Fruit of the week: Lao Palm Sugar Cake (num taan)

Brand: DHL?

Place of Purchase: Laos Market in Syracuse, NY

Country/Region of Origin: Thailand

Price in New York : $1.99 for about 10 1-ounce cakes

Description: Golden cakes of pressed sugar

Flavor: Sweet with caramel and grassy notes

Aroma: Grass and sugar

Texture/Mouth-feel: Smooth, crunchy

Notes: All right, I know that this isn't technically a fruit or a libation.  But I picked these up because I had never had them before and they looked so good.  These little golden nuggets drew me in and I popped one in my mouth in the car.  That would not be the traditional use, for sure.  Typically they would be used as sweeteners for tea, sauce or soup.  The flavor was amazing and supposedly this type of sugar is more nutritionally sound and has a lower glycemic index than table sugar.  I just wanted to share my experience, before I ate them all.

Fruit of the Week: Prickly Pear

Brand: No sticker

Place of Purchase: Wegman's in Clay, NY

Country/Region of Origin: California, probably

Price in NY: $0.50 each

Description: Pretty, reddish-purple cacti

Flavor: A mix between watermelon, kiwi and water chesnut

Aroma: Sweet berries

Texture/Mouth-feel: Firm, fibrous, with TONS of juice.  There are also many tiny seeds.

Notes:  Tasty.  Crunchy.  However, there wasn't a lot of meat in one fruit.  Also, I really just wanted to drink the juice all day long.  I could imagine buying a dozen of these and sucking them like a vampire.

Good stuff

Libation of the week: San Pellegrino Blood Orange Aranciata Rossa

Name: Blood Orange Aranciata Rossa

 

Brand: San Pellegrino

Place of Purchase: BJ's in Clay, NY

Country/Region of Origin: Province of Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy

Tasting Conditions: Chilled in a aluminum can

Price in New York: $1.99 for 330mL

Description:  Sparkling orange juice

Flavor:  Sweet Arancia Rossa di Sicilia (Red Orange of Sicily) with a hint of salt and mineral
 

Mouth-feel: A bit of sparkle and a bit of froth

Aroma: Citrus and carbonation

Notes: This is a nice drink.  You can't help but feel fancy with a San Pellegrino in your hand.  From peeling off the foil cap, to the high quality sparkling water and orange flavors, this beverage is a complete experience.  IF you can find it.  Most times, I can only find plain SP sparkling water.

Libation of the Week: Yo-Goat Cultured Goat Milk (Blueberry)

Name: Yo-Goat Cultured Goat Milk with Blueberries

 

Brand: Coach Farms

Place of Purchase: Tops Friendly Markets in Baldwinsville, NY

Country/Region of Origin: Pine Plains, NY

Tasting Conditions: Chilled in a plastic bottle

Price in New York: $1.59 for 8oz.

Description:  Blueberry-flavored drinkable goats milk yogurt

Flavor:  Goat cheese with a hint of blueberries.
 

Mouth-feel: Thick, a bit grainy

Aroma: Berries and goats milk

Notes:  I have been on a probiotics kick, so I have been trying different yogurt and kombacha options..  I'm also on a potassium kick, so I have been downing tons of coconut and beet juice.  So, I saw this and I knew that I liked blueberries.  I like goat cheese.  I've even had goat cheese and blueberries together.  So, I purchased and I tried.

I learned that I like goat cheese and blueberries on a bit of pita, or cracker.  Not necessarily as a breakfast drink.  This stuff is goaty goaty goaty.  So, if you like that first thing in the AM, then this drink is for you.

Libation of the Week: Camlica

Name: Camlica

 

Brand: Ulker

Place of Purchase: European Specialties in Syracuse, NY

Country/Region of Origin: Turkey

Tasting Conditions: Chilled in a glass

Price in New York: $0.75 for 250mL

Description:  A fizzy orange soda

Flavor:  A smooth mimosa
 

Mouth-feel: Fuzzy effervescence, smooth carbonation

Aroma: Fresh orange

Notes:  I don't usually like to double-up on the same sodas with different varieties.  I only did Camlica a few posts ago, and I really liked it.  The next time that I went to the European Specialties, I saw that they had a different variety of this wonderful soft drink.  So, I grabbed a bottle and pooped it into the fridge.

This is another high-quality soda with relatively simple ingredients.  There is sodium citrate (probably part flavor/part preservative), potassium sorbate (another preservative that I try to avoid), and beta carotene as a colorant.  The rest is sparkling water, beet sugar and concentrated orange juice.  The taste is very clean orange, with enough fizzy to make it taste like a fresh mimosa on Easter Sunday, minus the alcohol.  If you can find it, give it a try, because from the website I get the impression that this new product might be a limited product.

Libation of the Week: White Gourd Drink

Name: White Gourd Drink

 

Brand: Taisun

Place of Purchase: Oriental Suppermarket in Syracuse, NY

Country/Region of Origin: Taiwan

Tasting Conditions: Chilled in a glass

Price in New York: $1.99 for 10.8 oz

Description:  A crisp, clean summer drink

Flavor:  Caramel and nut
 

Mouth-feel: Clean, slightly astringent

Aroma: Burnt sugar and floral

Notes:  White gourd, also known as winter melon, is found almost everywhere in Asia.  This cucurbit can be eaten as a vegetable, but it is also employed in candy- and drink-making.  For New Years, crystallized winter melon is often paired with candied coconut strips as an offering and a treat.  This beverage is not what I expected.  I did expect the clean mouth-feel, but I was used to either candied or stir-fried winter melon.  This luxurious, caramel-flavored treat was a pleasant and refreshing surprise.  With drinks like this, I often don't know what I'm getting myself into.  Sometimes, I get pennywort.  Other times, I get liquid gold.

Libation of the Week: Camlica

Name: Camlica

 

Brand: Ulker

Place of Purchase: European Specialties in Syracuse, NY

Country/Region of Origin: Turkey

Tasting Conditions: Chilled in a glass

Price in New York: $0.75 for 8.5 oz

Description:  A crisp citrus soda

Flavor:  Clean lemon
 

Mouth-feel: Very effervescent, strong carbonation

Aroma: Clean lemon

Notes:  This is what your day-to-day soda should be.  Not too sweet, but real sugar.  Great bubbles with a clean lemon taste.  Sure, the lemon is artificial, but tastes like a sparkling lemonade and doesn't leave a syrupy film on your mouth.  I like it.  It's cheap and the carved glass bottle is pretty.  A complete soda experience.