Ghiradelli introduces Filled Chocolate Bar line

Ghirardelli which bills itself as a vendor of Moments of Timeless Pleasure™ is expanding their line of chocolate indulgences in their large bar line. Their new filled bars are 3.5 ounces each.

• Milk Chocolate with Caramel -- Buttery caramel soft filling surrounded by milk chocolate
• Dark Chocolate with Mint -- Tantalizingly refreshing mint filling surrounded by dark chocolate
• Dark Chocolate with Raspberry -- Delectably luscious raspberry filling made with real fruit surrounded by dark chocolate
• Dark Chocolate with Caramel (60% Cacao) -- Buttery caramel soft filling surrounded by dark chocolate
• Solid Milk Chocolate -- Rich, slow-melting milk chocolate
• Solid Dark Chocolate (60% Cacao) -- Pure, intense 60% cacao dark chocolate

Suggested retail price is $2.29.

Official website & Source

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Snickers introduced Charged - a caffeinated bar

Snickers has been doing the limited edition thing for a while (Dark Chocolate, Xtreme, Nut 'n' Butter and the upcoming Adventure Bar). Today they announced their newest bar, the SNICKERS Charged (TM) bar that provides additional B-vitamins and the stimulants caffeine and taurine.

To meet consumer needs and help millions of Americans take back their energy-zapped afternoons, SNICKERS(R) Brand is proclaiming the post-lunch, pre-dinner hour between two and three p.m. the SNICKERS Charged(TM) Re-Power Hour.

SNICKERS Charged(TM) contains 60 milligrams of caffeine. This compares to the caffeine content of other products:

• 8-ounce soft drink contains 20-40 milligrams
• 8-ounce regular coffee contains 65-120 milligrams
• 8-ounce energy drink contains 72-80 milligrams

More at Snickers.com

UPDATE: I got a hold of some to taste test. It's a little smaller than a regular Snickers, tastes pretty much the same but there's a slight bitter aftertaste. Still, less expensive than a cup of coffee most places!

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Jalapeno Cheddar Chex Mix

General Mills continues to expand the flavor line of their popular pre-made Chex Mix snack with Jalapeno Cheddar Chex Mix.

Jalapeno Cheddar Chex Mix includes Chex pieces, cheese crackers, mini breadsticks and salty pretzels. Sizes are 3.75-ounce and 8.75-ounce retailing for $1.39 and $2.99 respectively.

www.genmills.com

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Ritter Sport Dark Assortment

Ritter has expanded their line of Ritter Sport 100 gram bars to include assortments in stand-up bags.

The a la Mousse au Chocolat and Dark & Milk Chocolate Assortment can be seen at retailers such as Target and other discount stores.

The mini sizes of the bars were previously only available in sampler assortments.

For Ritter Sport enthusiasts, the German version of the site has rather fun animation.

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Presidential Election Cookies

David's Cookies announced today that they've produced new 2008 Presidential Election cookies, bearing the names of the top white house contenders.

These are classified as "cookie cakes", measuring 12 inches wide in diameter.

The company says they will tabulate sales of each Presidential hopeful, and thereby predict the winner of super Tuesday (Feb 5).

As usual, Dennis Kucinich was left without a cookie.

Visit the Presidential Cookies at David's...
http://www.davidscookies.com/index.cfm?action=category&categoryid=61

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Pizza Hut and Pasta Hut

TradeMork says today that the Pizza Hut chain filed an application to claim the "Pasta Hut" trademark for themselves. You can read their article here...

http://www.trademork.com/pasta-hut/

The name "Pasta Hut" is already in use by a handful of restaurants around country.

Will Pizza Hut open up a chain of pasta restaurants? The fast food pasta concept is not new, with many restaurants already doing well in this sphere, the biggest chain being Fazoli's.

It could also be that Pizza Hut is concerned an established Pasta Hut restaurant could gain a large enough influence to take away from their brand.

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Pinkberry - Coffee Frozen Yogurt

Pinkberry, the frozen yogurt chain that seemingly became an overnight sensation after being featured on an American Express television commercial, is now offering a new coffee frozen yogurt to celebrate its third birthday.

The new coffee variety will be accompanied by a new topping option, chestnuts.

The company says that it spent 12 months trying to make this new coffee flavor, and describes it as "a refreshing proprietary blend of premium coffee with Pinkberry's signature yogurt tang".

Pretty good idea, mixing frozen yogurt with Tang.

Pinkberry has 40 locations throughout New York and California.

Visit Pinkberry online...
http://www.pinkberry.com/

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Clemmy's Ice Cream

Clemmy's Ice Cream of Rancho Mirage, CA, announced today that it has become the first company in the history of the mankind to offer an ice cream that is both "all natural" and "sugar free".

And seeing how important that is, I thought it necessary to mention it here.

The company recently started up, and is offering five flavors...

• Vanilla Bean


• Chocolate


• Coffee


• Toasted Almond


• Chocolate Mint Swirl

The frozen confections are sweetened with Xylitol.

The company justifies its claims by saying that while many other products claim to be "sugar free" they actually still contain some sugar. Clemmy's is apparently absolutely and completely, 100%, sugar-free.

Clemmy's will be available in limited distribution at the end of March in quart-sized containers. If you own a store, and you'd like to sell the stuff, contact the company at its website...

http://www.clemmysicecream.com/

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Dreyer's American Idol Ice Cream

The Dreyer's, as well as its sister brand Edy's, has launched a series of limited edition, light ice creams under the "American Idol" co-brand.

The five new flavors is trying to raise awareness of the brands' slow-churned light ice cream line.

Flavors include...

• Cheesecake Diva - creamy cheesecake light ice cream, decadent brownie bites with fudge swirls.



• Cookies N Dreamz - chocolate light ice cream filled with crunchy pieces of chocolate cookie.



• Mint Karaoke Cookie - mint light ice cream with chocolate cookies.



• Most Orange-inal - creamy vanilla light ice cream with swirls of orange sorbet



• One Split Wonder - rich banana light ice cream with swirls of fruit and fudge

To help promote the limited edition flavor line, the two American Idol Season Six finalists Melinda Doolittle and Chris Richardson will be traveling around the country on a 20-city U.S. tour to eat the new ice cream in front of adoring fans, and tell them all how much they love eating it.

For more information on the American Idol ice cream, visit...
http://dreyers.slowchurned.com/idol/

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Kellogg's Pop-Tarts Whole Grains

Kellogg's formally announced today they're now offering a new line of Pop-Tarts made with one serving of whole grains.

The new whole grains Pop-Tarts have been appearing on shelves for a few months now, but there hasn't been a formal announcement from the company.

Kellogg's says that moms are increasingly wanting to give their kids more whole grains and fiber.

Apparently, kids are not pooping enough, or something like that.

In reality, Kellogg's is trying to stave off accusations that its products are part of the reason why kids are getting obese. Hence, it has launched a product-wide marketing campaign urging kids and their parents to get outside and exercise.

Launching Whole Grain Pop-Tarts is just an easy way for the company to say, "Hey don't look us, we're doing our part!".

Honestly, the fattening of kids today is not a calorie-intake issue, it's a calorie-burn issue. Kids would rather play video games than go outside and ride their bikes. Parents would rather drive their kids to school, than make them walk or ride a bike. Otherwise kids have been gorging themselves on candies and burgers and sodas going back to the 1950s.

But either way, I guess it doesn't hurt for this country to produce more stool.

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Frispos - Original Carl's Jr. Fries

Most people have never heard of "Frispos", but they were quite popular in Orange County, CA, when they were the original french fries that Carl's Jr. served up during the 1970s and 1980s.

The french fries were crinkle-cut in shape, and had a consistency like mashed potatoes on the inside, with the crispy outer shell formed during deep frying. They were quite delish.

Actually, I've learned that Pup-n-Taco used to have them too.

Anyways, a few days ago when Carl Karcher passed away, I posted an article here on JFB announcing his death. Well, I also happened to post a similar article on another blog I write, "OCThen", but more geared to Orange County readers. (Link to that article).

Today someone posted a comment on that article that explained the secret of those unusual french fries, and the process by which they were made. He also gave the name, "Frispos"...

That french cry product was called "Frispos". My recollection is that the Frispos pellets came in a large bag, not unlike a bag of oats. We poured the dry Frispos into the top of the machine. When you pushed the button, it measured an amount of Frispos into a tube, injected warm water to form a paste and then it was pushed through a grate (think squeezing play doh out of one of those play doh machines) and as the Frispo "dough" came out the grate, a cutter went back and forth shaving off the "fries", which were then put into the fryer.

So with the name, I did a Google search, and found an article in the Riverside Press Enterprise, which also explained why Carl's Jr. stopped using Frispos. Basically, it was a logistical problem...

"Every step of the process was conducted in the kitchen (mixing, forming, cooking), which made it operationally labor-intensive and too difficult to sustain during times of heavy volume, which ran the risk of degrading the quality of the food presentation.

The crinkle-fries were phased out in favor of the conventional, shoestring French fries you find in our restaurants now."

So there you have it all you Carl's Jr. fanatics! The story of those fantastic crinkle-cut fries.

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Honey Drop - Non-Sticky Honey

Island Abbey Foods Ltd, of Montague, Prince Edward Island, is asking people if they ever held a dollop of pure honey in their hand. Probably not, considering how sticky and messy it is.

So now they've come up with 100% pure honey, that you can hold in your hand, without the stickiness. They call it, "Honey Drop". I'm not sure what the "Honibe" brand name is about, but in any case, they've named it "Honey Drop".

The company claims that other competing products all have some kind of additive, sweetener, or binding agent to remove the stickiness. But meanwhile, Honey Drop contains no other additives, it's all honey, 100%.

Each drop is equivalent to one teaspoon (5gm) of pure honey. They don't actually tell you how they managed to make it non-sticky; I think they just dehydrated it under a controlled environment.

The Honey Drop comes in two flavors: pure honey and pure honey and lemon (so much for no additives!), and has a shelf life of one year.

Visit Honey Drop online at...
http://www.NoStickyFingers.com

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Dunkin Donuts - M&Ms Donut - Milky Way Hot Chocolate

Dunkin' Donuts has partnered with The Mars Corporation to produce two new offerings, the "M&Ms Donut" and the "Milky Way Hot Chocolate".

Milky Way Hot Chocolate is described as a rich, smooth, hot chocolate that blends chocolate, caramel and vanilla nougat flavors, just like the classic candy bar.

The M&M's Donut, comes with either chocolate or vanilla icing and is sprinkled with colorful mini M&M's.

Both are available at Dunkin' Donuts nationwide.

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Go Girl GLO - Hair Tonic Energy Drink

The "Go Girl" energy drink brand, which targets itself to athletic women, now includes a new variety, "Go Girl Glo".

Produced by Nor-Cal Beverage Co. Inc. of West Sacramento, CA, it's colored in light pink-orange, and comes with a light, tropical and bit of raspberry flavor with a starfruit and pomegranate juice blend.

Claimed to have no artificial sweeteners, this beverage also includes 500mg of taurine, 75mg caffeine, calcium, vitamin E, B vitamins, iron, citrimax, coenzyme Q10, aloe, acetyl-cysteine and liquid sucrose.

The company touts the vitamin E and aloe vera to help skin tone and make your hair shiny.

Photo Credit: Energy Drink Reviews

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Climate Change Chocolate Bar

Bloomsberry, LLC, a Salem, MA-based chocolate maker that sells its bars in whimsical wrappers, have now teamed up with TerraPass, a green energy broker, to offer these "Climate Change Chocolate" bars.


The wrappers have printed on them 15 tips to reduce your carbon footprint on the world, and in addition have included in their sale price, enough carbon energy credits from TerraPass to offset your carbon footprint for one day.

You can read more about the global warming confection at TerraPass' website...

http://www.terrapass.com/lp/index.chocolate.html

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Zotes Energy Seeds

Zotes Products LLC, of Salt Lake City, UT, is now offering energy-infused sunflower seeds.

The roasted sunflower seeds seasoned with caffeine, taurine, lysine, and ginseng. I'm not sure what these seeds actually taste like, though the ingredients list shows salt and sugar. Zotes says that a jar of these seeds has 400mg of caffeine, as much as 3-4 cups of coffee.

Zotes is known for strange sunflower seeds flavors, like Bleu Cheese, Tequila Lime, and Beer.

Energy infused seeds are not new, with SumSeeds laying claim to be the first of the kind.

Visit Zotes online...
http://www.zotes.com/

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Carl Karcher, 1917-2008

Carl Karcher, the founder of Carl's Jr., perhaps one of the most well-loved fast-food chains in Southern California, passed away today.

Carl Karcher Enterprises was based in Orange County, and if you grew up in "The OC" as I did, no kid could ever escape the Happy Star. In junior high, the company awarded me with a free lunch for outstanding school attendance.

My favorite menu item was the California Roast Beef, much like a roast beef sandwich you'd get at an Arby's, except with a whole green chile, and monterey jack cheese. They don't make it anymore.

They also used to serve up the crinkle-cut french fries that were more like strips of mashed-potatoes than cut potatoes. I wish they'd bring those back too.

Carl actually started out selling hot dogs. I remember for Carl's Jr's 50th anniversary, they brought back the dogs.

My co-worker and I used to eat lunch at a corporate owned Carl's Jr in Anaheim, where Carl would often visit and meet with the patrons.

After succeeding with his hot-dog stand business in the early 1940s, he opened up his first restaurant in 1945 in Anaheim as "Carl's Drive-In Barbecue". Later on he opened up smaller versions of the restaurant and named them "Carl's Jr" for obvious reasons.

Carl Karcher Enterprises went on to open Carl's Jr. restaurants all throughout the western USA, and then purchased the Hardee's chain in the east. He also tried to get in on the fast-food mexican business with his "Taco De Carlos" in the 1970s, but floundered.

Carl himself was also well loved in Orange County, a man who gave back to his community through his charitable contributions. He was respected as a tireless worker, a believer in himself and in his employees. This was a guy who dropped out of school in the 8th grade, and made it to the top because of hard work and determination. He was devoutly patriotic, leading the Pledge of Allegiance before every board meeting.

The Happy Star logo will be his lasting legacy.

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Deep Fried Ground Bacon Patties

Get your defibrillators charged for this one, cause this burger isn't made with beef, but 100% bacon. They grind up the bacon, and form it into a patty.


Then they make a pocket into the patty, into which they stick some mozzarella cheese balls. Finally, coats the patty with a beer-batter, and dips it into a deep fryer.

Add some deep fried jalapenos, and a bottle of Shiner Bock, and now you're "makin' bacon".

Check out the photo-instructions...
http://www.peppersandsmoke.com/bbq/deepfried/

Via TehBlogs.com

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Nestle Drumstick Ice Cream - Baby Ruth

Nestle's Drumstick Ice Cream Cone is now available in a new Baby Ruth variety.

It's promoted as Baby Ruth flavored ice cream with swirls of crunchy chocolate, topped with caramel and whole chocolate covered peanuts.

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Coca-Cola Zero - Aluminum Bottles

Coca-Cola will be selling its Coca-Cola Zero in this new aluminum bottle.

Aluminum bottles are said to keep their contents colder longer. The bottle will feature a unique design and a "Scratchy DJ" theme.

Priced at $15.00, this collectible bottle is made in Belgium is said to fuse Coke and iTunes in a funky way.

There are also aluminum bottles for Cola-Cola, and Coca-Cola Light...

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Brain Toniq

TrueToniqs of Longmont, CO, is marketing a new energy drink, which they describe as...

"world's first organic, botanical-based, non-caffeinated think drink specifically designed for those who need more mental focus and clarity"

Brain Toniq is said to have no chemical preservatives, caffeine, or sugar, just "effective herbs, natural compounds, and organic agave syrup". Its main ingredients are "eleuthero root extract (also known as Siberian ginseng), rhodiola root powder, wild-crafted blue green algae extract, DMAE and organic agave nectar."

Based on the ingredients, it sounds like it might taste so nasty, that it'll wake you up really fast.

Learn more about Brain Toniq at its website...
http://www.braintoniq.com/

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Grandma's Cookies - New Varieties

Grandma's Cookies now include two new limited edition varieties, "Cinnamon Sugar" and "Iced Gingerbread"

Iced Gingerbread sounds intriguing.

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Cheetos Chile Limon

Cheetos now comes in this new flavor, "Chile Limon".

Whatever happened to "Chili Lime"?

Note the bilingual text all over the packaging. It says both "New" and "Nuevo", and "Flavor" and "Sabor". Even the variety name is in Spanish.

This is not a variety sold only in Latin countries, it's targeted for the USA.

Chalk it up to our open borders policy.

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Barbie Rice Krispies Treats

Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats now come in this new, "Crispy Pink Marshmallow Squares" variety with the Barbie as The Island Princess stamped on the carton.


For those of you Barbie collectors that have to buy everything there is with Barbie on it, are now forced to buy up as many of these boxes as possible. I'm guessing that 20 years from now, we'll be seeing these unopened boxes at Barbie collectors shows, just like those cans of Billy Beer.

The package features some games on the back.

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Velveeta Bowls

Has anyone tried the new Velveeta Bowls yet?

So far, all the press I've read says these things are absolutely horrible, which makes it all the more intriguing to me. One person on a forum wrote that they tasted like feet.

Velveeta Bowls come in three varieties, "Cheese & Garlic Herb", "Cheese & Salsa" and "Cheese & Chili with Beef flavors".

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Pringles Honey Mustard

Pringles now has a new, limited edition flavor, Honey Mustard.

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NASCAR Summer Sausage

There's nothing better than sitting in the grand stands of a NASCAR race on a sunny day, watching your favorite driver, sipping down a tall Coke, and buying a big stick of beef from the summer sausage guy.

Except of course when he throws the sausage your way, and ends up wacking another guy in the face. That's when summer sausages start flying across the stands, with lots of expletives and spilled drinks. Not a good sight.

So to remedy this, NASCAR is getting rid of the walking summer sausage vendors, and selling these babies via retail. Now you just buy 'em before the race, and enjoy. No more black eyes!


NASCAR Summer Sausage is produced by Chandler, MN-based Monogram Meat Snacks, LLC, in partnership with NASCAR. They come in three sizes, 5oz, 9oz, and manly sized, 18oz.

They'll be sold at convenience stores.

Visit Monogram Meat Snacks, LLC at...
http://www.tastetheexcitement.com/

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Genisoy Tortilla Chips - New Flavors

The Genisoy brand of soybean-based tortilla chips is coming out with two new flavors, "Fiesta Ranch" and "Nacho Cheese".

These are made by GeniSoy Food Co., Inc. of Tulsa, OK, where soybean alternative snacking is all the rage.

Despite being based on soybeans, the ingredients list also shows white corn flour, and rice flour.

Genisoy claims these chips are baked, not fried, and are cholesterol free, trans fat free, with 110 calories per serving.

You can buy Genisoy products at Whole Foods markets, and on the company's website...
http://www.genisoy.com

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Tic Tac Chill

I'm being told that Ferrero USA is planning to introduce a new variety of Tic Tac called, "Tic Tac Chill".


It's being billed as a larger sized Tic Tac candy, to set up the marketing angle that it's longer-lasting, and keeps your breath fresh longer than traditional sized Tic Tacs.

It'll also be sweetened with Xylitol, making it sugar free.

The container also employs a "dual opening" system, with one end using the famous flip-top, and the other container a slider-opening.

Flavors will include, "Exotic Cherry" and "Paradise Mint".

It's supposed to come out sometime this year.

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EatRite BeFit - Candies

Sorbee International Limited, is launching a new line of sugar-free products called, "EatRite BeFit".

These consist of syrups, cookies, and chocolates, all sweetened with Splenda.


I've always been amazed at how companies can market junk food and convince you that you're doing something good for yourself. Imagine your mom handing you a bag of sugar-free chocolate and saying "Here junior, now you're eating right, and being fit".

Not that I want them to stop, I find humor in it. I understand that sugar-free candies have fewer calories than sugar candies, and are tolerable to diabetics. They do have their place. But do we need to be told that we're "eating right and being fit"?

I can't help seeing Jack-in-the-Box removing the cheese from their cheeseburger and calling it a healthy alternative for lactose-intolerant people.

Visit Sorbee International online...
http://www.sorbee.com

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Popcorn Indiana - New Flavors

I'm being told that Popcorn Indiana is coming out with some new flavors, not yet mentioned on their website...

• Aged White Cheddar


• A-Touch-of-Caramel


• Sea Salt


• Chili Con Queso

The Chili Con Queso sounds intriguing. Actually, the more I think about it, the more it sounds good. Imagine pouring some chili-n-cheese over a bowl of freshly popped popcorn. Or, maybe just dipping a popcorn into some chili.

Hey, it's corn, and corn is not that unfamiliar to a bowl of chili.

Visit Popcorn Indiana...
http://www.popcornindiana.com

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McDonald's Expands Coffee Business

Reuters reported today that McDonald's is looking to expand its coffee sales by offering cappuccinos, lattes and other drinks, hoping to cash in an additional $1 billion to its sales.

The fast-food chain is already offering espresso-based drinks in 800 of its stores across the USA. McDonald's has 14,000 locations in the USA, compared to 10,700 Starbucks locations in the USA, and 5,300 Dunkin' Donuts locations in the USA.

Dunkin' Donuts lays claim to the most coffee sales in the USA.

So certainly, McDonald's is in a position to lay some hurt on Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts.

However, Starbucks is pretty safe the way I see it. People go there for the in-store experience, their coffee is secondary.

Dunkin' Donuts, on the other hand, is a different story. People typically just drive up, get a coffee and a maple bar, and they're on their way. No one goes to a Dunkin' Donuts for the in-store experience.

The same holds true for McDonalds.

McDonalds is seeing its core-competency reduced to its Big Mac. It tried to reposition itself as a health-food chain with its Premium Salads line, but instead just farted. On top of that, their McGriddles lineup failed to generate any staying power in the fast-food breakfast phenomenon.

Even though the company is still making a lot of money from these products, they've lost branding power. Today, McDonald's is not known for much more than its Big Mac and Egg McMuffin. And if that's all the company has, it's going to get pushed out of the market.

The coffee market is a very cheap and easy way to create some new customers. If they're just going to sell the "garden variety" coffees, capuccinos, and lattes, they'll do really well. But they'll never compete against the Starbucks of the world. Even if they sell gourmet-quality stuff, people will still regard them as McDonald's and treat them as such.

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Krispy Kreme Now Trans-Fat Free

Krispy Kreme announced today that it has completed its transition to becoming trans-fat free. 100% of their menu is now politically correct.

The company has been slowly introducing trans-fat free doughnuts over the past several months.

In reality, the doughnuts are not really trans-fat free, rather they are "trans-fat free per serving", which is different. Under FDA guidelines, if a product has less than 0.5 grams of trans-fat per serving, then it can be rounded down to 0.0 grams on the labeling. But nonetheless, I'm sure they're more sophisticated than previous doughnuts.

The company claimed that it made this move because of demand from their closest fans...

Through the Friends of Krispy Kreme program, an online group of Krispy Kreme fans who receive special Krispy Kreme promotional offers and provide feedback on new Krispy Kreme products, the company knew that reducing trans fat from daily diets had been on their customers' minds. The initiative to transition the entire menu to zero grams trans fat demonstrates Krispy Kreme's commitment to its customers.

Awww, ain't that special?

But me thinks that there was something more to it than that.

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Baskin Robbins New Ice Cream Flavors

Baskin Robbins today announced four new limited edition flavors, as part of its new focus on the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday.

Here are the flavors (with descriptions written by Baskin Robbins)...

• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Sundae: A perfect combination of SuperFudge Truffle and Very Berry Strawberry ice creams layered with hot fudge and strawberry topping, topped with whipped cream and a cherry, and drizzled with dark dipping chocolate.



• Chocolate Chip Truffle Shake: An irresistible blend of SuperFudge Truffle and Chocolate Chip ice creams and chocolate syrup. Topped with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle.



• SuperFudge Truffle ice cream: A super indulgent Chocolate Fudge ice cream with chunks of chocolate ganache and toffee truffle pieces.



• Love Potion #31 ice cream: White Chocolate and Raspberry ice creams swirled with a raspberry ribbon and loaded with raspberry-filled cups and chocolate chips.

That last flavor is not new, the company releases that every Valentine's Day.

The limited edition flavors are also available as shakes and sundaes.

Learn more about Baskin Robbins new chocolate Valentine's Day offerings...
http://www.baskinrobbins.com/Spotlight/lovechocolate08.aspx

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Java Rush Coffee Tablets

Java Rush is a thin tablet with a coffee taste, infused with caffeine, that melts in your mouth.

So instead of drinking a cup of coffee, you just let it dissolve on your tongue, and get to working.

Java Rush also contains a couple of other energy boosters, taurine and inositol.

They're also sugar free, and come in two varieties, "Coffee & Cream", and "Vanilla Bean".

They're available now, at 7-Eleven stores, Flying J truck stops, Amazon.com, and a few other places.

Learn more about Java Rush online...
http://www.javarushmelts.com/

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Kazana Tonic Bars

It seems no matter how many new candy bars I come across, I continue to find some made from ingredients I've never heard of before.

Kazana Tonic Bars are made by a company called Komal Herbals, Inc. of Sewickley, PA. They make a product called, "Praas", which they describe as a tonic, but what appears to be more like a fruit jam.


The base of Praas is the Indian Gooseberry, which Komal Herbals says is dense with nutrients. The company then loads it up with more nutrients, antioxidants, and vitamins, and sells it as a standalone jam, or uses it to make other products.

The Kazana Tonic Bars is made from this Praas, but with chunks of nuts and fruits thrown in.

The company makes five varities of Kazana Snack Bars, each with different spices and ingredients, "Chai", "Mango Coconut", "Pistachio", "Cocoa Chips", and "Cashew Curry".

I'm sure Komal Herbals will argue that this is not junk food but rather health food. I'm amused with their use of the word, "tonic bar" instead of "snack bar", or "candy bar". It's all the same thing. A Snickers bar contains antioxidants (in the chocolate), and protein in the peanuts. It's all about quantities, man.

Buy your Kazana Tonic Bars online here...
http://www.ayurbest.com/kazana.html

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Cocoa Mojo - with Cordyceps

Cocoa Mojo is a new brand of hot cocoa mix, that comes with the added benefit of Cordyceps and Ganoderma.

Cordyceps and Ganoderma are herbs used by the Chinese to fight colds and flus by boosting your immune system.

I'm not a big hot cocoa drinker, but I haven't heard of these botanicals being put into hot cocoa, or even using hot cocoa as a vehicle for delivering immune boosters.

The manufacturer, EnerHealth Botanicals, LLC, says they've sweetened this using Rapadura Sugar, a type of sugarcane from Brazil.

You can get a 12oz resealable bag from these guys for $10.99...
http://www.enerhealthbotanicals.com

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