Product and Portland Metro Business Review Archives

Now and then I do a review of a store or commercial product. You'll find the archive of those stories here.

Cacao Chocolate Shop in Portland Oregon

By CuisineBonneFemme Last Update September 18, 2016 43 Comments

There are shops that sell chocolate and then there are the Cacao chocolate shops in Portland. The latter can inspire even the most hardened and cynical among us.

When we first heard about the Cacao chocolate shops, it clearly sounded like it was worth our attention.… Read the rest

Best Tonic Water – Are the Gourmet Brands Worth the Price?

By PDX Food Dude Last Update June 23, 2020 45 Comments

We’ve all seen expensive tonic waters in the grocery store, but are they worth the price?

[6/2020 – I’ve been going through all the listings, updating prices, looking for changed formulas and discontinued tonic waters, so this article may be a bit messy at the moment.… Read the rest

What are the Best Coconut Waters – We Rate 34 Brands

By PDX Food Dude Last Update July 29, 2020 44 Comments

Best Coconut Waters

Updated 7/4 – added first impressions of Real Coco Organic. Full change list at the bottom. Coming soon, Thrive Market.

What are the best coconut waters? Judging by the amount of shelf space devoted to them in grocery stores, coconut water is a popular item.… Read the rest

Review: Fentimans Tonic Water

By PDX Food Dude Last Update May 13, 2020 5 Comments

This review has been superseded by my tonic water roundup, which you can find here.

Continuing my interest in tonic waters, I decided to review another brand which is appearing on store shelves: Fentimans Beverages.… Read the rest

Interview: Steven Smith Teamaker

By Karen Woods Last Update January 3, 2017 3 Comments

“Portland is a beverage town,” Steve Smith says simply. And his beverage of choice is — and always has been– tea.

Note: sad to report that Steve Smith died in 2015. However, Steven Smith Teamaker is still in business

Back in the early 1970s, Smith started Stash Tea, which sold teas and herbal infusions to natural food stores.… Read the rest