October is Fair Trade Month

Green Mountain Coffee

As a bzzAgent, I was recently provided with sample K-cups of Green Mountain Fair Trade Certified Coffee.  I was really excited to try the coffee, but I was even more interested in the "Fair Trade Certified" information. First things first, I settled down with a cup of the Wild Mountain Blueberry.  TAAAASTY!  This coffee was nice and smooth, not too strong and had a nice blueberry undertone.  While enjoying my cup, I thought, "What is Fair Trade Certified"?  This is what I learned.  Fair trade helps farmers get a fair price for their beans and improves working conditions.  It also supports community development with projects that result in new schools, roads, health clinics and safe drinking water.  REALLY?!?!?  I can help with all of this just buy doing something I already do everyday....drink a cup of coffee?!?!?!  Count me in!  I was provided with three other varieties to try.  I really enjoyed the Colombian Fair Trade Select and also the Vermont Country Blend.  The Sumatran Reserve Extra Bold was too strong for me, but it was still very good if you like your coffee strong.  I would not consider myself a coffee connoisseur, so I don't know that this coffee stood out as being "something I can't live without".  However, I enjoyed it immensely and I will be buying it again because it made me feel good and socially responsible to drink it...and who doesn't love that feeling?

Smartfood Selects

As a BzzAgent, I recently received three free samples of Smartfood Selects in exchange for my opinion. I couldn't wait to dig into the full size bag of Cinnamon Brown Sugar Popcorn and it was delish!  I'm not normally a fan of pre-popped and bagged popcorn, but this was very fresh and light.  The bag was high quality and had a really sturdy resealable feature that I appreciated because this bag lasted through several snackings!  When I first opened the bag, the cinnamon smell was really overpowering, but I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted it.  It was a perfect flavor combination of cinnamon and sugar on nice, crisp popcorn.  The other two bags were the popped hummus chips.  The first, Garlic Tomato Basil, was my favorite and one of the best chips I've ever had.  The flavor was strong, but not too strong. In other words, I could taste all of the flavors, but none overpowered the other.  These were thicker than most popped chips I've tried in the past and I will definitely purchase these in a full size bag.  The small bag was 100 calories and worth every one of them!  The other variety was Feta Herb.  I have to admit that this flavor did not appeal to me so I gave it to my husband.  He thought the flavor was good, but the chips were too thick.  I finally agreed to try one and I have to admit that they were pretty tasty.  If you are picky about healthy food (like I am), I think these Smartfood products would be worth trying.  I loved them and would feel "Smart" choosing these as a healthy snack.