelligentsia Coffee. You see the famed roaster has a wonderful reputation but there are very few places you can buy their coffee online. NeedCaffeine just so happens to be one of those places, if not the only place that I’ve found outside of the roaster’s own.
The roasted date on the bag is a great indicator of just of quickly the orders are filled. No chance for old coffee, just good coffee.The coffee is unbelievable. Sweet berry notes, and a wonderful aroma that makes you stand up and try to find a mug stat. The Flying Blend lived up to the literature that came with it. I don’t drink my coffee with anything but coffee in the mug so having a roaster confident enough to suggest enjoying their coffee sans help is a bonus. My only regeret was that i didn’t request whole bean. but the coffee arrived fresh and very promptly.
If you get a chance you need to stop by NeedCaffeine.com to grab some of this blend. Available in one and five pound bags. I’ve had a hard time brewing other things with this stuff in the house! For more actions shots check out the gallery below.
*Full disclosure: i was sent these products at no cost to me by the folks at needcaffeine.com, for review and sampling. No outcome, positive or otherwise was promised. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I recently got to try out Third Street Chai‘s Wonderful Festivus Chai. Little know fact this Coffee lover also happens to really enjoy Chai and Tea in various forms. If they are done well. This all natural Savory blend comes in at just the right time. Heat a little milk, throw in the concentrate and boom you have a fantastic alternitave to Hot Choloate in terms of creamyness, and a wonderful low caffeine solution for Holiday Nights wrapped in close with your family.
This blend has a full bodied flavor rich in black tea, cocoa, nutmeg and cardamom, and other flavors all swirling around that I couldn’t quite pick out. Fantastic in both hot and cold form, but come on if the weather outside is frightful its time to try some of this delightful beverage.
Most of you know Festivus from Sienfeld, but I wasn’t aware that it was an offshoot of a family holiday that has turned into a secular celebration of celebrating. A little wink and a nudge are always included.
A huge thank you to Third Street Chai for Sending this Sample to my doorsteop as the weather turned chilly in Philly. I guess this would classify as a Festivus Miracle? This product is available exclusively at Whole Foods!
*Full disclosure: I was sent this sample at no cost for the purpose of review. This did not affect my conclusions or was any desired outcome specified
We all love having our tasty hot beverages on the go, and now with KeepCup the options to do so are growing in a much more earth friendly manner. I’ve been play testing this replacement for a take out cup for about a month now. And I’d like to share my findings with you.
What is a Keepcup? A Keepcup is a replacement for getting yet another disposable cup from Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Saxby’s or anywhere else your thirst finds you. They come in all of the standard sizes used by Barista’s and the smaller sizes even fit under the portafilter for dosing with espresso.
The Good: My wife and I have traveled with these cups for about a month and never once was a drop spilled in the car with the lid on and the plug in the right position, a huge improvement over disposable cups. And the Silicone band aroudn the center of the cup makes for a nice insulation from the heat.
I know a bunch of people who worry about throwing a travel mug up on the counter at a Starbucks or coffee establishment only to have it turned away. these cups are perfectly sized at 16, 12, 8, 4 ounce sizes.
They are BPA free and dishwasher safe. They fit perfectly into all of the cup holder’s I have found so far.I’ve seen products that claim to look like a styrofoam cup, but are made of ceramic, or hardened plastic shells drop one of them and see how practical they are.
We actually use them around the house to prevent accidental coffee spills and milk for the kids at night. Everybody loves having a little barrier between you and the couch when its movie night and milk & coffee is dispensed.
The Bad: There is really only one downside to this cup, and that is the insulation. Pour a hot beverage into the cup and much like a paper or Styrofoam cup the product is cool an hour later. A sad fact when my usual commute is an hour. And I like to make beverages at home and drink them in the office. You can feel the heat seeping right out through the sides of the cup. Maybe a silicone liner or total cup sleeve would fix this?
But should this affect the normal consumer? No Most people buy coffee from the store to drink it right away. So perk up and grab one.
And while yes they are spill proof, or splash proof. they are not airtight, this isn’t a bad thing. just not ready to be thrown into a gym bag while full or anything crazy like that.
Cost & Color:
Costs are mighty simple, and pretty awesome when you consider the life of the cup.
16oz $14.20
12oz $12.20
8oz $10.20
4oz $8.50
The color combinations are almost endless. Choose from 9 cup colors, 13 lid colors, 22 Band Colors, and 17 plug colors. Any combination of any of those colors is fine. And hey the band actually comes with pre printed words for use by your coffee establishment to mark off the style of beverage you orders. Flat White, Doppi, Tea, Chai, you can have it all.
And via their online ordering system you can customize, and share your design acumen with others.
The Earth Friendly Upside: When your cup is at the end of its life simply placer it into the recycle bin. How nice is that? And besides that you are slowly eliminating the disposable cup menace, it’s like the dark side’s craft services department.
Conclusion: This is a great and serviceable durable mug. It completely should replace your need for disposable cups from any of the coffee establishments out there. Not too much. Keepcup is a fantastic idea and a great product at a great price. I give this travel mug a 8 out of 10 grade!
*Full Disclosure Keepcup Sent me samples to evaluate at no cost to me, this did not reflect the review.
Some stories start out as a simple review. get a product, review the product, publish findings. I’m not going to lie, I love getting coffee sent to me to review.
AgroEco Nicaraguan coffee did more than teach me how to spell Nicaragua, it opened my eyes a bit. But before we get into the heavy stuff lets clear out the formalities.
The light roasted coffee which I received went through the standard taste testing here in the CaffiNation HQ, Grind, French Press and review. Simple and efficient. The fine folks at the Santa Cruz Roasters let me know that this roast was a light city roast, in that it wasn’t as dark as most americans usually drink their coffee. No problem here. This would be a bit lighter than the medium most people see in the stores.
Look: The beans look to be a nice deep brown color, with no imperfections or burnt beans in the batch that I saw. they were dry with absolutely no oil on the outside. You can wrap and handful up in a paper towel, and it’s still clean when you’re done. All that being said the coffee varied widely in size in this batch. This is one of the hallmarks of a true small production. It isn’t a bad thing either.
Smell: This coffee has a wonderful light smell with earthy tone to it. A light hazlenut vibe was going on in the backround with a bit of fig in there too.
Taste: A smooth low acid cup with slight sour notes. Not bold at all. More fig and raisin notes with a bit of a mellow finish. Mild aftertaste.
Conclusion: Awesome Coffee, and a fun new addition to my mug.
What do you get when you mix real ingredients, with actual sugar and a commitment to being environmentally friends? Well a tasty treat if you do it right. The fine folks at Savor Sweets are home to a whole host of different examples of how to do this right. And they were kind enough to send some samples along to us to try out.
Lets get to the meat and the potatoes (not actual flavors at this time but hey you can contract with them for a specialty flavor… Thanksgiving lollipops anyone?) These are not your garden variety lollipops. the samples that i got where Chai, Black Tea and Espresso. So throw the idea of a sweet citris lolli out of your heads. These are full bodied rich and flavorful.
The Black tea was the first one to go, and I neglected to get pictures of it, because i also gave ti to my wife to try. We both thought it tasted exactly like a nice tall glass of sweet tea. Except with a flavor like that you expect it to be cold. A very strange thing but if you closed your ices you could almost imagine putting a glass of iced tea in your mouth instead of a lollipop.
The second flavor i tried is the Espresso. This one took a couple of seconds to develop but made with real espresso a real brewed treat came to life in my mouth. It had all the kick of a sweetened cup of black coffee… my Favorite!
And last but most certainly not least the Chai flavored Lollipop. This was probably the most off the wall flavor out of the three. It had all the making of a great cup of chai, the rich spices the zing of citrus, but for some reason rather than a piping hot cup of chai it was frozen into a liollipop. It was a rich a nuanced flavor. I loved it just as well.
Other offerings. At this point looking down the list of lollipops they offer i’m greeted with such off the wall flavors as Ghost Pepper! and Habanero! I love me some spicy food so i might want to get down on that action soon!
Packaging: Usually when I focus on packaging there is something dazzlings about it but this is brilliant in its simplicity. After you are done eating your tasty candy everything else is compostable. The cellophane is made from wood fibers… who knew a clear tree grows somewhere, just kidding. The labels are printed with compast safe ink, everything! The ribbon used to tie the thing shut, the stick and even the production process are all geared towards creating a low waste savory treat.
Ingredients: Candy when we were kids tasted different. Candy from other countries even does. Wonder why? Its the sugar. Most candy in the USA uses Corn Syrup, which like it or not tastes different from actual sugar. In my opinion it takes away a lot of the flavor, and the jury is out on what else it may be doing to people. I’d much rather use plain old sugar. And that is all you will find in Savor Sweets. They use real sugar, and natural flavors. These aren’t marketing buzzwords. if you see a lollipop that is easpresso flavoured that means there is espresso all up in it! How novel, how awesome.
I can’t recommend these lollipops enough. If you have a coffee nut on your gift list this holiday season… these are the perfect stocking stuffers. Now i can only wait for the inevitable Bacon Lolli!
*Full disclosure the fine folks at Savor Sweets sent me a lovely care package at no cost to me. this did not influence my review one way or another.
What do some of these names mean to you? Kareem Abdul-Jabba, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, John Stockton, Isiah Thomas, Jerry West?
If you are a fan of basketball then they mean years of memories, history that lives on beyond the end of eachseason. This year NBVA 2k12 has taken the games of the past, the heroes of your childhood and provided hours of enjoyment in a modern game gem.
I’m a Fan of the 76′ers, well lets be honest right now no one is playing much of anything. If the players and the league get their act together we might be able to watch real games. But until that happens this is a mighty fun alternative. Last year 2k11 lit up my console with the adventures and exploits of MJ. Everyone wanted to be Mike. Jordan is untouchable when it comes to past players. but the experience in last years game wasn’t just playing as Jordan, but rather playing as Jordan against the best that ever was on the other side of the court too.
The Fine folks at 2k Sports have taken that experience and spread the love around to a host of legends, all listed above.
They also revamped the Create a player feature so that if you are going to attempt to start a career you have less of a chance of ending up in the D league, which is frankly boring. I got drafted by the Houston Rockets, and then complained my way back to Philly where they should have taken me with their pick, but I’ll make them pay after my rookie contract is up… All of these things are possible, and fun. the games get switched up. The only feature I wish I could turn off is the post game press conferences. They get a bit annoying.
The legends feature is awesome, the look and feel of the game is there from the different eras, Games from the 70′s look like the broadcasts did back then, and the commentary of the time shines through. The teams are spot on and the challenges are crazy hard.
I recommend this game for any fan of Basketball, and any fan of sports game in general. It is challenging without being annoying, it is difficult if you don’t know the game, and the history is alive and well on the screen.
What would happen if you were able to enjoy your favorite breakfast food and have the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee, without the spill hazard? Well the folks at Wired Waffles have the answer. They recently sent us a sample of their wares to run through its paces. We have previously covered these culinary oddities on the site, but up until now we hadn’t had the chance to taste them.
The claims made by this Waffle Company are that each cake, which is done in the style of an Authentic Belgian Liège waffle, contains 200 mg of caffeine. A Liège waffle is a small cake, about the size of the palm of your hand with pearled sugar baked right into the dough. These are not intended to be like the american waffles, covered in syrup. But rather similar to a cake or cake based pastry.
Without beating around the bush, I loved this waffle, it was sweet and tasted like pound cake, just a bit. Without being nearly as dense. The pearled sugar were sweet explosions as I bit through the waffle. I started to eat it during one of our episodes, but quickly had to stop, because lets be honest talking with your mouth full is just rude.
While the waffle had a definite kick, it wasn’t too noticeable to me, I’m a bit of a hard sell when it comes to coffee / caffeine products. If you get my heart racing you’re probably over the line. However this was enough to push me through the taping and keep my motor running for a bit that night. For the normal person it would probably replace a nice tall glass of iced tea or a large coffee.
They cost $3.50 a pop, which considering they are pastries, and coffee all rolled into one isn’t that bad. The only complaint I had about them was that I did need a drink to go along with them as they are mighty tasty, but a tad dry. Of course if I slowed down while eating that may have helped too.
There are a great many Caffeinated products in mix right now. Everything from pills to water, soap to bacon. The idea of throwing an extra kick into a culinary device isn’t a new one. but making the food tasty is the trick. Far too often the folks who put together the zippy products do so without really understanding that caffeine has a bitter taste, and without proper attention being paid to the Caffeine. The folks at Wired Waffles did their job spot on and this is a tasty treat for anyone.
My only regret is that I didn’t take any pictures f the waffles before I had eaten them. And at that point there isn’t much one can do to fix things.
One fun fact I learned while researching what a Liège waffle was supposed to look like, was that in the late 1800′s here in america we used to have Waffle Frolics, or Waffle Parties, since a Waffle was a relativity new pastry to the Americas… Why on earth did this tradition stop? I could go for a good waffle frolic.
*Full Disclosure: We were sent a sample of Wired Waffles at no cost for the sole purpose of reviewing their product. Our conclusion was not influenced by this
When I go someplace new I always try all the coffee I can. I want to sample the different atmosphere, the different blends. But most of all I want to find a good espresso.
The family and I spent the day walking around Provincetown, Mass. We took a wonderful Whale watching cruise (1 finback whale 5 humpbacks!) And I sampled as much espresso as I could. I had some good, some horrible. But one place stood out from the rest, Wired Puppy.
Between the friendly staff welcoming atmosphere and unbelieveable coffee, this place is fantastic. The espresso was perfect, I term I rarely us with espresso. Fragrant, and sweet, not over extracted with a wonderfully thick creama on top. Quite simply a top five espresso for me. I don’t gush when it comes to espresso often.
Espresso is a fickle mistress, treat her right and she is sweet beyond compare, treat her wrong and the damage is too bad to watch. At Wired Puppy they do it up perfectly.
I got a fever… and the only thing that will cure it is good coffee! Ok that might not be the line from the classic Saturday Night Live Bit, but it’s true every word of it. Coffee cures what ails you, it silences critics and soothes frayed nerves. But while coffee has had various mascots over time, Juan Valdez, The Chock full of nuts singing woman, The Folgers people waking up, Me… It has yet to gain true traction in the medical field. 4 out of 5 doctors haven’t recommended it. That was until Dr Drip came onto the scene. I was recently given a sample of Dr Drip to review and these are my findings. How do you think the patient is doing?
Dr Drip is a single serving pour over coffee brewer, they are priced at $8.99 for a 5 pack. Each packet is biodegradable and has everything you need for a single cup of coffee. The price works out to 1.79 per cup of coffee. We ran the good Doctor through his paces and you can find out below how he held up. But what really struck me is the design.
As usual all coffee’s submitted are run through the same process a nice coarse grind and a 4 minute steep in the trust french press, this time however my first experience is via drip brew in my office. The French Press came later, and only served to reinforce my experiences. Sometimes necessity demands that i bring large samples into work to share with other coffee lovers and this was one such time.
Recently I was sent a care package by Balance Bar Cafe. An interesting new product trying to establish itself as a high energy health conscious snack. The cafe title is not meant to be taken as a traditional Energy Bar with caffeine included, but rather the name is a subtle suggestion to eat this when coupled with coffee, as you would a more unhealthy snack.
Balance Bar Cafe’s are a product designed to be enjoyed as a healthy snack along with your morning coffee, or afternoon pick me up. It doesn’t mean that they are a meal replacement. Nor are they Diet Food. Does that mean you would eat this instead of lunch dinner or breakfast? No it doesn’t. But if you are going to try a snack during your coffee break wouldn’t it be nice if the snack was a high in protein, overall balanced alternative? Why yes… yes it would be.
As per usual all products submitted are run through the same process.
The Journey
Smell: If it doesn’t smell good How can you eat it?
Taste: Obvious and penultimate
Aftertaste: Food is done, but is the flavor?
Claims: If a product claims to be faster than a speeding bullet we’ll shoot it.
Smell: Popping open the package and I was greeted with a wonderful nutty chocolate smell. While I could smell both the chocolate and the almond i guess the biscotti was just icing on the bar. The smell was quite sweet and inviting.
Taste: While the Cinnamon Bun bar tasted mildly sweet this bar is quite sweet and has a smooth finish to it. Wile I wouldn’t say the almond was evident it did have a smooth taste to it. There was a definite complexity to the overall taste that was missing from the Cinnamon Bar. The taste rounded out nicely when paired with a good dark cup of coffee. but on its own it was a little complex. I think maybe just a cinnamon almond would have been enough. The bar itself is layered with real almond slices, and chocolaty drizzle, so you know it isn’t all chemicals and trickery. You are tasting almond because they are staring right back at you.
Aftertaste: This is the one area that kind of let me down a little bit there was a slight aftertaste to the bar as a whole. While Icouldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was it was there. however if you drink it with coffee it wasn’t there at all. So Coffee Up!
Claims: I was satisfied, and though I’m not in the habit of snacking with my coffee this treat did seem to fill a gap in my day when I was running around without being junk food. (Weight Watchers people, the bar is 5 points, I calculated it) Full nutritional information here. Balance bar claims that their bar follows the 40-30-30 plan, which means 40 percent carbs, 30 percent protein and 30 percent fat.
Conclusion: This was a tasty snack, and filling. Unlike most diet foods which sell you on a snack without calories or fat or anything this snack sells you on the fact that it replaces worthless snack with something healthier, a bit of a balanced snack. I like that. If you are eating something with no calories and no fat… what IS it? At least with this you know you’re getting filled with 40-30-30. And it does fill you up, and hold you over. I found it great as a snack while i was running around doing errands and chores. Throw back a mug of coffee and a bar and you’re ready with energy and fuel.
Overall this is a well rounded snack. Sticking to a diet plan and trying to manage the snacks while still feeling a little indulgent is hard work. its nice to know there are foods on the market for people with a sweet tooth and a coffee snack habit. Although I’m not a sweets kind of guy this was quite good.
*Full Disclosure: I was sent a lovely care package at no cost by the fine Folks at Balance Bars for the purpose of writing this review. This in no way affected my opinions of the product nor was a desired outcome asked for or agreed upon.
So the game among games has debuted and we are left here standing atop the smoldering rubble of fourteen years, three ( plus ) game studios, and a crazy development cycle. Now that the game is out, and in consoles everywhere. it almost feels like we should put the delay to bed. It has been mentioned… and the wait is now over. But the delay and the players involved did cause some game decisions to be made. The final developer Gearbox tried to stay as true to the original vision of the game as possible.
I firmly believe that you cannot make a perfect game, on purpose. Games are perfect because they have attention to detail, easy controls and predictable outcomes for the use of those controls, ie no glaring weakness in making the game play work. Games also need to be released at the proper time, this is not an indictment of anything but if a genre is popular you go with that look and feel. Could you imagine releasing a similar game to the Original Guitar hero right now? No, people want more instruments, more control. Does it make that game better or worse? No, but it can affect what people expect it to be.
Duke Nukem Forever is a great game, it is a very entertaining game. It is not a game meant for right now, with open battlefields, advanced crouching mechanics, intricate in-game interactions ect. It is a game where you blow things up and make silly jokes. You kill final Bosses and you smoke a cigar. You may very well visit a strip club, have a couple beers and eat some popcorn. And I missed this kind of game, i love boss fights. I hate snipers, and I really and truly have the sense of humor of a 15year old boy some days.
The Good:
A breath of fresh air. Duke Nukem Forever is a game I love playing but i never touched it before. I love games in this genre, blow things up go in guns blazing and don’t worry about the tiny details. The bosses are HUGE, the jokes are dirty and so are the women. Quite literally I don’t think there is a single level without some type of off color reference joke or quip. The game made good on my expectations in this regard. From front to back this is the Most Duke Nukem you have ever seen, and he is just as much of a Badass as you think he would be.
The controls are intuitive and simple. The guns are epic and fun to play with. I only wish you could hold more than 2 at a time. because i love having the shotgun, i quite simply can’t drop it.
And you know what else is missing from today’s shoot em ups? Puzzles! That is right Duke Nukem has stretches of the game where you need to solve a physics puzzle, move things around or navigate a crazy landscape just to continue. The obstacles are unavoidable and quite fun.
The Bad:
Fun Gameplay aside, the load times are annoying and a bit long even on the 360. For as short as the different segments are, the load times are about 20 – 30 seconds in between scenes or deaths. I don’t know what technical problem this is a result of, but I really hope that maybe someone just forgot to carry the one in some equation somewhere and a software update can fix it. Because if the load times were shorter the game would run a whole lot better.
The only other detractor I have seen is in the 2 player game. I love having friends over, doing a split screen and killing some people online or even in a head to head match. Duke has multiplayer, but no split screen, so it was a little disappointing.
The Ugly:
Loads of ugly Aliens! And by ugly I mean that while I don’t look for crystal sharp crystal clear graphics all the time there is a button on the controller for zooming in, to aim or look a bit into the distance. When you use it the picture is fuzzy… It just seemed a bit off.
The Conclusion:
I love the game, but I understand it for what it is./ It is a concept game from a differernt era when baddies didn’t have really massivly challenging AI, bosses were huge and the guns went boom. There is absolutly nothing like a shotgun and a cold beer IN a game to make a level seem just right! Should you buy it? Well if you loved Duke then I would suggest a trip down memory lane. If you haven’t played and Duke Nukem before I would still give it a shot. it isn’t the most innovative game, it isn’t the most eye popping, nor complex. But man alive is it fun. From start to finish the game is one long explosion.
This ame had to be made, enough work had gone into it that it had to be made and had to be made now. And now that that dev cycle is over we hope that the team does more. In fact now we expect more, a more modern duke would be Sweet!
Rating:
How do I rate this game? Well since we rate games with a bean scale around here i give it 3.5 beans out of 5. A good solid game from a bygone genre and style that is missing from today’s lineup.
Duke is a guilty pleasure, there is no way that a guy with a family, and a nice neat little job and a child safe family friendly podcast should ever enjoy this game, let alone wait with bated breath, but man oh man am I waiting. I can’t wait to throw down with some insane guns, ugly alien hordes, massive battles, walk into strip clubs blowing urinals off the wall with a shotgun… why because I can. The game is a tongue in cheek poke at every last action hero that ever walked, it is a walking trash talking stereotype that will blow your minds up like they were sweet sweet bubblegum, except we’re all outta gum. Only one thing left to do.
Kick a little Ass and Find some gum.
The game will come in three flavors for the normal users. Xbox, PC, and PS3. But for the Hard Core Fan there will also be Balls of Steel, collectors editions released as well.
Regular Can of Whoopass
A 6 Pack of Whoopass
*Full Disclosure: all Amazon Links are Affiliate Links
Recently I was sent a care package by Balance Bar Cafe. An interesting new product trying to establish itself as a high energy health conscious snack. The cafe title is not meant to be taken as a traditional Energy Bar with caffeine included, but rather the name is a subtle suggestion to eat this when coupled with coffee, as you would a more unhealthy snack.
Balance Bar Cafe’s are a product designed to be enjoyed as a healthy snack along with your morning coffee, or afternoon pick me up. It doesn’t mean that they are a meal replacement. Nor are they Diet Food. But does that mean you should throw a candy bar down your throat because it’s there? No it doesn’t. But if you are going to try a snack during your coffee break wouldn’t it be nice if the snack was a high in protein, overall balanced alternative? Why yes… yes it would be.
As per usual all products submitted are run through the same process.
The Journey
Smell: If it doesn’t smell good How can you eat it?
Taste: Obvious and penultimate
Aftertaste: Food is done, but is the flavor?
Claims: If a product claims to be faster than a speeding bullet we’ll shoot it.
Smell: Upon opening this bar the wonderful smell of a cinnamon bun wafted up to my nostrils. Not only is Cinnamon one of my favorite food smells, next to coffee and BBQ, but it honestly smelled like the real deal and not a chemical equivalent.
Taste: The bar was sweet without being overly so, had a wonderful Cinnamon flavor going, well rounded and satisfying. You honestly can’t ask for anything more than that!
Aftertaste: None! The only reason this category is here is because some foods, no matter how processed they are tend to linger on the palate. I was left with a wonderful taste experience and no “Hangover”
Claims: I was satisfied, and though I’m not in the habit of needing anything with my coffee this treat did seem to fill a gap in my day when i was running around without killing my Diet. (Weight Watchers people, the bar is 5 points, I calculated it) Full nutritional information here. Balance bar claims that their bar follows the 40-30-30 plan, which means 40 percent carbs, 30 percent protein and 30 percent fat.
Conclusion: This is a great satisfying snack. And while I’m no nutritionist it isn’t candy, its better than the traditional donuts, bagel or cheese Danish. I’m happy this wasn’t a fat free product. Way too much of my adult life has been spent fighting the Fat Free product craze. They throw in Protein to keep your engine going. And though i’m not too sure about the balance between all the different factors it hasn’t hurt my diet after eating them the past couple of weeks.
Overall this is a well rounded snack. Sticking to a diet plan and trying to manage the snacks while still feeling a little indulgent is hard work. its nice to know there are foods on the market for people with a sweet tooth and a coffee snack habit. Although I’m not a sweets kind of guy this was quite good.
*Full Disclosure: I was sent a lovely care package at no cost by the fine Folks at Balance Bars for the purpose of writing this review. This in no way affected my opinions of the product nor was a desired outcome asked for or agreed upon.
After all the talk we were doing about “Zombie Apocolypse”, I started thinking about what I would need to survive such an event. The first thing that came to mind was food. Who needs a weapon when you can run…zombies hate fast food.
While looking through ThinkGeek.com, I found something that sounded delicious, Tactical Sammich. I was intrigued, so I decided to get one of each to try out (Pepperoni & Honey BBQ Beef). After trying both of them out, mixed emotions come into play.
Now I know that they were not going to be like a full course meal in a hot pocket, but if I was going for one, it would be the Honey BBQ Beef. It wasn’t too bad. The bread was a little chewy, but who would complain when running from zombies. The plus side was that the inside was filled with beef. I can not say the same for the pepperoni. The bread was just as chewy as the other sammich, but it was the inside that gave disappointment. It looked like they just stuck a small stick of pepperoni, the size of my ring finger, inside and shipped it out. Of course, who would complain at a time like that. However, for $5.99 each, at least fill it up a little more.
The next thing I had sent in was, of course, Stay Puft Marshmallows. The only thing special about these, other than the box it comes in, is that they are caffinated. I couldn’t wait to give these a shot. I was shocked to find out that they were not that bad.It tasted just like a marshmallow. You did taste the slight hint of caffeine, but they were pretty satisfying. They are a little pricey, $19.99 to be exact. But if you have a some cash to spend for yourself, give these marshmallows a try.
This is not a normal review. I have used this machine for 3 years, and it is still going strong. The problems that were there in the beginning are still there, but they were never enough to force my hand at upgrading.
This review has been a long time coming. I often have people ask me what is the best espresso machine to start out with? Well I myself don’t have a huge budget, so technically I’m still with my starter Espresso Machine. And it is a beast. By Beast I mean this little machine has a few quibbles and just works, and works well. Especially when you consider the price point it comes in at.
Will I still upgrade down the road when funding isn’t as much of a object as it is right now? Why yes… yes I will. Will this machine earn a place of honor in my office as the espresso machine in my remote coffee campus? Why yes… yes it will.
Well You wanted it, here it is the Fairly incompletely rather badly illustrated Portal 2 review. Since I am a fan of putting my bias on display I have to tell you upfront I Love the original game, the ambiance, the dialog the… well everything.
If you haven’t played the original portal you have done you gaming self a major disservice. It breaks genres to create its own. Quite simply this game is what happens when a 1st person shooter tries to really immerse itself in a puzzle. In fact the developers threw this game in as an add-on to a collection, Part of the original Orange Box, Half life 1, 2 and team fortress. Sweet fancy fun, this package is still a steal on the discount rack.
There is only 1 gun, and it only does one thing. Shoots either entry or exit portals. using gravity, ingenuity and luck you need to navigate through countless levels of complex and mind bending puzzles. You begin to wonder if a 2 player version would even be possible. Fans of motion sickness, and Nausea need not apply. In fact that was probably the orignal title of the game.
Did there need to be a Sequel?
When a sequel for a great movie or game comes out you need to ask yourself is the story workable? Does it continue or break the other continuity to make this game even happen? Is this a Matrix 2, or heaven forbid Highlander 2…. Or did it go the way of other great sequels Rock IV and Ghostbuster 2. Come on maybe a happy little carpathian kitten is lurking somewhere around here. Yes this game needed to be made. It didn’t break the first story, it added to it. Without ruining any of the story beyond the first 2 minutes. Yes you are Chel the protagonist from the first game, GLADDoS is back, and I don’t think there will be cake, because the developers got tired of cake jokes. I did find one single cake reference in the game, let’s see if you catch it. At this point I’ve beaten it twice on single player, and am going back for more. I’m working on the next level of awesome.
Co-Op: Before we start this, let me tell you the Co-Op campaign comes AFTER the single player campaign in the overall timeline of things. So pleasure delayers be aware that you should probably play the First person player-mode to get all the awesome jokes in the multi-player mode. Co-Op is fantastic, there are moments when one of you will crack and send the other into a pit of acid, just because. This is truly a team game, although if there was a … “Battle Mode” that would be pretty fun too! Most if not all of the puzzles NEED to be completed as a two player set. I can think of only one so far that you really didn’t have to work together.
The Good: More Portal, More Science, More Better
The traps… er tests are fantastic, the story is what steals the show. Continuing from the first game the witty dialog, straight laced insult humor and overall polish on the game is the same only… better. There are less standard puzzles and more off kilter broken ended tests of your portal-ability. In fact I completed the single player game by a non standard means without even realizing it, which is why I played through it again. Pay attention to your surroundings they can lead to some fun surprises.
The Bad: If there really is anything bad in the game its that there seems to be a lack of extras, like challenges from the first game. I would have loved to see the first portal game as an include on the disk just for fun. The replay value also leaves a good deal to be desired as well. If you have played through once and have a good spatial memory then you’ll be set!
Leave me Wanting MORE: Some minor bits of fun from the trailer don’t appear in the came, like suction tubes. Sadly they didn’t appear once in the game. I am a Portal Junky though and love the game as a whole. We also had some pretty awesome use of gels in demo content that didn’t quite make it into the final version. but I can’t complain they showed you the solution… what fun is that! Hopefully some of the awesome tech demos are getting pushed into the DLC coming this summer… oh by the by…. it will be free! So I can only think they rushed to have all the awesome story in the game and are adding in the extras after the fact. Sweet Fancy Science this is going to be cool.
Conclusion: Should you buy this. YES! I’m Paul Muller and we’re done here
Dr Drip is a single serving pour over coffee brewer, they are priced at $8.99 for a 5 pack. Each packet is biodegradable and has everything you need for a single cup of coffee. The price works out to 1.79 per cup of coffee. We ran the good Doctor through his paces and you can find out below how he held up. But what really struck me is the design.
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