La Finca Cabernet Sauvignon '10

I feel that there's been a gap in what drinks I've covered recently for the current cold weather. There's a winter lager, chai tea, Irish cream, and even a hot chocolate! So what's missing? A red wine. Tonight I have a product from Trader Joe's, who's quite well known around here for their 'two-buck chuck'. La Finca is a label of Trader Joe's that's only a bit more than two dollars.

The first whiff told me that I got what I'd paid for, because alcohol is the prime scent. I still live by the saying "enjoy the drink, not the effect" though. So beyond the obvious asset, the grape part of the palate is quite 'viney', the body is light, and the aftertaste has an acidic twang. Sifting through all of this did convey hints of dark cherries.

Cheap is the prime adjective to use here, but let's be careful as to which definition is being applied. It was not a good deal. La Finca's canbernet is your stereotypical cheap red wine so I'm leaving it with a F (Avoid). Fear not those of you that have recently come home with a box of the 'two-buck chuck' though. I've already had that and know that it's cheaper in cost but not in taste.

Carolans Irish Cream

The genre of liquor for the holidays is Irish cream, and when most hear that they think of Baileys. Another Irish cream, Carolans is here tonight for review though. It's cheaper, but does that mean it's not as good? Lets find out if you should consider it instead of Baileys.

The only hint that this is alcoholic is lightly in the nose of the glass. An easy sweet is there along with it though. Once on your tongue there is much more going on. Caramel and vanilla is what I got first from this. Honey is another strong point to this but it's rather difficult to note as different from the caramel. As for the whiskey in this, it's rather faint. One last note is that this has a lighter texture than Baileys or St Brendan's (that I reviewed before).

Not that Baileys is bad, but I actually prefer Carolans because it's lighter, balanced in taste and has more 'natural' sensations than Baileys mint, coffee or even original. I give it a B (good) and keep it stocked as my cream of choice for the holidays and beyond.

Golden Moon Tea Kashmiri Chai

Kashmiri chai is green tea chai, but Golden Moon's kashmiri chai is actually a blend of both green and black tea (with all those spices as well of course). This product has been a standard in my cupboard for awhile, so I feel it's time to share my thoughts due to the cold front over me and others.

I've prepared the cup in front of me with a touch of honey and cream as recommended by Golden Moon. That's how chai is suppose to be. Something else I'd like to note is you have to steep it for awhile, otherwise it's not strong enough in my opinion.

Once done right, the theme of this is 'spicy' cinnamon. Unlike the chai you get at most cafes or bagged teas, there's more going on than cinnamon as well. Cardamom 'seeds' are a big part here as well. Cardamom is a hard taste to describe, but the best way I can put it into words is an extreamly mellow ginger with floral notes. Cloves exists in this as well, but don't make it all that sweet on it's own. Even without cream or honey this has a rather round body.

Sitting in front of a fireplace with such a drink, has been an extremely enjoyable post to write. I'm giving Golden Moon Tea Kashmiri Chai a B (good), and I'm sure it could make one of your evenings an A (outstanding).

JosephsBrau Winterfest

Before I begin, I'd like to note that JosephsBrau is just a cover for Trader Joe's. That's not to say this could be a bad beer, I think Trader Joe's does a good job with many of their beers for a great value. I paid a mere $6 for a six pack, and for something outside of cans, that's great these days. So lets see how this dark lager (pretty rare these days) does.

This starts with a good sized head as pictured above, but this does not stay that way. Putting my nose in the glass showed a sweet maltyness and a hint of alcohol! Looking back at the bottle I see that this is due to 7.5% abv, which is a better deal for some. This alcohol taste doesn't have any notice with the finish though. The body of this is right in the middle of my other beer experiences, and it has malts for a taste like the head. I was surprised by the lack of carbonation despite being a lager.

For such a high alcohol percentage this one is easy to drink. I'm not a huge fan of it though. It's just kind of odd in my opinion and the malts aren't as good as ones in others, so I'll be leaving it with a C (decent).

Twenty 2 Vodka

Vodka can be a hard thing to describe. Some people just want a cheap thing to make a drink of their choice alcoholic. Of course not necessarily a cocktail though. A few actually like notes of flavors added. I'm part of the group that wants a liquor that can make a fine drink with a few other pieces added. Twenty 2 Vodka is made by The Northern Maine Distilling Company in Houlton, ME. Let's see what category this vodka falls in.

Ethanol is apparent in the nose, but not in a biting way. This is certainly a hint of a good vodka that has no similarity to watered down alcohol in a plastic bottle. The palate is quite unique. I feel that it is a touch heavier than water in your mouth, but in perhaps a way of ethereal taste? I'm asking myself if there is drop of honey put in this bottle. Something I do know is the grainy ethanol is existing lightly on the back of the tongue. After sipping my glass I finished it by shotting the rest, and it was the first time I had any major burn.

Experimenting with cocktails such as the godmother and kamakazi, I could taste the difference in quality. I'm not hesitating to score this with an A (excellent) because it's a blank sheet to work with cocktails and is the first clear liquor besides gin that I've enjoyed straight. I'll be keeping this one in stock.

Trader Joe's Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Well, with Thanksgiving behind us, the beginning of the holiday season is here. To start that warm fuzzy feeling you get inside of you, I've got a cup of hot chocolate. I should also note that this is also my first Trader Joe's product review. I'll be adding some of their house brand's lineup of drinks because they just opened a new store in Portland, ME, and they've gotten quite a bit of attention. So before you try to make it through their extensive lines to the cashier, I'll let you know if it's worth it.

You don't have to get your nose very close to notice the peppermint. This peppermint is also peppermint. The light foam on the surface doesn't last long, but the little bits of chocolate in the mix don't melt completely. On the tongue the chocolate take the front seat from the peppermint, but it's certainly still there. As for the body of the drink, that's up to you, and who doesn't want it thick and creamy? So I'd recommend using the milk instead of boiling water, and don't be scarce with the powder.

For a powder based hot chocolate, this will be my choice for the cupboard. Not a bad start for Trader Joe's. B (good)

P.S. What everyone's talking about around town is the "two-buck-chuck" wines. I'll get to that soon.

Maine Mead Works HoneyMaker Apple Cyser

Portland, ME is well known for it's breweries with beers getting national attention. Maine Mead Works is expanding Portland's drink spectrum. With a brand new location on the east end, being available at many more places, and more flavors since their start in 2007, there has to be a reason behind their success. Tonight I have a glass of their newest mead, Apple Cyser.

The fact that this has apple in the title and is a mead it should be quite obvious that honey and apple are the prime factors. They are but they work together so well. The body of this mead is lighter than others and not 'sticky' sweet so the crisp and light tang of apple compliment it great. When chilled the apple is more apparent and the honey comes out more when warmer. In either temperature you get a tart finish from the apple, but still the sweet in your mouth.

Quite the balance. I'm not hesitating to give this an A (excellent) and it won't be uncommon for me to keep a bottle of this in my stash. Maine Mead Works has many other choices as well and a quick visit to taste what they have will let you know which one would be your best investment. Portland is more than a beer town now.