More Matcha

I tried Matcha for the first time last year. I have been hooked ever since. I am always excited to try out new brands. 

I still haven't gotten around to getting the tools to make Matcha the traditional way. I just fill my tea infuser with one teaspoon of powder and steep and stir until it dissolves. I drink ceremonial matcha several times a week and I add culinary matcha to smoothies as well as baked goods. 

Minister's Morning Matcha is organic ceremonial Matcha. It's on the pricey side, but it comes in a gorgeous storage container. Even the box it comes in is fancy with gold lettering. It would be great as a gift!  

The Matcha powder comes sealed in a bag for freshness. I emptied mine into the cute storage container. It is currently filled to the top, so it is very messy when opening and closing. Matcha dust goes everywhere even though I am gentle, so be ready for clean up.

This Matcha tea is no different than the others I have tried. It is finely ground powder. It is a beautiful bright green color and has a fresh, earthy scent. It dissolved better than a few other brands I have tried. This is great because I don't make it traditionally, so I end up with lumps.

The flavor is on par with other brands as well. It has the fresh, sort of sweet, green flavor that I love. It comes with more powder than other brands I have tried, so that helps explain the price. It also is the nicest packaged Matcha I have had. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars and would recommend it, especially as a gift.

You can order some from Amazon.

I received this product at a discount. This review is 100% honest, unbiased, and my own.

~Crystal Vicious

Mmmmmm Matcha!

There are two types of matcha: Culinary and Ceremonial. I love Midori Spring's Ceremonial Matcha, so now it's time to try out their Culinary Matcha. Culinary matcha can be mixed in smoothies, lattes, or added when baking. You should not drink culinary matcha on its own as a tea because it will taste robust, earthy and astringent. 

Naturally, the first thing I wanted to make was a smoothie. The first one I tried was made with 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 cup orange juice, and 1/2 cup frozen mango, plus 1 teaspoon of matcha. It was delicious! I haven't looked back since. I have been adding a teaspoon of matcha to my smoothies every day. It gives them a beautiful green hue, a yummy green tea flavor, plus all the benefits matcha has to offer.

• Energy boost without the jitters.
• Reduces stress and improves mental alertness.
• Improve metabolism and helps with weight control.
• Supports your immune system and reduces inflammation.

After making a ton of smoothies I decided to try my hand at baking with matcha. I found a recipe for matcha meringue and this is what happened. 

These meringue cookies were...interesting. They tasted like the last sip of a cup of tea. A strong tea flavor, and a lot of sugar. I made a perfect meringue...but the flavor was just odd. I love matcha tea, lattes, and smoothies, but I'm not much of a fan of baking with it just yet. This won't deter me from trying a few more recipes, but I won't make these again. None of my friends were big fans either. 

One of my friends actually put a matcha meringue cookie IN his vodka tonic and let it melt. He said it was actually yummy, thus proving matcha will always be delicious in beverages. I give Midori Spring Culinary Matcha 4 out of 5 stars. I love everything about it in drinks. I just don't know how I feel about adding it to cooking and baking. 

Grab some on Amazon.

I received this product at a discount. This review is 100% honest, unbiased, and my own. 

~Crystal Vicious

Time To Add A Cooling Towel To My Postie Gear.

Living with a chronic illness is hard. I am always on the lookout for products that can help me deal with symptoms. Cooling towels are one of the best inventions for someone with a broken autonomic nervous system. My body has trouble regulating it's temperature. This causes heat intolerance. I couldn't wait to try Live Infinitely's Forever Cool Instant Cooling Towel to help me deal with the heat, even in the winter. 

When I opened this cooling towel there was an interesting chemical odor. I threw the towel in the wash, then hung it to dry. I also rinsed out the anti-bacterial case with soap and water to get rid of any residual odor. After doing so, the smell dissipated. When it is dry, the towel is very hard, kind of like cardboard. Weird right? I rolled it up, and was unable to fit it back into the case. Next time I will try to fold it differently, but I didn't want to put it away until it was dry. 

The color has faded in many spots after washing, but it is still pink, and I haven't noticed the color bleeding onto any surfaces or fabrics. The towel is pretty easy to use. You just wet it, wring it out, and snap it a couple times. It gets pretty cold pretty quickly. It also completely transforms from hard, stiff material to a soft, towel like form. I was able to wrap the towel all the way around my neck and it was nice and cool to the touch. A very welcome feeling when my body is overheating for no reason. 

The material is so strange, it feels damp, but it isn't wet. It stays cool for a long time. Once it dries out, you only need to wet it again. It is way more convenient then wetting wash cloths and dripping everywhere, just to have to run it under cold water again five minutes later. I give this product 4 out of 5 stars. I wish the case was a bit bigger, so I don't have to smoosh the towel inside. Overall, it's a really neat product and I would recommend it to anyone who needs to cool off after a workout, or for people with heat intolerance. This will seriously be a life saver for me in the summer months! 

Grab one on Amazon.

I received this product at a discount. This review is 100% honest, unbiased, and my own. 

~Crystal Vicious 

Best Digital Thermometer

As someone with a crap ton of chronic illnesses, it is very important that I have a reliable oral thermometer. I have gone through countless thermometers over the past decade alone and one thing I have learned was that I need a thermometer with a flexible tip. This is important to me because non flexible thermometers cause pain in my mouth. Nanci Perrin's Thermometer already scores one point for being comfortable under my tongue. 

This digital thermometer comes in a hard plastic case that protects it. It is a good size, not small but not huge. The LCD display is huge though, but that is great. It makes reading your temperature easy, even if your so sick you can't focus. I have yet to have a fever, so I have not heard the fever alarm yet. It appears to take accurate readings as I have felt fine and my temp has been between 97.9-98.2 which is my usual range.

Another great aspect of this thermometer is that it is waterproof! This makes cleaning a breeze! I have ruined some thermometers in the past by accidentally splashing water on the display while cleaning. Taking a temp has never been so fast, I only had to wait about 10 seconds to get a reading. The thermometer is made well and seems quite durable.  It is super easy to use. I did need to hold the button down for a few seconds before the first use to switch from Celsius to Fahrenheit, but after that...simple. Push the one button, place the sensor, wait for beep, read, and then push button to turn off.

This thermometer can be used for babies and children as well. It can take axillary and rectal temperatures.

I like everything about this thermometer and am glad to add it to my drawer of medical supplies. I trust it will do it's job and it will hold up for quite some time. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I received this product at a discount. My review is 100% my own and I have given my honest opinion.

Order one off Amazon.

~Crystal Vicious