Product Review of Jot's Boogie Boards

The first time I saw 1 of these devices was at the Navy Exchange at NSA Bethesda. They're interesting devices. I think 🤔 of them as an adult etch a sketch. You can make lists on them and when you're done with the list, you press a button on them and, it erases the list or whatever you had on them. You use a stylus that causes your writing ✍️ to appear on the black screen in color. The writing ✍️ or drawing stays 🤔 there till you erase it. The only way you can save your work is by taking a picture 📸 of it with their app or your phone 📱camera. I've heard more expensive devices enable you to transfer your work via Bluetooth. The 2 devices I bought are very cheap which was a major factor in me finally trying them. The smaller of the 2 comes close to the size of a cell phone 📱 and cost me over $11. The larger of the 2 comes in the size of a notepad and costs around $23. 1 major difference between the 2 besides their size is their batteries. You can't replace the battery on the smaller model while you can with the larger 1. This means when the battery 🔋 runs out, you have to throw it away and buy another  - a major drawback in my opinion. Jot does have an app that does the same thing (as I understand it) as a camera 📷 on your cell phone 📱 in saving any work you want saved. Once you save the work on your phone 📱, you should be able to print 🖨 it. I have an app that allows me to do that.

Overall, I've been pleased 😀 with the devices though I like 👍 the larger one more because of the battery 🔋 issue. They can be handy and, I plan to take them with me on my next cruise 🛳 (October 2026). They'll save you paper 📃, pens 🖊  and pencils as well as being extremely cheap to use. Happy 😊 creating with them.

Azumagourmet Calamari Salad Review

I like calamari (squid) so when I saw Azumagourmet's calamari salad, I decided to try it. I found the salad to be packed with calamari as well as crunchy vegetables and sesame seeds. The calamari itself was tender and very eatable. I mention that because anyone who has had calamari knows it can sometimes be like trying to eat a piece of rubber. Price wise, the salad is a little pricey. A 24 ounce container of the salad will cost you $11.99 at the Columbia, Maryland Costco (I don't know what other stores carry the product though I know the Laurel, Maryland Sam's Club doesn't carry it). This breaks out to approximately $8 a pound. The product has to be refrigerated and Azumagourmet recommends you consume the entire product within 5 to 7 days of opening it. I've gone longer than their recommendation without any ill effects though I have kept it refrigerated all the time barring when I was getting some out for a meal.

Overall, I've been very pleased with this product and would recommend it anyone who likes calamari. It's a very tasty salad with a nice oriental taste to it. Bon Appetit!

Update February 23, 2014: Like the Tuscan bean salad I reviewed and updated, this product has been dropped for some unknown reason by Costco. Like the bean salad, I hope it's just a seasonal thing. I plan to check on it later in the year to see if Costco starts carrying it again. I really liked this calamari salad and would recommend it to anyone that likes calamari.

Update February 26, 2014: I checked Costco's Glen Burnie, Maryland store and, they don't have this product either. They do have Azumagourmet's seaweed salad which I've never tried as it doesn't sound terribly appealing to me. I like seaweed with sushi but, I don't think I'd care for it in a salad.

Update April 27, 2021: To my surprise, the Columbia Costco started carrying this product again. The price is $11.79. It's still very good and, I ended up stocking up just in case they decided to stop carrying it again. If you like calimari, I think you'll like this product.

Update September 3, 2021: I visited the Columbia, Maryland Costco and, they were offering $3 on this calamari salad until September 12th. That means, it's selling for $8.79. Those who like calamari should get to Costco and grab this deal while they can.

Update November 17, 2022: I've visited the Columbia Costco store twice now in the past month and both times, it didn't have this product. It's possible it may not show again till spring. 😞

Update August 13, 2023: The Columbia Costco still isn't carrying the calamari salad. However, you can find it at the Whole Foods Market in Columbia though it is more expensive and isn't labeled under the Azumagourmet brand. It's labeled under Genji, comes in 4 ounce plastic containers and costs $5.99.

Update July 10, 2025: I visited the Columbia, Maryland Whole Foods Market to buy some of this calamari salad. They didn't have it and didn't know if they'd ever get it in again. I subsequently contacted Azumagourmet who make the salad who informed me they weren't making the salad anymore and didn't know if they would make it in the future.

Review of Game Parlor's Slot Machine Coin Bank

 Normally, I'm very pleased with everything I buy at the Jessup, Maryland Ollie's Discount Store. They sell very good merchandise at excellent prices. This makes this review rather different as this review is of a product that I believe is poorly made and should be avoided. The product in question is Game Parlor's Slot Machine Coin Bank made by Meridian Point.

The product sells for $10 at Ollie's though they claim it would normally retail for $24.99. The product is a miniature slot machine where you can insert coins, pull the side lever and see if you hit 1 of the jackpot combinations on the spinning wheels (there are 3 of them like on real slot machines). It doesn't run on batteries though mine had a space on the back for them. You don't have to insert coins in order to spin the slot machine.

The problem I ran into is that the machine is apparently poorly made and broke on me through normal use shortly after I bought it. I've tried repeatedly pulling on the side handle and nothing happens. To add to my dismay, I made the mistake of throwing away my receipt so, I can't return it to Ollie's for a refund. On a recent trip to Ollie's, I checked another such bank and found it broken too. So, my problem isn't a 1 off. This is why I'm warning other consumers out there of this product. If you buy 1, make sure you keep your receipt just in case you have to return it.

While I greatly enjoyed this product when it worked, I'm not thrilled that it broke so easily and apparently can't be fixed. I give it 2 thumbs down because of this and recommend other people avoid buying it.

Review of Yummy Can Bacon Product

 A while back on a visit to the Jessup, Maryland Ollie's Discount Store, I stumbled upon a device called the Yummy Can Bacon. It's a device of sorts that cooks bacon in a microwave oven. It's made of plastic and features 3 parts: a long high lid with steam vent that covers the rack the bacon slices lay on, a bacon rack you can lay up to 8 slices of bacon on and which connects to the bacon grease catcher base of the device and the bacon grease catcher base which is deep enough to hold all the bacon grease that will drip off the bacon as it's cooking.

Ollie's claims the device would normally retail for $19.99 and, they sell it for $9.99. I don't know how true their claim is for what the device would normally sell for. The device comes with a sheet that gives suggested cooking times based on the number of slices of bacon you're cooking and the power of your microwave oven. I've found these times reliable and have split the difference between the low and high times.

Compared to other microwave bacon cookers which I don't remember the names of, this device does a good job. Unlike 1 device I remember buying which featured a tray the bacon lay on which wasn't long enough for the slices of bacon and made it necessary to cut them into 2 pieces, the rack on this device can handle a normal slice of bacon. Also, it does a good job of catching all the bacon grease though I have found a little of it can get on the side handles of the device.

One thing I would warn prospective users of this device is how hot it can be when it has finished cooking the bacon. I would strongly recommend you use some cooking heat gloves to protect your hands and fingers. Also, I would advise you to be careful of the hot bacon grease. You might want to let it cool for a little while before throwing it out. I wouldn't recommend you pour the grease down your sink drain as it might clog the pipe.

One down side to the device I've found is cleaning it especially the bacon rack. I imagine you can use the device again without cleaning it but, you may get your fingers messy as there will be a grease residue on the base, rack and inside the cover. This is why I prefer to clean the device every time after I've used it.

If you want your bacon particularly crispy, you may have to experiment with the cooking times to find the right time to get the results you want.

Overall, I've been very pleased with this device. It's a very easy way to cook up to 8 slices of bacon with no splattering like you'd have if you cooked it on top of a stove. I feel Ollie's offers it at a good price and, the last time I was at their Jessup, Maryland store, they still had some of the devices. I don't know if other places sell it or at what price. I would think you could find it on Amazon or Ebay though I don't know this for a a fact. Keep this device in mind if you want an easy way to cook up some bacon. Bon Appetit!

Review of Kettle Brand Farmstand Ranch Potato Chips.

 While checking out the Jessup, Maryland MOM's Organic Market which I hadn't been to in months, I stumbled upon Kettle Brand's Farmstand Ranch potato chips. As I like ranch salad dressing, I decided to buy a bag of them and see if they were any good.

MOM's sells a 5 ounce bag of the chips for $3.99 though right now, you can get a dollar off. I don't know how long that deal will last.

I found the chips have a genuine ranch flavor to them. Because of this, I did enjoy them and would recommend them to those who like ranch flavoring. In that way, they're tasty potato chips.

Overall, I give them 2 thumbs up and will buy them again. Bon Appetit!

Review of Trader Joe's Glazed Vanilla Bean Scones

One item I discovered recently at Trader Joe's is their glazed vanilla bean scones. They come 3 to a box, cost $3.99 and have real vanilla bean specks in them. These scones are really tasty and wonderful to have with tea or by themselves. Supposedly, they're sold exclusively by Trader Joe's. I give them 2 thumbs up. If you find them in your local Trader Joe's store, they're definitely worth trying. Bon Appétit!

Review of Banquet's Chicken and Broccoli Pot Pie

Yesterday, while at the Silver Spring, Maryland Dollar Tree store, I decided to buy a Banquet Chicken and Broccoli Pot Pie. I like pot pies. They microwavable, healthy and tasty. In the case of Dollar Tree, they're cheap ($1) but small. This pie was just 7 ounces. Calorie wise, you're talking 330 calories for 1 pie. Cooking time was just 4 to 5 minutes (I split the difference and set my microwave for 4 and a half minutes). Banquet does recommend you use a cooking thermometer to make sure the pie reaches 165 degrees so, it's fully cooked.

Overall, I thought Banquet's pot pie was ok. I wasn't pleased with the size but, you get what you pay for. The pie is typical of the cheap and small portions you can get at Dollar Tree. I wouldn't go out of my way to get one of these but, I would buy a few for some cheap eats. Bon Appétit all!

Review of Bell View Fancy Hot Pickled Cauliflower

While shopping at the Weis Supermarket at 9250 Washington Boulevard in Laurel, Maryland, I got lucky and was able to buy some Bell View Fancy Hot Pickled Cauliflower. The 16 ounce jars normally cost $4.69 but this Weis had them on clearance for $2.34 meaning half off. A great deal!

The cauliflower is correctly described as being hot though not outrageously so. Due to the fact it's pickled, it should have a good shelf life (I couldn't find a use by date on the jars I bought). After you open a jar of it, it must be refrigerated. Calorie wise, a 1 and 1/2 piece serving has zero calories according to one of the jars I bought. The product is kosher and has the kosher tag on the jar. The cauliflower has some crunch left in it which I particularly liked. I don't like soggy mushy vegetables. Sodium wise, that same serving has 420 milligrams of sodium or 18% of the daily amount recommended based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Overall, I was very pleased with this product. I think it would serve as a good appetizer or calorie free healthy snack. I look forward to having some more of it in the future. Bon Appetit all!

Review of Benton's Caramel Coconut Fudge Cookies

One discovery I made at ALDI Supermarkets is Benton's Caramel Coconut Fudge Cookies. The cookies remind me of cookies called Samosas by the Girl Scouts in the United States of America. They seem VERY similar. One way they're not similar however is the price. The last time I bought cookies from the Girl Scouts, they were $3 a box. They may have gone up since that time. ALDI's sells these cookies by Benton (whoever they are) for just $1.35 box in Maryland (I don't know if the price would be different in some other state). This is a great price for these cookies as you get 18 of them for that price. And these cookies are REALLY good. These were my favorite with the Girl Scouts and now they're my favorite at ALDI.

If your local ALDI supermarket has these in stock, I would definitely recommend you buy some. I give them 2 thumbs up. Happy cookie munching all!

Review of Blake's Specialty Meats Smoked Hunter's Sausage

While visiting the Jessup, Maryland Ollie's Discount Store, I stumbled upon some bags of Blake's Specialty Meats Smoked Hunters Sausage. As I got to try some Kowalski Hunter Sausage when I was visiting my Dad in Michigan, I decided to try this.

According to Ollie's, it normally sells for $2.99 though Ollie's was selling it for $1.99 and, it comes in a 5 ounce pack. Taste wise, I found it somewhat bland. However, it would be handy for hunters and others who want a meat snack that doesn't require refrigeration (unless you don't use it up within 3 days).

Overall, I though the sausage sticks were ok though not great. I did feel I got a pretty good deal on this at Ollie's though it would be highly iffy if you'll find it at an Ollie's close to you. I don't know what store chains might sell the brand. The product would be useful if you want a meat snack you can easily carry with you. Bon Appetit all!

Please note: these sausages are made out of pork with some sugar, garlic and seasoning thrown in. Those who have issues with pork should avoid this product.

Review of Wai Lana's Cassava Pops

While visiting Dollar Tree's Jessup, Maryland store, I stumbled upon 3 different types of Wai Lana's Cassava Pops. They're like potato chips but, they're made with cassava (yuca root) which is native to Central and South America. Wai Lana turns the root into a paste and then applies a little heat and pressure to make the chip like pops. The advantage of doing this is there aren't any added calories from frying or baking.

The pops come in 3 flavors: sea salt (125 calories per serving). luau bar-b-que (120 calories per serving) and volcano (110 calories per serving). Volcano is the hot and spicy flavor though I didn't find it that hot. The luau bar-b-que is supposed to sweet & tangy. As I haven't tried this flavor yet, I don't know if that's true or not. On the sea salt flavor, I found the chips tasty.

Each flavor comes in 3 ounce (3 servings) bags at Dollar Tree and cost $1 (of course).

Wai Lana states the pops don't have any gluten (certainly true as they're not made with wheat), are GMO and trans fats free, don't have anything artificial, are suitable for vegetarians and are kosher.

Allergy wise, Wai Lana warns that the pops are made in a factory that may contain soy, wheat and dairy though no peanuts or tree nuts.

The pops are made in the United States of America which is a little plus to me and are distributed by Wai Lana Snacks out of Honolulu, Hawaii.

Overall, I was very pleased with this product. I thought the 2 flavors I tried were tasty and, I look forward to having some more of this product. This product gets a thumbs up from me. Happy munching all!

Source of information on the product: the 3 bags I bought from the Jessup, Maryland Dollar Tree store with my own money. I'm not in any way affiliated with Wai Lana Snacks and all opinions stated in this review are my own.

Review of Arizona's Sweet Tea

While at the Jessup, Maryland Dollar Tree about a month ago, I wanted a cheap caffeine fix. I decided to try their Arizona Sweet Tea. It costs only a $1, comes in a 42 ounce plastic bottle and, they had it in the refrigerated section so, it was already cold.

In my opinion, the tea turned out to be pretty lacklustre i.e. it wasn't terribly good. For starters, it didn't seem very sweet. This may be because they used high fructose corn syrup instead of real sugar to sweeten it. Sweet tea is supposed to be so sweet that you would get a huge sugar high from drinking it. I didn't get that from this product.

One slight plus to the product is they add ascorbic acid so you get 100% of the vitamin C you need in an 8 ounce glass of the tea.

Arizona claims the tea is real brewed. Maybe but, the tea itself isn't noteworthy either. Some teas have particularly nice flavors depending on what you like example: Russian Caravan tea has a nice smoky taste to it. This tea didn't have any noteworthy flavor to it. I would guess they used plain black tea.

Overall, the best thing I can say about this tea is it's cheap. As I mentioned previously, a 42 ounce bottle cost just a $1 at Dollar Tree. I don't know how caffeine it has in it so, I can't say how much of a charge you'll get from drinking some of this tea. As far as thumb scores go, I give this tea 2 thumbs down. I'd recommend you drink some other kind of tea. Happy drinking all!

Review of Jack Links A.M. Breakfast Sausage

You never know what you'll find at Ollie's Bargain Outlet. Recently, I discovered their Jessup, Maryland store received a shipment of Jack Links A.M. Breakfast Sausage. As I like their beef jerky, I decided to try their breakfast sausage.

The sausage comes in 4.4 ounce resealable bags, is dried, fully cooked and ready to eat. Ollie's was selling it for $1.99 and claims it normally sells for $3.29. I counted the number of sausages in 1 bag and found a total of 10 which breaks out to nearly 20 cents a sausage. If I had to pay the full price, that would break out to around 32 cents a sausage which isn't cheap though I don't know what is a good price for sausage.

Jack Links claims the sausage is hot and spicy. I didn't find it hot though I did find it had some spice in it. They use chipotle pepper, red pepper and black pepper to season it. I feel it wasn't overly spicy.

You can heat the sausage up in a microwave for 10 seconds though do take it out of the bag first as they recommend.

I feel one plus of this sausage is you don't have to refrigerate it until you open the bag unlike regular sausage. This sausage might be handy on a camping trip.

Overall, I feel this is decent sausage that could be handy in certain circumstances like camping or hiking. Also, I thought I got a good deal on it at Ollie's. Do remember if you find it at an Ollie's where you live that you should buy it right then because you may not find it there when you come back. Ollie's doesn't joke when they say when it's gone, it's gone. It really is in their case. Bon Appetit all!

Jot Ballpoint Pen Review

Among the good size selection of pens you'll find at Dollar Tree stores, the cheapest are the Jot Ballpoint Pens. The pens come in packs of 10 (at a $1 a pack, this breaks out to 10 cents a pen) with a choice of 2 different type of pen bodies (white and clear) and 3 choices of ink color (Black, Blue and, I think Red). All pens as far as I know have a .7 millimeter nib.

I bought 2 packs of the pens myself to test them and, I found they write well especially for such cheap pens. One down side to them is their stick pens meaning they don't retract and, you have to use a pen cap each pen comes with to keep the ink on the pen from drying out. I suspect the pens use a standard oil based ink which doesn't dry out for a long time though they will eventually.

Of the 2 pen bodies, I'd recommend the clear body pens as you can see how much ink the cartridge has left. With the white bodies, you'd have to pull the ink cartridge out of the pen to see how much there is.

Overall, these are decent cheap pens that write well enough. At 10 cents each, I don't think it's worth going through all the hassle of replacing the ink cartridge when you've used it up. Also, I'm not wiped out by the extremely basic ink color selection. However, for most business writing, I think you're supposed to use black or blue ink any way so, this shouldn't matter to most folks. As with many things at Dollar Tree stores, the selection of these pens may vary from store to store. If you want to get a specific pack of them, you might want to see about ordering them on their website.

That's all for this post. Happy writing all!

Ben Ami Chardonnay Review

While on a champagne buying trip at Total Wine & More in Laurel, Maryland, I stumbled upon some Ben Ami Chardonnay. I tend to prefer white wines to red though I've heard the reds are better for you health wise. Another thing that appealed to me about this wine is it's made in Israel. I haven't forgotten the Globus tour I did of Israel and some of my incredible adventures there then like looking down from Masada or floating in the Dead Sea. So, I bought a 750 milliliter bottle of the wine to try it.

I found it a nice chardonnay. I can't tell you what flavors it might hint of or what it might rate to a wine connoisseur. I'm definitely not a wine connoisseur myself. I just know if I like a wine or not. In this case, I did like it. Also, I felt it was reasonably priced at $14.99. Total Wine offers the wine through Winery Direct which means you get an extra 5 reward points per dollar i.e. 15 reward points per dollar spent on this wine vice the normal 10 point per dollar.

In regards to finding the wine in the Total Wine stores, you may have to look in the Kosher section (they have one) to find it. The wine is certified Kosher (it has the circle with a K in it on the bottle).

Overall, I was very pleased with this wine and would buy it again. If you want to try a nice Israeli chardonnay, you might want to try this one. It's a nice wine at a good price. Happy drinking all!

Review of Progresso's Southwestern Style Corn With Potatoes and Peppers Soup

A while back, I bought 3 or 4 cans of Progresso's Southwestern Style Corn With Potatoes and Peppers soup at the Jessup, Maryland Dollar Tree. For a $1 a can, the soup was worth trying in my opinion and, Progresso makes some very good and easy to prepare soups (see my previous review on Progresso soup).

As this soup is in the Southwestern United States of America (USA) style, I knew it was going to have some zing i.e. be a little hot. That's typical as far as I know of with foods from the Southwestern USA. This one does though I found it to be a good all vegetable soup. According to the can I opened, you'll get 1/2 a cup of vegetables per serving (2 servings per can). Calorie wise, each serving serves up 110 calories which isn't bad in my opinion. The soup doesn't have any Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and is low in fat (just 15 calories of fat in a serving per one of the cans I bought). Each serving has 680 milligrams of sodium for those who are watching their salt intake. 2 grams of sugar per serving are also included in each serving for those watching their sugar intake..

Like all Progresso soups, the soup is very each to prepare. You can place it in a covered dish in the microwave and heat it between 2 and 4 minutes or heat it up on a stove.

Each can comes with a 10 cent coupon for Box Tops for Education which you can give to whatever deserving school so, they can get needed school supplies. I sent a bunch of the coupons to St. Joseph's Indian School in Chamberlain, South Dakota to help them out though you my reader are welcome to send them to whoever you like or throw them out with the can.

Overall, I was pleased with this soup and give it 2 thumbs up. I was particularly pleased with the price I paid at Dollar Tree for it though it can be hit and miss finding this soup there. I visited their store at Springfield, Virginia and didn't see a single can of any of their soups there. If you like a vegetable soup with a little zing in it, this could be the soup for you. Bon Appetit!

Note: the soup does contain milk and wheat ingredients in it for those concerned about such things (Source: one of the cans of the soup I bought).

Review of Old South Pickled Okra

I've been a fan of pickled okra for some time. I've tried various brands of it. My one complaint about the item is that it can be expensive. Talk O' Texas offers a very good okra pickle product but, it costs over $3 for a 16 ounce jar of the stuff. This is why I went in search of a good BUT cheaper pickled okra product. I believe I found one in Old South Pickled Okra. Their 64 ounce jars cost $5.69 on the Walmart website and, Walmart offers free in store pick up or free 2 day shipping on orders of $35 or more ($5.99 if the order is less than $35). As far as I know, Walmart doesn't offer this product in their stores (I don't remember seeing it there though I'll have to check the next time I visit one).

On the product itself, I found it to be pretty good pickled okra. It's crunchy which I like and, they put small or medium okra pods in the jars. One annoyance I've had with Jake & Amos's pickled okra is sometimes they put large pods in their jars. The large pods can be chewy and practically inedible (overall they make a very good product too). Another plus of this product is the price. $5.69 is a good price for 64 ounces of pickled okra as far as I know.

Overall, I've been very pleased with this product and plan to buy more of it from Walmart. I am going to see if they carry it in their stores (stay tuned for an update if they do) as that would save the hassle of having to order it online and then either picking it up at one of their stores or watching for it to arrive via whatever shipping company Walmart offers the free 2 day shipping with. I give this product a 2 thumbs up. Happy munching all!

Review of Wegman's Loose Tea Selection

One of the things Wegmans supermarkets has really impressed me with is their loose tea selection. In some supermarket chains, you'll be lucky if you find any tins of loose tea. For tea aficionados, loose tea is the way to go even though it does create more of mess as you have to clean the diffuser or the tea pot out afterwards depending on how you have the tea steep i.e. does it float loosely like in my Teavana Teaperfect tea pot or does it steep in a diffuser where the tea floats in a holed container (many times of some kind of metal) of some sort. Loose tea supposedly brews a better cup of tea as you can get more of the ingredients in the tea vice ground up bits example: in the Wegman's Masala Chai Black tea blend I tried this morning, one the spices in it is cloves. When I spooned out the tea into tea kettle, I could see entire cloves in the mix.

Wegmans offers an incredible 51 tin selection of loose teas where customers can scoop out what blend they want into seal able bags which you then put on a scale, enter the product code, find out how much your quantity of the tea will cost and if it's agreeable with you, hit the print button to where it prints out a sticker with the name, amount, price per pound, price of the purchase and a bar code that you can scan at the register scanner.

Prices on the loose tea vary depending on how fancy a blend you're buying. Wegmans sells Brazilian roasted mate tea for $14.99 a pound. The chai I tried was $29.99 a pound. They have an organic Assam tea for $35.99 a pound and, I believe they have a Japanese green tea which sells for $99 a pound. Keep in mind a pound of tea will go a long way as you'll only be using one teaspoon or more per 8 ounce cup of tea.

The chai tea I tried this morning had a nice flavor though I did brew it longer than the recommended time as I like a pretty strong cup of tea. I plan to try other blends of theirs and see how they stack up.

I do have one complaint with them though the problem may be with just their Columbia, Maryland store. They can be bad about keeping the stock on the shelves. I visited their Columbia store to get some the mentioned Masala Chai tea and, they were out. A sales assistant told me they should get it back in within a week. They didn't. After repeated visits where they were still out, I went to another Wegmans (their Crofton, Maryland store) where I was finally able to buy some of the tea.

Overall, as I mentioned, I've been really impressed with Wegmans choice of loose teas. They also offer tins of Twinings loose tea which I like. Wegmans in my opinion is one chain that offers one of the best selections of tea among supermarket chains though I understand that folks in the United States of America aren't the biggest tea drinkers. Still, I give them a big 2 thumbs up on them for this. It's one thing I really like about their stores and will keep me coming back to them. Happy tea drinking all!

Update: November 9, 2020 I'd read on a different website that Wegmans was doing away with their loose leaf tea tins. The report was true as that is what has happened at their Columbia, Maryland store. In it's place, their offering various loose leaf teas in pre-weighed bags. Wegmans still has a good selection of teas in both forms: loose leaf and tea bag. So, I'd still recommend them to someone if they like tea. Still, it is a real bummer that they got rid of the tins.

Review of Dollar Tree's Peruvian Hat

I believe this was a very lucky find on my part. I don't remember which Dollar Tree store I found the hat in. One annoying thing about the Dollar Tree chain is the inventory can vary from store to store. I remember this being true with a waiter's cork screw I searched for. You couldn't find one in the Laurel or Jessup, Maryland stores but, they had them at their South Lyon, Michigan store (I was visiting my Dad at the time).

The hat as far as I know, it does have a Peruvian design. A label on the hat says it's made in China. Annoyingly, I can't find a label saying what it's made out of. A true Peruvian (as far as I know) would be made out of baby alpaca or alpaca wool with baby alpaca being softer. I know this from when I did an absolutely awesome tour of the country years ago. I very much doubt the hat is made of alpaca wool though I can't prove that.

The hat does a good job of keeping my head warm and, it has flaps that come over my ears covering them as well. It had cords on the side that if need be, you could tie though you should't have to. The hat looks nice in my opinion.

Overall, I consider this hat to be a great find at whatever Dollar Tree I found it at. Sadly, I've been to 8 or 9 different Dollar Tree stores and, I only found this hat at 1 forgotten store. I wish this hat was more widely available as I think it's a really good deal for folks who want a good hat to keep their head warm during the winter. For a $1, it's an absolute steal. I give this product 2 big thumbs up! Stay warm all!

Review of Dollar Tree's Battery Powered Tooth Brush

I saw one of these at Dollar Tree's Laurel, Maryland store and decided to try it. After all, it only costs a $1 so, if it turned out to be junk, no big deal.

I found out the tooth brush vibrates vice having the brush head swivel. I don't think that'll do as good a job cleaning your teeth vice if the brush head swiveled. I ran into a problem with the battery compartment. It kept coming out while I tried to brush my teeth with the brush causing it stop working. The last straw with this item was when bristles came out of the brush head while I was brushing. To me, this says the item is very poorly made.

Overall, I was very unimpressed with this item and definitely wouldn't recommend it. I give it 2 thumbs DOWN! The only consolation I can take is it cost me just a $1 which is very cheap in my opinion. In this case, I suspect I got what I paid for. Cheers all!