Wine Country Starbucks Spectacular Gift Baskets

I purchased this basket for my parents for the Holidays and they were very excited. It contained lots of delicious Starbucks items as well as other name brand items. (The basket arrived perfectly they sent me a picture). I will order from Wine Country again!

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Norden Herring - Cream Sauce (12 ounce)

Having this type of herring was a traditional New Years thing in out family during our New Years celebration.These are just like I remember from many years back. I will be buying again.

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Bequet Caramel - Assorted Bag - 8oz

These are the best commercially-made caramels I have ever tasted. In this assorted package you get 2 each of the following (ranked in order of my personal preference starting with my favorite): 1. Sea Salt 2. Soft Caramel 3. Chewy Caramel 4. Chipotle 5. Chocolate Sea Salt 6. Chocolate 7. Espresso 8. Green Apple 9. Butterscotch 10. Cinnamon Swirl

But even my least favorite flavor, Cinnamon Swirl, was still really good. If you love caramel, you'll most certainly love these!

These are so good. And the price is so cheap. They also have the all salt ones which I have had also. You can't go wrong with these.

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Lived in Butte, MT area for some time and these were my favorite treat to myself. Make great gifts! Best caramels I have ever tasted......celtic sea salt and chocolate sea salt are my favs

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I received this assortment of gourmet caramels from a company in Montana I do business with. These are both delicious and an asventure. I think the chunks of sea salt were one of the most surprising flavors, surprising that I quite liked them, and of the others the only ones I was not crazy about were chipotle and jalapeno.. the only reason they don't get five stars is this odd choice of flavors.. but the next person might be thrilled with them. They are chewy, tasty and the flavors stick with you. I instantly bought some for my sister's birthday.

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I will start by saying there are no bad caramels just really lousy manufacturing... If there is an artisan caramel out there, this is them. Yep, expensive. Yep,the bag disappears quick. Hey, it's only money.

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Navitas Naturals Cacao Nibs, 8-Ounce Pouches

A number of reviews have remarked that the bag smelled fermented or like vinegar when opened. I experienced the same thing, and being a first time consumer of cacao nibs, specifically this brand, I was concerned that I received a bad batch. Upon further research, I learned that fermentation is a necessary part of cacao processing, used to reduce astringency and develop the flavor we associate with chocolate. Fresh cacao seeds have no chocolatey flavor at all. So, much like my first real piece of Roquefort cheese, I learned that this can be surprising in smell and taste to those of us who have only ever had the overly processed derivatives. While it is possible that some really did receive a compromised product, I found no detectable rancidity or otherwise off flavors in mine. I do pour the nibs into a bowl so they breath a little and this helps to dissipate the fermented aroma when I am eating some plain.

This is an item you do not want to buy in quantity until you have a chance to sample first (like that case of vegetarian canned chili I once ordered.)

I enjoy the product and plan to incorporate into a trail-mix type bar for some extra flavor.

I was pleasantly surprised with the taste of this product because of the bad reviews on it. I like bittersweet chocolate though so, maybe that's why. I also mix it with yogurt as it says on the bag. The "nibs" are more like crumbles however, that is inconsequential to me as I mix them. These have helped greatly with curbing my chocolate addiction and keeping me on track with my diet.

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Now I can eat chocolate everyday! These are really good in yogurt and I know I'll find more uses. I will definitely buy this product again, most likely in bulk. I'm a health food junkie and nibs will probably be a new staple in my diet. In case you're wondering, I thought these were bite-size (from the picture) but they're actually little flakes. You shouldn't compare the taste to "normal" chocolate because all you really taste is the tons of added sugar. There is no sugar in these, think bitter cocoa powder.

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I saw this recommended on Dr Oz for energy and stabilizing blood sugar and energy instead of the highs and lows that occur with sweets. It arrived very fast, it was sold out in my local health food store, probably because of the show.

What is it like? If you have ever had Starbucks Chocolate Covered Coffee beans, think of no chocolate covering and crush the bean into small, no tiny bits. I was expecting something the size and uniformity of a mini-chocolate chip. But these are little tiny irregular shaped pieces of what looks like crushed or milled cocoa beans.

Mouth feel and crunch, very crunchy which is satisfying, takes a lot of chewing and it has a natural slight oiliness, reminds me of nuts in that way.

I like it and I am not a chocolate person. it seems to help with my cravings and full of antioxidants. Give it a try. just by one bag first though. I suspect you'll either love it or ..... not love it! LOL

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When I first got these, I tasted them out of the bag and found them so horribly bitter. People that say they eat these out of the bag are crazy!

However, once you put them in something sweetened, like yogurt or candies or cookie dough, etc....you will never go back to "chocolate chips" again.

These look like little pieces of the cacao pod. They are crunchy. And they STAY crunchy when you mix them in foods. I haven't cooked them yet, but I have mixed them in with my peanut butter, coconut oil, coconut shreds refrigerator candy and they give them a little crunch! As long as your recipe is slightly sweetened, you will love these.

I actually didn't use mine for almost a year as I was put off by the taste. Now that I figured out how to use them, I will put them in anything sweet I make! Love them. They keep forever just about also. Don't need to be refrigerated, but I had mine in the freezer since I wasn't using them at first.

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Reese Quartered Artichoke Hearts, 14-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12)

At my local grocery store, these cans sell for almost $3 each, so I was excited by this bargain. However, the price didn't totally decide me on buying them, as I love artichoke hearts.

These are excellent. They're quartered, so they're much easier to use in recipes, etc. I like to chop them up even more and add them to salads, pasta sauces, pizza toppings, etc.

They are NOT marinated, so don't expect all sorts of olive oil and vinegar tastes. These are a mite salty, so rinse them if you're not a huge salt lover (I am not one myself, so I rinse pretty diligently).

My fave way to use them:

I heat up some olive oil in a skillet and add minced garlic. Once the garlic is beginning to brown slightly, I add 2 cups of chopped tomatoes, 1 cup of the chopped artichokes, some chopped black olives, and whatever Italian seasonings light my fire that day. I cook this down until the tomatoes are soft, then add the mix to some whole wheat pasta and toss. I sprinkle some fresh parmesan, and voila! Sometimes, I add chopped chicken breast to the mix. Sometimes I use chopped sweet Italian sausage. Delicious!

Anyway, these are an incredible bargain, and you can't go wrong. Just using the artichoke hearts is enough to go through several cans.

Enjoy!

Ick! I planned to add two cans of quartered artichoke hearts to a fancy tortellini and shrimp salad I am bringing to a party in a few hours. What a bummer to open the can and find limp, pale yellow (brown in some spots) soggy artichoke hearts, all with leaves and a portion of the artichoke bottom so tough I couldn't bite through them. Horrible. I threw them out, and will have to carry my dish to the party sans artichoke hearts.

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Recommend buying when Amazon has a special offer because these are very expensive. But, the product itself is great. I like the quartered ones better because they seem to put the tender pieces in there. The whole ones have a lot of parts that you can't really eat because they are the tougher outside leaves.

I eat them with a little season salt or mayo.

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UPDATE 8/9/2010

A lot can happen in just a couple months, the last two cases of these I have ordered from Amazon have been horrible. I've had whole artichoke leaves in several cans (not the small soft leaves near the heart, I'm talking the big tough artichoke leaves). Brown spots over many of the artichokes. Very poor quality.

I contacted Amazon both times, the first time they replaced the case and the quality was much better. The second time I asked them for a refund because two times in a couple months is not acceptable. I also contacted Reese direcly who doubted me and asked me to "prove it" by sending them two cans at my expense. I told them I'd gladly send them all the cans at their expense, but they would not do that. My impression of Reese has changed very much and I will no longer buy their products.

ORIGINAL REVIEW I've tried just about every brand out there and Reese, by far, is the best! I love that you can buy them already quartered, great for tossing into salads.

They are always good quality, not too firm, not too soft. Consistent taste, never a bad one in any can. Best price on Amazon too, about $1 cheaper per can then my local grocery store.

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Amazon's price allows me to enjoy this product on my salad much more often than I could have afforded it, when purchased from my local grocery store.

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Manchego Cheese (8oz or 1lb)

An AWESOME, rich flavor alternative to cow's milk cheeses which I'm allergic to. Speedy shipping, BUT......by the time the cheese arrived it was WARM because the shipper did not ship w/ dry ice nor in a styrofoam box (just a Priority Mail envelope)! The little cool pack in the envelope was equally warm when it arrived. Cheese was not spoiled, BUT....I am a bit nervous about shelf life. I would definitely like my next shipment in a styrofoam box w/ an ice pack.

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Cornucopia Fruit Wine Kit, Red Wildberry Chianti, 16.4-Pound Box

Not a bad little kit. Made it just as the instructions stated. Did not add any sugar to increase the ABV and made the full 6 gallons. For me it came out a bit weak, not much body to it. But for my wife and the wives of my friends, they loved it!!!! This actually fermented out quick and cleared out just as quick. I think the total time spent was 3 weeks from start to bottle. This is a good wine to serve cold!!

I love these wine kit very easy to use and follow the instructions or if your more advanced still a great kit for filling your stock or wine rack or even as gifts a cheap way of giving someone a wine you made. These kits are complete with juice, chemicals and with corks, labels or print your own as I do, and capsules. All you need is the fermenter bucket a carboy and a corker. Get a starter kit it is a great hobby or making your own wine.

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Very good flavor as we have come to expect from the Cornucopia kits. Chianti being on the dry side for our taste wasn't a problem as we just back sweetened a small bit to bring it up to our taste.

We bottled before Christmas and shared with family and friends who kept asking for more. Noticed recently the Wildberry Chianti on the wine rack is in short supply already! Will have to order another kit soon.

Shipping from Amazon on these kits was really quick. As soon as it arrived I started it and another Cornucopia kit and they were ready for bottling within the 4 weeks suggested.

I would comment on if they get better with age but I can't seem to keep any of these Cornucopia brands on my wine rack long enough for them to gain any age.

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I've just finished bottling 6 gallons of wine produced from this kit, and I followed all of the instructions to the letter. When I tasted the finished product I found it to have less alcohol content that a typical wine, and it was very sweet. I immediately called the customer service number on the box to report my results to see if I had done something wrong. The representative informed me that my results were expected. This is a very sweet wine with only 4-5% alcohol content. I did not expect a sweet dessert-style wine when I purchased this kit. I expected a typical Chianti. This kit does not product a typical Chianti, so if you prefer light/sweet wine you will like this kit. If, on the other hand, you prefer a full-bodied, drier wine, then I definitely do not recommend purchasing this kit.

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I have had really good luck with these kits. I've made a couple of the other Cornucopia kits and they have been perfect.

I had a little trouble with this kit, and in case anyone else has a similar problem, I will list how I overcame the issue.

When I pitched the yeast into the must in the primary, after 48 hours I still did not see any signs of fermentation (by this time, you should at the very least see a layer of yeast "scum" on top of the must and should really see vigorous bubbling on the surface). So I pitched a second packet of yeast that I had on hand of a similar strain (Lalvin 1118; these kits come with Lalvin 1114). This still did not work. So I used a method that I had found for starting skeeter pee:

First, I poured a new packet of yeast into a mason jar containing warm water (~70 degrees) and sugar (1 cup of each). I let this sit for 2 hours with the lid loosely placed on top and by then there was a large amount of foaming on the surface of the starter. I then added 8 oz of the juice from the primary fermentation bucket and let this sit for 4 hours. At this time, there was vigorous fermentation and lots of bubbling on the surface. I added 8 oz more of the juice from the primary bucket and waited for 4 hours again. At this point, I dumped half of the starter out into the bucket, stirred up the bucket, and filled the starter mason jar with juice from the bucket. I left this sitting overnight with the lid sitting loosely on the top. The next morning, I dumped the whole starter into the bucket. By that evening, there was vigorous fermentation in my bucket.

I can't comment on the flavor of the wine yet but the juice tastes really good. I think it will turn out to be a really nice sweet red wine. I will try to remember to post an update when I've tasted the wine.

My favorite thing about these Cornucopia fruit wines is that they are ready to drink in < 2 months. Can't beat that!

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La Maison d'Armorine French Salted Butter Caramels in Gift Box, 7.14 Oz Large Box

I went through a phase where I craved caramels, and bought one of what seemed like every salted caramel on Amazon. This one is by far the best. Highly recommended!

These were so good. Really, they were as good as I wanted them to be, and that's the most I can expect from any food product. Not overly sweet or overly salty, just right.

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I was excited about getting these french caramels, but when it arrived the box was torn and the caramels were old and sticking to the cellophane wrapper. Didn't taste good at all...immediately tossed them in the trash. Will never buy again.

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These caramels had no discernable salt flavor and a plastic taste when first chewed. This was very disappointing, especially for the price.

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I had heard all the hype about salted caramels, so I thought I would try them. They were good, but not much different than any other caramel I've had before.

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Royal Blue Stilton by Long Clawson - 2.5lb. Half Moon Cut (2.5 pound) by igourmet

This is just what you expect in a Stilton, and a great value from Amazon. The shipping is a little on the high side, but the cheese is packed with a cold pack and in Styrofoam so it won't spoil even in the summer. Better value than some of the catalogs we get. Two and a half pounds...that's a lot of cheese!! But, family and friends enjoyed it throughout the Holidays making happy hour a breeze. One tip, serve it at room temperature if you like it nice and creamy.

Update to last year's review: This is a favorite at our house, and it's amazing how fast 2.5 pounds disappears around the Holidays. I emphasize, serve it at room temperature for best flavor and creaminess. Would be six stars if there was a way to order a middle cut rather than have a rind on one of the flat sides. I have ordered this four times over the years and have gotten the rind twice.

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