Tea Time with Brandy: Bolthouse Farms Holiday Drinks

Happy Black Friday friends!  We do hope you are all thoroughly stuffed from your holiday gorging and home safe and warm away from the insanity in the stores.  

Recently, Brandy was asked by our friends at Bolthouse Farms to sample their limited edition holiday beverages, and as Brandy has been a great fan of their juices and protein smoothies for quite some time ("That Vanilla Chai one is like sipping a spicy slice of heaven," she says) so she was more than delighted to try the three seasonal flavors: Pumpkin Spice Latte, Peppermint Mocha, and Holiday Nog.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte was definitely Brandy's favorite of the three.  Made with coffee, milk, and real pumpkin puree, Brandy had never tasted any drink quite as authentically pumpkin as this one.  Even though there was coffee in the mix, what Brandy tasted was more like a slice of pumpkin pie with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg.  The concoction was rich and thick as well, making it an ideal mid morning snack or an indulgent accompaniment to some snickerdoodle cookies.

Next was the Peppermint Mocha, another coffee concoction made with premium cocoa powder and real peppermint extract for an authentic minty chill.  This mixture was a little thinner than Brandy had expected, but still incredibly flavorful with the rich chocolate hitting the tongue first and the frosty, candy cane like peppermint coming in soon afterwards.  Brandy loved that the drink wasn't overly sweetened and that it came loaded with calcium and protein, making it a much healthier alternative to some other coffee house offerings.

Lastly was the Holiday Nog, a healthier twist on the traditional Egg Nog.  This version wasn't quite the thick, viscus texture Brandy was accustomed to in an eggnog, but a much smoother, more velvety liquid that was perfect for sipping by the fire.  Because this version was made with low fat milk and carrot juice ("Carrot juice?!?!" Brandy exclaimed in disbelief upon reading the ingredients list, but was careful not to spit out any of the precious liquid) its actually possible to call this a healthy beverage, which is usually unheard of for anything in the "nog" category.  Brandy really loved the warming spices in the Holiday Nog and its creamy, vanilla scented flavor.

We do hope you all have the chance to try one, two, or all three of these lovely little mixtures before they are no longer in stores!  And if you do have the chance to sample them, make sure to let us know which one is your favorite!

The writers of this blog were sent samples by Bolthouse Farms for the purposes of product review.

Teatime with Brandy: Part 1, Savory Snacks

Greetings, dearies!  We are premiering a new segment here at Bunny and Brandy's Brunchtime Blog.  As Brandy's expertise in tasting and judging has been called on for review of a few exciting products, we've decided to title these posts Tea Time with Brandy, and it is here that she will share her thoughts on her favorite new snacks.

First up we have some new healthy treats from Bolthouse Farms, one of Brandy's favorite producers of wholesome and organic juices, dressings, and other all natural deliciousness.  Among their newest products are some handy little snacks called Shakedowns, which are 25 calorie packs of baby carrots and a special seasoning that puts them on par flavor wise with less healthy alternatives like potato chips.  Shakedowns come in two zingy flavors: Chili Lime and Ranch.

The packaging on the Shakedown packets is quite clever, with the seasonings stored in one corner of the bag until the snacker should pull the bag apart, thus releasing the seasoning into the carrots.  This is where the name comes into play because after the seasonings have been released, one is to shake the bag vigorously, thus distributing the seasoning onto the carrots, which are then ready for snacking.

Brandy found the seasonings to be a bit intense for her liking, so instead of releasing the entire packets (which were also rather heavy in sodium at 200mg in a serving), she prefered to cut the packets off for a more controlled dipping method.  The Chili Lime had a very strong citrus flavor, which was matched well by a soft heat that only fleetingly lingered on Brandy's tongue.   Brandy found the Ranch flavor to be a little more traditional, with a creamy buttermilk flavor that would please most finicky palates.

All in all, Brandy really loved Shakedowns for the delivery method of the seasonings, even if she didn't take full advantage of it, and she thought that the two vibrant flavors should be enough to please any serial snackers out there.  "I can't wait to see what other flavors they come up with," Brandy mused while munching away, "Perhaps a Brie and Pickle flavor?  That should do well.  Americans like cheese on everything, in my experience."

Ok, maybe we exaggerated Brandy's taste maker expertise...

The writers of this blog were sent samples by Bolthouse Farms for the purposes of product review.