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Tag: product review (Page 2 of 3)

The ColdWave- Simple and Delicious Iced Coffee

It is the end of July, which usually means the temperatures are soaring. It’s muggy. It’s gross. It is however, the perfect weather for enjoying a refreshingly cold iced coffee.

In the past, I’ve talked about cold brew, Japanese iced coffee, Kyoto drip coffee, and iced Aeropress shake ups. I’ve even talked about coffee cold brewed with a vacuum cleaner. Today I want to discuss a new product that was sent to me for review. The ColdWave by Ice Cold Now.

I typically don’t agree to do sponsored posts unless I am pretty gungho about the product. When a representative from Ice Cold Now got in touch and asked if I would like to do I review, I went over to their website and checked it out. I was excited about the concept and decided to check it out.

What is the ColdWave?

The ColdWave is a beverage chiller. It can take a cup of hot coffee and chill it down to near freezing temperatures in about two minutes. It consists of a squarish (baseball diamondish) shaped pitcher about 5 inches by 5 inches and 6 inches high. There is also the cooling mechanism an insert that fits snuggly into the pitcher.

The ColdWave is made out of BPA free plastic and purified water. The insert stores in your freezer so it will always be ready for deployment at a moments notice.

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The Java Maestro Stainless Steel Pour Over Cone Product Review

Earlier this year, the company that creates the Java Maestro metal filter cone contacted me and asked if I would be willing to do a review on their product in exchange for them sending one over. It has taken me awhile to get around to putting my thoughts together on paper but after a busy summer, I am ready to discuss this nifty little brewer.

The Java Maestro is a metal pour-over filter cone about the size of a V60. It is available on Amazon for  $17.99. Unlike some of the other metal filter cones on the market, the Java Maestro is used as a stand-alone brewer (not as an accompaniment insert like the popular Able filter cone).

I realize that there are quite a few stainless steel pour-over cones of strikingly similar design on Amazon. Although they are similar, I cannot vouch for them as I have not held them in my hand and brewed with them.

Metal versus Paper Filtration

The differences between metal and paper filtration is something I have not talked much about on the blog thus far.

Paper filters produce a cleaner cup of coffee that has less body. This is because the paper is designed to remove the sediment and some of the oils. There are varying degrees of thickness in paper filters and thus the amount of sediment and oils removed will vary from brewing method to brewing method (Chemex filters versus Hario V60 filters for instance). Many coffee drinkers are used to the type of coffee a paper coffee filter produces and thus prefer it.

Until recently, most people’s experience with a metal filter was the French Press. Most of the metal filter cones (the Java Maestro included) produced a cup of coffee with less sediment than a traditional French press coffee. Coffee that has been filtered with a metal filter should have a fuller body because it contains more oils than a paper filtered coffee.

With pour-over metal filtration, the metal screen is there to simply keep the coffee grounds from getting into the cup; nothing is removed from the coffee. This can be a pleasant and eye opening experience if you have not dabbled much in metal filters (or unpleasant if you prefer paper filtered coffee).

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The Boxo Coffee Subscription Review and Informational

The coffee subscription company Boxo started sending me coffee when I was in the midst of (drowning in) my kitchen renovation (the blog is still reeling from the residual effects of that remodel and having a new baby). Since then, they have generously sent me a few more of their coffee boxes. Over the last couple months through correspondence and sampling their coffee, I’ve gotten a sense of who Boxo coffee is and some of the values the company holds. A post on their coffee subscription is definitely past due. Here is the rundown on Boxo’s monthly box of adventure.

What is Boxo Coffee

Boxo coffee, out of Kansas City, offers a different take on the coffee subscription model. As far as I know, they are the only coffee subscription with an emphasis on exploring coffee by the cities they are roasted in.

Boxo is run by a team of adventurers and world travelers. They believe in experiencing coffee the way you would if you were visiting a city: one part recommendation, one part discovery and one part pleasant surprise.

Each month the Boxo team ships coffee from two of their favorite roasters in a city they would like their subscribers to explore. Each month you get to taste some of the best coffee a U.S. city has to offer. It is pretty cool.

In additional to 16 ounces (two 8 oz. packages) of great coffee, the Boxo subscription box contains a limited edition print from the creative minds at Normal Human (Boxo founder Derek also helps with art design ideas). Each box also contains a detailed card that talks about the included coffees and roasters.

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