From Deseret News archives:
New Jif is only a little sweeter than regular
Taste of Bigelow Vanilla Chai gets mixed review
Bonnie: Peanut butter's origins go back to the late 1800s, when a physician ground peanuts into a paste as protein for people with poor teeth who couldn't chew meat, at least according to the Peanut Advisory Board. And protein isn't all peanut butter has to offer. Like other legumes (peanut is a misnomer), peanuts are packed with vitamins and minerals. So I looked forward to testing this new peanut butter with a touch of honey.
When I opened the plastic jar, I thought I might see streaks of honey throughout the peanut butter. Wrong. At the very least, I thought the peanut butter would be fragrant of and taste like honey. Wrong again. Jif's new Peanut Butter & Honey is sweeter than regular Jif, with a teaspoon more of sugar per serving. But you'd have to have a very good imagination to conjure up any honey.
Carolyn: Jif has always been the sweetest national peanut butter brand. That's why it's always been my favorite. This new honey-flavored Jif is sweeter still, but only slightly more than regular Jif.
This is probably for the best — any more sweetness and there'd be no need for jelly or Marshmallow Fluff, and we wouldn't want that! In fact, if not for the distinguishing and cheery yellow label, I would have thought I was eating regular Jif.
Bigelow Vanilla Chai. $2.99 per 1.64-ounce box containing 20 tea bags.
Bonnie: Chai (rhymes with tie) generally refers to an Indian black tea spiced with cinnamon, cardamom and cloves and infused with milk and sugar. In Hebrew — pronounced with a hard, guttural "ch" — it's also the word for life and the number 18.
To this spiced tea, Bigelow has added the nontraditional vanilla flavoring. Unfortunately the vanilla used is artificial and tastes so, at least to me. That aftertaste might not be as noticeable if you drink this chai the more traditional way, with added milk and sugar.
Carolyn: I'm not a big fan of chai nor of Bigelow's other vanilla-flavored teas. And yet there's no denying that Bigelow has hit upon a nice combination here in vanilla chai.
All the flavors come on strong, but the black tea is the strongest. In fact, Bigelow Vanilla Chai delivers more true tea taste than any of the mixes or bottled chai drinks I've tried, General Foods International Coffee's Chai Latte included. And unlike most of the competition, Bigelow also leaves it up to you whether to add sugar or milk — and if so, which kind.
Amy's Indian Frozen Entrees. Samosa Wraps, Mattar Paneer and Palak Paneer. $3.79 per 10-ounce tray.
