Have a Taste of Dangerously Cheesy Goodness With Taters' CHEETOFIED Snacks

Taters and Cheetos, two brands that serve awesome American snacks, is partnering up to give snack lovers the cheesiest and crunchiest snacks this year. They kicked off their new #Cheetofied snacks at the Glorietta Activity Center last January 25, 2017 to bring hungry Filipinos FIVE NEW CHEETOFIED SNACKS. You heard right, you can get your hands on FIVE Cheetos-inspired snacks this year! 

Taters has long been known for serving delicious cinema snacks across Philippine cinemas and a partnership with a household name such as Cheetos definitely gives movie-goers a cheesier option to enjoy at the cinemas this year. It's a perfect marriage that those of you who love popcorn and chips, like yours truly, will surely love. 

The partnership only available from January 25, 2017 until May 15, 2017 in all Taters stores nationwide, so hurry and get yourselves some #Cheetofied snacks now! 

The Northern Taste Coffee Company: Affordable, Freshly-Roasted Philippine Coffee

Freshness is one of the most important characteristics to watch out for when shopping for your next bag of coffee beans. I can't stress just how important freshly-roasted, whole coffee beans are especially because coffee tends to lose much of its flavor after a month from roasting and a few seconds after grinding. As coffee lovers around the Philippines get better coffee education, a number of roasters have been moving online in an effort to get freshly-roasted coffee in homes around the country. The Northern Taste Coffee Company, by far, sells the most affordable coffee beans of the bunch!

All the coffee that the company sells comes from North Luzon in Cordillera Administrative Region. So that's coffee from Benguet, Sagada, and Kalinga. All the single origin coffee beans are hand-picked to ensure the quality of each coffee bag delivered.

You can check out their website for their selection of coffee beans, but if you'd like to know my two cents then continue reading on...

Karabella Ice Cream: All Local, All Natural Ice Cream Made From Carabao Milk

The Philippines is rich with beautiful local ingredients and produce, however it's unfortunate that we don't take full advantage of these wonderful ingredients so that it reaches its full potential. Carabao milk, for instance, is said to be an underrated superdrink that a lot of Filipinos don't get enough of despite being a creamier, healthier alternative to fresh cow's milk (most of which we ship from overseas). Karabella, a Filipino social enterprise, wants to put fresh carabao's milk back in the spotlight by creating delicious dairy products that's made with this amazing ingredient.

Karabella began by selling fresh, flavored carabao's milk but soon after started to make ice cream made from 100% natural fresh carabao's milk as well. The only other company I know that makes ice cream from carabao's milk is ArceDairy, but I like how Karabella starts putting a local, artisan twist to this well-loved dessert!

Hoegaarden Rosée: A Sophisticated, Fruity Beer the Ladies Will Enjoy

Hoegaarden is undoubtedly one of the world's favorite beers - 500 years of hard work crafting Belgian-style wheat beer does just that. This classic light yellow, murky beer is known for the subtle citrus and coriander notes that makes it quite the refreshing drink. In fact, we reviewed it a while back and it came out as one of the top beers that casual drinkers are bound to enjoy. 

Now, Hoegaarden Rosée arrives in Manila to spice up the city's local bar scene. We were lucky enough to be part of their launch at Draft Gastropub to welcome the drink and have as much of it as we can. It's a welcome addition as it gives the ladies a bit more variety to choose from when it comes to beer. 

Here are our thoughts on the Hoegaarden Rosée...

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf's Toffee Nut Latte and Iced Blended: Masarap o Hindi Masarap?

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Philippines recently included the Toffee Nut Latte and Iced Blended in their line-up of Christmas drinks, replacing the very underwhelming Red Velvet Hot Chocolate. They're taking a page out of Starbucks Philippines, who has been serving the Toffee Nut every Christmas season for as long as I can remember. 

I was pretty excited about it because CBTL generally does coffee better than Starbucks. The Ultimate Vanilla is an amazing iced blended beverage and the White Chocolate Dream Latte is a drink I keep coming back for. It took some time (around a month) for them to start serving up the Toffee Nut drinks because of logistics issues, so pardon me for the late review. 

Here are my thoughts on the Toffee Nut Latte and Iced Blended;

Starbucks Philippines Christmas Panettone Latte and Frappuccino: Masarap o Hindi Masarap?

Starbucks Philippines added the Christmas Panettone Latte to their Christmas Drink line-up this year and they didn't bring back the popular Christmas Cookie Latte (which was one of my favorite Starbucks Christmas drinks). I personally enjoyed having a warm Toffee Nut Latte or Christmas Cookie Latte while reading a book during the last holiday season.

Starbucks brought back the Toffee Nut Latte and the Peppermint Mocha so I think my previous review of both these drinks still stand.

Here are my thoughts on the Christmas Panettone Latte;

Satisfy Your Mooncake Cravings This Coming Mid-Autumn Festival with MXT Mooncakes

The Mid-Autumn Festival, which will be celebrated on September 27, 2015, is almost upon us. You know what that means... MOONCAKES! In Chinese culture, the Mid-Autumn Festival remains to be one of the most important festivals dating back over 3,500 years. As one of the festival's hallmark traditions, you would normally find boxes of mooncakes in every Chinese family's household.

Mooncakes are believed to bring about luck and prosperity. The cake's round shape is said to symbolize completeness and unity. As a part of this longstanding tradition, Chinese families usually give out boxes of mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn festival to family and friends as an expression of love or a wish for prosperity.

We Sampled 11 Local and Imported Beers And Here Are Our Favorites

We were feeling a bit adventurous one evening, so we decided it was about time we drink a lot of beer and figure out which ones we liked the most. So we teamed up a casual drinker and a beer enthusiast, and we asked them to evaluate their top 3 favorite beers from the 11 bottles we bought. Admittedly, we were already a bit buzzed towards the latter half of the evening that this might not be a totally objective review - but we gave it our best shot.

So, in our opinion, here are our favorites. 

The New Starbucks Drinks Are Out: The Honeycomb Crunch Mocha Frappucino and Orange Honeycomb Crunch Frappucino

Once again, Starbucks Philippines introduced two new featured frappucino beverages ahead of the 2nd Anniversary of the Starbucks Card in the Philippines. The summer beverages, The Dark Mocha Panna Cotta and the Summer Berry Panna Cotta, were so good that they've set the bar quite high in terms of new, delicious frappucino beverages. 

I had the opportunity to try the Honeycomb Crunch Mocha Frappucino and Orange Honeycomb Crunch Frappucino earlier today. Do they live up to the hype?

Starbucks Philippines is Going Candy Confections with Raspberry Truffle Mocha and Chestnut Praline Latte

Starbucks Philippines is on a roll with new, innovative flavors. Last November, they released their 2014 Christmas flavors and introduced the Christmas Cookie Latte. Just two months before that, they also featured two new flavors: the French Vanilla Latte and Dark Caramel Latte. Starbucks is keeping us coffee aficionados on our toes with these product launches. Now, they're bringing us candy confection-inspired beverages with the Raspberry Truffle Mocha and Chestnut Praline Latte, released last January 9, 2015.

There's a New CBTL Drink in Town: The Chocolate Hazelnut Truffle Ice Blended and Latte!

If you're looking for a new and tasty companion for the holiday season, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Philippines recently released a new decadent drink - The Chocolate Hazelnut Truffle Ice Blended and Latte. On paper, the combination of Chocolate + Hazelnut + Truffle just seems so heavenly!

Here are the 2014 Starbucks Holiday Flavors, Featuring the Christmas Cookie Latte

*Photo from Starbucks Philippines Facebook Page

I went to Starbucks earlier today for my daily dose of coffee and I saw that the red holiday Christmas cups are back, which usually marks the official release of their featured holiday beverages and, more importantly, the 2015 Starbucks Planner. Their lineup of holiday beverages this year features the new Christmas Cookie Latte along with old favorites such as the Toffee Nut Latte and Peppermint Mocha.

Starbucks Philippines normally releases the same core beverages each year, and these are the Toffee Nut Latte and Peppermint Mocha, but they also release a new flavor that, in my opinion, aren't that delicious (forgetful flavors such as the Praline Mocha and Dark Cherry Mocha). 

I have been drinking these Christmas drinks for quite some time now, since my planner collection started way back in 2010, but I have always ordered only one holiday favorite to complete the sticks for my planner. Will this year break that streak?

New Great Taste White Flavors Are Out, But Are They Any Good?

I was in SM Hypermarket yesterday and I can't help but notice two new Great Taste White Flavors that I have not seen before. I did a bit of research, and it seems that Great Taste has been hyping up for a 'great surprise' in their Facebook page for quite some time now. They have not released any official statement regarding the new flavors as of the moment, but my guess is that SM might have released the new flavors earlier than what was planned (they always do).

Here's a Menu Guide for Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Philippines

After hundreds of hours spent in this coffee shop while drinking a delicious cup of coffee (and earning thousands of swirl rewards points in the process), I can proudly say that Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf has been my favorite coffee shop for the past 4 years. 

Although not as popular as Starbucks Coffee, I think this humble little coffee shop has better coffee, a homier feel, and a better music playlist than it's more popular counterpart. It also has an outstanding gourmet menu and a really delicious selection of tea from around the world. I like their drinks so much that at one point, I was able to get 5 Giving Journals (I gave the other 4 as a Christmas gift) because I was hooked to the delicious beverages and good food. 

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf St. Bistro in Bonifacio Global City also serves quality gourmet dishes not found in other CBTL stores, so it's certainly a store I recommend you try out as well.

So, here I am about to ramble about my favorite items from their menu so that you can make the most out of your Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf experience.

Wyeth's Enercal Plus: Is it Any Good for Your Health?

Understanding proper nutrition is an essential part of crafting a well-balanced diet. Of course, the best diet should consist of some grain, protein, fruits, and vegetables as recommended by Harvard's Healthy Eating Plate. Unfortunately most of us don't have the luxury of time and resources to plan every meal to make sure we get all the nutrients we need, which is why nutritional supplements and multivitamins are so popular. 

I was recently able to get my hands on one nutritional supplement specially formulated for adults - a can of Wyeth's Enercal Plus. Wyeth describes Enercal Plus as the following:

ENERCAL PLUS is an adult nutritional supplement for health inside and out. It contains Nutri-Life Plus, which contains essential nutrients found in a balanced meal. More than just vitamins, it has whey and soy protein, Calcium and Vitamin D for bone and muscle strength, antioxidants for improved immunity and has 0 grams transfat for a healthy heart.

Wyeth's Enercal Plus is,

• Made of 100% Vegetable Fat Blend
• Contains Whey and Soy Protein, Calcium and Vitamin D
• High in Vitamins A, C, & E
• Contains Choline, Folic Acid, Vitamins B6 and B12

So based on everything all the information mentioned above, is Enercal Plus any good for your health? 

Philippine Milk Madness: The Best Tasting Supermarket Fresh Milk

When we shop for our weekly groceries, we have a variety of choices on what we can buy. With so many brands trying to grab our attention, as creatures of habit we normally try to simplify things and go for what we're most familiar with. It's the same thing with the milk that we buy, so I'm hoping to help you with that decision.

Now, I'm an advocate of making sure that everyone gets to drink at least 2 glasses of milk every day. This is so that we get enough calcium and avoid calcium deficiency, which is still very common even in the world we live in today. 

I think it's important to highlight that the fresh milk that we buy at the supermarkets is actually UHT Processed Milk, and not really 'fresh milk'. There's a difference, since UHT processed milk has been processed in very high temperature to extend its shelf-life by 6 to 9 months. There has been quite a bit of negative reactions to UHT milk, particularly because it allegedly doesn't taste as good as raw fresh milk. But here in the Philippines, we don't really have a choice since it's hard or expensive to get our hands on 'fresh milk'.

Let's make do with what we have. In this article, I'll try to decide on the best fresh milk brand in our supermarket shelves today.

Philippine Brown Coffee Review: The Best Instant Brown Coffee

For a lot of us, coffee is an important part of our lives with over 2.25 billion cups consumed every day. Certainly, we rely on a cup of good coffee to help us get started in the morning or to give us a boost later in the day so that we can get through our 9 to 5 office jobs. With coffee comes increased focus, less drowsiness, and deliciousness in a single cup.

I personally prefer a cup of good brewed coffee to jump-start my morning, especially a cup of good Philippine Barako Coffee.  However, we don't always have the luxury of time to brew coffee every single day. Sometimes we just need something that's cheap and easy to prepare. This has led to the increasing popularity of instant 3-in-1 coffee in the Philippines. There are 4 types of instant (3-in-1) coffee to choose from; Regular Blend, Brown Coffee, White Coffee, and Chocolate Coffee.

I know that different flavors are made to cater to a different market segments. Some people would prefer the sweet taste of White Coffee more than the caramel taste of Brown Coffee or the bitterness of a Regular Blend. So it wouldn't really make sense to compare across different varieties. We can, however, is compare the different products of each brand. 

In this article, let's compare the different brown 3-in-1 coffee offered by different brands in the Philippines. Note that each cup was prepared exactly using the measurements recommended on each package as to not dilute the coffee, so that we can get an unbiased idea of the flavor that each manufacturer wanted to deliver. 

Chowking's Happy Pao: Piggy and Panda Pao Review

As the commercial goes, "It's time to try Chowking Happy Pao - Panda and Piggy!" So after craving for these cute 'little siopaos' for 2 weeks, I finally got a chance to eat them up! I dropped by Chowking while traveling home from work earlier today to get a taste of Piggy for dinner and Panda for dessert. Ok, that sounded a bit weird.

The Piggy and Panda Pao makes for a good and affordable snack. A Happy Pao with drink would cost you 49 PHP and a Happy Pao a la carte would cost you 39 PHP. Not bad!

New Selecta Ice Cream Flavors: Mais Con Quezo, Choco Almond Fudge, and Fruit Salad

Just this September, Selecta Ice Cream Philippines added three new flavors to their arsenal of delicious ice cream flavors with the release of Mais Con Quezo, Choco Almond Fudge, and Fruit Salad. Selecta has been the leading player in the Philippine ice cream market with 46.4% Market Share in 2010 which is more than Nestle (33%) and Magnolia (8.5%) combined. According to a Rappler article, they grew their market share to 76% in 2013, and are now a dominant force in the industry. 

One reason why they stay on top is that they continue to roll out new flavors to keep themselves ahead of the pack. I am a huge ice cream fanatic, so I went to get all three tubs right away. Can these flavors possibly beat my favorite Selecta ice cream flavors; Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookie or Coffee Crumble? Find out with my review below. 

Starbucks Philippines: French Vanilla Latte and Dark Caramel Latte

Starbucks Philippines recently added two exciting new flavors to their repertoire of artisan espresso drinks: French Vanilla Latte and Dark Caramel Latte. If the photo above is any indication, then coffee lovers (like myself) are certainly in for a treat. Keep reading to see my review of each drink.