Archer Farms Vanilla Caramel Latte

This is the best of the Archer Farms bottled lattes that we've tried so far. I can't imagine anyone thinking that either the Raspberry Mocha or the Chai Tea Latte is equal to or better than this stuff. But sure as shootin' you can bet that somebody out there thinks so, and they'll undoubtedly be the one to comment below and tell you how far off I am on my assessment of these coffee beverages.

But barring that happening, you'll just have to take my word for it that unlike those other two caffeinated drinks, this one is actually worth purchasing. It's sweet, but not too sweet. It actually tastes of coffee, vanilla, and caramel, though none of the flavors are overbearing. It's got 40mg of caffeine, a fact which is conveniently printed on the back of the bottle. That's something that virtually nobody else does but that I would greatly appreciate. To the best of my understanding, 40mg is just a little more than the amount of caffeine in a can of Coke or Pepsi. Perfect for a single serving of coffee, if you ask me.

This latte was very drinkable, with no major aftertastes or flavor imbalances. There was no grittiness, and it was pretty smooth. The only thing I might point out as a  minor flaw is that, like the previously reviewed coffee beverages, this too tastes a mite bit watered down.

But it is "low-fat." And a lot of times, wateriness is what you can expect from reduced guilt options. If you're wanting it thicker, I imagine you could just pour some whole milk into the mixture and make your own "slightly-more-guilt" concoction.

All in all, it's a respectable coffee beverage and a valid alternative to the Starbucks pre-packaged lattes and frappuccinos. Finally.

I give this product 8 out of 10 stars.

Archer Farms Lemon Meringue Gelato

A week or two ago, I promised a bunch of reviews of frozen treats. This is me attempting to make good on that promise...not that you really have to twist my arm to get me to eat ice cream.

I'm always ready to try new flavors, especially when they're familiar flavors like lemon meringue. Although in this case, I think I like the pie just a tad more than the gelato.

It's not bad, don't get me wrong. It's very refreshing and sweet, but it doesn't taste very lemony. And the "meringue" part is nothing more than little marshmallowy things on the top layer of ice cream.

It has a relatively light flavor. My wife thinks it simply tastes like vanilla ice cream, but I do detect a very subtle essence of some citrus fruit. It's almost like they flavored it with lemon peels instead of actual lemon, but I see right there in the ingredients that they did actually use lemon juice from

concentrate. All I can say is, they must have used it sparingly. It's almost like there's a ribbon of lemoniness running around certain portions of the product because some bites really taste like lemon, and others barely taste like it at all.

It's not a bad choice for dessert, but it doesn't even come close to my beloved Creme Cake & Berry Swirl.

I give the Lemon Meringue Gelato 7 out of 10 stars.