August 15, 2007

Broccoli in Your Tea? Product Review, Part 2

So sorry! After keeping readers guessing what product Crabby would be reviewing for an entire day, Crabby will now reveal that it was something far less entertaining than her Smart Readers' ideas. More on that below!

But the first Free Thing Crabby received as a Blogger was not smoking-cessation yogurt or caffeinated soap, but Tea with Broccoli in it! (Okay, so the Brassica Tea people may not even know she is a blogger. But she Hinted and they Sent and for that she is grateful. Had they sent Magic Instant Six-Pack Abdominal Creme or Melt-the-Pounds-Away Chocolate Ice Cream she would have been Even More Grateful, but this was pretty cool too).

Crabby was curious about these teas because they contain a very potent antioxidant called SGS. This is the same stuff that comes in Broccoli and Broccoli Sprouts! Anyway, SGS is a kick-ass cancer-fighter and all-around nutritional Superstar.

If you want to read more about SGS, the Brassica people have a collection of research over at their blog. It's a list of actual scientific studies, so Crabby is not too embarrassed to send you over there even though they're also selling the tea and the Broccoli sprouts. (And they also have less technical, more user-friendly info at their site too).

And Crabby likes the Brassica people! They're scientists associated with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and they sound smart and well-informed. For whatever reason, Crabby trusts them when they say something is good for her. But any actual scientists among Crabby's readers who have different information, please feel free to weigh in and set Crabby straight.

Crabby knows some of you disapprove of any food on principal that has been supplemented or tinkered with by scientists. But Crabby does not fear all Franken-Food! To her, it sort of depends on whether the Tinkering is done to make food healthier, or just more profitable. And adding some extra Really Good for Your stuff to tea seemed like a fine idea to Crabby. (The Brassica people, by the way, still tell you to eat your vegetables; you don't get out of it entirely by drinking their tea. Crabby appreciates their honesty on this point, as much as she'd like to replace 90% of her vegetables with cupcakes).

So Crabby was thrilled to get her samples in the mail yesterday, but then she started to worry. What if the tea tasted, well, like broccoli? Being an honest Crab, she knew she'd have to say so, but she really hoped she wouldn't have to be mean to the nice Brassica people.

So she brewed up a cup of Green Tea with Orange and...

It tasted just fine! No broccoli-ness was detectable. Hooray!

(Caveat: Crabby made that cup the way a normal person would, with just one teabag, but usually, she drinks her tea in a Freakish Way. She puts in anywhere from 4-7 teabags in a mug, all different colors and flavors, brews it for 5-10 minutes, then dumps in Splenda (horrors!) and milk. She's really more of a coffee drinker so "normal" tea tastes too watery for her to enjoy. The Brassica tea, it turns out, also tastes good when a bunch of different flavors are combined in freakishly large quantities).

The SGS tea has actually been around for a few years, but it was new to Crabby. She will be ordering some soon and paying with her very own money!

More information about the tea and about ordering it can be found at the BrassicaTea website.

Now Crabby said she would acknowledge the most amusing Reader Guess about what she might be reviewing, but that is so hard when there were many funny ones! For readers who do not regularly visit the Comments Section (click on the link at the end of the post that says how many comments there are), do go back to yesterday's post and see what commenter's guessed. Crabby had many favorites, including one that the author seems to have removed! She hopes it will reappear someday.

So Crabby appreciates all your creative guesses. She hates to just pick one! But having said she would, she found Katieo's guess that Crabby would be testing samples of this appalling food item, to be perhaps the most Amusing. And for those who have not, for some reason, been visiting Sister Skinny on a daily basis, do not miss this recent post of Katieo's, which is very much worth clicking an additional link to read.

Thanks to all who guessed! And to any of you who have either more ideas, Very Silly or Not, for products Crabby should check out in the future, or any other comments about Tea or FrankenFood or Anything at all, please feel free to share your thoughts!

42 comments:

  1. I'm all for a quick and easy way to get broccoli. It's an okay veggie, but not a big favourite so this intrigues me. I'm glad you did the testing for us, Crabby.
    It's unlikely I'll ever order any, but if offered at someone's home I'll know it's an okay think to drink.

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  2. Hi Leah,
    The Lobster is a reluctant veggie consumer and particularly hates cruciferous vegetables--but she will drink tea. So I'm thinking of sneaking some broccoli goodness to her when she least suspects it!

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  3. I'm devastated I tell you. Just devastated. I mean, how creative does one have to be to win something that doesn't have a prize? {just kidding! but I did think that the fake crab meat was kind of cute}

    Ok, brocolli tea. Hmm, I see I've spelled broccoli wrong. One of my word bug-a-boos. Just can't spell it right.

    I'll have to see if my Scottish tea-drinking husband has any issues about drinking broccoli tea...

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  4. "It tasted just fine! No broccoli-ness was detectable. Hooray!"

    *Whew* Hate broccoli. Hate.

    Maybe I should try that "put a whole bunch of teabags in at once" thing. I've only ever tried tea when I was sick, and it was like, "Uh, why am I drinking hot fruit-water, exactly?"

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  5. Marijke,
    Yes, I thought the Crab Meat (faux or real) was a very Clever and Creative idea! I think Soap Box Girl (or perhaps someone else, I'm easily confused) also had a funny comment along similar lines, then she must have had second thoughts, perhaps thinking that Crabby was a soft-shelled variety of Crab who might be easily offended.

    And it figures that a vegetable that's hard to love would also be hard to spell!

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  6. Chicken Girl,
    Hot fruity water is exactly what it usually tastes like to me. But I'm really insane about combining green mint and vanilla red tea and earl grey and whatever the hell is in the cabinet, then making it really sweet and milky too. But it works for me! Now I guess I'll be getting some broccoli in there too.

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  7. I just have to say that I LOVE broccoli! When I travel and don't get it, I crave it and then have it with one of the first meals when I get home. I eat it at least once a week. My favorite way to eat it is lightly steamed with a little Fleischmanns made with olive oil (http://www.fleischmanns.com/products/oil.jsp) on it.

    Thanks!

    Go Broccoli, rah rah!

    So…broccoli tea?!?!? YUCK!

    and...can someone tell me how to put a hyperlink when I post a comment so that I don't have to have that nasty looking URL hanging out there!!!!

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  8. Holly,
    God, I'm jealous, I wish I loved broccoli too! Good for you 'cause its so damn good for you. I have, however, gotten awfully fond of brocolini, (sp?) but it tends to be harder to come by and more expensive.

    And the only way I know how to do hyperlinks in comments, because I'm so lame, actually wouldn't help you: I go into the Blogger software and pretend I'm doing a post and use their software to format it. Which is pathetic! I can never remember html coding. So I'm hoping someone non-pathetic answers your question.

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  9. Holly: The HTML for links goes like this:

    <a href="URL_GOES_HERE">LINK TEXT</a>

    Crabby: I saw an article in the Tribune today about that book "Skinny Bitch" with all the annoying vegan propaganda we were discussing a while ago. Diet book with attitude gains ground with readers (Apparently it's cool now that Posh Spice has been seen reading it.)

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  10. Chicken Girl to the rescue!

    And hmmm, a diet book with "attitude"... the article says something about "tough love" and "humor"... and "best-selling!"

    Crab is thinking: maybe time to start stop talking about self-help book and start writing something!

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  11. Oh yes, definitely time to "start stop talking about self-help book."

    Perhaps putting one word after another in the right order is harder than Crabby thought!

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  12. I know I'd much rather read a Crabby McSlacker self-help book than "Bitch in the Kitch" or whatever it was that the Skinny Bitches are cooking up next. Even if the words aren't quite in the right order. ;)

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  13. shut right up! where is this? broccoli is my fave thing in the whole wide world, i kid you not.

    seriously. where do i get my hands on this stuff?

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  14. I used to love broccoli. Ironically, it was when I was a kid. It was truly my favorite. Then it started to give me unmentionable symptoms and I quit eating it.
    I would try tea too. Sounds tasty. I do love my coffee. Maybe they could put some broccoli in there?

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  15. WOO-HOOO! I'm a Winna!

    Thanks Crabby!

    I have to say, l really like this product review (and extremely glad it's not a sugar substitute review, or a meatball one ofr that matter)...and I don't even drink tea. But it's interesting, I didn't know about SGS. And I will definitely be checking out the Brassica people, I hear the words "scientists" and "John Hopkins" and turn very trusting.

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  16. ok, chicken girl, here goes!!

    Thanks!!

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  17. Thanks again Chicken Girl!

    And Marie, if you like broccoli I'm afraid you can't really taste it in the tea (thank you Lord!) but the Brassica people will be really glad to sell you some anyway! The links are up above in the post because I'm too lazy to follow Chicken girl's advice and re-link to it down here!

    Samantha,
    What a great idea! Coffoli! As long as it didn't actually TASTE like broccoli was in the coffee, I'd give it a shot.

    Katieo,
    Too bad I don't have any socks to give away to the winner! (Well, I do technically have socks, but they're mine and kind of ratty at this point.)

    Holly, way to go on the Linkage! Very clever!

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  18. I'm entirely with Holly. I love broccoli, can feel my throat tighten at the thought of any kind of veggie tea, and darn those hyperlinks!

    I do know a tea-drinking veggie-shunner that might benefit though...

    Thanks for letting us know that it tastes just fine.

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  19. That might be the strangest thing I've ever heard in regards to tea... lot's of different flavors at once? I think in England they might flog you or something... that being said I'll probably give it a go a little later on.

    Big fan ofthings that are healthy and easy, so very nice review you have just earned them some business. :)

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  20. Hi Hilary!
    Best when trying to entice a veggie shunner into consuming antioxidants against his or her will to offer some tea and not tell until AFTERWARDs there was broccoli in it. At least that's my Evil Plan.

    Amanda,
    You're right, my tea consumption habits would probably have me jailed or worse in many countries. But it does serve as a reminder that I may not be the most reliable as to what "tastes good" in the realm of tea. So I do hope if people try the broccoli tea they like it too and it's not just me!

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  21. Well I'm really disappointed to find out it's another wonder tea. I can't stand tea. I do like broccoli with cheese melted all over it though....maybe instead of adding milk and sugar you should put in some cheese?

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  22. Damn, I almost guessed "anything with broccoli" I swear! But I was only going to say that to be funny knowing full well that you are dead set against that kind of stuff. Well, at least I know you. I don't think I'll try it though; like you I find real tea way too watery. For some reason drinking warm or hot water without enough flavor makes me nausea (really, physically).

    The only tea I like is that homemade orange spice teas which is appallingly unhealthy.

    You mix dry ice tea mix, tang (egad), kool-aid, cloves, cinnamon, and a bunch of sugar. It actually will kick a cold's butt being so chock full of Vit C but all that sugar has the potential to also spawn diabetes. Still it's a childhood thing so I like it.

    Good job you being so brave to try a new tea.

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  23. I'm just glad you weren't sampling Any really weird foods.

    But that is quite cool! I only started drinking tea recently (well, in late 2004) when I was in Japan and the stuff was inescapable, but I've tried to increase my consumption so I don't rely on soda for caffeine.

    Which reminds me, ever tried that Broccoli Soda floating around?

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  24. I looooove tea! Unfortunately, I have not been able to consume it in my favorite fashions for the past several months: brewed very strongly with milk or cream and sugar or honey (depends on the tea). Nope, only plain-Jane green tea or herbal tea for me.

    I'm pretty sure I eat enough broccoli (it's my favorite veggie) for two people so I'll pass on your broccoli-enhanced tea. I'm glad to hear that it didn't taste like broccoli though - that would just be weird.

    And yes, Crabby, you should TOTALLY write a book. You're much funnier and less crazy-sounding than a lot of those Other Health-Concerned People who do it.

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  25. usually, she drinks her tea in a Freakish Way. She puts in anywhere from 4-7 teabags in a mug, all different colors and flavors, brews it for 5-10 minutes, then dumps in Splenda (horrors!) and milk

    Holy crap! That is a Freakish Way! (Er... no offense meant. *g)

    I'm normally a coffee drinker too, but I like broccoli and am not turned off by healthy green additives in my tea. So maybe I'll check it out... =)

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  26. Carrie,
    Lucky you, another broccoli fan. Um, but about that melted cheese in my tea? I'm freakish but not THAT freakish!

    Jennifer,
    Tea with Tang and KoolAid--I never would have guessed! Does sound like it would either cure a cold or make one barf, but if it doesn't make you nauseous I guess that's a great endorsement.


    Jim, I'm with Holly: EWWWWWWW!

    Especially the "cheese." Yikes.


    Lisa, you must blurb my book when it comes out! You totally have the Crabby McSlacker knack for endorsements: "--Much funnier and less crazy-sounding than a lot of those Other Health-Concerned People!"

    Hi Erica,
    This is only one of the Many Ways in which I am Freakish, so I take no offense. The Loyal Lobster stares in wonderment at my tea mug every time I do it even though I've been doing it for years.

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  27. I like the idea of herbal tea-- I love the way it smells and the color, but you're right-- usually it tastes like watery tea. Then I brew it stronger and it gets bitter. Except for loose leaf black tea made the way my dad taught me how to make it-- he's from India. Mmm. It's just perfect. And then it's good with milk, too... Oh right herbal tea.

    So, what I do with herbal tea is brew it so that I get the flavor, then add a little bit of juice to it. Then it has the herbal tones (that's right I just typed "herbal tones") but it's not just watery tasting. So maybe that might work for you.

    I might have to try some of this broccoli tea! If you liked it and you don't like tea, it's probably pretty good.

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  28. You are FREAKY! I can't handle too many flavors of anything at one time. I won't be able to concentrate!

    The tea doesn't taste like the veggie shaped like a tree huh. Interesting.

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  29. Sarah,
    Hmmm, juice... Thanks for the idea, it sounds like an interesting possiblity. More flavors!

    Goinggone,
    Yep, a total freak--I love mixing lots of flavors. Sometime I'm going to have to do a post about by obsession about combining bites of everything on my plate, (as opposed to all those people who won't let different foods touch).

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  30. "but if it doesn't make you nauseous I guess that's a great endorsement."

    I think you and I could maybe market this to food companies and make oodles of money. We can offer blog posts akin to, "Yup, it didn't make me heave; I'd hit it"

    You crack me up.

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  31. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  32. Cranky, another post that made me think. Damn you, quit doing that!

    Okay, yes, that was my idea of humor.

    I enjoyed checking out this website, and I am sure that broccoli tea is much better for you than soda... or that melted cheese in a mug idea... but I'm not sold on the idea of ingesting one isolated nutrient that scientists have discovered is good for us. It seems like there are always some necessary co-factors present in the original vegetable that we also need. One that comes to mind in the case of broccoli is the amount of fiber that is in the original veg.
    (No, Jim, no! Please don't put that metamucil into the mug with the melted cheese!)
    I don't think drinking this tea would hurt. And thank you for being kind enough to test it and report back. I always like to go by word of mouth (word of tastebud?) when trying new things.

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  33. p.s. It's off-topic, but I have an etiquette question. Could you put on your Emily Post hat for a moment?

    Should I have asked you before creating a link to your blog on mine? I'm afraid that I'm a novice when it comes to blogs.

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  34. I love brocolli. Some people seem to overcook it which makes it bitter.

    And Mary - my penny's worth is that most people would consider it a compliment and that you don't need to ask. The linked-to blog owner usually realises at some point down the track, but you might like to let them know.

    Of course, the Crab has much better manners than I do so she will give you the ultimate word on this!

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  35. Broccoli in tea? But why? What a silly gimmick, in my mind. I happen to love broccoli (much more than any sort of tea) And I'm very happy to munch away on it. If the tea doesn't even taste like broccoli (and maybe hardly has any in whatsoever) what on earth is the point? That's the craziest thing I've ever heard....

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  36. So readers, should we delete Adam as Spam? Normally I'd just go ahead, but I find the idea that this Cranky Fitness post is "so simple and has a lot more features than other blog articles" sort of adorable. I don't advocate encouraging him by clicking on his links, however. (And repeat performances will result in deletion!)

    Jennifer,
    You obviously have a knack for this endorsement thing too!

    Hi Mary,
    Loved your Bridge bike ride post over at your blog. And it's funny, I usually agree totally about the inadvisability of isolating good stuff from a healthy food and trying to consume it separately--wonder why this one seems more compelling to me? Maybe it's the Johns Hopkins or the fact that this SGS stuff seems to test out pretty well even when extracted from broccoli.

    And yes, I'm with Dawn, it is indeed a compliment to be linked to, thank you very much!

    Hi Meg,
    Yep, broccoli tea does sound weird, doesn't it? And you and Mary are right, I think to be skeptical. But for some reason these guys seemed very convincing over at their site that this stuff might be good for me, and since I'm drinking tea anyway, I thought I'd give it a shot!

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  37. Dawn, sorry, forgot to say hi! Hope you are off tending to the calves or plugging away at the next novel and not thinking any thoughts of broccoli, overcooked or otherwise.

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  38. Crabby, re: Adam-- the "Crabby is very smart and I agree with everything she says" routine is adorable, but if you can, I'd edit his comment to remove the links so that nobody accidentally clicks on them and so that he doesn't benefit from them being there. Let him be adorable and harmless instead of an adorable sponge. :p

    P.S. Crabby is very smart and I agree with everything she says.

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  39. Adam most definitely is one of the most complementary , "make you feel good" kind of spammers I've seen in this since I've started reading! My computer wouldn't exit out of his link (2nd one) and I had to go back to my desktop....I take it you had some kind of premonition or computer glitch yourself? I say SPAM HIM! just to let you know, my "cheese in your tea" comment was just meant to make you giggle. I think it would be absolutely sickening, to be honest.

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  40. I think if I drank tea with 7 tea bags and milk - I'd need a 2 gallon MUG, good gosh that must be dark tea...

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  41. Hi Saul!
    Nope, the 2 gallon mug is for my COFFEE, which is also brewed strong.

    I put the 7 tea bags into a regular, even smallish cup. I am truly a Freak.

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