September: Instant Coffee Rotation

It's a bit late, but I'd just like to share the instant coffees I've been trying last month.

1. Good Day Vanilla Latte

2. Good Day Cappuccino

3. Great Taste White

Top: Good Day Vanilla Latte, Left: Good Day Cappuccino, Right: Great Taste White.

I like the good day Cappuccino best in terms of coffee-ness, foam and flavor. The sprinkles are a plus, but not so important in the scheme of things.

The Great Taste White is what I prefer next: it's very sweet (unlike its tasteless, cold tetrapack counterpart) and can actually be further diluted with more milk.

I like the Good Day Vanilla Latte least, though I wouldn't turn my nose up at it.

I wouldn't buy these just now because I want to try other things, but I would buy again.

Instant coffee has a lot of sugar and fats in it, which is one of the reasons why I prefer the brewed versions. It also has much less of a kick. Still, for days where you're too lazy to set-up or too rushed to do so (without wanting to spend much) and you really need your coffee - I still go for instant coffee.

Australian Harvest Oatmeal in a Box

Between Quaker, Australian Harvest and other brands, I'd choose the one most convenient for me: either the Quaker single serves or the Australian Harvest resealable bag - the only brand I've seen that had resealable packaging. I'd choose other brands, but I didn't have a dedicated container to place it in. Fortunately, Australian Harvest came up with new packaging: a reusable box! 

Australia Harvest Oatmeal

I got it because I wanted a container for my oats: The non-box packaging doesn't seem to be resealable anymore. The package with the box is a bit more expensive than the bag version, but the convenience made me buy it anyway... but I might refill it with a different brand, considering that the "refills" are 500g for a 400g jar, and a single serving has a whopping 1.3g of salt per serving. FYI, you're only supposed to have 5g a day!  Still, right now, it's one of the healthier cheap convenient options I have for a healthy meal or snack. Pair it with some fruit, milk, spice or even coffee for different delicious variations.

Vietnamese Coffee: Phin Filter with Phuc Long Moka Blend

Boy, do I have a lot of coffee posts :))

A few weeks ago, I posted about using a concentrate in order to make Vietnamese iced coffee. Today, I'd like to talk about a more traditional way to make coffee with the use of a phin filter.

Have you ever used a phin filter? For those who haven't, a phin filter is a small metal device which is what the Vietnamese traditionally use to make their coffee. Unlike a french press, it can only make a cup at a time, but being made completely of metal, it's a lot sturdier, cheaper and takes up less space. 

Phuc Long Phin Filter

Clean & Clear Fruit Essentials Facial Cleanser

I got the Clean & Clear Fruit Essentials Facial Cleanser in Energizing Berry because I wanted to try out a cheaper salicylic acid cleanser other than Neutrogena for a change. It doesn't list its concentration, but should be around the 0.5% range. There are two versions I've seen- the red or berry version and the yellow or lemon- but I prefer berry over citrus. Those who prefer something more refreshing might prefer the lemon version. There is supposed to be a third version, but I haven't seen it here.

Clean &Clear Fruit Essentials Facial Cleanser Energizing Berry

The two main draws of these were its salicylic acid content and the berry-licious scent. The cleanser itself is faintly pink with a liquid to gel consistency. It doesn't lather well, but a little goes a long way and it spreads and rinses of easily. It also helps control my acne, very much like the Neutrogena Deep Clean. I like that it doesn't dry my skin, and can be used more than once daily.

What I didn't get was the bursting beads: they didn't burst on my face and required some effort to burst between my palms. I'd never use that much force on my face for cleansing!

Packaged in a clear plastic bottle with a flip-top cap, it's easy to see how much product you've used. It also has an expiration date clearly marked at the back. At around P150 for 100 ml, it does the job cheaply and can be used twice daily (as compared to the Neutrogena Deep Clean which sells for around P250 for 150 ml and dries my skin out more).

I'd buy this again, but would like to try out some other products first. Luckily, I don't think I'll run out of this anytime soon.