Chorizo Rioja from Olympic Provisions

photo is from Olympic Provisions, click on the pic to go there.

Product Description:

Chorizo Rioja (chor-IZ-oh ri-OH-ha) is a Spanish-style salami with sweet & smoked paprika, garlic and oregano. Best enjoyed with copious amounts of Spanish wine.

The Chorizo Rioja is available for a limited time from Knoshbox.

Tea Suggestion:

I sliced this sausage super thin, served it with the Castleton Crackers that also came in the Knoshbox this month, and instead of serving it with lots of red wine … I poured a cup of this Pu-erh Cabernet from Vintage TeaWorks.  The spicy flavors of the sausage really complemented the gentle spices of the tea blend, and the sweetness of the tea softened the somewhat oily/greasy taste of the sausage, while the rich, buttery, grainy taste of the crackers toned down the overall spicy note.  This was a spectacular FEAST!

What I Think:

This isn’t the first sausage that I’ve tried from Olympic Provisions … I had the Cacciatore Salami which was featured in my Portland tasting box from Foodzie.  So, I had a pretty good idea of what I might expect from this sausage – it would be really hard, but also full of flavor.  I was a little worried that this was a chorizo sausage though, my experience with chorizo has always been a VERY spicy sausage.

And while it IS spicy, it isn’t “mouth-on-fire” spicy.  The spices are warm, and if I ate a lot of it at one time, my mouth might be on fire, but when sliced thin and eaten with crackers and tea, it is a very enjoyable, mildly warm sausage that is very flavorful.

It has a delicious, meaty flavor that is well-spiced.  But the spices are not out of control HOT with this sausage like I expected it to be.  The spices maintain a balance with the meat and allow the many layers of flavor be experienced without setting my tongue aflame.

My Final Thoughts:

I was thrilled that Knoshbox included a sausage from Olympic Provisions!  They’re a local company, and I love supporting local business, and I found this particular sausage to be even more enjoyable than the Cacciatore Salami that I tried previously.  This surprised me because I typically steer away from chorizo because of its spicy reputation, and my few experiences with chorizo in the distant past had taught me that chorizo is a bit too much for me, but, this experience has opened my eyes to new possibilities with this sausage!

Rosemary & Olive Oil Potato Chips from Deep River Snacks

Photo from Knoshbox, click on the pic to go there!

Product Description:

These Deep River Snacks Rosemary & Olive Oil chips are delicious with various Belgian and German premium beers.

These chips are available at Knoshbox.

Tea Suggestion:

Well, as you probably guessed, I didn’t eat these chips with beer.  When it comes to alcohol, I am a TeeTotaler (a TEAtotaler!) … but not for religious or other reasons … just because I don’t like alcohol all that much.  I do not completely abstain, I take an occasional sip or two… but, for the most part, I’m just not all that fond of the drink … unless that drink is TEA!  So instead of a dark beer, I chose a black tea to drink with these tasty snacks … specifically, this Black Tea Merlot from Vintage TeaWorks!  And while I wasn’t too sure about the combination, since a beer was the suggested beverage with these chips rather than a wine, but, I really like these two together.  The rosemary seemed to compliment the currant flavors in the tea … and I could really taste the olive-y notes in the chips much better WITH the tea than when I munched on my first few chips without the tea.  A really delicious pairing!

What I Think:

I am LOVING these chips.  I don’t know that if I saw “Rosemary and Olive Oil” flavored chips on the shelves at my supermarket that I’d be enticed to grab a bag … then again, I might, just for the sake that it is a DIFFERENT flavor … one you don’t see every day.  You’ll see a lot of sour cream & onion and barbeque flavored chips, but not so many Rosemary & Olive Oil!

These are “kettle” style chips, they are a little thicker cut, and are cooked until bubbly and crispy.  They have that hearty CRUNCH to them.  They aren’t those wispy little potato chips.  These are substantial!

And so is the flavor!  The rosemary starts off rather delicately (at first they smell more rosemary-ish than taste it), but as you’re nearly finished with the serving the rosemary really comes through – tasting slightly lemony with just a hint of resinous pine.   They are salty, but they don’t taste overwhelmingly of salt.  The olive oil comes through very nicely too, I can taste the faint flavor of olive, it’s really quite tasty!

On the downside, these are a little on the greasy side.  I poured out my serving onto a piece of white paper just to gauge the oiliness of it, and some oily specks did seep into the paper.  I would like them to be a tad less oily… but then, they are “Olive Oil” flavored … so I guess some oil is to be expected?  I don’t think they are any more greasy than a typical mass-produced potato chip, in fact, I’d say these are probably a little less greasy than the thin-cut, popular brand from the grocery store.  And they taste better … too!

My Final Thoughts:

These are deliciously different – a nice alternative to the tired old flavors that you find in the grocery store.   I could taste the rosemary, I could even taste the olive oil!  Tasty … but probably not something I’d indulge in on a regular basis.  But that’s what I love about the Knoshbox, I get to try a lot of different, delicious food in small portions, stuff I wouldn’t normally buy for myself.

My Knoshbox is Here!

Hooray … it’s another month, and that means a new month for Knoshbox!   To think … a couple of months I was so sad about Foodzie merging with Joyus and now I’m overJoyus to have found both Knoshbox AND Petit Amuse.  (Don’t you love the punny double meaning there?)

Anyway… this month’s Knoshbox theme is “Wine Trail Box” and while this isn’t really a theme that excites me a whole lot… the contents of the box DO excite me and I can simply replace the “Wine” with “Tea” and just as easily call this a Tea Trail Box… because these will make wonderfully tasty tea time treats!

Tucked inside this month’s box was a package of Castleton Crackers, Rosemary and Olive Oil Chips from Deep River Snacks, A Chorizo Rioja sausage from Olympic Provisions, a cinnamon-clove Simple Square bar, and a chocolate bar from Madecasse Chocolate.  (Um… why yes, I did say CHOCOLATE!)

Also included with the box was a theme card that told a little bit about each of the snacks as well as offered a wine suggestion for each snack.  And while this is a very intriguing group of snacks that would go nicely with wine… as a tea drinker, I look forward to finding just the right tea pairing with each of these.

Also on the back of the theme card was another hand written note.  I’ve got to tell you, it’s little touches like these that makes me miss Foodzie less and less … and I look forward to what the coming months might bring with Knoshbox!

Goat Milk Caramels from Big Picture Farm

Product Description:

The original farmstead goat milk caramel, flavored with sea salt & pure bourbon vanilla. Handmade by Louisa Conrad and Lucas Farrell of Big Picture Farm. Photos courtesy of Louisa.

These caramels can be purchased on Knoshbox for a limited time.

Tea Suggestion:

I wanted something a little bit earthy to go with these caramels, something that would allow me to really enjoy the sweetness as well as the contrasting flavors, so I selected this Roasted Maté from Culinary Teas.  It was a delicious pairing, and the rich, roasted flavor of the Yerba Maté really complimented the sweet, luscious flavor of the caramels.

What I Think:

Well, this is my first time trying caramels made from the milk  of a goat … or perhaps I should say, this is the first time, to my knowledge, to be trying caramels made from the milk of a goat.  The only thing I think I’ve ever tried with goats milk prior to this is cheese … oh, and yogurt.

The caramels are soft to the bite, so soft that the bite just sort of falls off into the mouth, you don’t have to pull it apart with the bite.  They don’t stick to the fingers though.  Mmm!  Yum!  It has a very buttery texture, very smooth and sweet.  Not grainy, although I can occasionally note the texture from the sea salt.  And I can definitely taste the presence of the sea salt too, as well as the vanilla.

It tastes very creamy and buttery, with a touch of salt that helps to offset the sweetness.  I also like how the tangy note from the goats milk also offsets some of the sweetness.  The contrast of flavors between sweet, salty and tangy is quite satisfying.

My Final Thoughts:

I really like these!  It is something that I probably would have overlooked in the candy aisle, as I probably would have been a bit uncomfortable with the idea of the goats milk if I were shopping for myself.  Which is exactly why I love these kinds of sampler boxes – it exposes me to different foods, and grants me the opportunity to try something different without making a huge investment to do so.

And as for the caramels … this is something that I’d be happy to enjoy again.  As autumn is finally here (hurray!) I can’t help but wonder how amazing this caramel would taste as a dip for apple slices.  YUM!

Sweet & Salty Cashews from Nuts + Nuts

Picture from Petit Amuse. Click on the pic to go there.

Product Description:

You haven’t tasted real cashews until you’ve had them from Nuts + Nuts. They are incredibly fresh, crunchy, and highly addictive. These are similar to the lightly salted cashews but slightly caramelized to enhance the crunch add a touch of sweetness.

This Nuts + Nuts product is available at Petit Amuse.

Tea Suggestion:

I like to grab iced tea when I have a salty snack, because it’s easier to guzzle down iced tea than it is hot tea (which I prefer to sip), and when the salt builds up on the palate, you want to wash it down!  I wanted something unflavored, though, so that I could enjoy all the layers of flavor that these cashews had to offer.  I decided to brew up some of this Shou Mei White Tea from BigTeaHouse which is light and allows for the enjoyment of the snack while still providing some intriguing flavors on its own.  The sweetness of the tea and the creamy vanilla tones really brought out the sweetness of the caramelized cashews.  A very nice pairing!

What I Think:

Oh yum!  These are amazingly good.

When I saw “sweet and salty” on the package, I knew I’d like them.  I love flavor contrasts like sweet and salty or spicy and sweet.  What I’m really loving about these cashews though, is that they’re not heavily sweet.  They’ve been lightly caramelized … and there’s not even enough caramelizing to this to make the nut feel sticky.  Just enough to add a little texture to the already crunchy cashew, and a hint of sweetness to contrast with the saltiness.  In fact, I’d say these are salty and sweet … not sweet and salty, if you know what I mean.

The small package I received in my sampler box from Petit Amuse was vacuum packed, so while the package was very compact, it held a LOT of cashews in it!  Most of the cashews are whole, not broken up bits, or even halves.  I like that.  (Seriously, I think I found enough small, broken bits to comprise just one whole cashew.  Not much at all!)  You get a whole nut and they taste fresh and have a nice crunch to them.  The caramel coating on this is very slight, not enough to add any kind of chewy texture (in fact, it adds to the crispness of the cashew).

The flavor is of course sweet and salty, but there is a certain savory quality to these too.  What is that?  It almost tastes like … garlic!  Or possibly onion?  Then I read the nutrition information for the ingredients:

Roasted cashews, garlic, sugar, sea salt, coconut oil.

Yep, garlic.  I love the size of this ingredient list.  Just five ingredients:  short and simple!  I even love that these are processed with coconut oil instead of some of the cheaper “filler” type oils that are on the market and over-used in snack foods.  I feel like these are healthier snacks, even with the sugar in them, than a typical “junk food” snack.

My Final Thoughts:

The sweet, the salty, and the crunch are all very satisfying to those snack/hunger cravings that we all get from time to time, and I like that these satisfy those cravings without lots of extra ingredients that we don’t need.  I feel like this is not only a delicious snack that curbs the hunger pangs but also somewhat healthier than some of the snacks I might otherwise reach for.   Put simply, these are really delicious – tasty enough to eat instead of a sweet treat, but also salty and savory enough to enjoy as a fatty potato chip substitute.

Caramels from CC Made

Picture from Petit Amuse. Click on the pic to go there.

Madagascar Vanilla Caramel:

Handmade caramels made with only real butter and heavy whipping cream. We add in just a little salt , a plump madagascar vanilla bean and cook everything to just the right temperature. We then hand wrap each soft creamy and rich caramel.

Himalayan Pink Sea Salt Caramels:

Handmade caramels made with only real butter and heavy whipping cream. We add in just the right amount of Himalayan Pink Sea Salt and cook everything to just the right temperature. We then hand wrap each soft creamy and rich caramel.

These caramels (and so much more!) can be purchased at Petit Amuse.

Tea Suggestion:

With these caramels, I chose this Royal Gold Yunnan Needle from Zhi Tea, and I must say that it is the perfect pairing!  The tea has delicious caramel-y undertones to it which accent the caramels in a way that the burnt-sugar flavors are amplified (and I like that), and there is just a hint of smokiness to it.  A wonderful treat – this tea and these caramels!

What I Think:

These are not the first treats that I’ve tried from CC Made – thanks to the now-defunct Foodzie box, I had the opportunity to also try a couple of the Caramel corns from CC Made and I loved those.  So, I knew I was entering into somewhat familiar and very tasty territory with these two caramels that I received in my Petit Amuse Sampler Box last month.

The box contained one of each of the following flavors:  Himalayan Pink Sea Salt Caramel and Madagascar Vanilla Caramel.  YUM!  My mouth waters just from typing out the names of these … and I haven’t even begun tasting yet!

These have to be the softest, creamiest caramel confections I’ve had.  These are almost like caramel sauce, they’re so soft and gooey!  I started with the Madagascar Vanilla Caramel because I LOVE salted caramels (I love vanilla caramels too, but, there’s a special place in my heart for salted caramel), and I wanted to save the best for last.

These are incredibly soft.  Chewy … yes, well, every caramel I’ve ever tried was chewy, but this Madagascar Vanilla Caramel literally melted in my mouth, I didn’t really have much of a chance to chew.

It was silky smooth – no grit, no sugar crystals, just smooth, rich caramel with a delicious vanilla overtone.  There is something a little more to it … almost a smoky flavor that I notice now in the aftertaste.  Very interesting.  Then again, that COULD be the tea that I’m drinking along with these, I can’t say for sure, but, I really am enjoying this aftertaste, almost as much as I enjoyed the confection!

Now for the Himalayan Pink Sea Salt Caramel … Mmmm… yes, I think that the smoky note (ever so slight) is coming from the caramel, it’s like a burnt-sugar taste.  And it’s very enjoyable.  Of course, this is further accented by this tea – this Royal Gold Yunnan Needle – because it has an undercurrent of burnt-sugar caramel flavor to it … but the caramel has it too.

I don’t notice much of a sea salt taste nor do I notice the texture of it.  Then again, this caramel, just like the Madagascar Vanilla before it – melted in my mouth before I had much chance to really chew it.  I did notice that this caramel was a little stickier than the first.  Both were really delicious though, but I think my favorite was the Himalayan Sea Salt … even though I don’t taste much from the salt, I do taste more of that smoky, burnt sugar taste and I really like that.

My Final Thoughts:

I love caramel as I’ve mentioned more than once.  And these caramels were spectacular.  I love how soft they were – but they were almost too soft.  They didn’t allow me to enjoy the chewy texture of caramel because they became almost the consistency of silky caramel sauce when the caramel hit the tongue.   But they were incredibly decadent, and sometimes, that craving for decadent creaminess outweighs the need for chewy texture in a caramel … and in those cases, this is the caramel you’ll want!