Recycled and Recyclable Tumbler by Aladdin

Aladdin Blue Recycled and Recyclable Tumbler

The need to recycle is key to sustaining our natural resources. Makers of coffee products are doing their part to help with the recycling effort. Aladdin has some offerings that target consumers that want environmentally sound products. One of their offerings is a coffee mug made from recycled plastic that is also a recyclable product. Unlike a lot of recycled products, the price for this mug is low - in most cases, less than $15, shipped to your door.

Aladdin 16 Oz Blue Recycled And Recyclable Tumbler

I tested this 16 ounce mug for convenience and heat retention. I also looked at the more practical aspects, such as the ability to use it in the microwave and to be washed in the dishwasher.



The mug is made of high-quality recycled plastic. It has a double-wall insulation that is as good as many non-green products out there. The lid is a screw-on type with a quality seal that does an excellent job of keeping the coffee in and bad stuff out. The top has a quarter-turn seal that works reasonably well, although tipping the mug on its side will result in some leakage - the seal just slows it down. It acts more like a dust or debris cover, not a liquid tight seal.



The mug holds temperature fairly well if the liquid that is put in it is above 150°. It holds a good enough temperature for 2 hours, after which, it can be warmed up in the microwave. I strongly recommend you heat it with the lid removed so you don't damage the seal.



This mug is dishwasher safe, which a lot of mugs aren't. Thank you, Aladdin, for thinking of the consumer.

I would rate this mug a 9.5 out of 10. If it held heat longer and had a better seal on the top, it would be a 10, easily. Great job, Aladdin!

I hope this review helps you in getting that perfect cup. As always, may your next cup be the best!

Starbucks Kenya

Kenya Coffee from Starbucks

Starbucks Kenya is labeled by the company as a bold coffee. It is bold, but it is some of the smoothest dark roast coffee that you will ever taste.



When you look at the beans, they remind you of a good, rich, milk chocolate. The beans have a light sheen from the oil that is in them. The aroma of the beans has great depth, letting you know in advance, what to expect from this starbucks offering.



I brewed this coffee as an Americano, and in my drip coffee maker as well. In each case, the coffee is very satisfying.

The first taste of the coffee has a slight earthy quality, and the flavor of it fills your mouth with a slightly bitter, yet pleasant taste. The flavor of Kenya lingers upon the tongue for around 5 or 6 seconds. This is when the pleasant bitter taste can be sensed. As the coffee cools to near room temperature, it does not become more bitter. This is the sign of an excellent roast that is sure to please almost all coffee drinkers.

When it is sweetened, it tastes more like a dessert than a coffee. It could be served after a meal as a dessert, or with some milk chocolate or apple pie as a really great accompaniment to either dessert item. I would also say that this would be a good coffee for serving with a breakfast or dinner meal. It is an excellent all-around coffee that will not disappoint.

I hope this review helps you in your search for the perfect cup. As always, may your next cup be your best!

Review of Java Paradise Dark Roast by Distant Lands Coffee

Distant Lands Coffee - Java Paradise Dark Roast

When I saw this coffee on the store shelf, I thought "Nice package, but is the coffee inside any good?" The apparent price of this dark roasted blend seems rather low when compared to the premium coffees sitting on the shelf beside it. So you look at what appears to be a price that is one dollar or more lower than other brands surrounding it, you think that it might not be a quality coffee. The price is lower for a simple reason - the package of dark roast coffee that they are selling is a 10 ounce size, not the typical 12 ounce or 1 pound one. The price per ounce calculates to be a few cents cheaper than Seattle's Best Coffee that is sitting very close to it.


On the package they refer to it as an Arabica blend that produces, "a bold, yet smooth cup." The coffee that is in this blended coffee is 100% Arabica that is a Rainforest Alliance Certified™ Coffee. For more information on what this means, check out the information on it on the Mother Earth News website. If you are interested in doing the "right thing," for the planet, Mother Earth News is a great place to go - I recommend them highly. In addition, you can find out more by visiting the Distant Lands Coffee web site.

The coffee that I purchased was already ground, so I decided to taste it as a drip coffee. A couple of days later I tried it in my french press. The flavor results were similar, so I decided to report on my findings about the drip coffee that resulted.

Upon opening the bag of ground coffee, I could smell the richness of a dark roast that had a "sharpness" to the the aroma - I personally thing it was due to the acidity of this blend. Once I brewed up a pot, I smelled a slight scent of rubber in the brew. Note - this is more typical of Robusta coffees and not of Arabica blends. I confirmed the aroma that I was smelling by rubbing some of the coffee between my fingers - there is a faint rubbery smell - could be due to a higher caffeine content - I am not sure.

The color of the grounds also looked like a deep medium roast mixed with dark roast, but the first sip definitely was dark roast coffee.

This coffee has a pleasing taste that has a certain earthy quality. The acid level of this blend is a little higher than most, but it is a good coffee to keep on hand and it definitely is good enough for my tastes. The cup it produces is bold, yet not overpowering. I would say the statement that Distant Lands put on the package is correct.

For food pairings, I would say desserts or fruit that is not terribly sweet. I tried it with one of my favorite items, a Snickers bar, and found that it goes well with the blend of chocolate, caramel and peanuts that are present in the candy. Strawberries without chocolate or with a good dark chocolate would be excellent for this brew.

I discovered a couple of nice .pdf information articles on the Distant Lands site, so I thought I would share them:
The Perfect Roast
The Ultimate Cup


I hope this review helps you in your search for better coffee and, as always, may your next cup be your best.