Erewhon Fall In Love (Pumpkin Spice) Smoothie

Fro-yo girl here. I missed out on Erewhon’s Fall In Love Smoothie when it was introduced last October, but it’s back again and available only in October.

The Fall In Love smoothie is made with Lifeway Organic Lowfat Plain Kefir, smooth cold brew, organic pumpkin purée, dates, banana, and warm pumpkin spice seasoning, topped with a dairy cold foam and cinnamon.” I had it without banana.

The smoothie had very strong spice levels (cinnamon, nutmeg) and was slightly tangy. The cream top was lightly sweetened. It was icier than I expected (probably because I didn’t want any banana). I could not taste the cold brew. A small smoothie was $11. I wish the cold brew coffee flavor were stronger. Also, the spices were a bit too strong.

The Fall In Love smoothie is available at all Erewhon locations until the end of June. It’s free for members till October 14.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Tropical Lifeway Kefir Smoothie Review

Fro-yo girl here. While I was at the new Erewhon in Glendale, I noticed the various signs for smoothies. Most smoothies have bananas and some kind of sweetener…but then I saw the Tropical Lifeway smoothie, which sounded TART.

It’s made with Lifeway organic kefir, organic orange, organic lemon juice, organic pineapple, organic mango, organic mint, organic coconut cream, and organic spirulina. A small is just $12.

Tropical Lifeway Kefir Smoothie: It was thick and surprisingly tart. The pineapple flavor was the most pronounced among the fruits. The fruit flavor combined with the fresh mint flavor was fresh, vibrant, and punchy. The kefir and coconut cream added richness. I'm sure the kefir added sourness too.

The world should have more tart smoothies.

The Tropical Lifeway Kefir smoothie is available at all Erewhon locations until the end of June.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Innovative Froyo Shop: Krave Kulture in North Vancouver

Fro-yo girl here. I don’t encounter too many innovative froyo shops, so it’s always a big thrill to find one. They’re worth seeking out and making a special effort to visit.

Krave Kulture in North Vancouver is Vancouver’s first craft yogurt shop. It’s owned by a local couple with Persian roots and a deep love of yogurt. When Krave Kulture first opened, they offered yogurt and kefir made in-house with live probiotic cultures and BC organic, non-GMO milk. The process takes 24 hours. People kept asking for froyo and thankfully, they added decided to add froyo.

The menu includes fresh yogurt bowls, bagels with housemade yogurt spread, milkshakes, affogato, froyo sundaes, and smoothies. There’s a lot of goodness to choose from, including healthy toppings.

Froyo flavors of the day:

• Chocolate
• Tart vanilla
• Raspberry
• Mango
• Passion fruit
• Strawberry
• Mint
• Pineapple

All the froyo is made with a tart base (yay!) and they offer samples. We loved everything that we sampled. The froyo was thick, smooth, and fresh/natural tasting. Both were tart and clean tasting but not super tart. Everything was very fresh. It’s very rare to find a froyo place that makes the yogurt from scratch.

Pick up prepacked froyo pints, fresh yogurt in glass jars, housemade salad dressing, kefir, housemade gluten-free no sugar added granola, housemade yogurt spread, and pickles.

They make their products with love. Go there if you love yogurt and froyo. Or find them at Stong’s Market in Vancouver. A second location will open soon in the Lonsdale Quay Market in North Vancouver.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* KRAVE KULTURE, 3151 Edgemont Blvd, North Vancouver, BC V7R 2N9, Canada

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

The Frenchy Gourmet Kefir Yogurt Review

Fro-yo girl here. The Frenchy Gourmet had a stand at the Niles Farmers Market, which is held on Saturdays in Niles Fremont. They sell “French style kefir yogurt” that’s high in protein, high in probiotics, low in carbs, and made with lactose-reduced milk. There are over 20 different flavors, including Nutella, vanilla, lemon, strawberry, fig, guava, white chocolate, mango, mixed berry, etc. The stand also provides free samples. One tub was $8.

The vendor said that no sugar was added. The list of ingredients was short: cultured cream, milk, nonfat milk, ultra-filtered lactose-reduced nonfat dry milk, enzymes, chopped blueberry). He said they used to have sheep’s milk yogurt five years ago but discontinued it. All the yogurt is made with cow’s milk now. There was no nutritional information in sight. The address in Sacramento is the address of a shared commercial kitchen.

Blueberry kefir yogurt: very thick, smooth, creamy, with chopped blueberry blended throughout. It’s thicker than Greek yogurt. It is very good, decadent even (because of the cream?). It’s sour and tangy. It's so good and different from mass-produced, store-bought yogurt that you have to wonder what's in there. 

The lack of information reminded me of Bonjour Yogurt, which sells a similar product at farmers' markets in Southern California. LAist has a great article about the ingredients used in Bonjour. I also had a few comments on my Bonjour blog post from people who sell Bonjour. Here’s an interesting one:

“I sell bonjour yogurt and I’ve been selling it for about five years…people ask us a lot of questions about it and I sell it as honest as I can. I do not know what is in it exactly I could only say what’s on the label, but I do know that they add Stevia water or Stevia leaf honey molasses apart from that I do not know what is added.”

I also spotted some savory items for sale: cheese, dips, olives, and pita chips.

The Frenchy Gourmet can be found at other farmers' markets in the Bay Area. Check their IG @thefrenchygourmet for a current list of markets.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Lifeway Frozen Kefir Bars Review

Fro-yo girl here. Lifeway introduced a line of frozen kefir bars/pops last year. I hadn’t had much luck finding them in California until a recent trip to Gelson’s in La Canada Flintridge. Gelson’s had two flavors: Tart and Tangy Coconut and Tart and Tangy Pear. Each 15 oz. package comes with six individually wrapped bars. Gelson’s sells a box for $5.39 regular price.

Lifeway Frozen Kefir Bars are available in four flavors: Tart and Tangy Coconut, Tart and Tangy Peach, Tart and Tangy Green Tea Raspberry and Tart and Tangy Vanilla.

Frozen kefir bars are gluten free, contain no artificial colors or flavors and have beneficial live and active kefir cultures. I was pleasantly surprised that each bar is 60 calories or less.

* Tart and tangy pear: The pear flavor is very prominent. The bar tastes like fresh pears. The texture was very pleasant - soft, smooth and creamy but it holds its shape. I liked the tanginess and the clean aftertaste. Yum! The bar had a milkiness from the kefir but the kefir flavor could have been more prominent.

One 1/2 cup serving is 110 calories and nonfat.

Ingredients: Cultured low fat milk, evaporated cane juice, nonfat dry milk, tapioca maltodextrin, natural pear flavor, natural flavors, stabilizer, turmeric, active kefir cultures

4.5 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* GELSON’S MARKET: 635 Foothill Blvd., La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Latta Authentic Russian Organic Kefir Review

Fro-yo girl here. I haven’t found Siggi’s pumpkin & spice yogurt at any Whole Foods but I did spot something new in the yogurt section, Latta. The coffee flavor caught my eye since it’s not a common yogurt flavor.

Latta products are made in small batches with Amish Country milk using the traditional Russian method for creating kefir. Latta’s kefir is organic and made with grass-fed milk. Products are all natural with no thickeners and they contain probiotic cultures.

* Coffee Organic Kefir: I wasn’t sure what the consistency would be like. I expected it to be thin like a drinking yogurt. The product is quite thick, too thick to drink. It also has small clumps of milkfat. It’s thicker than regular yogurt and European style yogurt but not as thick as Greek yogurt. Despite the small clumps, the texture was smooth and creamy. It’s white in color (was expecting a tan color) so the coffee didn’t change the color. The coffee flavor is quite noticeable and not bitter...it’s not unpleasant but I prefer vanilla flavoring for yogurt. The kefir is a bit sour yet has a sweet aftertaste. It’s fairly sweet but less so than a typical American yogurt. One cup is 70 calories. It’s rich and filling. Ingredients: pasteurized skim milk, evaporated cane juice, natural coffee flavor, probiotic kefir cultures

I found the single serve 5.25 oz cups at Whole Foods for $1.99 each.

Flavors: Vanilla, strawberry, coffee, peach, plain, blueberry and black cherry

http://www.lattausa.com/

4 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* WHOLE FOODS MARKET: 3950 24th St., San Francisco, CA 94114

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.